Question for the bicycle couriers??

joker77

Hey - I'm a commuting cyclist, only really started a couple of years ago but am always interested in seeing the weird and wonderful looking bikes that some of the couriers around Dublin ride.

The first thing I notice about some of them, is that they appear to have nothing other than the very very basics.

I've noticed a few that appear to have no gears - why is this?

Also some don't appear to have any brakes - at least nothing at all on the handlebars?

A good few with no gears I've noticed are Fort bikes - what's so good about these? I had a look on their website and the bike which I'm thinking looks like what I've seen around Dublin is a single-speed training bike - why would a courier use this? If they are using the courier job to train for road races?

Morgan

Many of them are riding track bikes or fixed gear road bikes. Simplicity and ease of maintenance are one reason (or is that two reasons?) for riding them but fun and image would be large factors too.

You can read more here, like differing views on riding without brakes:
http://www.oldskooltrack.com/files/home.frame.html
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed/index.html

You'll see a lot of Fort bikes because they're stocked locally.

joker77

Cheers, that's definitely opened my eyes a little!

kona

ye the courier bikes are track bikes, you have to keep pedaling as there is no freewheel, as said before its more a image thing,
in my opinion they are ****e, the bikes are designed for a velodrome not a winding dublin street, you can get away with them in new york because they have big long streets, not narrow **** ones with stop-start cycling.
crash and the bike is a ezpensive write off too, fcks upyour knees too..avoid

Wez

I wouldn't be into them at all! See the pictures of the tip of the finger cut off after being caught in the chain!? The momentum of the wheel spinning kept it going.. Also, what about when you're tearing down a steep hill? No brakes, too fast to slow down with the pedals, if it came into a junction or something you'd have to bail off..

rubadub

Morgan wrote:

but fun and image would be large factors too.

very true! kewl dudes...:rolleyes:

The fixed wheel allows you to stay balanced at a stop light without putting your foot down. There was a post here a while back where some courier had his bike nicked, the guy who nicked it went on his face since he couldnt cycle it. That could be another partial reason, they would be harder to sell on if nicked, the main buyers would be the courier "community" and I reckon they know each other and would kick the crap out of the knackers trying to sell them their mates bikes.

Itsfixed

Wez wrote:

I wouldn't be into them at all! See the pictures of the tip of the finger cut off after being caught in the chain!? The momentum of the wheel spinning kept it going.. Also, what about when you're tearing down a steep hill? No brakes, too fast to slow down with the pedals, if it came into a junction or something you'd have to bail off..

as the owner of two fixed wheel bikes, one of which is my about-town bike, I would be more than aware of the advantages and disadvantages. They're not so great on hills, but for anywhere flat, like Dublin town, they're ideal.

I wouldn't dare to ride one without at least a front brake for those emergency stops. But as for stop-start traffic, as mentioned already, you can keep upright very easily at the lights (called track stands) so you can move off quickly.

Pedalling only one gear means you keep to a reasonable but constant speed and therefore less likely to crash or hit something or someone by going too fast.

I keep my beater of a fixed bike locked at a train station in town, so less likely to be nicked. Easier to maintain as well since i can't really bring it home to service too often.

They're also great fun once you get the hang of them and you develop more strength in your legs for your other cycling exploits, such as road or mountain biking.

kona

rubadub wrote:

rubadub wrote:

The fixed wheel allows you to stay balanced at a stop light without putting your foot down. .

eh no you can do that with anybike, i can trckstand my kona and my jump bike, you just control the brakes. any decent courier wont stop hell control his speed and hit it at a rolling start when the lights turn green

rubadub wrote:

There was a post here a while back where some courier had his bike nicked, the guy who nicked it went on his face since he couldnt cycle it. That could be another partial reason, they would be harder to sell on if nicked, the main buyers would be the courier "community" and I reckon they know each other and would kick the crap out of the knackers trying to sell them their mates bikes.

lol:D id kick the crap out of a skanger trying to steal a decent bike, but luckily they are ****wits and think e100 supermarket dual sus bikes are the creme de la creme.

Itsfixed wrote:

as the owner of two fixed wheel bikes, one of which is my about-town bike, I would be more than aware of the advantages and disadvantages. They're not so great on hills, but for anywhere flat, like Dublin town, they're ideal.
I wouldn't dare to ride one without at least a front brake for those emergency stops.

your talking bout the wrong bikes mate, the couriers use track bikes, they have no brakes or even any mounts for them,they brake by controlling their speeed.

tbh big muscles arnt much use if your knees are ****ed

Morgan

kona wrote:

your talking bout the wrong bikes mate, the couriers use track bikes, they have no brakes or even any mounts for them,they brake by controlling their speeed.

tbh big muscles arnt much use if your knees are ****ed

Some are on track bikes, others are converted road bikes. I've seen very few with no brakes (one actually - a girl). Most are running a front brake.

The whole idea of ruining your knees riding fixed a bit tenuous. This guy claims it's good for them. I'd say gearing choice would be a major factor.

rubadub

kona wrote:

eh no you can do that with anybike, i can trckstand my kona and my jump bike, you just control the brakes. any decent courier wont stop hell control his speed and hit it at a rolling start when the lights turn green

Yeah I do the same at lights, but there is only so long you can do it, unless you are freakishly good at balance. With a fixed gear you can stay there all day, a lad on my road used to piss down the road backwards!

I have seen many couriers with fixed gears and brakes too, the brake will help stop the momentum as well as your legs, sort of equivalent to hitting a steep slope on a fixed gear with no brake.

Capt'n Midnight

Morgan wrote:

The whole idea of ruining your knees riding fixed a bit tenuous.

suppose it would depend a lot on having the saddle correctly adjusted for height and tilt, and how far forward/back it is, if your knee is in front , on top of , or behind the pedal axle

eze

Just wondering if anybody has any advice on gettin a job as a courier?? currently lookin but dont really hav a breeze of how to get into it! also if ne couriers on this no about any fixed wheel bikes being sold then just email me please

Thanks...

eZe

FX Meister

Going for the image first then?
You would be better off trying the job before you get a fixed wheel bike. You might hate it. Give cyclone couriers a call and tell them you are interested in geting sa a job. Think that's how my friend started. He didn't do it for very long though.

luckat

Fixed-wheel bikes are very manoevrable in traffic - your gears are never going to slip and let you down.

If they're stolen, they'll usually be found in a pool of blood and curses halfway down the nearest hill.

Apart from that it's macho-man-ism.

Capt'n Midnight

luckat wrote:

If they're stolen, they'll usually be found in a pool of blood and curses halfway down the nearest hill.

LOL

DadaKopf

luckat wrote:

Fixed-wheel bikes are very manoevrable in traffic - your gears are never going to slip and let you down.

If they're stolen, they'll usually be found in a pool of blood and curses halfway down the nearest hill.

Apart from that it's macho-man-ism.

You're gears won't slip if you keep them tuned!

I actually want to convert a road bike to a fixed gear, but I want to freewheel it. Is there anywhere in Dublin to get one of those flip-flop hubs.

The reason I want to build my own bike is to learn how to fully maintain my road bike when I decide to get it.

If anyone can offer me advice or help me convert my bike, I'd be eternally grateful.

Ghost Rider

Sheldon Brown offers some useful advice here:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/singlespeed.html

DadaKopf wrote:

You're gears won't slip if you keep them tuned!

I actually want to convert a road bike to a fixed gear, but I want to freewheel it. Is there anywhere in Dublin to get one of those flip-flop hubs.

The reason I want to build my own bike is to learn how to fully maintain my road bike when I decide to get it.

If anyone can offer me advice or help me convert my bike, I'd be eternally grateful.

wahlrab

i will admit that i wanted to first start riding fixed because it looked cool, but i have been riding a track bike now for the past year and I love it, I never want to go back to a free wheel, there is a certain sensation you get when you ride fixed, i feel more in control and more connected with the bike, i think only fixed gear riders will understand what i mean by this,

I no longer care about the "cool" factor, I just love the feeling I get from riding fixed, the simplicity helps too, no worries about clicking and skipping gears, it is definitely more maneuverable while cycling in traffic and at slow speed is so nice to control.

flickerx

I guess I am in the same position as wahlrab. I had a voucher for cycleways on parnell street for a few hundred quid and I was buying a new bike. I've been cycling a standard hybird for a few years now, and I was going to buy a racer. Instead I went for a fixed gear bike (Specialized Langster, it has racer handlebars), I guess because I thought if the couriers rode them, and they're cycling them all the time, then there must be something interesting/worthy about them. I'm a sheep I know.

But I love it. I usually go up to the Phoenix Park and do the perimeter road twice, including up and down the hills near the magazine fort on the Chapelizod side (the down bit can be a bit mental alright, I think its almost like letting go in your brain of your legs and just letting the bike take them). The fixed gear is great, I feel like I'm cycling a lot faster and definitely working out more.

The thing is though, I cycle a lot around town, but I never bring my new one in, because its a prime target for getting nicked. This has happened to me before and I'm determined not to let it happen again! I am going to get my old one converted for definite, even if it costs 2-300 euro, just because I love the fixed gear 'zen' and it feels so hard and sluggish cycling the old one after being on the Langster.

I dont think I'd have the know-how or the right tools to take off the crank and put on a fixed one, so I'm just going to give it into the shop and let them do it...

But yeah, from someone who's been riding geared bikes for 25 years, and only a recent convert to 'fixies', I would DEFINITELY reccomend it!!

wahlrab

well if you are in budapest in the near future you could buy a fixie(track frame) for easily 300, and then home on the aeroplane should be easy and cheap enough, but I thought I'd mention this cause I know someone who is looking for 600 for his fort bike(track frame) in ireland while over here I got mine made up (legnano frame if that's the correct spelling?) for just over 300, so gimme a shout if you're interested.

Mucco

wahlrab wrote:

well if you are in budapest in the near future you could buy a fixie(track frame) for easily 300, and then home on the aeroplane should be easy and cheap enough, but I thought I'd mention this cause I know someone who is looking for 600 for his fort bike(track frame) in ireland while over here I got mine made up (legnano frame if that's the correct spelling?) for just over 300, so gimme a shout if you're interested.

Interesting. I'm in Budapest next weekend, and although I already have two fixies, you can never have too many bikes. Where can I get one of these legnanos? Fort are Czech, are they not?

M

88show

just strip both front rings off, get maybe a 42 but I had a 48 on the front, then do the same with the back and go down to maybe 17 and you'll have a nice hard workin single to ride that can free wheel that has both brakes. some cut there mtb handle bars down, i wouldn't, your hips and shoulders are the widest part so if they're gonna fit thru a gap then the rest is.
and getting a start at being a pushie? well just bug the crap out of every co, soon you'll get a start, easier in the winter though cause all the soft dicks go

flickerx

Mucco, where can you buy fixies in Ireland?

Cycleways only do one make, the Specialized Langster.

Surely all the couriers are not importing them.

Ghost Rider

I have an old Dawes racer from the 80s that I'm thinking of converting to a combined singlespeed & fixie. Where can you get flip-flop hubs in Ireland?

Also, the bike has drop bars but I'd much prefer flat ones. The only thing is that the brakes on the drop bars have those "safety" levers you used to see on racers back then. Does anyone know if it'll be possible to get rid of the safety leves or am I better off replacing the whole braking system?

wahlrab

I also sent you a pm mucco

Bajnok

and situated

DadaKopf

Ghost Rider wrote:

Where can you get flip-flop hubs in Ireland?

Seconded.

flickerx

DadaKopf wrote:

Seconded.

I suppose you could try the basement of Cycleways, although I suspect you might have to mail order them.

The bike shop near Christchurch on Patrick Street say they are getting in some €400 fixies next week so I'll let you know how I get on.

Morgan

Cycleogical would be a good bet for fixed hubs.

Thomas_B

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Irish law require all adult bikes to have at least one hand-operated brake? The only info I can find is in the 07 Rules of the Road that says that adult bikes *should* have *two* brakes.

I remember years ago driving my old mini when the brakes failed -- yes I managed to travel another 20 miles and yes I suppose you could say the 'sensation' was there and that I felt a certain 'connection' to the car having to use engine braking all the time, but that doesn't discount the fact that it was horribly dangerous.

I'm all for fashion and everything but cycling in Dublin city amongst traffic is dangerous enough even with proper equipment. Using fixed-gear bikes without brakes (even when people are not mounting crowded pavements, skipping red lights, etc.) puts other road users at risk, as they cannot make emergency stops.

Ghost Rider

I suspect you're right. Personally, my main interest is in having a low-maintenance, singlespeed bike that freewheels. I'm only interested in a flip-flop hub so I can try fixed-gear cycling and see what it's like.

Thomas_B wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Irish law require all adult bikes to have at least one hand-operated brake? The only info I can find is in the 07 Rules of the Road that says that adult bikes *should* have *two* brakes.

I remember years ago driving my old mini when the brakes failed -- yes I managed to travel another 20 miles and yes I suppose you could say the 'sensation' was there and that I felt a certain 'connection' to the car having to use engine braking all the time, but that doesn't discount the fact that it was horribly dangerous.

I'm all for fashion and everything but cycling in Dublin city amongst traffic is dangerous enough even with proper equipment. Using fixed-gear bikes without brakes (even when people are not mounting crowded pavements, skipping red lights, etc.) puts other road users at risk, as they cannot make emergency stops.

wahlrab

a lot of peole including myself use a front brake on their fixie, the more effective brake is the front one, and there is a huge difference between a car with no brakes and the lighest of bicycles controlled through the pedals,

most peolple automatically think, oh it's a track frame so then is is no option for brakes but all one needs to do is change the front forks as i did

don't knock it til you try it as the cliche goes, is that a cliche though pedantics i suppose blah