Fixed gear bicycles for the road
sheldonbrown.com
sheldonbrown.com
It makes the the unsubstantiated claim made that "Keeping your legs in motion keeps the muscles supple, and promotes good circulation." On my long trips I'll often stop to read roadside sign or historical marker, or look at something interesting. Are my frequent stops also unhealthy?
If taking a break from pedaling is so unhealthy and leads to unsupple legs and bad circulation, then maybe I shouldn't bike at all, and stay home?
Because fixed wheel or not, the fun for me is to see what's out on the road, not "feel a closer communion with [my] bike and with the road".
That sounds like it was ripped straight from a pamphlet from 1920 touting the benefits of Dr. Snakeoil's Mysterious Healing Elixir.
I've heard various benefits of fixies over the years, not a damned one of which was backed by anything but cargo cult or wishful thinking. I say this as one with several fixies, including the original fixie: an 1886 high wheeler.
They are fun to ride, though, which is reason enough.