November 21, 2009
Published: 30 Jun 09 12:05 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090630-20291.html
They’re sleek, fast and illegal in Germany: fixed-gear bicycles. Marc Young reports on how trendy fixie riders have sparked a police crackdown in Berlin.
External links:
Marc Young (marc.young@thelocal.de)
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
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Your comments about this article:
The Berlin police should focus on crime, not cyclists. But I've been saying that for years (and they never listened).
as a long time cyclist i've actually found the police rather lax. in fact i've only once been given a single ticket (well deserved) for my criminal cycling habits - from a motorcycle cop no less! i have been reprimanded on more than one occasion, however. "Auch f?ie geht die roten Ampel!" Officer Friendly shouted at me from his van as he drove past...
Personally, I think fixed-gear bikes are dangerous. That is why I love them.
As for calling it a hipster plague, I think you're dangerously close to defining cultural symbology for a middle-class youth subculture you know nothing about. If you can't beat them or join them, you just moan enviously.
Doesn't that take away the advantage of the bike? What's next: It's really cool to get rid of the seat!
sounds like people are going to great lengths to make things difficult for themselves. And I always love the people that want to 'fight the power.' Look, it illegal: abide by the laws or face the consequences.
Another thing to keep in mind: The police DO focus on crime. They have different divisions that handle different areas. Traffic enforcement, homocide, narcotics etc. The cop writing you a traffic ticket is not the guy in charge of gang violence of murders. Separate division.
If you don't like the laws put together an itelligent plan to change them. Don't wait for the cops to pull you over and say "F*$#! you pigs! You're just on a power trip."
I do like the look of fixies, but I usually ride too far for one to be useful for me, so I roll a stealthy beast with gears and brakes. I'm riding a considerably shorter distance now though, so maybe I should think about it...
Everyone who rides a fixie for a while won't go back to freewheel as you feel very connectd to your bike and the cycling feels very smooth and relaxed. I don't like the hype about it too much and some people shouldn't ride a fixed as it can be very dangerous if they don't know what they're doing!
That said, I have had no problems with Fixie-riders and I wish them luck, but wish they used lights and bells.
Berlin police and traffic officials (and cyclist groups) have a huge challenge ahead which it's not even clear they fully recognize: Training all the immigrants (many of them Europeans or North Americans) how to safely ride a safe and legal bike.
For these novice cyclists and the rest of us we have an even more difficult task: To confront the automobile industry and its symptoms, among them the propagation of fear amongst sometimes otherwise normal adults who cycle on the pavement even when the street is free of cars (or because it's a little too cobbled).
My fixie has brakes, but that is just because I want to go faster.
So. Are you suggesting that my next door neigbour, who I reported to the police last week, should be able to keep his stasch of Heroin and coke, JUST because it is "the way I make my living"?
The only issue with fixies is when people don't know how to ride them and must have a brakeless fixie as a fashion statement. Given you can't enforce common sense, this maybe a necessary evil so long as the police demonstrate some restraint when they should enforce it. In the case of an experienced cyclists who can safely ride fixed, let them do so.
In terms of whether people need to have bells, lights, mudguards... why not be individuals? let those who want nothing have nothing, and those who want more have more. I am tired of discussions which are geared to some kind of cyclo-normativism. I enjoy diversity, lets all do our thing and stop lecturing each other on what to do (ironically prescriptive, I know).
I suspect the latter, in which case, all hail our new robotic overlord!
i would pay a lot of money to see you riding a skateboard with a sparkler sticking out yr arse LOL
The only issue with fixies is when people don't know how to ride them and must have a brakeless fixie as a fashion statement. Given you can't enforce common sense, this maybe a necessary evil so long as the police demonstrate some restraint when they should enforce it. In the case of an experienced cyclists who can safely ride fixed, let them do so.
In terms of whether people need to have bells, lights, mudguards... why not be individuals? let those who want nothing have nothing, and those who want more have more. I am tired of discussions which are geared to some kind of cyclo-normativism. I enjoy diversity, lets all do our thing and stop lecturing each other on what to do (ironically prescriptive, I know).
I have a front break and lights on the bike, so, should I have some worries?
Also, where is the best place to get your self a bicycle courier job?
I speak a little Deutsch, but that improves everyday I am here.
Then again, I've been eyeing off a 120dB air horn for my bike... Is that "gay" as well?
:-D
"Perhaps you should have worries if you have the complete inability to read a thread about something that is important to you? Would you like a tip about how you can find someone to clean your arse as well? That would be in the family section. Non German speaking Cycle couriers in the capital of Germany tend to be well down the lists of wants or needs these days. There is a cull however each Saturday close to the river Spree which can be a good laugh if nothing else."
Was soll man sagen zu so einem Kommentar, der nicht nur nicht hilfreich, sondern auch völlig am Thema vorbei ist?!
Mit Sicherheit ganz unten auf der Liste der "wants or needs" eines jeden Berliners stehen engstirnige, aggressive und von sich selbst überzeugte Mitbürger jedweder Nation, die aus vollkommen suspekten Gründen annehmen ihre wenig konstruktive Meinung sei erbeten oder erwünscht.
Schade, dass du nichts besseres mit deiner Zeit anzufangen weisst, als solch dämliche Kommentare zu schreiben.
Sorry, aber das geht echt gar nicht!
So have you read the thread yet? Your German friend is a bit odd mind you.
[attachment=107326:Fixie_Bikes_web.jpg]
[attachment=107327:Fixie_web.jpg]
Those bikes look like something I made when I was a kid from parts off the scrappie.
No brakes, no gears, no mud guards, cheapo paint job and odd sized wheels/tyres - yep exactly the sort of thing we used to make.
Bet they cost an arm and a leg though? They saw you coming
I have a front break and lights on the bike, so, should I have some worries?
Also, where is the best place to get your self a bicycle courier job?
I speak a little Deutsch, but that improves everyday I am here.
Those bikes look like something I made when I was a kid from parts off the scrappie.
No brakes, no gears, no mud guards, cheapo paint job and odd sized wheels/tyres - yep exactly the sort of thing we used to make.
Bet they cost an arm and a leg though? They saw you coming
It always seems as if they pay a lot of money for their fad bikes which is why I don't get the point of paying for something any 13 yearold kid could make for you from scrap.
[attachment=107356:bild2754...gross4x3.jpg]
It always seems as if they pay a lot of money for their fad bikes which is why I don't get the point of paying for something any 13 yearold kid could make for you from scrap.
I know of some guys in Portland and SF that do put their own fixies together on the cheap. I'm sure there are a wide variety of fixie types and personalities.
[attachment=107393:fixie_trick_web.jpg]
http://www.berlin.de/polizei/presse-fahndung/archiv/132155/index.html
a proper fixed gear bike is a track bike, with very different geometry to that old bike you threw together as a kid from random parts. it's got a specific track hub, cog and crankset. and, if you're into tricks and showy stuff, it's got specially sourced hipster handlebars. they're specialist frames with specialist parts, and their value is reflected in that.
fixed gear riders in berlin can handle their bikes, and i feel safer riding with them than i would with more than 50% of the rickety ill-maintained shoppers that i see out on the streets.
[attachment=107464:opa.jpg]
However, the thing about handling their bikes so well doesn't hold up considering recent events. I give you a press release from the Berlin cops from yesterday:
http://www.berlin.de/polizei/presse-fahndung/archiv/132155/index.html
Bei einem Verkehrsunfall in Mitte wurde heute fr?in "Fixie"-Radler schwer verletzt.
Gegen 9 Uhr 20 befuhr der 32-J?ige mit seinem Rad, das lediglich mit einer Vorderradbremse ausger?t war, die Friedrichstra? in Fahrtrichtung Unter den Linden.
If you want to spend thousands to look like that then you go right ahead but don't complain when you get nicked for breaking the law.
You would soon scream if you get totalled by someone in a car that followed the same way of thinking re brakes and genral legal roadworthiness.
my point about most of the cyclists i see in berlin still stands. many have no concept of road safety or how to deal with traffic, and i cannot tell you how many deathtrap bikes with poorly adjusted shakey brakes i see every single day. the police should be spending time taking these dangerous cyclists and their bicycles off the road, rather than hassling skilled fixed gear riders.
Anyway, yeah, the police should be going after all unsafe riders and bikes instead of focusing on certain types of bikes. Then again, if you are riding your fixie without a brake, it is an unsafe bike. Maybe you are super good at it but what if somebody borrows it?
Those bikes look like something I made when I was a kid from parts off the scrappie.
No brakes, no gears, no mud guards, cheapo paint job and odd sized wheels/tyres - yep exactly the sort of thing we used to make.
Bet they cost an arm and a leg though? They saw you coming
Until the frame is bent when you're hit by that truck that you couldn't stop in time to avoid.
german law states that a bike must have two independent mechanical braking systems. i've put a front brake on mine, and my drivetrain is a very effective braking system, so i therefore am biking within the law.
if the average person got on one for the first time, they'd be dangerous. but once you learn the basics, how to control it and how to stop, you're fine. but we don't suggest banning any of those things from our streets/pavements.
remember that it takes children several weeks to learn how to use a bicycle.
german law states that a bike must have two independent mechanical braking systems. i've put a front brake on mine, and my drivetrain is a very effective braking system, so i therefore am biking within the law.
As for the brakes you reckon it is a good system but I can't see how it can be when the only way to slow down your back wheel is to pedal slower than the wheel is turning which means the only brakeing mechanism is your muscles which are no way as effecient as a decent roller brake or even the old fashioned back pedal type brakes, which also do not lose efficiency in the rain or wear the brakepads out.
I am not saying you shouldn't ride your junkheap bikes and enjoy yourself but no complaining when you end up either fined by the cops or splattered across the road when your "more efficient" brakeing system lets you down.
i can only speak from personal experience (and from what i see from my friends), but my braking distance is the same on my brakeless fixed geared bikes and my geared road bikes -- none of which, i might add, are junkheaps.
oh, and german law otherwise says that to be streetlegal, your bike needs to have a bell, lights and reflectors, and to not damage the roadsurface. should police be confiscating bikes that don't have bells, too?
or, say, if i'd only ever driven an automatic, i'd feel uncomfortable borrowing my friend's stick shift and thinking that i'd be safe.
i can only speak from personal experience (and from what i see from my friends), but my braking distance is the same on my brakeless fixed geared bikes and my geared road bikes -- none of which, i might add, are junkheaps.
oh, and german law otherwise says that to be streetlegal, your bike needs to have a bell, lights and reflectors, and to not damage the roadsurface. should police be confiscating bikes that don't have bells, too?
The reference to junkheap bikes was from the earlier posts - do try and keep up.
As for confiscating bikes - I know that the cops do fine people for not haveing bells/reflectors etc usually as an extra when the rider gets stopped for doing something else dangerous.
Still can't see how you can claim that your leg muscles are as efficient as a friction brake though.
and i would heartily agree that a fixed gear novice shouldn't ride brakeless.
a front brake, by the way, provides 75-80% of the stopping power on a bicycle equipped with both front and back brakes.
but please remind us all how good a front break is in the wet?
PS It's "brake", for you and several others in this thread
so I will await his reply before making further comments
(and yes I know my spelling is bad but a least I give it a go)
so I will await his reply before making further comments
(and yes I know my spelling is bad but a least I give it a go)
so would you say a front brake give you better stability & braking in the wet is what I am reading here
one of my roadbike has carbon rims, with carbon braking surfaces and carbon-compatible brakepads (front and back). it has virtually no stopping power at all in the wet. i'm exaggerating a bit, but i do have to squeeze the brakelevers so hard my hands get tired. i don't ride that bike a lot when it's raining.
my other racer has normal metal rims, and again they get pretty seriously affected by being wet, but not as much. i think my stopping distance probably doubles in the rain.
with my fixed gear bike with front brake, the front brake becomes similarly less effective in the wet. i rely on my drivetrain/back wheel to stop (which isn't as effected by being wet). in the winter, i put tyres on my fixed gear bikes that have a bit more traction. i think fixed gears are great on slippery roads. you can modulate your speed really effectively using the drivetrain. backpedal brakes are really dangerous (verging on unsafe) in the wintertime.
if you're wanting a bike where weather doesn't compromise your braking at all, go for a mountain bike with disk brakes and chunky, knobby tyres. not that fun to ride around the city though.
this is all getting a bit bikegeek now. is that what you were asking about?
Physics and techniqueIt is possible to slow down or stop a fixed-gear bike by resisting the turning cranks, and a rider can also lock the rear wheel and skid to slow down or completely stop on a fixed-gear bicycle, a maneuver sometimes known as a skid stop. It is initiated by unweighting the rear wheel while in motion by shifting the rider's weight slightly forward and pulling up on the pedals using clipless pedals or toe clips and straps. The rider then stops turning the cranks, thus stopping the drivetrain and rear wheel, while applying his or her body weight in opposition to the normal rotation of the cranks. This action causes rear wheel to skid, which acts to slow the bike. The skid can be held until the bicycle stops or until the rider desires to continue pedalling again at a slower speed. The technique requires a little practice and using it while cornering is generally considered dangerous. As with the technique of resisting the cranks, the maximal deceleration of this method of slowing is also significantly lower than using a front brake. A wet surface further reduces the effectiveness of this method, almost to the point of not reducing speed at all.
Some fixed gear riders only equip their bike with a front brake because if the rider of a fixed-gear bike only has rear wheel braking, the maximal deceleration is significantly lower than on a bike equipped with both a front and rear brake. As a vehicle brakes, weight is transferred towards the front wheel and away from the rear wheel, decreasing the amount of grip the rear wheel has. Shifting the rider's weight aft will increase rear wheel braking efficiency, but normally the front wheel might provide 70% or more of the braking power when braking hard (see Weight transfer).
Knee health
Braking by resisting the turning cranks greatly increases stress on the knees which can lead to injury.
the reason that many fixed gear riders don't ride with brakes is that a proper track bike isn't drilled for brakes. brakes aren't permitted on a velodrome. when i got to berlin, i had to order a special clip-on front brake from japan. it has, admittedly, become a sign of how skilled you are (and in berlin, a symbol of rebellion against stupid rules) to ride brakeless. people only talk about "the flow" to stupid mainstream journalists, i don't think anyone takes that "zen riding" crap seriously.
there's lots of different stopping techniques on a fixed gear bike. skidding is the most dramatic and showy -- but also probably the least effective, and goes through tyres quite quickly. to shorten the stopping distance, most riders slide the rear wheel sideways to one side slightly (or back and forth). i normally use jump-stops, where you lift the backwheel off the ground, stop the wheel in the air and then bring it back into contact with the road. doing a few of these in quick succession is very effective.
again, from my personal experience, my stopping distance on my fixed gears is only fractionally longer than on my geared bikes equipped with front and rear (properly adjusted and well-maintained) brakes.
and feel free to keep riding a bike with a freewheel and whatever braking set-up you'd like. nobody's trying to force you to start riding a fixed gear.
I couldn't care less what you ride, but it's a load of to try and argue that these bikes are as safe as properly set up road bikes and that they shouldn't be illegal for road use.
and to be perfectly honest, the difference in stopping distances is so slight that the way that you react in an accident situation (ie. which way you steer, how you transfer your weight, how you lay your bike down if you have to) is more decisive on how/if you'll walk away from that accident.
BTW Teddy if you are so worried about your brakes not working in the rain then fit a set of roller brakes. You can brake underwater with them.
don't get personal in debates, steven. it demeans yourself. i've been thoroughly logical throughout. and btw, that rebellion thing... thats not my opinion, that's just what i see on the streets. cops confiscating brakeless bikes has meant that a portion of those that ride brakeless now see it as a statement of rebellion. as i've said before, i personally ride with a front brake.
Anyway this is a pointless argument as you are obviously entrenched in your position and logic and common sense will not shift you.
Oh and if you think mentioning your name is "getting personal" then you need a reality check.
For the haters (who ride) out there
These girls must be the best couriers around
As a kid, I spent my summers in the BMX race ciruit and since converting my road bike 3 years ago, riding has never been so enjoyable. I've never felt so in control of my balance, strength and coordination.
Perhaps someone has already made this comparison (I can't be bothered to read the whole thread) - Its like driving a sports car with manual transmission instead of automatic transmission. Its all about complete control.
Furthermore, I tend to disagree that only hipsters or punks ride fixed-gear bikes although I do agree there are several out there riding/pushing them around.
I ride with a brake, so I can ride as fast as I want, my bike looks quite normal (no fancy rims, no bright colors) so I can't really see how bike enthusiasts like me automatically get categorized as hipsters. I can't understand why so many people are into hating on fixed-gear bikes when half of them don't rides bikes themselves or are not even capable of recognizing a fixed-gear bike if they saw one.
Like I said, don't knock it 'till you rock it.
Try it out sometime.
Clearly you didn't get the gist of the entire video's existence.
It wasn't a roadie dissin' a fixie-riding hipster. It's addressing the issues of cycling, being a sport. With money, you can get a bicycle, and it being a sport, well you still need a bicycle.
Compare it to jogging, where you rely wholly on your body for performance, than a bike. The "McSpandex" video just disses all kinds of cyclists by claiming their performance increases along with the pricetag on the bicycle they get.
Which isn't the case, it's the rider, not the bicycle.
And why is it so hard to get a front brake? I'd rather lose the style-points and stay alive.
Clearly you didn't get the gist of the entire video's existence.
It wasn't a roadie dissin' a fixie-riding hipster. It's addressing the issues of cycling, being a sport. With money, you can get a bicycle, and it being a sport, well you still need a bicycle.
Compare it to jogging, where you rely wholly on your body for performance, than a bike. The "McSpandex" video just disses all kinds of cyclists by claiming their performance increases along with the pricetag on the bicycle they get.
Which isn't the case, it's the rider, not the bicycle.
And why is it so hard to get a front brake? I'd rather lose the style-points and stay alive.