From: someone@anywheret.net   
      
   "JimD"  wrote in message news:2017052916590949006-email@nowherecom...   
      
   > Simpler ?   Who knows.  The wheel set for my fixie are an actual " made   
   > for that " set of rims .  The rear hub is what it is.  You can use it   
   > either way.  One possible reason for this might be commercial. As in, kids   
   > THINK they want a true fixie, 'cause they see them on the net, and so they   
   > buy one. It only takes a very short time for people with functioning   
   > brains to realize how utterly stupid fixies are for regular road riding.   
      
   It's considered fashionable to be Stupid, that's another part of the   
   Dumbing-Down process, to make Stupid look 'cool'.   
      
   George Orwell Exposed it in back in 1948, in his brilliant expose, 1984:   
      
   WAR IS PEACE   
   FREEDOM IS SLAVERY   
   IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH   
      
   > Ah, the commercial part  .... bike companies realize this is what   
   > generally happens. And they don't want the bike, or the wheel set returned   
   > once the customer actually rides a fixie a day or two  .... so they built   
   > right into the thing the single gear that rachets option.  Dealer flips   
   > the rear tire around, bike is now ridable, customer is happy, keeps the   
   > bike.   
      
   But if there was a spring loaded locking mechanism, like a multi speed   
   internal hub, then the rider could leave the  wheel alone and simply select   
   via a linkage trigger on the handlebar, whether it should be a freewheel, or   
   fixie.   
      
   > As to why not just add some mechanical lockup ... I'd guess it's a safety   
   > / reliability issue.  A true fixie might, or will, kill you if the rear   
   > hub fails. So a dedicated, locked in, with a counter threaded locking ring   
   > on after is seems the bare minimum trustable to me :-)   
      
   It still could still be easily done, even if the hub is attach without a   
   thread on system.   
      
   > Actually I do have lightning fast reflexes .... don't all us musicians ?   
      
   Yep, that's one of the things that keeps us young.   
      
   > Problem is, I don't have " kid " level balance, or nice flexible bones   
   > that would rather bend than break.  I can react fast, once I know what's   
   > going on. It's that the " opps, I'm about to fall off this thing "   
   > realization that might take a bit too long :-)   
      
   I've always made it a point to be careful and as a result have not fallen   
   off more than a few times in my life, most of those incidents being when I   
   taught myself to ride on two wheels when I was 6 years old.   
      
   > thinking of biking, I'm signing up for the local " Tour de Donut " again   
   > this year.  It's a charity race, and kinda fun.  You can ride to win, or   
   > you can stop along the way and eat donuts, at the numerous check points.   
   > Each donut takes 5 minutes off your total race time.   
      
   Racing cyclists always eat while they ride, even if it's donuts ;)   
      
   > Winning strategy, ride a decent ride, eat more donuts than anyone else.   
      
   OINK!!! ;)   
      
   > My brother lost the overall race last year by ONE donut.   
      
   Maybe they can measure time in donuts rather than seconds ;)   
      
   > Some kid ate 15, it think, and that took more time off his total than the   
   > race took to ride.  I ate 3 donuts total and finished in an hour and 14   
   > minutes. 10 mile course, not paved, a gravel path with sections under   
   > water.  Memory is I finished 5th in my age bracket. And, looking back now   
   > at the race stats, I did very typical performace overall out of 99 riders.   
   > It's gimick race, so if you're young and can scarf 'em down, you'll beat   
   > us old guys. Even the three donuts I managed to eat practically made me   
   > puke. Some guys did. Sugar and dough and riding a fast sprint race just   
   > doesn't mix :-)   This year, I go a lot slower and eat more   
   :-)   
      
   What is it, some kind  of 'biathlon', riding and eating donuts? ;)   
      
   > Something just occured to me. You have to stop and stay at the check point   
   > while you eat the donuts. Can't just grab a handfull and keep going.   
      
   What's wrong with eating while you ride?   
   You could always bring your own along and keep going, and eating too ;)   
      
   > Ah, that's a big deal. I was wondering why my time was so long. 10 miles   
   > in an hour is dragging ..... but not if you stop, and eat, and have to   
   > stay there until you wolf the thing down. Reason is, you only get the   
   > little tag on your race number thing AFTER they see you eat the donut(s).   
      
   NO FAIR!!!   
      
   > Brother told me yesterday his stategy is, stop at the check point, get a   
   > bunch, say 5 or 12 donuts, stack them, Smash them down into a pancake, eat   
   > that.  Less time, less air in the bread, back on the course quicker.   
      
   Jim   
      
   What happens if you don't eat any donuts?   
      
   Ouisie   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)