Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Fixed for Tri

Hi all. I'm new to posting on this site. However I've used many comments from this forum to convince myself to purchase my first fixie - a 2002 orange KHS Flite 100. Now I'm enjoying riding a bike more than I ever have in about 14 years of road racing and triathlons. It's all I've ridden everyday since the day I got it about a month ago.

Anyway, I was wondering if any of you have ever heard of anyone using a fixie for triathlons. I used mine in a race yesterday and had very good results.

Welcome to the forum Jose! I personally would not dare use a fixie in anything longer then a sprint triathlon (but i'm a wimp!). ;)

Why don't more fixed gear enthusiasts do distance events?

Originally posted by Jose
I used mine in a race yesterday and had very good results. [/B]

Could you have done better if you had used a multi-geared bike?

You might not be allowed to compete on a fixed bike in some events. Road racing rules can be pretty specific. Don't know about tri bike rules but they might be more liberal judging from the state of some of the bikes I have worked on.

In the UK, where time-trialling is the major sport, some serious contenders race and win on fixies.

Originally posted by Jose
Why don't more fixed gear enthusiasts do distance events? A friend of mine did the 177 mile Nightmare event last year in Pennsylvania on his fixed. It's billed as having more climbing than any single stage in the Tour de France.

This year they bumped the mileage up to 200!

IF they allow it, go for it. What do you have to loose riding a fixie, especially if that is what you are going to train on. I have been go back and forth about the Idea of doing a triathlon with a fixie, but haven't made a decision yet.

In mass start events, you generally cannot ride a fix. This is to avoid the problems of mixed fixed and freewheeling bikes cornering together.

However, for TT events they are a good choice unless there are very substantial hills. If I were gonna do a TT event (or tri) it would be on a fix.

Dave

I read USAT rules and saw no mention of gearing rules. I would still like to hear from an official before entering a big event.

It's hard to say if I would have done as well on a freewheeling bike. After training on the fixed gear bike I probably would have done better, because I feel more fit on a bike. But I was so psyched on the fixed gear that I think it worked to my advantage. I had the 6th fastest bike split. Had I been using a slightly bigger gear than the 48X16 I was riding, I might have done better.

There are no rules to keep a fixed gear bike out of a USAT sanctioned triathlon. However, the head ref may stop you from using it if he feels there is a safety issue.

I've competed in Tri's with a Fix numerous times. Triathlon rules mandate a bike ~must~ have front and rear brakes. This is sometimes parenteticated with "no fixed gears". Although the intent is obviously to keep someone from arguing leg-braking does not constitute a rear brake, it could be mis-construed by an official. For this reason, I always have a freewheel on the flop, in case.

Having said that, there's a new trend for draft-legal tri's. These rules tend to mimic UCF rules, DD frames, No aerobars (beyond the drops), etc. I'd imagine they don't allow FGs, but really dont know; I refuse to race in a draft-legal tri (tarnishes the sport, IMO).

I think the officials are looking out for the racers egos. I mean how would it look if the pack got toasted by someone riding a bike with one gear and no brakes... (sarcasm) He he.