Candy Cranks

My mate Lisa 4 months pregnant and getting on a fixie for the first time, go girl!

A lot of my mates have been asking me lately,  
“So why do you ride a fixie? Isn’t it scary?”
My reply is always the same, 
“Cause I love it. No, not at all, why don’t you give it try?”

It’s not always easy explaining why you like something, or how something feels. The first time I got on a fixie I was defiantly a little wary, it felt weird and I thought, how am I going to stop? Won’t the pedals hit my legs when I try to get off? All my fears were abandoned once I hoped on, although when I occasionally forgot I was riding fixed, the pedals sure woke me up with a jolt back to reality.

There is nothing quite like riding a fixie. I’ve only had 2 bikes that I felt like I was truly in sync with. These were a single speed which is sadly no longer with me and my current fixie. My other bikes make me feel like I’m a passenger, whereas fixed makes you feel a part of the bike. (I know it sounds clichéd)

What I really love about riding my fixie is it feels so smooth to ride. I love the stiffness of my bike, it’s like an arrow that only wants to go one way, forward and fast.

I love the simplicity of the bikes both in function and form. The bikes are simple, beautiful and minimalist. I’ve never been a huge fan of gears, and to be fair I hardly knew what to do with all of them half the time anyway. I was constantly clunking through them, getting them stuck and having the chain come off. When I finally became free of gears on my first single speed bike it was a relief.

“What about getting up hills?”

I find getting up hill easier on fixed than anything else I’ve ridden. The constant momentum of the cranks and wheels means you are propelled forward so the bike actually helps you get up hill. Coming down the other side is the trickier part. If you go too fast you have to pedal like a hamster and you can end up bouncing on your seat if you’re not use to it. This should be avoided as understandably this can have a negative impact on your under carriage.

“Oh so you think you’re cool now”

Nope, not at all. I know fixed bikes now have a reputation as being fashionable at the moment and attracting people who do think they’re cool, maybe they are, who cares. The fact is they’re riding bikes, having fun and that is only a good thing. Some pedestrian trying to impress his girlfriend yelled out to myself and a few mates the other night when we were riding uphill “yeah, work hard for that fashion” It kinda makes me cringe, and at one point I was even a little embarrassed about riding my fixie cause I thought people would think I’m trying to be a cool kid. I’m not a ‘fakenger, hipster, fixie wanker’ or any other noun ending in’er’. I’m just a cyclist who appreciates beautiful bikes and that’s why I love to ride fixed.