# bikes on trains/fixie touring



## amor fati (Oct 31, 2015)

many years ago i was riding trains in the pnw with this kid and we brought bikes with us. mine was some old roadie i built at a bike library in northeast pdx, bright white frame - not very stealth. i ditched it after a few hops, even though it was a pretty cool thing to have, it just seemed too heavy and impractical. my companion, however, had a slick little fixie - less weight and less doodads to fix.

i don't think i had ever been on a fixed gear at that point, and like a lot of people who've never been on one, probably still thought of it as crazy. fast forward a few years - there are basically two types of people when it comes to fixies, those who are scared to try it, and those who love it - i'm obsessed with my fixed gear and ride it everywhere in town. i think it should accompany me on one or more future choo choo trips.

has anyone done much hybrid bike/train travel? people actually tour on fixies which is a whole other crazy thing - has anyone here done that?


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## Tude (Oct 31, 2015)

If you are planning on flatish commuting by bicycle then a fixie would be good - I'm a gearhead - I can be in hills within 30 minutes from my house. Rode with a guy in Pittsburgh PA - He was on a fixie - 'bout nearly killed us as we hit some mountains (you know you're in deep when you hit switchbacks) - but he sat and waited for us at times - LOL on the bicycle forum he carried the nickname of lollipop legs - his legs were mammouth! 

Anyway something to consider - if you were able to pick up an inexpensive folding bike on craigslist - might be easier to hoist onto train? But hey we all have our favorite bikes - so why not do it! Have fun!!


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## psychofoamer (Oct 31, 2015)

I've met kids who had bikes while riding trains. It just limits your options..met one guy with a pretty decent road bike and then a few others had single speeds.


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## psychofoamer (Oct 31, 2015)

If I rode freight with a bike it would be an old 80s chromoly frame probably fixed or single speed. Drop bars so I could hang it on ladders and possibly a back rack to hold a lighter items.


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## Matt Derrick (Oct 31, 2015)

a folding bike would be somewhat more realistic. you seem to really like fixies, so don't take this the wrong way, but i think they're probably the stupidest bike ever invented.

why? well, first, the real reason fixies came about was because people didn't know how to ride them, making it hard to steal them. that's pretty much the one and only reason these abominations were invented. anyone that tells you they're lighter, faster, whatever (insert hand-jerk-off-gesture) is an idiot. you're not track racing, so those 12oz you save by taking your brakes and gears off aren't making you any more efficient than anyone else.

the reason fixies are so popular is solely due to hipsters. hipsters stole the idea from nyc bike messengers and added stupid additions like cutting your handlebars down so far there's barely enough to get your hands around. basically mutilating the bicycle into something it was never meant to be.

not to mention that fixies are incredibly hard on your knee joints. you ever seen a nyc bike messenger over the age of 30? no, you haven't. that's cause after years and years of riding fixies their knees are shot out from the pulling of the joints apart when braking. for those that don't know, to brake you need to pedal backwards on a fixed gear bike, one foot on top of the pedal on one side, and the other foot on the bottom of the pedal on the other side, in order to crank back hard enough to make the wheel lock, skidding you to a stop. which also destroys your tires for pretty much no reason.

anyways, sorry for the rant, i just can't stand those things. they pretty much represent everything that's wrong with the cycling community.

to answer your question though, my friend that accompanied me on a bike trip from amsterdam to paris did it on a fixed gear bike and said he'd never do it again. basically every time you hit a hill you're just putting yourself in a world of hurt for no other reason than to 'look cool'.

(gee matt, tell us how you really feel)


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## psychofoamer (Oct 31, 2015)

Matt Derrick said:


> a folding bike would be somewhat more realistic. you seem to really like fixies, so don't take this the wrong way, but i think they're probably the stupidest bike ever invented.
> 
> why? well, first, the real reason fixies came about was because people didn't know how to ride them, making it hard to steal them. that's pretty much the one and only reason these abominations were invented. anyone that tells you they're lighter, faster, whatever (insert hand-jerk-off-gesture) is an idiot. you're not track racing, so those 12oz you save by taking your brakes and gears off aren't making you any more efficient than anyone else.
> 
> ...




You're wrong. The original modern bikes, called the safety bike, were fixed gear bikes. The original bikes used on the Tour de France were fixed and gears and derailers were not allowed for a long time on that race.

Riding fixed in a dense urban area is best done on a fixed gear, you have a lot more control with a fixed gear. 

I've ridden both for many years, fixed and geared. I'm not a hipster, but I have been a courier. The hipster fad will die and a fixed gear bike will still be the best for riding in the city.


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## psychofoamer (Oct 31, 2015)

And I've ridden fixed in Seattle, which is hilly as fuck, never had a "world of hurt just for looking cool". I know how to ride a fixed unlike the silly hipsters with their neon deep V rims. 

For the record, I currently ride a 12 speed


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## psychofoamer (Oct 31, 2015)

Also @Matt Derrick, while I haven't been to NYC in a while, most of the Portland and Seattle bike couriers are well over 30.

I think your hatred of fixed gears is misplaced and comes from a misunderstanding of where the bikes come from.

Have you ever even rode a fixed gear??


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## psychofoamer (Oct 31, 2015)

And you can have a brake on a fixed gear


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## psychofoamer (Oct 31, 2015)

If fixed gears are the stupidist bikes invented then ALL bikes are stupid cuz fixed gears were invented before geared or freewheel bikes...


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## Matt Derrick (Oct 31, 2015)

psychofoamer said:


> Riding fixed in a dense urban area is best done on a fixed gear, you have a lot more control with a fixed gear.
> 
> I've ridden both for many years, fixed and geared. I'm not a hipster, but I have been a courier. The hipster fad will die and a fixed gear bike will still be the best for riding in the city.



i'm going to politely disagree with you there on the control thing.



psychofoamer said:


> You're wrong. The original modern bikes, called the safety bike, were fixed gear bikes. The original bikes used on the Tour de France were fixed and gears and derailers were not allowed for a long time on that race.



fair enough. i was incorrect in my original statement, i should have said the only reason they got popluar in the past 30 years is because of nyc messengers trying to find ways to not get their bikes jacked.



psychofoamer said:


> Have you ever even rode a fixed gear??



yes, i have. hated every minute of it.



psychofoamer said:


> And you can have a brake on a fixed gear



yeah, i've seen those. they're hilarious because they're a total oxymoron. so if you have a brake, what exactly is the point then? this vague 'control' you speak of?



psychofoamer said:


> Also @Matt Derrick, while I haven't been to NYC in a while, most of the Portland and Seattle bike couriers are well over 30.



portland doesn't nearly have the stop and go traffic of nyc.


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## Matt Derrick (Oct 31, 2015)

psychofoamer said:


> If fixed gears are the stupidist bikes invented then ALL bikes are stupid cuz fixed gears were invented before geared or freewheel bikes...



...and there's a reason why no one rode fixed gear bikes for like 50 years (after the invention of the freewheel). bikes evolved, and fixies are a devolution of that. also, you're seriously derailing this thread.


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## amor fati (Oct 31, 2015)

in all fairness matt i think maybe you were the original 'derailleur'...! im not really want to have this argument, it happens on every bike forum ever - but if my taste in bikes overlaps with 'hipster trends' that's no reason for you or anyone else to assume that i'm doing it to just follow the crowd, that's ridiculous. i don't care who thinks i am a hipster, or what a hipster even is and what they are into. this would be like me calling you an 'oogle' and saying 'you just like hopping trains because it's oogle shit, and by the way didja know it's super dumb and impractical and dangerous!!'...yeah....it kind of is.... that's why it's not for everyone and that's part of why we love it. the reason most people ride with freewheels and variable gears isn't because it's intrinsically 'better' somehow (?? - different strokes, yo) but because it makes it easier to ride. there is a difference! i agree with you though, as with anything else, it's better if shallow hipster jackasses didnt do it. such is life, i don't let them concern or limit me.

Sheldon Brown, may i remind you, was a huge proponent of the fixie, and i don't see any way to call him a hipster - he was just a straight-up old-school mega bike nerd. im not going to deny that there is an aesthetic appeal, but to me it's practical too. like i said there are less gadgets on it that you will need to fix, maintain, and replace, so less tools to own, etc. it's almost more of a workout machine than a casual mode of transport - which can be good or bad depending who you are - and without a brake it really starts to be more of a sport or art form. people use the word 'zen' a lot at this point to talk about the connection you have with the machine when its motion and yours are so intimately connected; i tend to think more of merleau-ponty's example of the blind man and his cane, where by using it to perceive space it becomes like an extension of the body. there is a sort of organic connection you just don't have when your motions don't sync up the same way. so in short i just really like how it feels, it feels kinda pure, after all it is true that the oldest bikes had fixed gears, it's basically the simplest thing you can call a bicycle. all this stuff that got invented later makes it easier to ride, but doesn't make you a stronger or more skilled cyclist. which is fine...when you get on a freewheel bike after riding fixed you feel like superman! it makes your legs like tree trunks. and there is no real threat to your knees unless youre skidding a lot, which i don't do for that exact reason as well as several others (i try to ride defensively so i never have to stop all of a sudden, it's also bad for your tire). and i would say for safety reasons a handbrake is a must for anyone new to riding fixed; it's just that once you get experienced at it, it really just becomes superfluous.

ANYWAY... it's true that derailleurs and brakes don't weigh a ton, although they weigh more than you might think taken all together, it's just a sleek fuckin machine you can throw into a train or whatever and carry around a couple tools (spoke wrench, axle wrench, triflow and a pump, what else do you really need?) and be good to go. who knows, maybe it is crazy - if i try it i will DEFINITELY report back to here! that kid i was traveling with i mentioned in the OP swore by it, he took that bike around the country. come to think of it i can barely recall him traveling with anything else, he was one of those. definitely seen him rocking a bindle. i've been thinking i could slap a rack and panniers on the back (it's an old roadie frame) and just go with that and my courier bag, as long as the weather's nice. if i was just straight up bike touring, on the other hand, no trains involved, i think i would go with the fanciest shit i could afford. trying to work that out over this winter! i also definitely need to get back on a train without a bike first and see how that goes for a little while, cause its been years.

*****

for those who havent come across it, here is Sheldon Brown's classic essay "fixed gear for the road", for anyone who's interested in what one of the biggest cycling dorks in history had to say about it:

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

the rest of his site as you will see is a wealth of info on all things cycling related. RIP Sheldon!

and here is a neat blog post i found on fixed gear touring. not done a lot, but it has been done!

https://leaveonlytreadmarks.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/why-fixed-gear-touring/
https://leaveonlytreadmarks.wordpress.com/2013/02/12/why-fixed-gear-touring/
also, a blog by a woman in the uk who went everywhere on a fixie for a year:

https://fulltimefixie.wordpress.com/


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## psychofoamer (Nov 1, 2015)

@Matt Derrick just because you've ridden a fixed gear once and were too puss to figure it out doesn't mean it's a bad way to ride a bike...

You sound pretty fucking ignorant in your above rant about how fixed gears are allegedly the worst thing to happen since bike culture.

I stayed on track with the topic but since you seem to know fucking everything as it relates to everything goodness forbid anyone who actually had real life experience with whatever fucking subject be right. Cuz omg this is your website and goodness forbid anyone ha e a different opinion than you because your word is gospel and everything @Matt Derrick says is fucking gospel. 

ive ridden fixed and geared thru many different environments and they all have their place. Just cuz you hated fixed gear doesn't mean it's a shitty or stupid way to ride a bike.

Way to sound like an ignorant douchebag. I'm not a hipster and I feel that a fixed gear bike is the best way to ride bike in traffic.

Have you even ridden a bike in Portland or Seattle???

I'm from fucking Portland and not just image centric hipsters ride fixed.
In fact most of the bike punks there ride fixed. Fixed gear tall bikes what? !

In regards to your brake comment. The brake is an emergency brake to save your knee joints.

What the fuck man? You derailed this thread when you went on your long ass diatribe about how your cool cuz hipsters appropriate everything.

Fucking stay at your moms you pussy. 

Yeah ban me. Don't give a fuck. Id still beat your ass you pussy. Get a job you fucking bum!


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## psychofoamer (Nov 1, 2015)

You're just living off of our donations


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## Matt Derrick (Nov 1, 2015)

amor fati said:


> but if my taste in bikes overlaps with 'hipster trends' that's no reason for you or anyone else to assume that i'm doing it to just follow the crowd, that's ridiculous.



that's not what i was implying at all, i apologize if it came off that way. it's just that fixed gear bikes don't make sense to me 90% of the time. sure, there's small exceptions like tall bikes and things like that, but to me, it just doesn't make a lot of sense. i'm sorry if i derailed this thread since i didn't think I was, i thought i was just sharing an opinion that was relative to the question in the thread.



psychofoamer said:


> You're just living off of our donations



how would you even _possibly_ know that? stupid statements like this aside, i've been very tolerant of your agro attitude since you returned to the forums. notice that i don't call you names, or flame you in any way when i disagree with you. instead, i just provide my side/opinion and let you have yours.

the fact that you are unable to do the same says more about you than it does me. there's a reason you have 2nd place on the 'most negative ratings' list:

https://squattheplanet.com/members/?type=negative_ratings

and you've barely been here three months. keep in mind that i'm the one that puts in all the work (30+ hours a week) to keep this place working and afloat, and i spend far more money on this website than I get in donations (although they do help a hell of a lot). so please, have a little respect. This is my house, and I let everyone come in and play without knocking, and do _almost_ whatever they want, 24/7, as long as they pay attention to the rules (which are very reasonable).

but that doesn't mean i have to sit here and take your shit because you disagree with me and you're unable to articulate a proper response. @amor fati did an excellent job without having to call me names or threaten to kick my ass because of an _opinion on the internet_. if you want to be banned, fine. just remember who's the bad guy here.


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## amor fati (Nov 1, 2015)

it's all good, didn't really think you were necessarily saying that. i might have come off a little touchy too; anyone who rides fixed has heard plenty about how they're stupid, dangerous and 'for hipsters'. i do realize that some people who lead shallow lives are into it mainly for the aesthetic and probably not safe on the road, which is terrible. but that's only some.


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## Deleted member 11392 (Nov 2, 2015)

amor fati said:


> has anyone done much hybrid bike/train travel?



Yeah! I love it. It's not for everyone. Theres huge advantages and some disadvantages. I can see why some people would try it and hate it. But I'm gonna explain why I love it.

First of all, when you get to a town, you have a free means of transportation. No buses, no walking. And you have something to do just for fun. You can go anywhere fast and easily.

Get off in North Platte and you have this shitty 6 mile walk to town. Nope, you have a leisurly bike ride.

You can often wait at the far throat of a yard and see every ride on your train and bike right up to your ride.

Sketchy neighborhood? Nope, you got a bike. Good luck robbing me.

If you're waiting at the catch Out spot, and the nearest beer store is 2 miles away, you're the new hero to go on beer runs.

You have a good cover from cops in towns. I'm on bike tour officer. Trains? What's that?

If you do your set up right, you nearly ever have to carry anything. Dear God yes.

Fuck hitchhiking!!! Nuff said. Just bike to the next crew change when you get pulled off in the middle of nowhere.


Disadvantages are small. It's hard to cross strings, you can't ride in shotgun grainers, hard to catch on the fly.

I've rode with a road bike and a mountain bike, prefer the latter with a milk crate for my bag, and a pannier.


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## Psylock1045 (Nov 3, 2015)

What types of cars would one tend to ride with a bicycle? Boxcars are obvious, but what others would work?


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## Deleted member 11392 (Nov 3, 2015)

Psylock1045 said:


> What types of cars would one tend to ride with a bicycle? Boxcars are obvious, but what others would work?



53 miniwells, take off your wheels, put your bike in one side, ride on the other.

48 buckets are great.

Viking ships on IM. 

Piggyback work. Especially pigs with wings, the ones with the plastic sides.

Boxcars

Gondolas

Alien eye grainers/c-6 grainers are nice

DPUs work, but are honestly annoying. You gotta break your bike down and put it in the bathroom. Unless you're just riding a crew change.

Canadian grainers are tricky, you're bikes exposed.

Standard V grainers work, especially with back to back rideables. It works to your advantage if it's on the brake equipment side.

High wall grainers are golden.


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## FLoP (Nov 20, 2015)

I hopped a lumber car ( I___I )one that looks like that with gear, banjo, dog and bmx bike that i posted in "lets see those bikes". Fixies are a fun, simple, light, mininalist bikes. My dads got 1905 columbia with wooden rims and driveshaft powertrain. So fixies have been around for a long time. Look up the video of edison doing fixie tricks


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## briancray (Jan 1, 2016)

I've traveled on a light-weight Dawes touring bicycle cross-country. It had 21 gears, but most of them didn't work so it was probably much less. I'm curious on how bike/train hopping was? I'm assuming you hung out in the actual box car before departure. Always wanted to bike and hop at the same time, but still have yet to hop freight. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to that department.

As for fixies they are bad ass man. Always borrowed my friends' but I like the speed behind them and fucking off with them doing brake 180s and 360s.


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## Deleted member 2626 (Jan 2, 2016)

Hey jungle how are ya man?


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## ByronMc (Jan 25, 2016)

Tude said:


> If you are planning on flatish commuting by bicycle then a fixie would be good - I'm a gearhead - I can be in hills within 30 minutes from my house. Rode with a guy in Pittsburgh PA - He was on a fixie - 'bout nearly killed us as we hit some mountains (you know you're in deep when you hit switchbacks) - but he sat and waited for us at times - LOL on the bicycle forum he carried the nickname of lollipop legs - his legs were mammouth!
> 
> Anyway something to consider - if you were able to pick up an inexpensive folding bike on craigslist - might be easier to hoist onto train? But hey we all have our favorite bikes - so why not do it! Have fun!!


Rude, Austin Horse, did complete the Dirty Dozen, 2015, came in 16, on a fix i.e.!


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## Doc Road (Mar 1, 2016)

psychofoamer said:


> @Matt Derrick just because you've ridden a fixed gear once and were too puss to figure it out doesn't mean it's a bad way to ride a bike...
> 
> You sound pretty fucking ignorant in your above rant about how fixed gears are allegedly the worst thing to happen since bike culture.
> 
> ...


HAHA!!! Get a BUM you JOB!!


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## Doc Road (Mar 1, 2016)

Just picked up a Turn folding bike 2bills on Craig's. Gatta work out a front rack,but plan on hitch and hop out with it soon. I'll post up how it all goes. As far as the fixie debate;bikes are like any other tool,each with a specialty given the task. But seriously track bike are just that;fast on a track, from a dead stop but no way to go faster beyond that,the lack of breaks is cause a track has no stops,it's a circle.. Just my opinion;most fixie riders are just delusional from line of sight and other race films(note that all those crashes are filmed on geared bikes) . Me thinks it's rad but get real,gears are practical use of math and geometry. And I give all bikes some love,just keep peddling..


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## TheWindAndRain (Mar 9, 2016)

Dumbass said:


> 53 miniwells, take off your wheels, put your bike in one side, ride on the other.
> 
> 48 buckets are great.
> 
> ...



Regarding riding the units have you ever considered bringing a bike into the electricity room [the room in the unit with a bar across the doorway] you can leave it in there as they dont check it in crew changes. Ive measured the doorway its pleny large to get the bike through the door over that bar. My worry would be being electrocuted if the bike touches something in there


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## Deleted member 11392 (Mar 9, 2016)

TheWindAndRain said:


> Regarding riding the units have you ever considered bringing a bike into the electricity room [the room in the unit with a bar across the doorway]



Damn that's not a bad idea. Might not even have to break it down.


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## Doc Road (Mar 11, 2016)

TheWindAndRain said:


> Regarding riding the units have you ever considered bringing a bike into the electricity room [the room in the unit with a bar across the doorway] you can leave it in there as they dont check it in crew changes. Ive measured the doorway its pleny large to get the bike through the door over that bar. My worry would be being electrocuted if the bike touches something in there


Thought of that,as long as you are on a familiar rout in between crew changes would be fine,but a bike on top of gear and food would make it hard to bail. Iv stayed out of cuffs doing so from unit,me thinks para cord the bike in and out of say gondola or deep well sounds less hicktic and more enjoyable ride.


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## TheWindAndRain (Apr 12, 2016)

Ok so i brought it on a unit. This was done with gear at a bnsf fueling stop midday. Rode up to the fueling pumps, threw the bike over my shoulder with my pack and wiggled in the door.






As you said Doc, its a familiar route between unit checks, but to test out, i broke it down to see if it would fit in the bathroom.


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## Wawa (Apr 15, 2016)

Love hearing about this. 

I sat at the roseville yard for two days, with a foldy bike and trailer, trying to get south, but those colton trains like to pull in at least three strings deep and nothing was staying still... Ended up just helping other tramps find their trains, then hitching because I had an airplane to catch :/


When I get back to the US, and am not needing to get to a specific destination, I'll be all over this!

Might even bring a light packraft along.


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## TheWindAndRain (Apr 15, 2016)

Wawa said:


> Love hearing about this.
> 
> I sat at the roseville yard for two days, with a foldy bike and trailer, trying to get south, but those colton trains like to pull in at least three strings deep and nothing was staying still... Ended up just helping other tramps find their trains, then hitching because I had an airplane to catch :/
> 
> ...


Hopped this unit to avoid crossing live autoracks (in the rain) and mostly because of this thread hah. 2nd crew found me anyways and gave me the boot near flagstaff. Viking ships seem to provide the best cover followed by winged pigs. A nice 8 pound pack raft could go anywhere; ive just sold my inflatables as they were too heavy


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