Sorry To Bother You Serious Enthusiasts With This...

[SteeleJoe]

...but can't figure out where to go to find out.

I've seen kids riding around a new style (at least for me) of bicycle over the last year. Basic frame and bars, primary or pastel colors, colored sidewalls on the tires (which are generally thinner than the type of frame usually has). I want to get one for my kid as a birthday present. But first I want to have a picture on the iPad that I can show him on his birthday (tomorrow) as a means of presenting him a present before we get the chance to actually go and pick one out.

Do you know what I'm talking about? Do you know what they are called and/or where I could find a site with pictures? Do you know a good place to buy one?

As I said, sorry to bother serious cyclists with this sort of thing but I'd greatly appreciate anyone who could take a moment to steer me in the right direction.

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[Tonto21]

Hi ‘SteelJoe’

I know the bikes you’re on about and not wishing to sound cheeky……Just get yourself down to some bike shops, I see them everywhere in Chiangmai, I looked for some images for you, sorry can’t find any!

But I have to say the ones I’ve seen don’t look like they have brakes! Maybe a ‘rear peddle type’

Good hunting mate.

[fdimike]

They're called a "fixed gear" cycle.

[SteeleJoe]

Thanks people. Nice one.

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[chiangmaiexpat]

I am also guessing a fixie from the description. Fixies have a single sprocket on the rear wheel which makes the drive train very efficient and easy to maintain. Usually used in flat urban environments or on pump tracks. Some have breaks, others don't. Actually a good machine to learn cycling, balance, and riding skills for kids. Just make sure to get one with breaks. I had one myself when I was a kid, although they weren't called fixies back then. The downside: not good for hilly terrain.

Cheers, CM-Expat

[T_Dog]

I believe most fixies don't have freewheels either so if you are moving, you are peddling. It is quite the rage these days. I even ran into a young couple in Mae Rim that were touring on them. Some of the fixie groups also put LED light systems on their wheels for some odd night lighting effects.

[SteeleJoe]

You guys are great! Thanks so much. Google Images confirms that I was indeed talking about a (local version of) a "fixie".

Thanks to all for the name and the info.

[twr404]

Steel Joe, as previously mentioned, they are called fixed gear, meaning they only have one gear. They are also called "fixies". True fixed gear bicycles setups are patterned on the track racing bikes.They are single gear and have no brakes (prevents pile ups while racing on the bank oval tracks which would surely happen at high speeds with several bikes tailgating within inches of each other. Imagine if the leader slammed on hand brake for whatever reason.) The hubs are not freewheel. The cranks are fixed to the back wheel via the chain. Freewheel drive trains allow the cranks to remain stationary while the bike is in motion and are much easier to ride. Fixed gear cranks are constantly spinning when the bike is in motion. To slow down a fixed gear bike, the rider needs to add resistance to the spinning cranks. The bike rider can not stop pedalling, even when flying down hill. This method braking is tricky to learn, especially if your son used to a bike with a freewheel drivetrain (the vast majority of bikes). The other method of slowing down is to bunny hop the bike into a power slide. This take lots of practice. Both these skills need to be perfected before any riding on public roads.

A good option is to not buy a pure fixie bike but a sort of hybrid fixie that looks exactly the same but includes a rear freewheel hub. It is still single gear. It will also include a single handbrake or better yet, two hand brakes, one for the front wheel and one for the back wheel. I highly recommend looking for one with a "flip flop" rear hub. These hubs have two cogs on the rear hub, one on each side. One cog is freewheel, the other cog is fixed. This way you can change the bike from fixed gear to freewheel just by removing the rear wheel and flipping it around when desired or vice versa.

True fixies do not have have brakes but get one with at least a front handbrake. No need to be a purist. If I was buying for a kid, I would buy a fixed gear with the filp flop hub and front and rear handbrakes.

In Pattaya, I have seen cheap versions in shops for around 7,000-8,000 THB.

Ride on!, Todd

[PaulHamon]

I believe most fixies don't have freewheels either so if you are moving, you are peddling. It is quite the rage these days. I even ran into a young couple in Mae Rim that were touring on them. Some of the fixie groups also put LED light systems on their wheels for some odd night lighting effects.

most of the 'fixies' sold here are just singple speeds with a free wheel hub, the more expensive ones have a flip-flop hub. This means you can reverse the wheel and one direction it's single speed freewheel and the other a true fixed gear setup.

[ianf]

Fixed wheel bikes have always been used on velodromes. The craze for riding these bikes on the road and calling them with the awful term "fixie" comes from the New York cycle messenger scene. Here it has bought many new cyclists to the sport, some of whom have come to the Velodrome in Chiang Mai where I coach some youngsters. Old club cyclists have ridden fixed wheel bikes (with brakes - not "breaks") for many years and indeed in the UK riding time trials on fixed wheel was once very popular. Still done but not so popular. One word of warning here: It is extremely dangerous to ride these bikes on the road without a front brake. The fixed wheel acts as a rear brake if you push backwards and it only works if the fixed cog is held with a lock ring. On the velodrome you do not use a brake - this is because there is no traffic to contend with! Riding fixed is excellent for developing pedalling skills and sessions on the velodrome, mixed with road riding on a geared bike brings on a good level of fitness.

[SteeleJoe]

UPDATE (Not that anyone will be interested!):

The information I got here helped me a lot and enabled me and the boy to do some searching. What we found was that a "Fixie" was just too much bike for a 9 year old who only rides it around his neighborhood - too expensive, too large, and superfluously high performance. Certainly want brakes and don't want fixed wheel anyway! It was all about the look...

I'm considering buying him a more standard kids' bike and customizing it a bit but if that would wind up being hugely expensive then that won't happen either.

Long shot that you'd have any input but I'll ask: anyone have any idea if a bike shop will likely paint a bicycle for us? We just want one primary color but there's obviously a bit of work in doing that (disassembly, stripping the bike, primer). Any ideas on what those colored tires cost? Where I could get a seat or grips in cool colors?

I just realized I've turned an "update" into a brand new inquiry, haven't I? Oh, well you guys were so helpful before, maybe you will have some notions...

[VocalNeal]

Maybe he would like to paint it himself? With your help of course. If you buy a bike without many stickers on you can simply strip it down and used rattle cans and masking tape. That is how the majority of the fixed wheel ones are painted, I've seen small businesses where they make them.

[SteeleJoe]

Maybe he would like to paint it himself? With your help of course. If you buy a bike without many stickers on you can simply strip it down and used rattle cans and masking tape. That is how the majority of the fixed wheel ones are painted, I've seen small businesses where they make them.

I thought of that and it's a cool idea. However, as these days I have very little time, neither of us are particularly adept mechanically, we have no space where it could easily be done, and very few tools - we could almost certainly manage it but it might be a bit of an ordeal.

It definitely does have it's appeal though...thanks!