# No wonder folks crashed in dem olden days....



## bricycle (Oct 25, 2014)

Rode a "Fixie" for the first time today.... Sheesh! I want my free wheel hub back!!!:eek:

Constant pedaling feels so weird! Slowing down takes some work too. Plus I'm 6'0" 32" inseam and bike had 24" seat pillar. I can barely touch both sides on my tippie toes and my junk squashed.....
That is a tall ride, seat was up a bit too. Like being up high tho-
First thing I did with a new rider I just got was put a freewheel Musselman on it. Ahhhhhh, better!


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## willswares1220 (Oct 25, 2014)

Brian, are you talking about that mid 1890's Crecent that you just bought?
I bet that was a sweet ride if that's the bike~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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## dempsey (Oct 26, 2014)

I always have trouble visualizing how a fixed gear bicycle would work. Hard to imagine not being able to coast. What happens if you take your feet off the pedals? Would it just stop short and throw you over the handlebars?


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## Andrew Gorman (Oct 26, 2014)

No, it keeps on rolling with a whirling ring of death and dismemberment around the pedals.  That's why early safety bikes had coaster pegs.   The  fixies I have running are a velocipede geared to 36 inches and  a former velodrome rental New World geared around 90- I need to walk both of them to a nice flat spot to even try getting on.   On a similar note, a neighbor brought a modern adult tricycle around yesterday and boy howdy, was it difficult to ride- apehangers and a tall seat didn't help but I am so used to staying on two wheels  and balanced by wiggling my butt it took a while to get the hang of it. Best advice he had was "act like you are sitting on a barstool".   Now I kinda want a Cripper...


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## SirMike1983 (Oct 26, 2014)

dempsey said:


> I always have trouble visualizing how a fixed gear bicycle would work. Hard to imagine not being able to coast. What happens if you take your feet off the pedals? Would it just stop short and throw you over the handlebars?




The force of the bicycle traveling forward and the rear wheel turning will drive the pedals around and around if you take your feet off. 

The total weight of the bicycle plus rider traveling at, say, 15 mph, creates quite a bit of energy. The bike will want to keep rolling, so as the rear wheel continues to roll, the pedals continue to churn, whether or not your feet are on them. If you resist the pedals by pushing backwards against them a bit, you can slow the bike down somewhat. That's part of the allure of the fixed gear is the ability to control the bicycle by driving forward with the pedals for acceleration, or resisting them with your legs to slow down. However, even the best fixed gear riders who are riding on the road should have at least one hand brake on the bike. You can't dead stop a fixed gear traveling at 15 mph using just your legs in resistance. 

If you get good enough, you can balance the bicycle in place by quickly alternating between forward and backward force on the wheels. That is called a "track stand".


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## gtdohn (Oct 26, 2014)

bricycle said:


> Rode a "Fixie" for the first time today.... Sheesh! I want my free wheel hub back!!!:eek:
> 
> Constant pedaling feels so weird! Slowing down takes some work too. Plus I'm 6'0" 32" inseam and bike had 24" seat pillar. I can barely touch both sides on my tippie toes and my junk squashed.....
> That is a tall ride, seat was up a bit too. Like being up high tho-
> First thing I did with a new rider I just got was put a freewheel Musselman on it. Ahhhhhh, better!




Bri, believe it or not, it's actually a lot of fun once you get used to it. My 1896 Victor is quite ride-able and I have more fun on it than any other bike. You do get to the point where you can control the speed with your leg muscles and foot pegs are a plus when you are in need of a break, but the experience is like no other once you get it down.
I hope you'll give it a chance before changing out the hub or anything. 
Besides, they're suppose to be enjoyed for what they are  
Just pretend you're back in time and have no where to be in any particular hurry.


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## Wheeled Relics (Oct 26, 2014)

*Evolution of the Wheel*

Is it an accurate observation to say the fixed rear hub of the safety bicycle lived a relatively short life? 1890-1900?


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## dempsey (Oct 26, 2014)

Andrew Gorman said:


> No, it keeps on rolling with a whirling ring of death and dismemberment around the pedals.




That was my first thought but I doubted myself for some reason. What I described would be a catastrophic design flaw. . . . Not that fixed gear was a prudent design, but a better option than whatever you would call my idea. "Fixed wheel", maybe.


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## Larmo63 (Oct 26, 2014)

We'd like to see video of this ridin' you've been doing, Bri…...????


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## PhilipJ (Oct 26, 2014)

The first fixed hub I rode, besides my tricycle many moons ago, was my Columbia high wheel. Out of all the different aspects of riding a high wheel the fixed hub was the hardest for me to adjust to. At one point during the first weekend riding my high wheel I had what I would call a brain fart and I attempted to coast. I was bucked out of the seat and almost did a header. It scared the hell out of me. Since then I've ridden a lot of safeties with fixed hubs and now I really enjoy them. Ridding different bikes with different technologies keeps me passionate about biking. Learning to ride a high wheel felt like being a kid again learning to ride a bike!


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## GTs58 (Oct 26, 2014)

I had my fill of the fixie by the time I was 5 after countless mishaps riding a tricycle down the street's incline. Unless you like to make a bike go backwards, I see no good application for it other than maybe a track bike. Just remembered some fun times getting really torn up. That heavy old cast metal John Deer pedal tractor could break your leg or kill ya!


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## Wheeled Relics (Oct 26, 2014)

*Best kept secret*

You don't know unless you do it yourself.


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## filmonger (Oct 27, 2014)

Wooow - now you can join the hipster crowd....though, you may need a beard and skinny jeans!

Fixies are fun but an acquired taste. It takes a while to get used to it - nothing like a good ole brake when you need one! I was riding my fixie the other day when the chain came off while braking... Not a fun experience.

I agree - lets see a video Bri!


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## Wheeled Relics (Oct 27, 2014)

*Evolution of the Wheel*

1898


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## filmonger (Nov 29, 2014)




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## Wheeled Relics (Nov 29, 2014)

*A little new every day*

Nice find filmonger had not seen those yet. Another rest to keep money out of the podiatrists pocket!


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## walter branche (Nov 29, 2014)

*beginner*

most of this stuff is sales pitch ,, once you became a rider with experience ..  you would establish your own style and ability, ..JUSt like nowadays  when you go out riding everyone has a certain ability , to ride , look stupid , etc..


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## thehugheseum (Nov 29, 2014)

personally i only ride fixi anymore,both modern and safety......theres so much more control with fixi once you get the hang of it......but some folks have trouble with it,but some folks need to have both hands on their handlebars (like my wife for instance) on any bike........some folks can tie their shoes,others like velcro shoe straps


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## sam (Nov 30, 2014)

Wheeled Relics said:


> Is it an accurate observation to say the fixed rear hub of the safety bicycle lived a relatively short life? 1890-1900?




No.
Fixed gear hubs were always produced and used. Manny racers used them for training as well as racing.  They really teach you to spin your ankles and not use all your leg power. They were also used in exercise bikes--the fix gear I ride has a Union hub from a Columbia exercise bike


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## M.Martian (Nov 30, 2014)

I've ridden the track at Dominguez hills before they tore it down.

Riding fixed is very different and can bite you in the butt if you forget.  I saw one guy on the team stop pedaling after crossing the line.  The momentum of the rear wheel spinning lifted the rear of the bike up and over pitching him over the bars as the bike tumbled end over end,

I had built the anti-fixie a couple years ago but since torn it down and sold off the wheelset.  It was a 1960's Sears three speed frame that was completely rusted out with full fenders and chainguard.  Had to deflate the tire to get the rear wheel in to that 26" frame.

I used to ride a converted single speed road bike to work on my spin so I have no problem with always needing to pedal.

Now I regularly ride my hiwheel so the fixed is no problem.  This year I put over 500 miles on my 48" repro.  Even trips down the embarcadero with foot traffic are no problem.  Although I still cannot track stand it.


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## Goldenrod1 (Dec 5, 2014)

*At the Portland, IN. meet in 1993, a fella bought a high wheeler*

He set it up against a tree and jumped on.  He went a few feet, fell to the ground, broke his arm and resold it.  That must have happened a lot.


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