Getting Your Fix(ie)

For a long time the bicycle took a back seat to motor operated vehicles, aside from the odd health enthusiast or professional cyclist. In the modern world of leisure riding and popular methods of transport, sports cars, mopeds, motorcycles, scooters, and even skateboards have been making headway. Lately, however, this all seems to have changed. Over the past few years the bicycle has been making a slow but steady come back, and it seems to have reinvented itself along the way.

The latest form of bicycle to hit the market isn't at all what you would think a modern bike would look like. In your younger years you might have pictured the most popular bike of this decade to hover or at least have some new form of technology in use, but actually, it is just the opposite.

The New Old Craze: Getting your Fix(ie)

Known as a "fixie," the fixed gear bike is actually an adaptation of a very old model of bicycle in which the wheels turn only when the pedals turn. Depending on which decade you were born into you may have actually owned a bike similar to this; you know the kind, where you needed to lift your feet and let your pedals go on their own in order to coast down the street.

Fixed gear bikes have become highly popular for urban cyclists and many cycling enthusiasts across America. The design is one of the most simplistic seen throughout the ages, and yet it holds curious fascination for those in the know. Makers of these bikes have reported large numbers of orders pouring in over the past year and it seems like everybody wants something different, unique, and even customized, but still within the guidelines of the original "fixie" model.

What Makes a Fixie?

The main focus of the fixie, of course, is that it works on a fixed gear, not allowing the rider to free-wheel, but rather requiring pressure to be applied to the pedals in order for the bike to move. While some users have implemented hand brakes of some kind, most riders squeeze their knees together and brace their feet so that the friction of the bike tires against the road stops the motion of the cycle for you.

Fixed gear bicycles are a single speed design, meaning that you don't change gears as you go, you simply work with the one speed that you have. The chain on a fixie can't have any slack or the cycle won't work properly, which means that the more modern introduction of a derailleur can't be fitted to this type of bike.

Popularity And Usefulness

The original fixies have been used in road racing and training for track cyclists, but more recently, this type of bicycle is being implemented into everyday use by those who share a common interest in bicycles, and even those who have never cycled in their life. For some, in urban areas, the fixie is becoming an accessory, and staple of the "hipster" lifestyle, allowing for convenience in transport, an earth-friendly alternative to motor vehicles, and a very specific look.

Without the added weight of additional gears and parts, the fixie is a very light weight bike when compared to other bicycles of the same materials, but different design. The chains on these bikes also tend to wear less frequently, although the method of braking does put more wear on the tires over time. Cyclists who use fixies have many advantages and disadvantages when compared with other forms of bicycles, but in the end, it seems that the simple design and enjoyment factor win out over any flaws that it possesses, because the numbers in sales for this model of bicycle are constantly on the rise.

Whether the fixie will continue its upward momentum in sales and original design is yet to be seen, but for the time being at least, it seems like the fixed gear bike trend is here to stay. People interested in picking up a bike of this kind can find many through ecommerce sales pages online, as well as in brick and mortar bike shops across the United States. If you find that you aren't able to locate one through a local retailer, you might be lucky enough to have somebody in your area custom creating these road-worthy beauties out of their home. Due to the simplicity of the build, and the minimal parts necessary to create a fixie, many people have been taking it upon themselves to make their own from spare parts.