Fixed wheel bikes are an a-hole move.

Posted by Maximum Fun on 11th September 2006

FIRST, LET IT BE SAID: I rode a bike to work for years, and I biked to school most of my senior year of high school — a 35-minute ride. I am a supporter of urban cycling.

But fixed wheel bikes are for assholes. They have no breaks for no reason other than aesthetics and arrogance, and they represent a bold extension of the urban cyclist’s “I am by far the most important person in this shared public place and I shouldn’t have to stop at all for anyone no matter what and if I do have to stop, no matter who is right, I will become incensed and spit on a car or kick a pedestrian or whatever is neccesary.”

This is something that as a law-abiding cyclist and downtown San Francisco pedestrian have seen far too many times. To the extent that my goodwill towards urban cyclists (further note: I was 21 when I got my driver’s license and have only occaisionally owned a car) was worn down to nearly nothing.

I’ve seen fixed wheel bikes with brakes on the road. These are totally reasonable — they’re a challenge and simple and all the things that fixed wheel cyclists say they’re interested in, but without the danger of something that goes 25 miles an hour on city streets without brakes.

Now, back to your