Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Why do fixed gear riders only put an aerospoke wheel on the front?

pretty simple question...i ride a cannondale converted fixed gear and can skid pretty well. i've been watching youtube videos and notice a lot of riders have it only on the front...

too costly?
better for tricks?

kewl

image.

they dont. thread over.

Use the search function PLEASE

Why do fixed gear riders only put an aerospoke wheel on the front?

"monkey see, monkey do"

I wonder that myself but then some complain the rear is too flexy. I don't mind since I got the set for strength (and kool factor)

simple.
they look cool.

If I thought they cared about anything but looks, I'd say an aerodynamic front wheel is more beneficial than having one on the rear, where he seat tube already disrupts the air flow.

because a track-specific rear aerospoke is harder to come by than a front one that's compatible with everything?

Don't be fooled, the Aerospokes are the farthest thing from aero that you can get.

not really

not at all.

They look stupid on both front and back.

because it makes it easier to throw a stick into

Here we go again...

Here we go again...

Man, you've been here a while. Must've seen it all.

Man, you've been here a while. Must've seen it all.

Bwahaha!

More aero advantage up front, but considering most people riding with them are in jeans and a tshirt it doesnt help them. I think earlier on it was because messengers could lock up easier than with normal spokes. But at this point its because it is what everyone else does.

Man, you've been here a while. Must've seen it all.

No,not really.Just a few of those beautifull disagreements on a certain compositematerial product;)

very simple...we have all become sheep

More aero advantage up front, but considering most people riding with them are in jeans and a tshirt it doesnt help them. I think earlier on it was because messengers could lock up easier than with normal spokes. But at this point its because it is what everyone else does.

Someone prolly got one for cheap and started rocking it on the street cause it was unique and kinda cool(much like when people started riding track bikes on the streets). Then peeps copied said person.

Hmm... reminds me of http://youtube.com/watch?v=ozh1y7zI0r8

because you go 43-58% faster, and it is much better for hills and crosswinds. don't let the hate and sarcasm on this thread get to you.

lay down those percentages! yea!

i like them for the added weight training as well

Hmm... reminds me of http://youtube.com/watch?v=ozh1y7zI0r8


There's no "on" in the title of that song.

i thought someone would have answered this correctly by now but i guess i have to-

to put it simply, spokecards.

insert:

i got em back in 2002 when it was like cheaper than a complete wheel built up.

i remember seeing that reason

Because they don't fit on the back..
http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg62/IverTheScientist/bobmaskReflection.jpg

^^^They come in a variety of sizes...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y64/Kemmer/aerospokehighwheeler.jpg

very simple...we have all become sheep
speak for yourself :)

because you go 43-58% faster, and it is much better for hills and crosswinds. don't let the hate and sarcasm on this thread get to you.

They're not better for climbing because when you climb, weight is more important than aerodynamics (within reason, of course). They might be better for descending, if you descend fast.

They suck for crosswinds because they catch the wind, much like sails. When riding with a crosswind, they can make it much more difficult to ride a line. This is why they are not allowed in the peloton in road racing events. The riders are too unstable to handle tightly enough to not be a risk to each other. They might be better in a direct headwind.

It seems to me that "aero" designs are, because of their weight, a little more difficult to get up to speed, but because of their aerodynamic designs, are better for maintaining it. If you ride in a city all the time, you don't really get to maintain high enough speeds for an aero wheel to matter (30+ mph) for extended periods of time. They seem to me like a major disadvantage sometimes, especially if you live in a windy city, but obviously, a lot of people get by just fine on them. If you like the way they look and don't mind the drawbacks, then do it. I don't think that (in real-world, non-race conditions) they give any performance advantage whatsoever, though.

They look sweet. Cheaper than hed and easier to get than spinergys on ebay. Apparently no one has ever bought the rear wheel, or maybe their more expensive.

They look sweet. Cheaper than hed and easier to get than spinergys on ebay. Apparently no one has ever bought the rear wheel, or maybe their more expensive.

What? Velospace is full of idiots with Arrospok in the rear.

But hey, I actually agree they look kinda cool when spinning.

How come I don't see roadies putting them on their Sevens, Merlins, and Disco Treks?

http://i1.ebayimg.com/08/i/000/e0/42/5530_1.JPG

OK. There's one.

Maybe people are only putting them on the front because they're afraid their bikes will look like this:

http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/03/86/75/16/0003867516206_500X500.jpg

I just had to post that pic. He looks so happy. :rolleyes:

But my baby daughter NEEDS that bike you posted...

So, as a serious answer...
People tend to not use aerospokes in the rear because the hub has a tendency to break loose when torque is applied in the reverse direction, as it is when one skip or skid stops.

Maybe they remind us of bmx/80's styling. I never had one, and think they are too heavy, but they are
so damn cheap, and I do like the look of them. They might be played out on internet forums, but for example, on the streets of Osaka, or Tokyo they are really quite rare. I only know of maybe 3 bikes in Osaka with an aerospoke. I am sure it is much different in USA where they are made, and sold for so cheap.

Maybe they remind us of bmx/80's styling. I never had one, and think they are too heavy, but they are
so damn cheap, and I do like the look of them. They might be played out on internet forums, but for example, on the streets of Osaka, or Tokyo they are really quite rare. I only know of maybe 3 bikes in Osaka with an aerospoke. I am sure it is much different in USA where they are made, and sold for so cheap.

They arent that cheap, I mean, you can get a very decent spoked wheelset for the price of just a front 'spoke.

the rear used to slip on me but I sent it back to them to fix the issue. It's been a couple of months and no issues with the slippage. I think it's weird to have one instead of both but I like to keep the bike symmetrical. I enjoy the set even if they are heavy (I think lighter riders complain more about them since they'd notice it more but I'm 180lbs. After a hard ride I feel like I put in a lot of extra work which isn't a bad thing to me.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gyeswho/2316128163/sizes/o/

39.5% of statistics are completely fabricated.

because the rear's will explode upon installation

...how many fixed gear riders does it take to bolt on an aerospoke?

the same reason they all wear messenger bags.

They are freakin' expensive and freakin' heavy. I think the rear weighs almost as much as the touring wheel that have on the back of my 27 speed Surly Crosscheck.

In Bicycling magazine, a while back they had a story about some wind tunnel experiments done at MIT that were cycling specific. What they found is that a triathlete or time trialist is better off dropping a few hundred on an aerodynamic helmet than dropping a few thousand on a Zipp wheelset.

that was an awesome article.


Most people don't realize that a nonaero helmet creates four times the drag of a nonaero wheelset. So you can spend two thousand dollars on a wheelset, or spend two hundred on a helmet and be faster. How you put your race number on matters more than having an aero wheel; today, we glued on our numbers to get them to fit flatter. Then there's water bottle placement: On a round-tubed frame, having a bottle on your seat tube is more aerodynamic than not having one at all, and it's much more aero than putting it on the down tube. And wearing gloves in a time trial will slow you down more than using a nonaero front wheel.

http://www.bicycling.com/article/1,6610,s1-3-12-14995-1,00.html

According to Jobst Brandt, bladed and radial laced spokes are a waste of money as well. The bottom line is that the wheel is relatively small in terms of the amount of frontal mass it creates.