Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Question from a newbie

Just wondering how good/bad would a long distance ride on a fixie be. how far is pushing it near being too far...

Just wondering how good/bad would a long distance ride on a fixie be. how far is pushing it near being too far...

There are people who ride PBP on fixed gear bikes. There's not really an upper mileage limit if you've got the right gearing and you're in shape for it.

i am thinking about doing bike and build on one http://bikeandbuild.org/cms/ I am relitively new to biking but i am in good to exelent health (rhb <55) very athletic and willing to train for it what are my chances at making it.

We have folks do our doubles on fixies all the time. Go for it!

In the early years of the Tour de France, fixed gear was mandatory. Four or five thousand miles of racing, in stages of three or four hundred miles each.

Fixed gear isn't as easy as derailleurs and a cassette, but it isn't madness to think of putting in long distances with it, either.

See this thread:
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=372812&highlight=longest

i did a two-day Seattle-to-Portland ride on a Bianchi Pista (with toned-down 40x14 gearing).

even with the lower gearing than what it came with (48x16), it was a real knee-killer on the 2nd day! but that had mostly to do with skids, more than pedaling. just slap a front-brake on it, don't skid, and you're good to go. that said, i ride a regular road bike now for long-distance rides.

Last year John Spurgeon did the Race Across America on a pair of single speed bikes. That is about 3,000 miles in just over 12 days. He beat several people on geared bikes.

Steve A regularly rides more than 20 000 miles in a year on a fixie.

If you are doing rides that involve long downhills, I recommend fitting front and rear brakes. Its really scary when your front (only) brake overheats part-way down a hill, and your legs are already doing 150rpm.

For me it is more about hills and wind, I think you need to be very fit to ride fixed in hilly terrain. Sounds like you have the fitness covered though...

The other issue is that you can't really stand and coast to rest your tail, or coast to adjust things.

I like using the fixed for flat rides up to 2-3 hours, beyond that I've always ridden gears because I'm worried about getting home again!