Single-speed vs fixie | Why fixed-gear bikes are ridiculous, except for these three things

I've always found the idea of using a fixed-gear bike in a city to be fundamentally absurd. But then how to explain the cult of fanatics who love fixies? To try and better understand that cult, I decided to give a fixie another try, and to give it a close comparison to the fixie's sibling, the single-speed. What I found was that, yes, fixies are fundamentally ridiculous. Except for these three things, which are helping me better understand the cult. Shifter Memberships are here! If you'd like some bonus content while also supporting this channel, please consider becoming a member. Patreon:   / shifter632   YouTube memberships:    / @shifter_cycling   The Ultimate Guide to Bike Commuting and Urban Cycling, A Shifter Course is designed to give newbies the knowledge and confidence to make the bike a bigger part of their lives: https://shiftercourses.thinkific.com/ A huge thanks to my sponsors this year. They support this channel, so please support them. They also make amazing products that I use every day and endorse without hesitation. I’ve been riding Priority bikes for a number of years. I love their low-maintenance, belt-drive design, and they offer good quality at a decent price. They signed on as a sponsor for my YouTube channel several years after I started riding them. My daily summertime bike is the zippy and fun Priority Eight: https://alnk.to/1XWoxFO With its fenders, hub dynamo lights and durable Enviolo internal hub gearing system, I’ve happily ridden the Priority Continuum Onyx through many Canadian winters: https://alnk.to/gKS5Jlw Abus Bike Locks. If you’re riding in a city, you need a good-quality bike lock, and you can’t do much better than Abus and their diverse lineup of locks: https://www.abus.com/ My book Frostbike: The Joy, Pain and Numbness of Winter Cycling: https://amzn.to/42EBzO6 Here is some of the gear I’m currently using. Some of these are affiliate links. Bike Lights: I love dynamo lights that are built into a bike and powered by your pedalling or the wheel’s movement, but if you need aftermarket lights, Lumos offers a number of great options. Their Firefly lights are simple and bright: https://collabs.shop/3uodbz Helmet: If I’m riding for sports, such as mountain biking or road bike, I like Lumos helmets because they are comfortable and well-built, and you can also easily attach lights to stay as visible as possible on roads: https://collabs.shop/prkigy Bell: I love the sound and quality of the Japanese-made Crane Bells: https://www.cranebellusa.com/ Saddle: Yes, they can be pricey, but I’ve joined the ranks of people who think the extra cost for the quality of a Brooks Saddle is worth it, in both durability and comfort: https://www.brooksengland.com/ Panniers: My everyday workhorse pannier is Two Wheel Gear’s Pannier Backpack Convertible 2.0: https://twowheelgear.com/collections/... Pedals: I’ve not experienced high-performance pedals adding much extra value to my daily riding experience, but these light-up pedals from Redshift are bright, keep me visible at night and grab lots of attention: https://redshiftsports.com?aff=40 Phone mount: I use Peak Design’s mobile system, including the Universal Bar Mount on my handlebars every day, which I also bring it with me when I travel for bike rentals and bike-share bicycles: https://peak-design.pxf.io/c/5749368/... Buff: Keeps your face, neck and head warm in the winter, and keeps the sun off in the summer: https://peak-design.pxf.io/c/5749368/... Sunglasses: If you’re going to wear sunglasses, why not use a pair that has built-in mirrors so you can see behind you while you ride?: https://collabs.shop/f9hvof Don’t forget to register your bike with an online database. My favourite is 529 Garage https://project529.com/garage Bike Index is also good: https://bikeindex.org/ Follow me! Instagram:   / tombabin   Twitter:   / tombabin   Bluesky: tombabin.bsky.social Threads: https://www.threads.net/@tombabin (@[email protected]) #cycling #bike #commuting