Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Staying in control downhill

I'm having great fun on my recently acquired fixie but one thing I'm having problems with is going downhill fast.

On the steepest hills my top speed is limited by my highest spin, obviously. Once I've reached this RPM I'd like to stop the bike going faster using my legs rather than the brake but I can't get the hang of resisting the pedals when they're rotating really fast.

When I can't spin any faster and start trying to resist the pedals, the whole bike starts wobbling and feels like it's going unstable. I have to give-up and use the brake instead, which kind of sucks. If anyone could share any tips or techniques I'd be really grateful.

beagley

Try skidding before the sudden outburst of going downhill very fast like.

wats wrong with using a brake? and for that matter, whats wrong w/ spinning really really fast? it improves your pedal stroke

If you are out of control, use the brake, thats why you have it. Right!?

Otherwise, learn to control your bike always and it won't be an issue.

Why is this a thread?

Common sense maybe?

OK, let me rephrase the question --

It's normal to slow a fixed gear bike down by resisting the pedals, right? I've found that this becomes progressively more difficult with higher spin. Is this something that gets easier with experience? If so, any tips for improving?

beagley

Around here, there are some very steep grades--- the sort where I can easily hit 60 - 80 kph on a road bike. There is no way I can scrub off speed without using a brake on a fixed gear.

One thing I have done is progressively added gear inches to my drive train--- it is much easier taking a tall gear downhill and hobbling back up again than spinning out at a low speed (which means suffering both downhill and uphill).


OK, let me rephrase the question --

It's normal to slow a fixed gear bike down by resisting the pedals, right? I've found that this becomes progressively more difficult with higher spin. Is this something that gets easier with experience? If so, any tips for improving?

beagley

i just lock up and slide into the first solid object i see, looks cool and works!




most of the time i use my brake just before it gets to the point where i feel uncomfortable, and if i go to fast i see how long i can hold it, then i use the brake to get back to a speed i can control and then use my legs to keep there.... but toronto is pretty flat, so i only really had problems for the first month or so.

I believe it comes with practice...You will feel more unstable but that's because the pedals are moving really fast

Yeah. It was something I was scared ****less about. I hated bombing hills, and sometimes my ass starts to gets a jail treatment from my seat, however, after a while I have learned how to skid comfortably and to control my speed.

Learning how to spin faster also helps.

setting up your pedals with proper retention also helps a whole lot. if you're into clips & straps, nicer straps or doubles make your feet more connected. you could also try out powergrips, which are almost as good as a cinched-down strap setup but easier to exit if you need to.

just focus on making circles with your feet, but not applying power. the resistance provided by your legs will check your spin unless you have a really low gear.

if you dont have clips or clipless shoes it might be challenging os if you dont then get some would be my first suggestion. i recently did a couple 4 mile climbs with 4 mile downhills (brakeless, yeah i know ******** idea) out in the berkshires of western mass and i think the key is to maintain control from the beginning. dont jsut start bombing the hill then hope to maintain control later on. gradually spin faster until your at the best cadence for the hill. some hills ill go down doing about 25-30 mph but like for a big hill like the ones i did in the berkshires i really had to work hard to keep it down to about 15 mph or less. and of course just keep riding more and as you get more comfortable youll find out the best way for you.

pretty much practice.. the more you try it the more you'll get it :) you'll find your spot/timing to lock up at high speeds. keep that brake there!

The older folks like myself just run a front brake. It's so much easier, all around.

If the ride involves a lot of long, high speed descents, I take my single speed instead.

I've taken a brakeless fixed-gear down 8%+ grade hills. Do not like. I had to take it slow, resisting from the very top, had to do lots of skips, and still felt out of control. Plus I was riding with some friends who were on road bikes or had brakes, and they kept dropping me on the downhills.

But clearly it is possible to slow down, stop and maintain control on steep hills. It just isn't very much fun.

I found that hills are much easier when you have clipless pedals. I take hills standing up and resisting.

On the otherhand, you can ignore that, since I live in Winnipeg. our idea of hills is an underpass. because of that, It's not uncommon for people to run insane gear rations like 48x13 or 48x16 in my case

Of all the years I've been riding my fixed and single speed in the mountains here in L.A., I've never seen a brakeless rider do these rides.....and I've seen quite a few fixed riders up there.

Nuts on stem skids are harder going fast, however skips and sit down skids are somewhat easier.

front brake.

Just use your brake, don't try to be like something you saw on the Internet cause it looks cool. You're gonna end up hurting yourself. Skids are fun when hanging out with buddies doing tricks and things like that but they're no means of slowing you down a steep hill.

Thanks for the helpful responses.

I should have made it clear, I was actually referring to just resisting the pedals to apply gradual braking rather than skidding.

Also, I wasn't proposing going brakeless, I was just thinking it would be neat to get to the stage where the brake was just there for emergencies. Reading the responses, though, I can see that braking downhill is the done thing.


setting up your pedals with proper retention also helps a whole lot.

I'm using SPD clipless pedals, currently set fairly loose. I'll try tightening them up a bit.

Got back from a ride just now. Wanted to practise two things: chase's "focus on making circles with your feet, but not applying power" and (unrelated to this thread) jumping off a curb. While practising both, my feet came loose, so I definitely need to tighten-up the cleats.

I'd say standing up and focusing on putting your weight on your rear pedal will help keep you under that out of control spin. But as said above, skips and seated skids are the most controlled on a decent. I think that learning to descend very fast but being able to stop when needed is a very important skill, I often will practice by bombing a hill and choosing a spot to start an attempt to stop and work on how long it take to do so. until you get it though just use that brake

Get out of your areo position, and stop pedaling.

Thanks for the helpful responses.

I should have made it clear, I was actually referring to just resisting the pedals to apply gradual braking rather than skidding.

Also, I wasn't proposing going brakeless, I was just thinking it would be neat to get to the stage where the brake was just there for emergencies. Reading the responses, though, I can see that braking downhill is the done thing.



I'm using SPD clipless pedals, currently set fairly loose. I'll try tightening them up a bit.

Got back from a ride just now. Wanted to practise two things: chase's "focus on making circles with your feet, but not applying power" and (unrelated to this thread) jumping off a curb. While practising both, my feet came loose, so I definitely need to tighten-up the cleats.


You'll get better with time as your spin improves. The brake is always the way to (IMO). The faster you can stop, the faster you can ride.

Of all the years I've been riding my fixed and single speed in the mountains here in L.A., I've never seen a brakeless rider do these rides.....and I've seen quite a few fixed riders up there.

I have some friends who have done mountains in California (not LA though) on brakeless track bikes. They would put their foot on the rear tire to slow down while descending.

But they are kind of crazy.

I have some friends who have done mountains in California (not LA though) on brakeless track bikes. They would put their foot on the rear tire to slow down while descending.

But they are kind of crazy.

Yeah, but most roadies who ride fixed are not into that style of riding. :D

Go for a bigger chainring. You won't be spinning as fast, so you might be able to remain in control. If you really, really must avoid using a brake, do a skid every 5 strokes like this guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv35s_WurCc&feature=related

i'm glad i don't have to worry about this anymore. i used to ride brakeless. slowing down brakeless was a long process of skips and skids... and going balls-out as fast as you can down a hill was often not possible. then i realized how much i missed just biking fast. so i put a brake back on. now i'm riding everywhere fast again. free to not worry about the light at the bottom of that hill or the stop signs. Puting a brake back on was the best thing i've done in a while. i love riding again.

"I still feel that..." crests top of hill "...variable gears are only for people over forty-five." picking up speed, looks steep "Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your..." bombing down at 180rpm now "... your muscles than by the ...*nggggh* ... the artifice of a derailer?" Legs are a blur, bike wobbling, bouncing in saddle "We are getting soft!" (f*ck!) "As for me, give me a f-fi-fixed gear!" Squeezes brake, nearby roadies and single-speeders coast by-- Henri Desgrange

That's one thing that sucks. If you're riding with your freewheeled friends, they usually drop you on hills.
Damn them and their coasting.

If you really, really must avoid using a brake, do a skid every 5 strokes like this guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv35s_WurCc&feature=related

That guy's all 'nuts to stem' when he's skidding though, so he's barely doing ***** to wipe off speed that just swerving wouldn't do. And that technique wouldn't fly too well with traffic around.

Once your cadence gets to its limit when you're bombing a hill without brakes you have to commit pretty heavily to your lines, almost like you might on a skateboard. Backpedalling isn't really an option, but skidding is. Once you've skidded down to an acceptable cadence then you can backpedal to maintain speed.

A front brake is a lot easier and more sensible, of course.

The older folks like myself just run a front brake. It's so much easier, all around.

If the ride involves a lot of long, high speed descents, I take my single speed instead.


+1 Brakes are your friends. Above 130-140 rpm, I start bouncing in the saddle.

OP, start scrubbing speed BEFORE you get going too fast. Just take the hill nice and slow. As you gain more experience, you'll be able to increase your speed and still remain in control of the bike. I highly recommend a brake, though. A brake will help you scrub speed and allow you to control the bike better.

I agree completely with "Ride Among Us". I like bombing hills. I used to ride brakeless (primarily for technical reasons; not because I wanted to), and having a brake means I no longer have to worry so much about having the time to stop, or saving my legs so that I can stop, or other things like that. I just GO, and I've used my brakes enough to know how quickly I can slow down regardless of how tired I am or other factors like that.

I'm also a big fan of using brakes often (usually in addition to resisting). Knowing how to modulate the brakes when the ____ hits the fan isn't something you're born with, and being able to panic, grab the brakes, and have the reflexes to modulate the brake when the rear end starts coming up has saved me from hitting things and from going over the bars on many occasions. Also, having experience dealing with front-wheel slides can keep you from hitting the deck when they happen in panic situations. Practice, practice, practice.

No; "technical reason" means that the Profile TT base bars that I use as bullhorns have an OD of less than 26.0 mm, so my brake levers couldn't close enough to clamp on them. After months of looking for a better solution, I ended up just using a piece of a dead tube as a shim, and it's worked ever since.

Did someone say downhill?

http://www.freecaster.com/live/1000006_1005144