FORME ATLOW FIXIE NOW AT GROUNDS CC

FORME ATLOW FIXIE NOW AT GROUNDS CC

FIXIES –3 GREAT REASONS TO BUY A FIXIE

This year Forme have released their “Fixie”, the Atlow, and they have landed in our stores. A perfect about town bike for the hipsters amongst you who are after “that” look – Vans, Cords, Bandannas anyone? Maybe you are looking to build up those thigh muscles on your daily commute, or looking for an easy maintenance ride…. come this way, the Fixie is for you.

In case this is enough you can grab you Forme Fixie by clicking below!

THE TECHNICAL FIXIE RUNDOWN

But first, some technical low down in plain speak. ‘Fixie’ is used as a bit of a catch-all term for bikes with a singlespeed drivetrain. That’s one gear, a single chainring, one rear sprocket and a whole new world of pain on steep hills. But it is heavenly for the mechanically inept, as they have fewer moving parts.

So, Fixie’s fall into 2 camps:

A true fixed gear: this doesn’t have a freewheel. Your legs are permanently engaged with the rear wheel – when you’re moving, you’re pedalling. When you stop pedalling…you stop!

A fixed gear with a freewheel: this means you can stop pedalling and coast as you ride, as you would with a regular geared bike. If you have to pedal up a lot of steep hills you might well appreciate being able to freewheel down the other side. A freewheel means you don’t need to worry about coming to an impromptu stop or spinning your legs like flailing egg beaters on the descent.

In practice, like the Forme Fixie, most fixed gear bikes come with a flip-flop rear wheel. This sees a fixed cog fitted to one side of the hub and a freewheel to the other.

Put on one way round, the gear is fixed, but if you turn it around you can give yourself a singlespeed with a freewheel.

3 GREAT REASONS A FIXIE IS FOR YOU

1. THE BENEFITS OF FEWER MOVING PARTS

There are benefits from removing the gears. Derailleurs, cassettes and combined shifter/brake levers can all be shed leaving you with a nice simple set up with fewer parts. This means most Fixies can come at a good price.

Fixies are a great choice for the mechanically challenged, or those looking for a lower maintenance bill. With less to go wrong, a fixie is a good choice, especially for winter riding and commutes over grimy, salty roads. Of course, as we all fastidiously clean and lube our bikes after every ride (don’t we?), a Fixie will save you time.

Another good thing. Changing your gearing on a fixie won’t cost much or take much effort. Altering your sprocket or chainring is something you should mull over with your local bike shop mechanic. It will depend on your fitness and how hilly your rides are.

2. FIXIE FITNESS

“I still feel that variable gears are only for people over 45. Isn’t it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailleur? “

Henri Desgrange (Tour de France founder)

Whichever type of Fixie you ride, you will have to get used to spinning those legs on the downhill, and pushing them hard on the uphills. There are no Granny rings to fall back on. Watch out for pedalling around corners too…we are all used to coasting around the bends…

But either way, a Fixie forces you to work at different cadence and effort levels in a way no other bike can.

3. YOU GET THE LOOK

With their smooth profiles and skinny frame tubing, Fixies deliver a cleaner, sexier aesthetic.

There’s a definite cool factor about riding a Fixie too. Check out the documentary “Send It” on GCN+. And, they are great for track standing if that’s your thing, and for skid stops (if you can master them).

Finally, if you really are into the Fixie scene, remember that in the UK a road bike must have two braking mechanisms. For many singlespeeds, that’s two rim brakes.

But, with a true fixie you can slow yourself down by pedalling more slowly, and this counts as a brake. So, in this scenario you only need one other brake.