What practical difficulty often caused many cyclists to stick with fixed-gear bikes for decades?
Answer
The mechanical complexity and unreliability made gears too difficult for everyday, low-cognitive-load use.
Even after multi-speed systems like the derailleur emerged, they were prone to issues such as the chain jamming between gears, dropping off the sprocket entirely, or requiring the rider to stop pedaling entirely to shift without causing damage. This mechanical difficulty and complexity meant that operating a geared bike required a higher degree of focus and skill compared to a simple fixed gear. For many utility and competitive riders, the simplicity, low weight, and absolute reliability of the fixed gear outweighed the benefits of variable ratios that were often frustrating to employ.
Related Questions
What characterized James Starley's 1871 invention described as the first gear cycle?What inherent limitation defined the direct-drive pedals on the 'boneshaker' or 'penny-farthing'?What two fundamental features did the safety bicycle introduce to enable widespread practical gearing?Which gearing system generally offered very high durability because it was sealed from dirt and weather?Besides making hill climbing easier, what primary speed goal did early gearing systems help riders achieve?How does the external derailleur system physically accomplish shifting between different gear ratios?What practical difficulty often caused many cyclists to stick with fixed-gear bikes for decades?What refinement, developed in the mid-to-late 20th century, made derailleur shifting nearly foolproof?What was the initial function of the earliest devices separating pedal speed from wheel speed?Which cycling niche ultimately favored the external derailleur system over the internal hub gear?According to the comparison table, which system generally carried more weight?