I grew up falling off things like swings, trees, skateboards or tricycles. And I’ll see to it that I die falling off things.
I was reminded of that last week as I panted while cycling up old Greek Row towards Hello Walk on my fixed gear bike, a first for me in Moscow. My last three years here have been on either mountain bikes or road bikes. For my senior year, I sought out a change.
I’ve had the fixie for a couple years, but it had mostly been collecting dust in Moscow. These bikes, unless they have the right drive train and sprocket, are pretty bad on hills because they only have one gear. They are worse going uphill, but scary going downhill. Their one gear, when in fixed, does not allow riders to stop pedaling while riding.
With less parts, though, come less maintenance, cost and some interesting fun. Be gone to the days of hearing your derailleur — the part that changes chains as you change gears — buzz as you ride, or spending money to fix it. With one gear, you’ll be soaring like a free bird as you zoom through the streets. And you’ll never have to spend time reattaching your pesky chain — unless it snaps.
The only fixes you will absolutely need for a fixie are replacing flat tire tubes and your chain, which is not frequently needed. The bike is low- maintenance because you can stop your bike by applying reverse pressure to the pedals, you do not even need to have brakes — but they’re highly recommended.
In my two weeks riding my fixed gear through Moscow, it has been a blast. The hills have been tough, but the flats have been great. It’s definitely more challenging than I would have anticipated, but I’m always up for a challenge. If you are too, it might be right for you.
But before you embark on this journey, there are a few things you should do: If you plan to ride extreme inclines, change out your gears to something better suited for hills.
With fixed gears that are converted from a road bike, make sure to avoid your rims rubbing onto the brake pad. You can do so by swapping out your rear wheel with one with a bolt release and replace your brake pads with thinner race pads. Giving you a firmer grip and reduced swaying when you ride, and the thinner brake pads will give more wiggle room for your wheels.
While using what most standard bikes use, a quick release to attach your wheels to your frames, it allows for more convenience but open you up to more risk of someone stealing the rear wheel. Which is why I recommend swapping out the rear wheel with a bolt release.
Once you’re settled, saddle up and enjoy, because it’s quite the treat to not have to do all that maintenance that comes with other bicycles.
Now that the school year is upon us, wish me luck on my ambitious goal to ride to Pullman and back every morning before school along Paradise Path. The biggest struggle will be waking up early enough. And if you are looking to join, shoot me a message, because everything’s better when you do it with a friend.
Kyle Pfannenstiel can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @pfannyyy