When did fixed-gear bicycles and single-speed bicycles first appear? Well, actually they've always been around. The first ever bikes were, in fact, both. The first competitors of Tour de France rode single-speed fixed-gear bikes.
(And just a note here: Almost all fixed-gear bicycles are also single-speed, but all single-speeds are not fixed-gear. Just by looking at a bike it can be hard to tell them apart, at least if you don't know what signs to look for. As a general rule though, if the bicycle rider isn't completely retarded, the single-speed bike will have brakes.)
But riding up mountains without low gear ratios is really bloody hard. Or alternately, if it's easier riding up mountains you have to pedal like mad going downhill and sometimes even on flat sections. The first derailleurs came in the 1800's, but the first ones were clumsy and heavy and hence not very popular with racing cyclists. In fact, it wasn't until 1937 that derailleurs were used in Tour de France.
But when we talk about fixies and single-speeds today, we can say that it started in the 1980's, with bike messengers in New York. The trend, primarily among hipsters, to ride fixies and single-speeds began in the late 1990's. However, as we recall it, it kind of exploded around 2010 or so.
Anyway, as people living in Seattle, Gothenburg, Porto or any other city built on top of and around hills know, having the ability to go into a lower gear when riding uphill is... just great. Simply put there is a reason why derailleurs were invented. And the same thing goes for brakes. Being able to slow down your bicycle when going downhill, without having to lock the back wheel and skidding is just great too.
And that's where we start. We think that derailleurs and brakes are great inventions. So when we first encountered people who voluntarily rode without both we simply thought that they were mad. And it didn't help that many of them were hipsters either... Second-hand caps in neon colours, vests, tight jeans, ugly sneakers and even uglier moustaches on the males. Many of them seemed to have their bikes as accessories, rather than as a means of transportation. Posers.
We also felt that there was a certain amount of machismo associated with fixies and single-speed. Certain people (guys...) had this attitude that riding without gears and brakes was super-cool. Dangerous. Hard. Outlaw. (In many places it is actually illegal to ride a bike without brakes.) And we're not really into that.
However, one thing we couldn't disagree with: The cleaner the bike is, the more beautiful it is. Or, at least, can be. When you remove the gears, brakes and the mudgards you see that the frame, the wheels, the saddle and the handlebar can actually be pieces of art. Like this saddle from Paul Smith and Kashimax. Cool, isn't it?
(We borrowed this picture from Bike Reviews. Hope that's cool!)
Or this saddle from San Marco and Lobster.
(This picture we borrowed from Blue Lug. Hope that's OK!)
Just as a couple of examples. And the bike frames themselves... For example, check out these examples from Pegoretti. If these bike frames can't be viewed as art, then what can?
(We borrowed the photos from Flickr Hive Mind. Hope that's OK!)
Over time we have realised that the hipsters have actually done something cool. They have taken the bicycle and turned it into a piece of art. It isn't just a means of transportation, it has a worth in itself, as an object. Something desirable and cool. So thanks, hipsters!
And as we realised that it was also easier to acknowledge that there are other positive aspects of fixed-gear and single-speed cycling. Despite the machismo surrounding it, it has made many women start riding bikes, in a different way. We wrote about the short film Fixed on fixed, directed by Rachael Harding, a while ago. A perfect example of what we mean. And there are more examples still.
There is a certain amount of machismo in "regular" (non-fixed-gear non-single-speed) bicycle clubs as well, so if women get into riding bicycles their own way, on fixies and singles-speeds, then that's cool too.
By the way, if you haven't watched Fixed on fixed yet, we really recommend it. Because the tricks an experienced rider can do on a fixie are really cool. The standstill, pedaling and rolling backwards... Impossible on a regular bike!
So in conclusion, fixd-gear bicycles and single-speed bicycles are not really for us (at least not yet!) but if you are into that and want to join us we welcome you. Or if you just want to convince us of the benefits of not having gears nor brakes.
(This is a fixie. With the saddle tilted a little too far (isn't it?), and upside down road handlebars. We love the colours!)
Ride safe!
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