What is a fixed gear bicycle?

Fixed gear bikes, or 'fixies', are the simplest form of bicycles. The bicycle has only one gear and doesn’t allow the rider to coast. This means that when your bike is rolling, your feet are pedaling. This gives the rider a very direct connection with the road and makes for a much more involved and fun riding experience. Also, because they have less moving parts, fixed gear bicycles are more sturdy and less prone to mechanical failure.

How do you slow down?

Fixed gear doesn't necessarily mean no brakes. We sell all Mission Bicycles standard with a front brake installed. With the vast majority of your braking power coming from front brakes and the ability to push backwards on your pedals to slow down, fixed gear bicycles can be just as easy to slow down as a geared bicycles.

If you only have one gear, what do you do about hills?

Hilly San Francisco is home to one of the largest populations of fixed gear riders in the world. How can that be? Well, the first thing to understand is that the most common bike paths in the cities avoid all the big hills in the city. Unless your destination is at the top of a big hill you can generally get anywhere in San Francisco on a bicycle without any major climbs. And one gear doesn't mean you can't climb a hill, it just means you might be a bit more committed to getting to the top quickly.