Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - How Can I Bike Faster and Longer?

I'm beginning to bike more and more now and I wanna go and rides with some other fixed gear bikers in my area but I don't think I can keep up with them.

They have these 50 mile rides once in a while and I want to go but I think I'd be too slow. Besides that, they have weekly rides on different days of the week.

I'm not too slow but my stamina sucks.
How can I improve my endurance and bike faster and longer? Is a there any type of good regimen or plan to improve?
Also, how can I get up hills faster?

http://i.imgur.com/c4kcV.jpg
My bike, constructive criticism is appreciated.

bike faster and longer. only way to improve on it is to do it. practice makes perfect.

bike faster and longer. only way to improve on it is to do it. practice makes perfect.


bike faster and longer. only way to improve on it is to do it. practice makes perfect.

In before htfu.

But really, I would try to ride somewhere with a lot of open stretches where you don't have to stop. That's when my body really gets to work. Riding nonstop is what's going to help you I think. Riding in places where you are constantly starting and stopping, i.e. downtown somewhere, doesn't really do too much for my cardio.

In terms of getting up hills, lightening your weight and bike weight obviously helps. But if I really want to get up a hill, I'm gonna build up speed before the ascent and just mash through it. There's no easy way to get up a hill, that's part of the masochistic fun to me.

What they said. Plus, losing the 5lb/wheel rims would help.

Basically, just htfu.

Only real way to get faster is to ride more. Which is the beauty of cycling anyway, since just riding is so much fun.

To get your endurance up, you'll want to, as others said, find a place where you can ride for long, uninterrupted stretches. Then focus on keeping a high cadence, as that is what will kick up your heart rate and increase endurance.

To get better at climbing hills, you might actually be better off riding around in city stop-and-go traffic, as constant starting from a standstill will keep you at a lower cadence, similar to the cadence that you'll use when climbing hills.

10miles a day for a week
15miles a day for a week
20 miles a day for two weeks one rest day
30 miles a day for two weeks one rest day

you'll be ready to go.

I like jdgesus' training plan, but I'd probably take a day or even two off per week, short easy spins OK on off days.

As for the bike there's no way I'd be happy riding 50 miles on flat bar.

Change out your bars for some bullhorns or shallow road drops so you can ride in a more aero position and place your hands in a more natural position parallel to your body. Riding long distances sitting upright with narrow flat bars or risers is both uncomfortable and makes you a spinnaker pushing against the wind. It is also hard to climb out of the saddle with those bars. Get some decent riding shoes with stiff soles and some padded gloves. Get some riding shorts or bibs with a good padded chamois and use Bag Balm or equivalent on your taint area. Bring water and some snacks to avoid dehydration and the dreaded bonk.

If you do decide to swap out bar you'll want a stem that's a little shorter also.

If on a budget ATM you could try out some barends also. Many bike shops with a used parts bin will have them for $2 +

Get gears

but in all seriousness, just ride a little more each time you go out. You'll get better if you try to maintain a cadence throughout the ride.

+1 to everything said above, with special emphasis on HTFU, drop bars or barends, lose the reddic wheels.

I would add:
-a decent gear ratio: i dont know what your running, but ~70 gear inches is generally best for longer distances.
-little breaks to stretch the legs: When I ride 50 milers fixed, I like to take a little break at 25 miles and at 40 miles to stretch the legs, munch on a cliff bar, refill the bottles, etc.
-stay fueled/hydrated. There are all sorts of articles on the amount of carbs and H2O you need to take in per hour. Google will find them for you. But the point is: eat food, drink water. If you are gonna be out 3+ hours, real food (ie NOT gels, energy bars, replacement drinks, etc) will help lots.
- Have fun, make your route scenic, soak in the experience. My fondest memories of rides are ALL of my longest rides.

But mostly HTFU. Boy scouts who never ride bikes rock 50 milers every year for a merit badge.

1. Get a front brake.
2. Get sensible bars.
3. Appropriate riding clothing.
4. Ride more (jdgesus' plan looks pretty solid to me).
5. 75-80gi will do you pretty well. I ride 78gi and can do just about any ride except extended climbs in excess of 6* grade.
6. Ride more.
7. Proper fuel (already covered above).
8. HTFU.

I think you get the picture. Follow the above steps and you'll be riding with the big boys in no time. Have fun out there.

I did my longest ride on a granny gear of 67 GI. Prob 'coz twig legs.

Ride more.

Ride less.

If you dont mind using supplements, a pre-workout drink would help.


This is what Im currently on. I mix two scoops and drink about 30mins before I ride. Love this stuff.
http://www.optimumnutrition.com/products/essential-amino-energy-p-275.html

Stop riding. Or backup barz.

Watch Quicksilver to get motivated ... :p

less riding more barspinz

delay gratification and think about baseball

be born with better genes.

Switch from Parliaments to American Spirits.

http://www.jb-electricbikes.com/products_img/20091210141057.jpg

LesterOfPuppets

Switch from Parliaments to American Spirits.



No. Black n' Milds are proven to make you stronger.

Adding a brake will probably help if you ride anywhere other than closed streets and won't piss off other riders in a group when they need to stop and you rear end them while trying to skid stop.

Pick up a trainer or rollers, so in the winter you are still riding and building leg muscle while your friends are sitting around getting fat. By Spring you'll be able to keep up.

sabotage the other riders till you are the last man standing.

dat cardio. running would help.

My newspaper boy hat has HTFU embroidered on the back of it. Lots of people ask why. I'll give you the secret:

My 11-year-old son rides with me. He's at the stage in life where he thinks everything comes without work and believes that he can handle anything without trying. Then he "falls" 2 miles into a ride because "it's so much work." So the message is back there for whenever he glances with evil little beedy-eyes at the back of my skull wishing I was dead. It helps him to know to HTFU and keep up cause **** don't just happen - you gotta work for it.

+1 to everything else, except black 'n milds don't do it - you gotta really dig deep and smoke GPC brand smokes. Everything else has too few chemical additives to really "get ya flowin."

Ride less.
Scrod, you can't "ride less" if none of us even ride bikes to begin with. Sheesh.

Pick up a trainer or rollers, so in the winter you are still riding and building leg muscle while your friends are sitting around getting fat. By Spring you'll be able to keep up.

Or nut up and keep riding. Studded tires are less efficient and slicks will feel so good in the spring, plus nothing beats actually riding.

Scrod, you can't "ride less" if none of us even ride bikes to begin with. Sheesh.

Oh yeah. I ride so little, I forget that I don't ride.

What is "the dreaded bonks" and HTFU?

a "dreaded bonk" is a like regular dreads in your hair, but in a mullet form

a white guy bumbaclot

bonking is running out of energy and HTFU is harden the ____ up. Google is your friend.

But the point is: eat food, drink water. If you are gonna be out 3+ hours, real food (ie NOT gels, energy bars, replacement drinks, etc) will help lots.

Actually, just the opposite. Real food doesn't get digested properly during exercise - the simpler the better. Gels, bars and drinks are as simple as it gets. Dried fruit is also good.

True; Google is my friend. But there are so many acronyms out there Google could have steered me wrong. Hearing it from this community = the right acronym.

But mostly HTFU. Boy scouts who never ride bikes rock 50 milers every year for a merit badge.

:roflmao2:
Lmao!!!

But still, I have to give you guys/gals props for riding 75 mIles in one gear! Am I the only one that thinks this is both hardcore and amazing? I can do 75 on a RB, but on a SS...

Okay, I've now just added something else to my bike "to-do" list!! Talk about a burn.... Sounds both painful & fun!!

Just to play devil's advocate, have you considered getting a bike that's actually intended to do what you are looking to do: go fast, far, and uphill/downhill efficiently? Talkin' bout a regular old geared road bike. I have a fixed conversion that I use for commuting (~5 miles each way), slow group rides, and general riding for fun, but when I wanna go long distance (20+ miles) at high speed I use something with gears (and brakes). If I gotta lose some street cred points, so be it. Right tool for the right job and all that.

All the fixed commuting has really done wonders for my legs though, I must say. Not so much for the lungs, although it has helped that a bit too. But long road rides are much better for cardio building, as others have said here.

Yes, true and good points. It's also fun to do long haul rides on fixed though even if it's not the most efficient and effective ride.

:roflmao2:
Lmao!!!

But still, I have to give you guys/gals props for riding 75 mIles in one gear! Am I the only one that thinks this is both hardcore and amazing? I can do 75 on a RB, but on a SS...

Okay, I've now just added something else to my bike "to-do" list!! Talk about a burn.... Sounds both painful & fun!!

I don't even think about once I am out on the road. I have taken my fixed gear everywhere I have taken my geared bike except for routes with climbs over 10%. Climbing is fun on my fixed when I slow up and take it easy otherwise I will blow up trying to keep up with someone faster. IDK, this stuff comes with time.



bonking is running out of energy and HTFU is harden the ____ up. Google is your friend.
a.k.a. "hitting the wall" - running out of food energy. total misery when you have to keep on going and work through it

Change out your bars for some bullhorns or shallow road drops so you can ride in a more aero position and place your hands in a more natural position parallel to your body. Riding long distances sitting upright with narrow flat bars or risers is both uncomfortable and makes you a spinnaker pushing against the wind. It is also hard to climb out of the saddle with those bars. Get some decent riding shoes with stiff soles and some padded gloves. Get some riding shorts or bibs with a good padded chamois and use Bag Balm or equivalent on your taint area. Bring water and some snacks to avoid dehydration and the dreaded bonk.

+100

Flat bar is fine for getting around town but for long rides in the country, I'd go with drop bars. Bullhorns would work, too.

I imagine your local cycling club has a mailing list and if you join it, you'll get notices of all the upcoming rides. The ride leaders will post the average pace of the ride along with the map and start time.

The club here has a beginner's course for group rides that starts with short rides then gets up to 100km by the end of the summer. Something like that would be perfect for you.

Does your bike have a flip-flop hub? Having a freewheel just in case is a good idea. So is having a front brake.

How can I improve my endurance and bike faster and longer?
Bike faster and longer. everytime you ride, ride at 85% speed. always take the scenic route, always climb those hills.

Is a there any type of good regimen or plan to improve?
go out to your LBS and see if they have local weekly rides. go get you @$$ handed to you and get smoked by the trollies in full lycra. keep at it until the whole group is trying to catch up to you while you calmly bike with your headphones on listening to the Beatles. Try out different gear ratios as they train different parts of your body ie. strength and acceleration.
Also, how can I get up hills faster?
get a 48-18 ratio and climb the gnarliest hill you can bike to and back home. time your self. next week try and beat that time. weeks later invite your bros and school them on proper hill mashing. Breath, Pedal, Ride.

also if your not already clipless get on it!!


but you wont get anywhere, get any faster, stronger, or smarter unless you start looking at your nutrition. improve on it.


:thumb:

oh yea and if your serious get a helmet and a front brake. all that brakeless $#!+ is for kids who ride their bike once a week. if you ride everyday 40 miles+ your going to want a brake, to save from buying new tires every 3 weeks.

Nutrition sucks. I ate like 5 hot dogs yesterday.

[B]How can I improve my endurance and bike faster and longer?
oh yea and if your serious get a helmet and a front brake. all that brakeless $#!+ is for kids who ride their bike once a week. if you ride everyday 40 miles+ your going to want a brake, to save from buying new tires every 3 weeks.

Yo, stop the hatin'.

Those who think im hating obviously see the flaw in having to buy tires every 2-3 weeks-they just cant admit it ^_^. Im giving this dude a heads up, he said he wants to be more serious and ride more often. and that was just my opinion and recommendation.

Those who think im hating obviously see the flaw in having to buy tires every 2-3 weeks-they just cant admit it ^_^. Im giving this dude a heads up, he said he wants to be more serious and ride more often. and that was just my opinion and recommendation.

Haha whatever works =] Just saying, I haven't skidded in 3 months. It's a serious stereotype that brakeless people skid to every stop but on the contrary, a lot of brakeless people just slow their stroke to slow down. The last time I replaced my tire was earlier last year. Yea, if there a lot of hills and you don't feel safe without a brake, go ahead. Just saying it's pretty doable going brakeless if you want to. I commute 10 miles to school with no brakes. But I agree to the helmet part. That is a must.

bonking is running out of energy and HTFU is harden the ____ up. Google is your friend.

True HTFUers bonk on every ride.