S tripped down, super fast, and totally gorgeous—fixies do away with gears, multiple rear cogs, and derailleurs in favor of simplicity and speed. And although we talked about them a bit in the last chapter, fixies have caught on to such a degree that it’s worth talking about them in even more detail—how they work, why they’re popular, and what it is that all these fixie fanatics seem to have in common.
THE EARLY YEARS
Track cyclists have been racing and riding fixies for over a century, but it’s really bike messengers who popularized them. In the early 1980s, many messengers adopted the fixie because of its light weight, durability, and ease of maintenance. Without gears, derailleurs, or brakes, there’s less to break or get out of whack. It’s the perfect urban assault vehicle.
Bike messengers haven’t always been the tattooed, pierced road warriors we know today. Messengers have been around almost as long as the modern bike, but in the 1980s, they basically became their own underground tribe, dressing in tall argyle socks, military fatigues, and baggy cut-off jeans cinched with studded leather belts, reminiscent of the ’70s and ’80s punk scene. Despite riding in traffic all day, many went without helmets.
Their fixies were all over the map, too—in terms of appearance. Some were wrapped in black electrical tape, which served a dual purpose: to protect the bike from scratches and conceal the bike’s brand, and therefore value, from thieves. On the flip side, some messengers proudly—though they might not have admitted it—displayed old-school track frames, kitted out with street-adapted gear like outdated “cow-horn” handlebars. Either way, mainstream riders took notice, and they began to emulate the messengers.
THE FIXIE SCENE
Fast forward to today. You can’t swing a dead cat without hitting a fixie— or a skinny hipster riding one. In the bike world, fixies and the associated style are the trendiest things going.
The fixie culture influence shows up in everything from the informal messenger races, called “Alley Cats,” and epic parties hosted by groups like “Dead Baby” in Seattle, “Rat Patrol” in Chicago, and “Skidmarxxx” in Austin, to the messenger-style bags sold at Gap and Saks Fifth Avenue. Fixie culture encompasses everything from underground racing to messenger work to bike collecting. It’s a fun, irreverent universe. It’s mostly urban in nature, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dig it if you live on a farm or in Tinytown, USA.
If you’re interested in learning more about fixie culture, first go online. Bike blogs, information about messenger races (including a world championship), Tumblr feeds, and insider folklore will keep you occupied for weeks.
BEFORE ALL ELSE: THE BAG
A samurai has a sword, a cowboy has a gun, and a messenger has a bag. You’ve seen ’em—the utilitarian bags slung over the shoulders of hipster speedsters everywhere. What started as an urban “look” has become cool no matter where you live or what you do. In fact, by the look of things, most messenger bags sold today go to people who barely ride—that’s how popular the messenger look is. Though simple, the bags are perfectly adapted to delivering mail and packages by bike. With a single shoulder strap and a rectangular, usually waterproof, main compartment, these bags ride in the center of a cyclist’s back. A small waist-strap keeps them from sliding off the back when pedaling. When a messenger makes a stop, she or he unclasps the waist belt and then slides the bag around to the front, without lifting it off the shoulder. Then the messenger peels back a foldover flap and removes whatever letter or package he or she is delivering. Quick and easy to use, and super durable, the messenger bag is so popular because it works so well and because it becomes a personalized part of its wearer. Choose a bag you like and start using it. In no time, you’ll have a trusted companion for school, work, errands, and racing around town.
THE ANTI-UNIFORM
Messengers typically ride in some of the least practical and funkiest clothing you’ll ever see on a bike. In a way, it’s the anti-uniform—everybody looks different and there are no rules.
One way messengers break the mold is with their helmets. Look out for hockey helmets, “hair nets” (or old-school, padded leather, protective headwear from the ’70s and beyond), skate helmets, or nothing at all. Once I even saw a woman riding with a wreath of flowers on her head (low protection factor, but kinda cute). Experiment with style all you like, but riding with an unprotected cranium is not something you want to emulate. Another thing that safe riders generally have in common is some way of keeping fabric away from their gears. That means shorts, skirts, or a rubber band or some other kind of stay to keep baggy pants from getting caught (and ruined) by the chain and chainrings.
As for clothing, head to your local vintage shop and see what grabs your eye. Don’t worry if you’ve never seen another soul riding in your chosen purplepleather chaps—if you can ride in ’em, then more pedal power to you.
By the same token, don’t feel like you’ve got to impress anybody or try to make a statement. Sometimes not making a statement is a statement.
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT
The bike lock is another messenger accessory. Some messengers opt for the tiny “u-lock” stashed in a rear pocket, while others have a clunky chain worn around the waist like a belt, joined by a lock. There are several options, to be sure, but just make sure your lock is as tough as possible if you’re pedaling in a busy city or a college town. Thieves love a good bike, and come to think of it, sometimes any bike—so watch out.
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Lockless—What to Do
Sooner or later you’ll find yourself out on a ride and without a lock. Bummer, but all is not lost. What you need to do in this situation is make it harder for a would-be thief to jump on your bike and dash away. Here are two quick tricks to make it a bit more difficult for him or her. First, remove your front wheel from the frame if you can. Lay the front wheel against the frame, then take your helmet and clip the chin strap through the front wheel and around the frame. If you can’t remove your front wheel, then just use your helmet’s chin strap to clip the front wheel to the frame, so it won’t roll. In either configuration, a thief would have to unclip your helmet (and reinstall the front wheel if you removed it) before making a getaway. It’s not a sure-fire fix, but it’ll slow somebody down so you have time to holler for help, call the cops, or just shame the dastardly thief into leaving your ride alone!
CHOOSING YOUR FIXIE
Before you start hunting for a fixie, here are a few ideas to consider. First off: brakes. Many fixies, as well as true track bikes, do not have hand brakes—you control your speed with your pedaling. Spin your legs faster and you go faster. If you need to slow down, you decrease your pedaling cadence. If you’re an experienced rider, you can unweight your back end and stop pedaling as you do so. This stops the rear wheel. Then, if you keep your legs locked when you re-weight the wheel, you skid along, effectively braking your rear wheel. It may sound a little complicated, if not risky, but with some practice you can do it. Hop on to YouTube and search for “how to ride a fixie,” and you’ll find bunches of posts, some of them even helpful!
Having, at minimum, a front brake on the bike is a good idea, especially when you’re first learning to ride a fixie. (You can certainly have a rear brake, too.) You’ll be safer, and it helps control your speed. It works just like a regular front brake, except that in this case you use it to augment your pedaling action in order to slow down. Many riders, once they’re comfortable, remove this front brake and rely only on their pedaling for braking.
Keep in mind that some states have laws about riding bikes without hand brakes. I’ve never heard of anybody being ticketed for riding a fixie, but heads up—it’s possible that Johnny Law could pull you over.
CONVERTING YOUR BIKE
It is possible to convert a “geared” bike—a bike with gears, derailleurs, and shifters—into a fixie, but it does take some mechanical expertise and know-how.
If you’re interested, you’ll need a frame with “horizontal dropouts.” The dropout is the slot into which your rear wheel fits. Almost all road, ’cross, and touring frames have “vertical” dropouts these days. Fixies and BMX bikes, on the other hand, still come with horizontal dropouts. A horizontal dropout runs parallel to the ground, and you slide the wheel in from the back of the frame unlike a vertical dropout, into which you pull the wheel up and back.
If you don’t have horizontal dropouts it becomes very complicated to convert a frame to a fixie. I’d recommend either finding a frame with horizontal dropouts, or purchasing an entire bike, ready to go. Converting a frame with vertical dropouts into a fixie is probably more hassle than you’re willing to endure.
PEDALING TECHNIQUE
You’ve found a fixie and maybe even inherited a battered messenger bag. Before you shave a mohawk on your head or schedule an appointment with your tattoo artist, let’s get up to speed on some fixie technique.
Surviving the Corners
The most obvious difference between a fixie and other bikes is that you’ll be pedaling the entire time you’re moving—that includes corners, which you’d usually be coasting through. If you’re really flying on the bike, you tend to lean in a corner, too, which means your inside pedal comes closer to the road surface. Lean far enough and your pedal can hit the pavement, which causes the bike to jump. On a fixie, this usually means crashing.
For your first few fixie rides, take your bike to an empty parking lot or even a grass field with firm ground. Pedal around for about a half-hour, becoming accustomed to the habit of always moving your legs. Weird, eh?
My first time on a track bike, I did a few laps on the velodrome and really thought I had it perfected—until I forgot to pedal and the back end of that bike hopped like a mule stung by a hornet. Lifetime uncool moment number 8,549 for me.
Once you’re comfortable, start taking corners with a little more speed. Wear your helmet and maybe even some gloves in case you fall off. Pedaling the corners may feel risky at first, but with some practice you’ll get it. Just stay within your comfort range, and don’t try to go too fast at first.
Surviving Traffic
Riding a fixie means planning ahead. Some riders liken it to chess—the good players think six and eight moves ahead, rather than just reacting to their opponent’s last move. A fixie can’t stop on a dime like other bikes can, so you need to be scanning the road ahead for approaching cars, obstacles, funky turns, and changing stoplights. You’ll need to divide your attention between what’s happening right where you are and the upcoming landscape. It’s quite a challenge. Avoid busy intersections and roads, particularly when you’re just starting out, and keep playing a few moves ahead.
The Trackstand
Maybe you’ve seen a cyclist arrive at a stoplight, and, rather than taking a foot off a pedal and putting it down, she chooses to balance on her bike. This is called a “trackstand.”
In an event on the track called the match sprint, two riders go head-to-head to see who’s the fastest over a thousand meters. Sometimes both riders will try to take the second position, hoping their rival will sprint first so they can jump behind and save energy by drafting off the leader. If both riders want to be in the second position, they’ll slow to crawl and occasionally stop completely—in a trackstand—trying to get the opponent to roll ahead. It’s a tense, fun moment in the race.
When you try it, you’ll discover it’s actually easier to do a trackstand on a fixie than on a freewheel bike. You can pedal backward and the bike rolls backward, then pedal forward and you’ll creep forward. A bike with a freewheel only pedals forward, so when you ride one you’re constantly inching ahead, then catching yourself with your brakes. Doing a trackstand on a fixie holds you steady at a stoplight, where on a freewheel bike you’re always inching into the intersection. Learning to trackstand is a fun and useful skill (and let’s face, it looks cool, too)—after just a few hours of practice, you’ll be “riding” in place.
ALLEY CATS
Messenger clubs often hold “Alley Cats,” or bike races specifically geared for fixie pilots. The first modern races were held in the ’80s, though messengers had raced periodically since the turn of the twentieth century. An Alley Cat mimics a day in the life of a messenger, with stops every so often at different locations on an urban course. In an Alley Cat, competitors show up, get a “manifest,” or a list of all the stops they’ll need to make, and then have a few minutes to plot the fastest course that hits all of them. Being a local is a definite advantage.
There’s even a Cycle Messenger World Championships, sanctioned by the International Federation of Bike Messengers Associations. Cities like Chicago and Berlin have hosted the event. If the annual race is anywhere near you, go check it out—these riders are fast.
Don’t expect to find Tour de France riders at an Alley Cat though—some riders’ race numbers are often just playing cards (originally they were tarot cards) jammed in the riders’ spokes. The events are way less organized than the Tour, but they’re open to a wider swath of participants and, in my observation, much more fun.
If you have a messenger service in your city or town, ask them about an Alley Cat, or search the web—but be warned, these races take place on open courses with traffic. I’d recommend going and watching, rather than racing among the cars. As for me, you’ll find me on the curb, not out with these brave (crazy?) souls.
WHERE TO GO FOR MORE INFO
Still interested? Lucky for you there’s information out there if you look. Try and rent the documentary Red Light Go, a fun glimpse of fixie culture. There are also a few books out there, including Fixed: Global Fixed-Gear Bike Culture by Andrew Edwards and Max Leonard.
My advice, though, is poke around for other fixie fanatics in your area and give it a go.
The Bike Snob: blogger extraordinaire, wordsmith, outlaw, and opinionated cycling geek. For years he concealed his identity from those around him, even his then-girlfriend, now-wife and mother of his only child. Only a few enlightened cognoscenti knew his real name, but it wasn’t until the Snob wrote/published a book that he had to voluntarily “out” himself.
Eben Weiss, at the age of thirty-six, revealed himself as the Bike Snob in 2010.
And really nothing has changed. Eben writes the funniest, most perceptive, most spot-on cycling commentary you’ll read, anywhere. He lives in Brooklyn, so often he’s up to his bottom bracket in fixie culture, much of which he lampoons and a fair bit he celebrates.
You can read his daily posts at bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com, and I promise, you will not be disappointed. He tackles everything from goofy folks he encounters while commuting in the city to the latest edition of the Tour de France, to developments in equipment.
You can read his stuff in Bicycling magazine or pick up either of his books (The Bike Snob and The Enlightened Cyclist), but his best work appears on his blog. Bookmark it on your browser and check back daily. You’re welcome!
A Word on Tension
by Rob Coppolillo
If you’re riding a fixie then you need to consider chain tension. Because your fixie will not have gears or a derailleur, there’s no need for the bike to have the additional chain to accommodate longer gears. Part of what a derailleur does is take up the slack when you’re riding a “shorter,” or easier, gear. That’s one reason why there’s a big spring in your derailleur—so it can tension the chain when there would normally be slack in it.
Your fixie will have a fixed-length chain, so you’ll need to adjust chain tension, which can be done in a few different ways. The horizontal dropouts on a fixie (or BMX frame) make chain tensioning easy because you can simply slide your wheel forward or backward to get the right tension.
And what is the “right tension”? This is a little tough to figure out at first. You want your chain as tight as it can be without making it difficult to spin the pedals slowly forward. Any looser than this and your chain can come off (danger!).
You’ll want to pull the rear wheel back in the dropouts until it is tight against the chain. Tighten the rear-wheel bolts a bit. Now, slowly turn the crank forward with light pressure. Let go and see if the wheel and cranks keep turning, or if they bind and stop. If the latter occurs, then your chain is a bit too tight. Loosen the bolts and slide the rear wheel forward a millimeter, retighten, and perform the above test again. Once the cranks continue to turn without binding or stopping, you’re there. Tighten the bolts and get going.
Don’t let anybody sell you on the idea of a “chain tensioner”; this little gizmo works great on a single-speed bike, but it’s not right for a fixie. A chain tensioner can’t handle the stress of a fixie’s drivetrain, so don’t even try—it’s dangerous and it won’t work.
Other Types of Tension
There are a few other methods for tensioning a chain if you don’t have horizontal dropouts, but they’re a bit complicated. Some bikes have an “eccentric” bottom bracket, which means you can rotate the bottom bracket within the frame to take slack out of the chain. White Industries makes a hub that does the same.
The bottom bracket and the hub are intricate, specialized pieces of equipment (and they’re heavy), so I’d recommend you find a frame with horizontal dropouts and go traditional, rather than trying either of these. If you decide to try either eccentric option, you’ll need a skilled mechanic’s help, so ask at your local shop.
Chainline
Right behind chain tension in the galaxy of fixie importance is “chainline.” On a geared bike your chain moves side to side between gears, which means it’s usually not in perfect alignment with the front chainrings. This is no big deal—it’s the price we pay for having all those gear options. On a fixie, though, you want your chain perfectly lined up between the rear cog and the front chainring. It’s stronger this way, more efficient, and has less of a tendency to fall off.
You can adjust chainline several different ways, including adding/ removing spacers (on the hub or bottom bracket axles), “redishing” the rear wheel, or adjusting the bottom bracket side to side. These are manageable, but somewhat complicated procedures that demand a lot of trial and error. Ask your local bike shop for assistance.