Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Fixies going the distance

I commute 60 miles 3 to 4 times a week on a crappy road conversion. I am in the market for a replacement
My question is for those who bike long distances. What kind of fixies are you riding? Are any of you doing
centuries on track geometry bikes?

I've done a few centuries on a Fuji Track bike. I did 130 miles once. My back was sore that day from grinding up a few big hills. As far as the geometry, the handling, etc. it's great. I did not make it fixed all the way, I have to switch to freewheel before I get to 100 miles. I also do at least one century a week and more. I have also had that bike a few years, I have tuned the fit, the seat, the tires,the bar position, to just the way I like it for a long ride. My bars are high because my favorite kind of riding is long rides, way too high to be a serious track bike. If my bars were where you would expect them to be for a real track bike I would have back problems on a century.

I did a double metric on an IRO Mark V. The only problem I really experienced was my saddle to bar drop. The bars were too low and it caused discomfort in my shoulders and wrists.

The Mark V however has road geometry.

Is your fuji track bike one of the newer ones?

I have a 50 mile commute I make at least once a week, plus I go on a lot of mid distance rides (25-40 miles) and a few longer distance (more than 60). I ride a Surly Steamroller with nitto bullhorns, cinelli groove stem and a Brooks saddle. This setup works very well for long distances. The geometry of the steamroller is very road-bike like, much wider wheelbase than any track bike I've been on. I double wrapped my bars and even though there is a drop of a couple of inches from the saddle my arms and back never get sore. Not a racing bike (my 62cm frame with fork is around 7 pounds) but it's very comfortable. A very stable bike, even on high rpm descents, and stiff enough for climbing at very low rpms. Good all-around set up and a lot of fun.

the steamroller is a bike i am considering and i ride 62cm. The only drawback is that I have been told the bottom bracket is low and i want to run 75 cranks

Is your fuji track bike one of the newer ones?

It's about a 2002? The year the steel one (Not the Track Pro) was red and yellow. This bike handles like a dream. The factory hubs are only OK. I put on Suze Pro Max hubs.

the steamroller is a bike i am considering and i ride 62cm. The only drawback is that I have been told the bottom bracket is low and i want to run 75 cranks

I run 165's and never strike, even at 25mph+ on tight turns. The cranks I had previously were 175's and I would only strike infrequently, and then only if I was taking a turn pretty quickly. It wasn't a problem that made me slow down or worry about it. I got the 165's only because I got a bit of a deal and would have had to wait for shipping if I wanted a different size. They've worked well even though I was used to longer cranks and have long legs. Spinning at 120 rpm+ is noticably easier. I'm glad I got them and would likely go with 165's if I buy different cranks in the future.

I've done a couple centuries on my Lemond Fillmore. It's more road geometry.

I did 101 a few weeks ago on my Rock Lob track with no probs other than a sore butt - have a nicely broken-in Brooks on it but I find that when I go that long with no way to coast that I'm unable to move aroud as much on the saddle as I should. Anyway, for the century I did put a normal (level) stem on vice the dropped track stem and I ran 42cm bars vice the 39's. Give it a shot and it'll either work for you or it won't - I doubt track geometry will be any problem though. Good luck!

The furtherest single ride I've done on my Bare Knuckle during the short time I've had it was around 67 miles, a few climbs, nothing huge. I felt fine the next day but I was going base milage speeds, nothing super fast. I was getting a little wary of the snappy handling but I've come to embrace it rather than fight it.

I've done a couple centuries on my older conversion, that beat me up just because I hadn't had the position worked out, now it's... better. I think as long as you're comfortable and going at a reasonable pace, longer distances aren't much different from geared rides.

I have done a few metric centuries on my KHS fixie. The only problem I have had is lower back pain near the end of the ride if I am riding the drops too long. I get the same issue on my road bike as well. I would say you'd be fine as long as you don't have some stem with an insane drop. While it looks sweet, I wouldn't want to roll with it for a longer ride. Now I have risers, that's where the party is at.

Gonesh9 (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=4968) did the STP (Seattle to Portland; 208 miles) on his fixie. It's hard to put into words how impressed I was. I'd like to try a century on the fixie, but doing the double is insane; even more so on a fixed.

Surly Steamroller is the frame to buy. I have had mine three years and dialed it in to match my road bike as far as setup. I have done centuries but most of my rides are in the 40-60 range. I have ridden many track bikes on the road and never will do again. Just to uncomfortable doing any kind of distance. I ride 170 cranks with Look pedals and have not hit yet. I do ride fatter (28mm) tires, one of the great features of this frame as I weigh in at 230 lbs.
Bob

I ride an IRO Jamie Roy; what I like about this bike as far as distance riding is concerned, is that it's drilled to hold two water bottle cages. I try to get a distance ride in regularly. I did a century; well actually more than 100 miles fixed once, and didn't have many problems. The trick for me is that for the really long distances I'll flip my stem to get my handlebars higher up, allowing me to avoid back and wrists issues. With my stem flipped up the only problem that I encounter on long distant rides of 70+ miles is saddle soreness, but that has nothing to do with the frame.