# first commute on a fixie



## neslon (1 May 2008)

A Carlton Corsair I bought second hand in 1982 has been propping up a shelf in my sisters greenhouse for years, until I reclaimed it, threw away all the rusty bits & moss, then took it to the lbs for fixie conversion (all hail to Edinburgh Bike in Newcastle). Got it last night and (ambitiously) used it to go to work in Cramlington (about 10 miles north). Unfortunately, I forgot I had to go to meeting in Morpeth (6 miles further) then cycle home from there.
It's a bit hilly, and the whole fixed thing took some getting used to - i think I love it, but my thighs are stinging!


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## Twenty Inch (4 May 2008)

It's great, isn't it?

Don't forget to keep pedalling though.


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## spandex (5 May 2008)

well done keep it up It just gets better


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## BentMikey (7 May 2008)

Just remember to keep it slow and smooth for the first few weeks. It's when you go fast and something unexpected happens that makes you need to brake quickly that it's more likely you'll have a stop-pedaling moment.

I'm a fan of clipless pedals for fixed, because if it goes wrong at least your feet stay attached to the pedals most of the time, and that gives you a small chance of recovering and carrying on, rather than having your feet slip off and having a crash.


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## neslon (7 May 2008)

Its a strange business - I went out at the weekend for a big (60m+) round Northumberland on the road bike and enjoyed it, but I'm still getting more of a buzz commuting on the fixie. All that guff you lot spout about simplicity, purity & Zen might be right


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## rustychisel (8 May 2008)

That's right. It is guff! It's just a bike, not the meaning of life.


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## BentMikey (9 May 2008)

No, it's the essence of bike.


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## peejay78 (11 May 2008)

cycling is not a metaphor for life, life is a metaphor for cycling.


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## ASC1951 (13 May 2008)

BentMikey said:


> Just remember to keep it slow and smooth for the first few weeks. It's when you go fast and something unexpected happens that makes you need to brake quickly that it's more likely you'll have a stop-pedaling moment.


I do about a quarter of my riding on fixed and after ten years still cause myself the occasional shock - it's always when I try to stand on the pedals to look back at a junction or something I've just passed. Haven't quite been thrown into the road yet, but I won't be surprised if I am.

Apart from that it has been Zen all the way.

Oh, and don't forget the Chain Brute and a few spare links. On a fixed, that is "walk home from here".


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## BentMikey (15 May 2008)

Maybe it's the standing to look back that needs changing? I'm sure it must be hard to look back often enough if you have to stand every time!


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## domtyler (15 May 2008)

I seem to love my fixie more and more every time I ride it. It just goes like its on rails, so fast, so nimble, so agile, so manoeuvrable. It is just a dream, a real pleasure to ride, I love it!


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## ASC1951 (16 May 2008)

BentMikey said:


> Maybe it's the standing to look back that needs changing? I'm sure it must be hard to look back often enough if you have to stand every time!


But I'm not old enough for a recumbent yet; and I can't cycle in sandals.


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## BentMikey (17 May 2008)

LOL! I don't have a beard or an aerobelly either, and I don't drink real ale. Oops!


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## skwerl (19 May 2008)

"Stopping and staring was awkward. I'll need to practice track-stands"

What were you staring at?


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## skwerl (19 May 2008)

sorry


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## ASC1951 (20 May 2008)

User1314 said:


> Stopping and starting was awkward. I'll need to practice track-stands.


Track stands are definitely an advanced technique. I do a fair bit of fixed riding in town and I've never found them necessary - just as well, because I have all the instinctive balance of a rugby ball.


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