Lee-Mon's Epic Website

I love my fixie bike

---

The concept of a fixie bike was something I was unaware of, until early 2025 when I got back into cycling. Why would anyone want to ride a bike that can't shift gears, and that even prevents you from coasting at all? It sounds ridiculous and reckless until you try it.

I learned to ride on a 20-inch beat up bike that had multiple gears installed, but I couldn't use them because the whole system was broken. The shifters were totally terrible and inappropriate, on top of being stuck in place, and the front and back derailleurs^[1] were non-functional regardless of the shifters. Eventually my mom sent it for repairs and I had somewhat working shifting, but I didn't know how to use them anyway, so most of the time I stayed on easy gears.

A couple years after learning to ride, I got a BMX for christmas, which became my main type of bike for the future. My first one got stolen from outside the house only 3 months after I got it, so we bought a used one from a flea market. That one became my everyday bike until it also got stolen, at which point I got another one, this time as a donation, which stayed with me until I felt like I outgrew the bike. I also wasn't doing much riding, because I didn't have money for repairs. In total, I think it was 8 years of riding a BMX. One speed, no brakes, and no sitting while pedaling. I used to quickly ruin shoes because I would use them as my braking mechanism, and I commonly ran into sketchy situations. I once almost crashed into a cop van while riding into an intersection at high speed, on an oncoming lane. They chastised me for riding without brakes and sent me on my way.

I didn't ride for a decade after that last BMX. I wanted to get back into cycling, like, really badly, but I didn't have the means to buy one until 2024. As soon as the situation allowed, I bought a kickass mountain bike. It was a truly great bike that served almost all my needs, but which I started to find too complex over time. Suspension, derailleurs, hydraulic disc brakes, all that stuff.

I quickly realized that bike maintenance would be costly over time. Suspension systems demand frequent service. Gear shifting systems have many moving parts which also need periodic calibration. Hydraulic brakes don't need much attention, but that's also a job I probably couldn't do myself once the time came. I wanted something simpler.

4 months after purchasing that bike, I crashed and broke my knee, which put me out of cycling for over a year. I sold the bike during that time; not an easy decision, but I had my mind already set on a simpler type of bike for my eventual return.

Once I learned that the versatility of a mountain bike came with a significant maintenance and efficiency tradeoff, I set my sights on a single speed bike as my next purchase. It's a really attractive proposal, most of them are cheap and it's really easy to find one made of steel, which lasts so long and is so repairable, that the frame would likely outlast the rider, provided it gets properly taken care of.

The efficiency of a single-speed drivetrain is quite great, as there's no derailleurs and extra cogs adding weight and eating away at your pedaling power. It's even more efficient with a fixed gear, since all of your power goes directly into the back wheel, and the momentum of the wheel itself also keeps the pedals going, which can reduce your efforts a bit.

I've been riding my new bike for almost 2 months now. It's been a crucial part of my recovery process, and it's been such a great companion that I always look forward to the next time I can ride it, or the next time I can work on some upgrades.

Anyway, upon buying my fixie, I rode it in freewheel mode^[2] for a few weeks before trying the fixed gear, out of morbid curiosity. I quickly fell in love with it. It feels really goofy at first and I had to spend a good couple of days unlearning the impulse to coast, but once I got past that hurdle, riding the bike became so much more pleasurable that I'm debating even buying a fancier bike in the future. I don't even wanna switch back to the freewheel cog.

I'm still unable to do a track stand, I can't do skid stops, and I still smash my pedal on curbs occasionally. The latter can be quite dangerous, but I've become much more aware of these potential problems and I've adjusted my riding as a result. Ironically though, riding a fixie hasn't made me a better rider at all, in fact I crashed into another rider a week ago and broke my brake lever as a result. Regardless, sticking to the fixed gear has made riding the bicycle really fun in spite of some of its disadvantages.

I don't know yet if I've become a stronger rider, but I can surely tell you that my commute to work hasn't become any harder as a result of not having multiple speeds for the different situations I encounter. My commute isn't hilly, in fact I think the highest grade I encounter is in the range of 1% to 2%, not counting the bridge I have to climb in between that. You don't need multiple gears for that, just an appropriate one. I've found great success in just pedaling at a sustainable cadence, pedaling faster whenever I need to keep up with traffic, and getting off the saddle whenever I need to do a tough climb.

I haven't experienced the fabled "becoming one with the bike" feeling. In fact, I feel I have to be even more aware of what's going on because I can't stop pedaling. However, it feels nice not having to worry about shifting gears. I only worry about how fast I'm pedaling, what's going on around me, and whether I can reach my brake. Maybe I haven't reached this elusive state of mind because I ride with a brake, and I'm not willing to get rid of it for style points. The roads are dangerous.

The shittiest thing about this bike is definitely having to start from a standstill. It came with a 46T chainring on the front and a 16T cog in the back, which is roughly equivalent to the 2nd hardest gear on my previous bike. Not exactly the zippiest to start pedaling with. The second shittiest thing is the downhills, where I can easily end up spinning out. It's a common joke that a single-speed bike is always in the wrong gear, which I think is a warranted criticism, albeit not entirely true. It's really a matter of how fast you like to go and how much effort you put in, assuming you're sticking mostly to flat areas. If you're thinking of riding on hills, I think a fixie is far from a good choice.

The best thing though? The simplicity, the repairability, and all the customizations I can do to the bike. Adding a road-style handlebar and a rear rack has made the bike a lot heavier, but it's so practical that it's well worth the tradeoff. I can finally ride without a sweaty, uncomfortable backpack on me at all times. Just chuck it in the rack and secure it proper, and off we go. Now, riding with a lot of weight on the back of the bike makes the handling kinda sketchy, but it's manageable. I've ridden far more dangerous things, like a BMX without brakes into oncoming traffic, or a motorbike on rough terrain at 80 km/h with no prior experience. A lopsided fixie is a piece of cake in comparison.

Looking forward to my next ride.