Post 6 - Fixie Article, Miliana

"Buyer's Guide to 'Fixie' Bikes!"

This article, found on the website of a store called "Bicycle Habitat" located in New York, offers basic understanding and explanation of the Fixie phenomena to their current clientele who would perhaps be interested in using Fixie bikes as opposed to other most commonly used bikes. This way the store is able to capitalize on a current trend while also offering more variety and knowledge to cyclists of all levels of skill and interests.

Personally, I had only before heard of the term “Fixie” when a friend of mine who kept a blog of his creative productions began posting images of a bike he was building himself. At first I thought it was just a matter of him wanting to create his own bike, it was only a while later that I caught on to the fact that it was a movement he had decided to become involved in which had certain rules and restrictions. At the time there was a Montreal community website for Fixie riders and while reading through it, there was definitely a “Manifesto” feeling to it. This was about 3 or 4 years ago which is probably around the time when the Fixie culture in Montreal began to emerge. I remember seeing very few Fixie bikes and the term in itself was more word of mouth and underground.

However, in recent years, the Fixie phenomenon seems to have become a bit more widespread and has risen above ground. I believe this particular article proves this fact as Fixie bikes can now be bought in stores and the information relating to the what, how and why is much more accessible.

In truth, I was never very clear on what riding a Fixie bike meant specifically except for the fact that it was a bike with a single fixed gear and I couldn’t quite grasp why that was such a fantastic thing. Which is why I have chosen an article that sort of reminds me of the “…for dummies” book series and can give me a clearer understanding of what a Fixie bike is.

Essentially, it is indeed a bike that only has one gear, which is chosen by the rider depending on their strength going uphill, down and on flat terrain. A Fixie bike will not allow or coasting, so it is necessary to be pedaling at all times. The mechanics are very simple and unique which is how the writer of this article chose to describe Fixie riders as well. It also mentioned that there are different types of Fixie bikes such as the track bikes (for velodrome racing), street bikes, mountain-bikes and singlespeed fixies (which allow for coasting).

Also, it was interesting to learn that the very first patented bikes, going back to the late 19th century, was in fact a fixed-gear bicycle, which closely intertwines with the Fixie concept of reducing the bicycle to its essentials.

Since there are no breaks on the Fixie bike, the pedals are directly connected to the back wheel which means that in order to break it is necessary to pedal backwards and thus become very in-tune with the bicycle. This is demonstrated as a positive and unique aspect of riding a Fixie bike as it allows for the bicycle to become a bodily extension of the cyclist as opposed to an object that is manipulated and set as means of transportation. Riding a Fixie bike is definitely offers a more visceral experience which gives the rider a sense of boundless freedom.

Although this article only touches upon the subject lightly, it does mention that it is possible to construct a Fixie bicycle with the right set of tools and knowledge, which the store in question offers. I believe it is not surprising to see that some of the first Fixie culture riders were creatively driven and have enticed a slew of new riders to follow this movement either for functional or aesthetical purposes.

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In relation to our product, this article is useful in our research as it gives us a basic understanding of the different types of users/riders of Fixie bikes and the aspects of.

The simplistic and aesthetic nature of a Fixie bike will definitely influence the outcome of our product as well as helping us understand what type of Fixie rider Desmond is and how we can satisfy his particular need while respecting certain guidelines.