Moving Target Forum

For starts, I'm no old-timer, but here's my 2p. I'd say a majority of couriers, especially, it seems, those who have been at it a while, ride single-speed or fixed-gear bikes. Reasons given are that they're less maintenance and many claim to have better control. Simplicity is often the name of the game here, and it's not rare to see riders on fixies with no brakes either. The less parts, the less to go wrong. And when you're riding up +/-50 miles per day, anything that will get worn will get worn quickly. There's an interesting debate on the subject of brakes vs. brakeless to be found on the MT site.
Some have observed that there is also an element of fashion going on here. It would seem to be a partial factor in a minority of situations.

I, alongside the other division of the majority of riders, ride a road bike with gears. I'm not against the idea of SS/FG but i simply want a bike I can take to the hills on the weekends. And i use the gears to full effect on the streets.

It's rare to see an experienced courier on a mountain bike. You need to be fast, and a bulky MTB will only slow you down, even with a good set of road tires. Suspension is pointless and sucks up your efficiency. Their weight slows acceleration. They're designed largely for outdoor use.

I've been told that I should downgrade somewhat on the visual aspect of my (sexy-ass) bike, especially ever since it got nicked and now I'm paying off two bikes a month. For fucks sake, spend at the very least 60 quid on a lock. Dazzler couldn't help but reminding me he told me so, on the day of the purchase of my new bike after the other one had got stolen while I'd been using a crummy lock.

Choose well.

What johnsatisfaction wrote.

My 2p worth:

I rode a lot of different bikes, fixed and geared.

Gears are good for those days when the wind is blowing, and your legs hurt going up Theobald's. Click! And the pain is gone.

Fixed is good, cos it costs less. Also much easier to carry up the stairs (if you live above ground floor) at the end of day.

It's difficult to generalise. There was guy who used to ride around with his dog in the front basket, on a bike that looked like it weighed an absolute ton. But he seemed ok with it. Although he barked even louder than his dog.

'There's an interesting debate on the subject of brakes vs. brakeless to be found on the MT site.'

Are brakes for flakes?

Dad-blasted fussin ruffin HTML tags. Fixed.

Which one? Don't tell me you have a turbo special.

Oh yeah, that one. What are you going to do with it?

yes....use it mainly for it's intended purpose.

if the wooden rims are up for it I'll hve 'em trued and buy some tubs, also build some 26" clincher wheels for street, park, and polo.....if wooden rims no good but hubs are... just build the new wheels around existing hubs.....make up another two bar / stem combos, one more like modern artisitc bikes (only using upturned drops as real artisitrc bars are too expensive) and some super chopped risers for polo.....need to find a zero reach (or incredibly short reach) four bolt quill stem....any ideas?

good idea, they look perfect

I got a second hand set of pistas, and took the drill to an old Alu frame to convert vertical dropouts to horizontal ones. Presto! One fixie. Total cost £200. Its gort Campag Record Chainset and BB and I love it.
Looking at getting a geared bike for really windy days, probably a ribble, but fixed is pretty versatile. I've not met a hill I haven't been able to ride up yet, though to be fair, I haven't been looking. Its going down the things that gives me the willies anyway.

the guy hasn't sent it yet, he's just realised you need a thin-walled box section 14mm spanner to reach the stem bolt which you reach from under the fork crown!!!....as you can see fom the pic, there's no bolt on top of the stem, in fact the stem and bars appear to be one piece, if it takes too long, I might have to go and pick it up, can't wait to see it, or have a go on it either!

Cheers for the advice folks. I'm not definite that I want to get into messenging, partly cos I ain't based in London or any other city yet. All the pointers much appreciated though, ta.

A certain excontrollenger i knew, lets call him controller A, purchaaased one of those bikes zero cc is displaying. He threatened to fire us all and hire a polish work crew if we didnt take turns delivering 100kg loads throughout greater london. He whipped us into submission but at the last minute backed out. Why? Because those bikes are shight. They have the turning circle of a road train, the maneuverability of a sea-saw and the pace of a kangaroo wrapped around a barb wire fence.

Zack's right,cargo bikes suck big ones.Unless you dont mind looking like a cnut.Mind you though,they could come in handy for giving peeps a lift home after many beers.

In DC, years ago, I rode an elderly Specialized Hard Rock Mountain Bike, with high pressure, narrow slicks and the front suspension firmed up all the way. It may have weighed a pound or two more than your average road bike, but that bit of float in the front saved me from considerable fatigue riding the capitol's notoriously ill-maintained streets.

When winter came along, swithing back to knobbies allowed me to keep working even in the snow. Well, up to a point at least!!!

Woe