2018年2月8日星期四

Reasons You Should Ride Fixies

Before the multi-gear and three-speed bicycles ever became popular, there was the single-speed bike or the "fixie" as it became popularly known. It got its unique moniker from the fact that it had a fixed gear and that you couldn't coast on it. It had been out of the biking scene for a while until it resurfaced in the late 80s when it was used by couriers and college students to get around.

What made the fixie so popular then and now was the no-fuss mechanics, reliability and control that you had over it. It's simplicity and efficiency was a big hit among non-professional cyclers and the fact that it was a great alternative to driving cars and a great way to avoid traffic jams added to its rising star status.

The fixie is one bike to ride if one simply wanted to enjoy themselves, admire the passing scenery and basically just rediscovering the joy of riding a bike. If you wanted to get a bike that you can exercise with and keep active, the fixie was the best choice because not only did it cost less than geared bikes, it was easy to use and required little maintenance. It was as straightforward as it can be - ride the bike, pedal and that's it.

Most people confuse it with single gear bikes that allow you to coast when going downhill. Fixies don't allow you to coast, which is why it makes for a better bike to work out with because it forces you to keep pedaling uphill or downhill. No wonder it is the type of bike that famous riders of the Tour de France train on and use to develop their winning forms.

Fixies also tend to be more stable and less complex when ridden, perhaps because the chain is straight and doesn't go through a mass of gears, which makes the rider feel more comfortable and at ease because the position of the gear tends to be better in most terrain types and much simpler to set up. And it also comes with a flip/flop hub in most cases so you can choose how to ride.

Fixies, despite their name, can also be flexible by way of its ability to be converted to a single gear bike. All one needs to do is set the hub of the bike to switch between the single gear and the single fixed gear and you are able to get the best of both worlds, depending on when the mood strikes you. You can use the single gear when navigating through hilly terrain and switch back to the fixed gear when navigating off-road.

The fact that it doesn't take up too much of your time to maintain is also something that goes over well with the young people of today, who always seem so busy texting, doing social media and doing pretty much everything else except appreciate the simplicities of old-school gadgets and rides. Because of its cool and sleek looks, it has also become an icon of the hipster subculture, which accounts for the fact that you see it practically everywhere in major cities.

So if you want to know more reasons why you should ride a fixie, these are pretty much it. Oh, and probably the fact that you can meet the love of your life while riding one also counts.

没有评论: