Bicycling Douche Bags

[theevilchemist]

How Come 90% of the bicycling assholes in Chicago all ride fixed gears? These are the people who ride in the middle of the street, on the wrong side, on & off sidewallks, blow off stop signs, lights, and then get indignant when they almost get hit. I saw one guy almost become pavement smear b/c he was riding on the sidewalk and rode through the

Comments

[the_axel]

Riding a fixie has become trendy.
People who follow trends are aresholes.
Ergo most fixie riders are arseholes.
QED.

You aren't being grumpy.

[greylock]

I don't even know why you would need gears on a bike (but, then, I once rode around on a bike without a chain so....) and even I'm aware of this so-called hipster obsession with fixed-gear bikes.

It seems to involve wanting to be a bike courier or something.

[sinibar]

You rode a penny farthing? :)

Trust me, as someone whose main form of transport for 30+ years has been a bicycle, gears are important. I guess for most road use, in a fairly flat area you could get away with 3.

[the_axel]

Same reason you do on a car - mechanical advantage.
Low gears up hills & when going slowly.
High gears down hills & when going quickly.

Fixed wheels used to be only found in velodromes.
Racing cyclists started using them on the streets for training (they force you to build up both strength (when you want to be in a low gear) and speed (when you want to be in a high gear).
This lead to fixed wheels being available on street frames.
Couriers started using them 'cos they are lower maintenance & more reliable than geared.
Hipsters decided that couriers are cool.

& so another good thing is ruined by douchebags.

[greylock]

Hipsters decided that couriers are cool.

You see, this is where I get confused.
For one thing, have you ever smelt a bike courier up close... in summer?

[the_axel]

Just because somethings cool doesn't mean you actually have to interact with it.

e.g. Tigers.

[greylock]

You make an excellent point, sir.

[theevilchemist]

I like your historical account with commentary. :)

[theevilchemist]

It is more energy efficient to have a motor (you) with a transmission (gears) to balance speed vs torque. Low gears give up speed to get more torque, high gears give up torque for speed. It's basic mechanics. Effectively used gears reduce wear on the body as well.