fixed-gear

American  

[fikst-geer] / ˈfɪkstˈgɪər /

noun

1. Also called fixed-gear bicycle;.  Informal, fixie.  a bicycle having a single-gear system and lacking a freewheel mechanism, so that the wheels only move when the pedals move.

2. such a gear system.

   The bike has a fixed gear.

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Etymology

Origin of fixed-gear

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Charlie Alliston - who was riding a fixed-gear bike with no front brakes - was cleared of manslaughter and found guilty of causing bodily harm by "wanton or furious driving".

From BBC • Apr. 25, 2025

He rode in on his fixed-gear bike and was delighted to see his students engaging with the rallygoers.

From Slate • May 30, 2024

As ever, he is simply a witness, a flâneur on a fixed-gear bike whose job it is to acknowledge lonely ghosts and give them what they feel they need in order to keep on trucking.

From The New Yorker • Sep. 23, 2016

“I always have to be like a Jedi,” said Robert Johnson, a bike courier who rides a fixed-gear bike, in part, because it forces him to be more cautious.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2016

As always, he took his bike, an old fixed-gear Schwinn that had belonged to his father long ago in Indiana.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng