To fix or not to fix, that is the question

As I’ve reported in the past I have a couple of bikes hanging in the garage. These bikes are beyond rideable right now. I have gone through several fixing cycles on these bikes including attempts to swap parts between the two in order to arrive at least one functional bike. None of this has worked, so I’m looking at getting a new bike.

This is of course an exciting prospect but also presents its own challenges. Any bike I get should serve the purpose of a reliable commuter as well as an enjoyable ride.  And so I’ve been considering a fixie. In my attempts to fix my bikes I’d attempted the fixie conversion but it never works. There is always a problem with chain tension.

As it turns out the frame, and specifically the drops that secure the rear wheel, are important. The drops on a fixie should be horizontal so that the chain tension can be regulated by how far the rear wheel is secured from the front crank. All of this is to say that simply taking away parts from a multispeed bike isn’t necessarily a road to a simplified ride.

Buying a fixie is pretty economical compared to another multispeed bike. However what is gained in cost savings is lost in performance versatility. We’ll see how the decision plays out.