Sad News for Berliners and Fixies
This just in. Good is reporting that the German government has banned the Fixie!!!
In Berlin, fixed-gear bicycles are now illegal. The news comes from The Local, and English-language German news site:In a country where cyclists are expected to have a working bell on their bikes, it was probably only a matter of time before fixies fell afoul of the law in Germany. … Since there’s no freewheel on a fixie, the pedals continue to rotate as long as the bike is moving forward. This means the rider either has to slow the bike by fighting the momentum or brake by locking up the back wheel to skid to a stop.
Seeing what they considered a growing danger to traffic safety, Berlin police announced this spring they would begin cracking down on fixie riders. Since only April, they’ve confiscated 18 bicycles.
Clearly, fixies are more difficult to ride (and stop) than any conventional street bikes. I’ve heard many an accomplished cyclist explain how he or she tried a fixie once and that was enough. And plenty of city-dwellers bemoan aggressive biking (which is sometimes associated with fixie-riders). But are the bikes really so dangerous that they shouldn’t be street legal? Is this a setback for bike culture in general?
Who wants to organize a protest?
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Posted by: Rolex Daytona watches | January 13, 2010 09:29 PM
What the fuck is "sarcasm"? Don't try to swoon me with your Yankee hipster lingo. I jest I jest... point taken.
Posted by: Shawn Richardson | July 2, 2009 08:46 PM
Dudes, I am so joking. Sorry you guys didn't get the sarcasm.
Posted by: Lisa | July 2, 2009 06:54 PM
a protest? seriously? you're kidding right? please tell me you're joking and i'm missing the sarcasm.
Posted by: David Friedman | July 2, 2009 04:14 PM
I don’t think anyone wants to organize a protest; nor should they want to. Are you currently located in Berlin? I think it’s safe to assume you’re not since you’re posting on a blog called FREEwilliamsburg. I can understand your reason for being upset, angered, etc. about the subject. Although, the matter of the fact is that protesting something trivial (in the grand scheme of things this is trivial if you want to admit it or not) like this so far away from the affected area will have very little if no effect (I’m being gracious by saying “very little”). Here comes the logic.
Let’s flip the coin. The German Autobahn has roughly 3,500mi of roadway with no upper speed limit for passenger cars and motorcycles. This is often considered a sort of Mecca by driving enthusiasts. The Eisenhower Interstate System, the US equivalent of the German Autobahn is about 6 times larger in total length but has 0 miles of roadway with no speed limit. Now, I can imagine that this might upset some gear heads in Germany because their brethren across the pond do not get to enjoy the luxury and thrill that they do. How much would you sympathize with these people if they organized a protest in Germany against the traffic laws made in America? You have to admit that this kind of sounds silly and would mostly likely go nowhere.
Take a step back and look at the situation. There are some people who ride fixed gear bikes that have just as much if not more control of their movements than their freewheeling friends. On average though, people do not have the skill to scrub speed as fast on a fixed gear bike as they do on a freewheel bike with brake levers. It’s much easier (for the average rider) to modulate the braking force with a lever as opposed to resisting forward motion of the crank arms. I mean, I agree that theoretically both bike designs can come to a complete stop in the same distance. Since both are capable of locking the wheels then they are inherently capable to holding the braking force at impending lockup where maximum stopping force is achieved. Like I said though, the average user is safer with brakes rather than relying on their leg muscles to stop their bike.
You would agree with me that traffic laws are designed to maximize safety, correct? Speed limits are put into place because it has been calculated that the average (actually below average) driver could not maintain full control of their vehicle or maintain proper reaction times if they were traveling at a faster rate. No Passing Zones are established on straight roads because the below average performing vehicle could not pass a slower vehicle in that distance. Both you and I know that we can drive our cars above the speed limit safely and that we can pass slower cars most of the time even there is a double yellow line, but the laws are there to protect us and other drivers from the percentage of people who do not have superior (or even average) driving skills.
This same mentality of “Safety First” has been taken by German lawmakers with this decision. They’re not trying to rain on anyone’s parade or secretly take action against a niche group of cyclists. They are just trying to maximize the level of safety on their roadways, nothing less, nothing more. So putting this all together, do you really want to call for a protest against safety? I think not. I mean, unless you call attention to yourself by riding like an asshole, then authorities will most likely never know that you’re riding a fixed gear. It’s when people do ride aggressively and disobey other traffic laws that they get attention and this is when their bikes get impounded fixed gear or not.
In closing, this is not meant as an attack. I’m just trying to open your eyes to the reality of your call for a protest. I have nothing against fixed gear bikes. I think they are the sexiest mode of transportation around. It’s all go, no frills; everything is there for the purpose of moving forward. Do I get a chuckle whenever I see a hipster on a fixed gear out of the saddle struggling to make it up a steep hill or spinning their legs to death going back down said hill? Yes, it’s silly, but do I have anything against it, no.
Posted by: Shawn Richardson | July 2, 2009 02:40 PM
did they outlaw bikes with fixed rear wheels, or riding them on city streets without brakes? i have a fixed gear bike, and i have a brake on it. i cant believe i see people riding in BK with a coffee in one hand, texting with the other, on a fixie, with no brake. the fuck??
Posted by: bryan | July 2, 2009 12:52 PM
did they outlaw bikes with fixed rear wheels, or riding them on city streets without brakes? i have a fixed gear bike, and i have a brake on it. i cant believe i see people riding in BK with a coffee in one hand, texting with the other, on a fixie, with no brake. the fuck??
Posted by: bryan | July 2, 2009 12:37 PM