Dogbait

I have two, 3029 and 3502 in my signature. The red one is a converted Univega and the other was built from a new frame made specifically for a fixed gear bike. It didn't take too long to get the hang of riding at the age of 60... no crashes or horror stories. One thing I did notice was that if you ride only a fixed gear bike, as I did for the first two months I had one, you can get lazy with your pedal stroke. What I mean is thatyou might not pedal in a complete circle because the momentum from the other side pedal will pull your foot through the upstroke. A quick spin on a geared bike will cure this bad habit.

Going down a hill will teach you how to spin smoothly at high rpms. If you find yourself rocking from side to side, try lowering the saddle a little and point your toe down slightly at the lower front quadrant of the pedal stroke. It will take a few days to learn how to descend withoput overspinning. I have brakes... using backward pressure on the pedals to stop or slow down is hard on the knees.

Building a fixed gear bike is an excellent cure for cabin fever. You might also find yourself building wheels. I built the wheels on #3502 (my first set) during the record setting month of March,2006, when it rained every day. I have an old Fuji frame sitting behind the couch just in case this year is a wet one too.