Switching btwn fixed/ free?
Thread started by
KVNY at 08.9.09 - 1:51 am
so i've been riding my 10 speed for a while and i'm hoping to start looking for another frame and parts for a fixed conversion once i have some $$$ to spare. I like my current bike alot and plan to spend time on both even once i get my fixie in riding shape. What do you guys have to say about switching between fixed and free wheel? Like is it possible to go between the two on a regular basis and feel comfortable and competent on both? Or is it better/ safer to stick with one or the other?
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It's sorta kinda like riding a bike, you know?
franz08.9.09 - 2:02 am
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how insightful... lol. i'm just curious cause everyone always says how weird it feels going between the 2. so im wondering if its gonna take away from the riding experience
KVNY08.9.09 - 2:08 am
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here is the deal:
i bought a track bike with a flip flop hub thinking along exactly the same lines. it seems like a smart decision having the option to switch between the two. I rode free for a while and got used to the gearing and then switched to fixed. After i got comfortable with that it seemed dumb to even have the option anymore. I took the freewheel off and never went back.
the moral of the story:
yeah you can be competent on both, but you wont want to. just by a fixie.
Teque508.9.09 - 2:26 am
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For me... once you start riding your fixed for a bit and then jump on a freewheel.... it's going to feel weird. i have a flip flop and one day i was tired so I flipped it to the freewheel side so i can coast but it just felt odd that I didn't care if i was tired and went back to fixed. I do love my gears though.
digablesoul responding to a
comment by KVNY
08.9.09 - 2:28 am
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I would personally stick to one or the other. It's really difficult to remember not to turn right when you switch to fixed, it could be deadly.
franz08.9.09 - 3:16 am
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I don't like switching because I ride too often on my other freewheel bikes. One's a geared nice roadie bike and the other a mountain bike. I don't care for making the mental switch. But to each his own.
0gravity08.9.09 - 12:43 pm
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I haven't had my fixed gear for a long time and already coasting on the road bike feels weird so I don't really do it much anymore. I switch between the two bikes all the time and that's about all I feel.
I like the variety, it's fun to have two bikes that feel so different. I've been getting more into the fast rides and I don't want to take my fixed gear for that stuff, I did it one and I hated it.
Gav08.9.09 - 1:20 pm
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Thanks for the input guys
KVNY08.9.09 - 2:57 pm
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if you're going to keep your 10 speed, there's no point in getting a flip-flop hub.
the freewheel side will fell more or less like your 10 speed, so it would be redundant.
sciencefriction08.9.09 - 3:04 pm
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Yeah thats what i was thinking. have my 10 speed and just have the other as a dedicated fixie. with a front brake for the rare occasion where having extra stopping power can save your anal cavity thus preventing anal leakage later in life.
KVNY08.9.09 - 10:38 pm
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