Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - No improvement (tips please)

I have been riding SS for 4 years. Fixed and free. My front chainring is a 52 tooth and the cog is 17 tooth. Its perfect for L.A.

anyway, I have ridden to san Francisco on my bike(single speed) with a ton of weight for 500 miles. I'd like to think I have good form.

Long story short. I get my younger bro a bike (nice bike) i convert it into a fixed gear. a year and a half of riding and he already has mad endurance. I can't keep up.

what tips do you guys have? am I old or worn? crappy bike?

http://www.wheelbuilder.com/store/wheelbuilder-track-powertap-package.html

Implying its the rims?

No, the PowerTap.

i Dont get what you guys mean.

Start doping.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_power_meter

You are SS and he is fixed?

Clenbuterol ftw

we are both fixed. haha fixed.

and scrodzilla you mean check my power output? I can't afford a system like that.

I was just elaborating on what adriano had touched upon with his link.

I think the real answer to your dilemma is spelled H-T-F-U.

Start doping.

i lold

Where is he out doing you?

The short answer is intervals. Being able to recover quickly. Another thing to do is do what you really suck at more often. ie. I suck at climb so.....I climb. Look at the holes in your game and try to close em.

Hope this helps.

If you are serious, and I think you are, you and your brother should do a step test to identify your anaerobic thresholds. It's mostly just going to be fun. You need a bike, a heart rate monitor, stop watch, pencil, paper, and somewhere to ride about a five or ten minute lap. And google, to figure out how to do it.

I like the linear/plateau test, but you might get more accurate results with the 2 x 20 test which is stickied in some subforum around here somewhere.

Once you figure that stuff out, you need to train at proper intervals at proper heart rates, and hopefully you will get stronger.

Then again, maybe you are dying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcLt16Otmmc

All you need is this.

My front chainring is a 52 tooth and the cog is 17 tooth. Its perfect for L.A.


what part of LA?

He is out doing me in endurance it's like his lungs don't hurt after keeping a fast pace.

I ride Around el sereno and Glendale.

I have been riding SS for 4 years. Fixed and free. My front chainring is a 52 tooth and the cog is 17 tooth. Its perfect for L.A.

anyway, I have ridden to san Francisco on my bike(single speed) with a ton of weight for 500 miles. I'd like to think I have good form.

Long story short. I get my younger bro a bike (nice bike) i convert it into a fixed gear. a year and a half of riding and he already has mad endurance. I can't keep up.

what tips do you guys have? am I old or worn? crappy bike?

Are you "training" or just "riding a lot"?

There are lots of things that could be the issue. The bike is probably the least of them. Chances are, you need a training program. Either one that you find on your own via internet or books, or you may benefit from having a personal coach.

Here is some good reading: http://www.cptips.com/

A simple story: If you go to the gym and bench press 135 lbs 3 times a week for a year, your body will adapt to that load your strength will not progress past that adaptation. Heck, we stand and walk all day every day and our legs don't get super huge, right? You have to strategically exceed your comfort zone in order to progress.

He is out doing me in endurance it's like his lungs don't hurt after keeping a fast pace.

I ride Around el sereno and Glendale.

Also, we are all different. It's not a good idea to compare yourself to your brother. Maybe set some measurable and repeatable goals and use that as a basis for comparison. Something like the same 5, 10, or 20 mile ride.

Your brother may have some different attributes...but don't discount your own. It take lots of factors, mental and physical, to make a good athlete.

I think this is part of the problem now that I think of it.

You have to strategically exceed your comfort zone in order to progress.

This sounds spot on to me.

I have continuously exceeded my comfort zone. i dont know about you guys but keeping a 27 mph pace for 5 miles makes me want to pass out.

Bike hard, all the time.

I've been riding fixed for probably 6-8 Months now, before that I had a period where I rode my road bike really heavily for 4-6 Months (~60 miles a week, commuting everyday) and I just rode hard, oddly enough in interval. I'd mash up a hill, if I couldn't mash, I'd down shift and push as hard as I could. I'd recover on the down hill and start pushing super hard (glendale going into echo park) and merge into traffic at speed.

Now on my fixie I do the same thing, mash a hill, recover on the down hill as much as I can and burst out of the down hill spinning like a mad man. Climbing, downhills, ups and downs, long straights. I regularly go from the absolute rear to the front in group rides, fall back, do it again.

I rarely just "pedal"

My point, if it isn't clear, is do interval training and consistently push yourself to find results. Also consider gearing down. I know glendale is flat but I find spinning faster easier vs mashing harder in terms of distances. I'd say try something in the mid to low 70s in GI.

Rareearthmetal, be forewarned. If you ask 25 cyclists how to get better, stronger, or faster on the bike you will get 25 different answers. And the thing is...most of which will probably produce gains. The key, however, is to research and pick an entire program and not just do intervals willy-nilly.

Remember, there is riding for fun, riding for transportation, and riding to train. It seems like you are talking about training. Training programs include (but are not limited to):
- Long miles
- Short interval
- Group rides
- Gym work
- Plyometrics
- Work on rollers
- Work on indoor trainers

When I started racing I did my own training program. I thought I was putting in some serious work. Then I got a coach and in ONE DAY I did more work than I did all week on my personal program.

@avner I live on the other side of echo park :D
I was thinking the same thing, maybe gearing is kinda tough and i should get a 46 in the front and perfect my spinning.


@carleton Im poor and I ride my bike everywhere I go. Super efficient. What can you tell me about pedal strokes? I know there is supposed to be a dead spot near the tops and bottoms. Its difficult to kill that dead spot.(hahaha)

I took a spinning class and let me say that killed me. does that say anything?


what kind of bikes do you guys have?

I run track, spin 42/17 on commutes to build up spinning ability, and rider on rollers occasionally (I need to get my own instead of borrowing the neighbor's...)

lets ride then

@avner I live on the other side of echo park :D
I was thinking the same thing, maybe gearing is kinda tough and i should get a 46 in the front and perfect my spinning.


@carleton Im poor and I ride my bike everywhere I go. Super efficient. What can you tell me about pedal strokes? I know there is supposed to be a dead spot near the tops and bottoms. Its difficult to kill that dead spot.(hahaha)

I took a spinning class and let me say that killed me. does that say anything?


what kind of bikes do you guys have?

I can tell you lots about pedal strokes. More than I'm willing to type online. If you are serious about progressing, consider clipless road pedals. Also, consider getting a proper bike fitting either by a friend or by a shop.

Spin classes are pretty much high intensity interval training. It will wear out almost anyone at first. I assume you stopped attending before you adapted ;)

I have a custom track bike and a Specialized road bike.

sputnik 07 is what I ride. Should have a ''sputnik'' love thread up tonight.

@killemall Does spinning like that help much?

@avner Lets ride man! I live in elysian valley. Do you ride with the reservoir dawgs or wolfpack hustle?

@carleton There is so much to find a bike that fits perfect. I thought I had it once, now I feel like i've outgrown my bike. I want to sell it and get a better track frame. I just hate aluminum but love the thick tubing look.

carleton means that have your bike fitted to you with a shop, correct length stem, correct saddle height, correct angle, correct cleat adjustment...etc etc.

Something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAl_5e7bIHk

Spinning at a high cadence at low ratio (such as killemall's) helps you pedal much smoother and it is much easier on your knees.

carleton means that have your bike fitted to you with a shop, correct length stem, correct saddle height, correct angle, correct cleat adjustment...etc etc.

Something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAl_5e7bIHk

Spinning at a high cadence at low ratio (such as killemall's) helps you pedal much smoother and it is much easier on your knees.


Switching to a 46 tooth chainring tomorrow.

Very good choice! :)

have a lot of questions haha. Are workd out calves good for cycling? I can't get them sore!

I started off commuting single speed non fixed and he.

My thighs are huge from having such hard gear ratios. My calves are skinny as hell. It looks funny.

I started off commuting single speed non fixed and he.

My thighs are huge from having such hard gear ratios. My calves are skinny as hell. It looks funny.

lolol me too. yet i am super skinny to begin with.

back to op. i guess it depends on how hard you push yourself. I started commuting everywhere i go around muncie and after about 1 1/2 years, I am starting to notice a big difference. Before, I really couldn't push myself for long and just rode at a comfortable pace to get places. Now, I kind of turn it into a game and try to push myself.

I also have been training on rollers the past 4-5 months. I am starting to build up some much needed leg strength.