>Ken S. Naylor was quoted (from a message I can't find):
>
> > I have never quite understood the allure of fixed
>> gear/track bikes
There's an ineffable pleasure to it, not possible to explain in words. The only way to understand is to actually ride a fixer long enough to get past the unfamiliarity of the experience...usually takes a couple of weeks.
See:
http://sheldonbrown.com/
>in
>> the bike messenger crowd. I understood the rational
>> of using them as a
>> training tool for road cyclist to teach a smooth
>> pedal motion/cadence,
>> but it seems that the decrease in braking ability
> > (right?)
Wrong! Riding fixed gear has no effect on
braking ability in dry conditions, improves it in
wet conditions.
>and the lack
> > of ability to choose a better gear for hills/wind/ect. would be a
> > detriment.
It is a "detriment" but there are countervailing benefits, including a lighter bike, more efficient drivetrain, lower maintenance and better exercise for a given amount of riding time, and it's just more FUN!
It's not for everybody, everywhere, but if you haven't tried it you don't know whether you'll like it or not. Riding once or twice around the block doesn't count as "tried it."
See also http://sheldonbrown.com/
Sheldon "It's Addictive" Brown
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| I still feel that variable gears are only for people over |
| forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength |
| of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailleur? |
| We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear! |
| --Henri Desgrange, _L'Équipe_ article of 1902 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------+
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