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How do you learn to ride a fixed gear bicycle?

I'm looking to learn to ride a fixie because it's just so cool. But how do I get started? Should I convert a bike into a fixie or should I buy one? Where should I practice? What are some of the techniques that I'll need to learn? stopping? slowing down? going downhill?

Public Comments

1. just buy a 21 speed mtb and crank the gears up when u are going downhill
2. I hate fixies......but yeah, gosh, they're fun to ride! LOL :o) It's all mental....you have to forcibly break the habit of dropping a pedal to coast when cornering, expecting to stop quickly, etc. DON'T go fast when you first start to ride or you may end up hurt. Seriously. Give yourself time to mentally get used to the bike. Unless you have the money to burn and are sure you like riding fixed, I'd just convert a bike. You can do it for pretty cheap, depending on what you have already. I'd recommend you get a flip-flop hub instead of a dedicated track hub....sometimes freewheeling is neat and you'll eventually miss it if it's gone. For cornering, you need to start slow and figure out the weight balance, because it's slightly different. You can't stand on the outside pedal for traction, and you sure the heck don't want to clip a pedal on the pavement. As for stopping, you kinda do this reverse-stair-master thing to gradually sap energy and put pressure on the cranks. If you're in an area with lots of intersections, traffic, and parked cars, I'd strongly recommend that you put at least one brake on the bike....it may save your life sometime. To give you an idea....coming to a stop from 16mph on a fixie might take you 150' unless you learn that messenger-skid technique and have money for new tires. Compare that to 40'-60' on a bike with brakes. To go downhill, just get ready to sacrifice your knees and let it roll......or take your feet off the pedals (NOT a good idea in the city). Only Masters ride fixies.....for the rest of people, the fixie rides them. :o)
3. riding a fixed gear is no harder than riding a bike
4. Just make sure you have a front brake that's effective. By the way... the fixie fad has peaked. Just fyi.
5. you learn to ride a fixie the same way you learn to ride any kind of bike...do it. skidding, and controlling your speed all come rather quickly if you ride it regularly. info on fixies, technique, and conversion... http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html craigslist is usually full of old road bikes--and with the mega popularity of riding fixed there are also conversions--not to mention actual track bikes. legitimate track bikes (for racing in velodromes) have very specific geometry that isn't particularly comfortable or forgiving--you might want to look for a bike that offers "track-like" geometry or something that offers pretty typical road bike geometry like the Jamis Sputnik. http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/bikes/07_bikes/sputnik.html conversions are often janky and questionable when it comes to safety...if you have the $, i'd recommend buying something intended for a cog or freewheel (a single speed or fixie)...and then add a brake.