General: How many of you hate “want-to-be” fixie’s?

there are people who do it horribily, but then there are others who do it elegantly. This older gentleman in Las Vegas owns a few older Merckx bikes. one of them he keeps as a road bike with all original campy super record. the other he swithces back and forth between super record and record pista (complete with sherrif stars). Keeps the brakes on. it loos classy as shit.

but there are definitely people who destroy bikes. i've seen colnagos, pinarellos, paramounts, and other amazing road frames treated like shit and it breaks my heart.

I suppose I'm some what guilty of this. I've recently purchased two early eighties steel trek frames with the intention of building them up as my first fixed gear bikes (one for an every day beater, and another I plan on taking my time building up as I learn a bit more about which components would benefit me more). Only one of them had braze ons on the top tube, which I have no intentions of taking off. I've left the original paint job in place with a little touching up of rust/scuffs here and there using touch up paint from an auto store.

I know I could of gone out and bought a track frame, but I'd rather get my feet wet with a bike that I can pick up on craigslist for 70 bucks and convert. Once I've learned the ropes of riding fixed and have figured out which geometry would be right for my hefty petite ass, I'll probably invest in an actual track frame. I realize this might not be 'doing it right', but I'd rather have a cheaper bike that I can use for trial and error before spending a notable amount on something nicer

I definitely won't be taking a rattle can to the bike or it's rims though... that's just tacky. I appreciate the character of the older frame and it's somewhat faded decals/badges

I hate the word "fixie." Makes you sound like a "want to be" bike nerd.

Posted By: stinky pete

Posted By: jam guyI hate the word "fixie." Makes you sound like a "want to be" bike nerd.

Sorry, seems to be what they are calling these types of bike around my area these days. Personally, I prefer the term “fixed gear’ or “track bike”. Please feel free to use any term you like though…



And under stand that I figured I would piss some people off with my opinion on “hacked together” bikes. I meant no malice by this. I look back on my younger days when I did much the same… I respect those who ride, who do it for the pleasure and happiness only a bicycle can bring, and wish only to join those of you here that share my bike passion.

Peace bro.

Hacking together bikes is great! I do it all the time. I have soooo many projects in my living room right now.

what the hell is a "want-to-be" fixie, either it's a fixed gear or it's something else
the way i see it fixed gear bikes have segmented big time over the past 5 years
you have the new school riders with aerospokes and bk, concepts, etc
you still have the classic track bikes
you still have the njs / keirin
you have the conversions, which could be segmented further into: beaters, classics, modern, etc
you even have cyclocross and some mountain bikers

mostly i just hate it when people just got into it and pretend to have been into it for years
if you are a newbie, just be a newbie, no big deal... ride your f-ing bike
but what the hell is a wannabe fixie, either it's fixed gear or its something else

Posted By: gregIf someone rides their bike they're cool with me

true dat.
also, conversions are fun!

I agree with the "more bikes on the road" philosophy. Who cares who is a wannabe/poser or not? Just let the people ride.

half the bikes people bi@tch about wouldn't even be ridden if they weren't converted.... they'd be sitting around in some dudes garage, building up rust, instead someone likely went to great trouble to remove the rust and give it life again

i would never chop down a pristine classic road bike, but plenty a time i have found an old rusted reynolds 531 frame in some dudes garage, spent hours cleaning it up and regreasing all the parts. i guess at some point someone might convert some of these frames back to road bikes, and they will live on instead of going in the dumpster

everyone that rides a bike is cool with me. the hate starts when individuals try to be someone they are not. When certain people pretend to have knowledge about the history of cycling but in their comments prove that they do not. When certain products become so commercial that their prices inflate even though their quality stays the same. When certain people disrespect other types of cycling without even knowing anything about them... most roadies will wipe a fixed gear rider on the street. Did I mention hills, cross country, mountain biking etc... Also a BMXer or an Art cyclist will beat the crap out of fixed gear trick wise. Nothing against fixed gear hipsters. They are cool as long as they behave respectfully towards the rest of the community.

Posted By: wowzahyou should post some of your bikes
only fair if you want to breakdown an analysis on a stable of bikes

that basso was a rust bucket of a frame when i got it out of some dudes garage
i think she would be grateful and happy even if i painted her sweet italian columbus steel orange
she could be in a dumpster or land fill right now
instead the basso has seen trails and multiple cities, and had another life after years in a dingy half moon bay garage
if people are riding their bikes who the hell cares

many roadies aren't going to cherish old steel frames
they have the latest and greatest carbon this and and that
if they had a bike like that basso it would spend most of the time in the corner

i agree with aliderkrasse, it's all about respect
many genres of biking are worth while

I used bikes from your stable so that you and others reading this might understand my point better, no other purpose than that.
You have done a fine job on the Basso, both in its resurrection and its new found life by your use.

Soon perhaps on the pictures of my bikes, I don’t have a digital camera of my own. When I do post some, I’ll also try to provide pictures of bikes I have overhauled for my bike friends as well. I’ll point out there’s from mine so there will be no confusion.

Till then, I bid everyone RESPECT…

Posted By: customfun50Agree to disagree. However, couldn't one say that unless an old classic is being seriously cared for then conversion is a form of revitalization?

Just keep riding, whatever your stance.

Yes, makes sense to me, case closed, thank you… really. ;)

Bringing a bike back to life, or making it more ridable by converting is great. I get kind of ill when I see bikes converted unnecessarily or for hipster-value alone. Some bikes look funny fixed with long wheelbases. Fixed are fine, track are better, true-track are better yet

The dropouts dont make the bike, the rider does, and in most cases with these "want-to-be" fixies they are literally made/built by their rider. I have just as much respect for these kinds of bikes.

I don't like conversions - for the most part. Long wheel bases look weird, and I generally prefer the look and feel of steep geometry. That's not to say I'm going to hate on the riders on top of the bike, which really matters, not the bike. I want people to ride bikes, seeing what riding has done for me in my life, and I want people to experience this same magic on a bike of their own. So it's whatever. Let's all ride, no matter what!

Conversions are fine. My only wish is that everyone stripping off all those shifters, derailleurs, and wheels would make them available for adoption. Think of all the '70s, '80s, and '90s bling going into the trash! Really need to come up with a way -- and I'm not talking Craigslist or eBay -- to keep good old components in the community. Fixed-gear conversion riders may not want them, but a heck of a lot of others do.

It's ugly to some, but people will do with their possessions as they choose. Collectors of artifacts of history in general, such as those who collect classic cars, or historic weapons of war, object, often vehemently, to any "molestation" of such an object, such as "sporterization" or even "restoration". Serious collectors of anything such collectors deem collectible have a tendency to see themselves as mere custodians of the things they collect -- objects to be passed on to future generations. Other possessors of the same objects seemingly don't see past the end of their own lives; the objects are simply "owned".

Typically, they don't have children...

....i guess sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder

I don't really like the whole "wannabe" label. Obviously anyone who wants to ride a fixed WANTS to ride a fixed gear. Whatever their motivations may be. Kinda tired of people trying to be elitist just to gain a sense of self-worth. If you want to ride a fixed gear bombing down a hill, doing tricks, or off of a cliff it's your perogative. You've spent the money and put the time into your bike, you have the right to do what you please with it. You're not doing it for someone else, so why should you worry about their judgment?

I think instead of all the hating, we should be respecting anyone who wants to use any bike as a form of transportation and recreation.

Posted By: the rabbii think the forum should be renamed "want to be track bikes"

Haha. So good.

yeah what about those clowns that supe up their shitty little hondas with $50 000 worth of parts or those idiots that buck up their ugly ass pick ups so they are like 4 feet above the road. Track bikes ride best on the track and road bikes perform best on the road but fixies perform great in big cities with a lot of traffic because they make a person more sensitive about their bike.

This topic is just about a bunch of lil kids or grown ups that act like them. Live and let live.

all i'm saying is if someone takes one of these:

and hacks off the braze ons and converts it to a "fixie" then it's a damn shame. bikes along those lines should be built up properly as a road bike.

^^

a man of taste. and furthermore, ive had an experience where ive seen an early 80's ciocc caked with rattle can black over the majority of it, converted to a tarck bike. some kids dont get it. it's a shame how some of these frames that belong in a glass case end up in the hands of the wrong people.

want-to-be fixies or elitist bike snobes?
which ones do i hate? i love you all...

now of course, let me preface my words by saying that i am a complete newbie and could very likely be the trendy, hipster, fixie, chopped up bike scum everyone here is speaking of. i just got into fixed gear bikes and have done so through my first bike project that i have posted on here. it is a 1980s trek (reynolds 501 frame) that i took apart and converted, rattle canned and all.

frankly, road bike conversions are as oxymoronic as riding a track bike through an urban city. i am pretty sure we all do it for the same reason, we enjoy riding fixed. track bikes were never meant for the road and road bikes were never meant to be fixed. in the end we are all defying the original purpose of these machines so who really cares? if you ride a bike, especially a fixed gear, you are alright in my book. beyond that, who cares if a bike use to be or is a track bike, classic road bike or not? it seems to me, and again i could be wrong because im new to this, that it is another form of elitism. like track bikes are the superior form of fixed gear bikes or that road bikes are too classic or vintage to be turned into a fixed gear. who really cares? in my area of town, middle class four thousand dollar road bikers own the bike lanes, this doesnt mean i am going to complain about them or pretend like they should all do what im doing. i actually have much respect for them. i was actually really stoked a couple weeks back when the tour of california came through my town, regardless of what type of bikes they were on.

in the end you can say what you want. i researched frames and components and learned about the versatility and smoothness of old steel road frames. i learned about the geometry used in the reynolds 501 frames and so i found an old trek that had these features. do i care if its the new trend or not? not really, my bike rides nicely and i enjoy fixed gears. is it a cinelli track frame or some really trendy bianchi pista concept? no, but damnit its cheap, fun, simple and rides great. furthermore, i did not hack off any shifter bosses or anything and i have saved all of the gears and original parts. not because ill ever use them but because i like to have options, especially if i try and sell it one day. elitism aside, thats all that matters. and as far as being a "want-to-be" i am proud to say, yes i am a "want-to-be". i wanted to ride fixed and damnit now i am!

Posted By: neutron_bobAre you serious? Did you actually write:

"it's a shame how some of these frames that belong in a glass case end up in the hands of the wrong people." ??

omg listen to yourself.
FFS get off your high horse and get back onto your bike.
These young people you're whining about are an entire cycling generation. They're the future and you should be rejoicing that they care enough about cycling to spend their time, money and creative energy to resurrect these old and unloved frames in whatever form they choose.

Yes, I didnt even have to say it. Bikes are meant to be ridden, it doesnt really matter to be how they do so...

Posted By: muckymuckywait, so you hate converts? =/

oh and no muckymucky you missed my point i guess. i ride a trek conversion, just got into fixed bikes. check it out when you get time.