lhbernhardt

My track riding started back around 1973/74 when I moved to Vancouver and had access to the old 250-meter China Creek Velodrome. We were coached by a former pro 6-day rider, and one of the first things he had us do was to throw away the stupid lock ring (holds the rear cog in place). Tighten the cog with the tool and it will stay on with a small amount of backpedaling. So all of my track riding (and road riding in the winter on the fixie) ever since has been without a lock ring.

I mention this because if you're planning on riding a fixie with no brakes on the street, you need a lock ring! You stop by applying back pressure on the pedals. You stop fast (or when pointed downhill) by hopping the back wheel while applying back pressure. Needless to say, without a lock ring, the cog unthreads, and now you are freewheeling merrily down the hill with no way to stop other than laying it down. (Skidz stops also wear the heck out of the rear tire!)

Note that in order to use a lock ring, you need to use a REAL track hub, with the stepped threads, the inside step for the cog, the outside step for the left-hand-threaded lock ring. You COULD use a standard threaded hub (made for freewheels) with the lock ring for an English adjustable (left side) bottom bracket cup, but more often than not, you'll have both the cog and ring threading off together!

We didn't need lock rings because we never applied back pressure on the track. Bad for the legs, according to my coach. You slow down by turning right on the track; back pressure slows you down way too fast for the guy drafting behind you. And then there's the safety issue. If the chain comes off and you have no lock ring, the cog merely unthreads and you coast to a stop on the infield. With a lock ring, the back wheel is likely to lock up and you're suddenly fishtailing all over the track. Ever see those videos of track tandem crashes, all the fishtailing before they finally go down? (A lock ring might be used on a sprint tandem to hold the cog in place with two riders applying back pressure to hold their position.)

So this is why I hate lock rings. If you're going to ride a fixie on the road, put on at least a good front brake. I use both front and rear because you want the rear brake when you're riding on ice in the winter. Also, good brakes make you faster. Here's why: Starting from zero kmh, time how long it takes you to get to 40 kmh (25 mph). Now, ride at 40 kmh, then slam on the brakes and see how long it takes you to get to a full stop. This simple experiment should convince you that your brakes are much stronger than your legs. The better the brakes, the faster you can go before shutting down for a corner. If you want to go fast on a fixie, not having brakes is completely stupid!

If you want to do tricks, that's another matter. But artistic cyclists use really small gears (like 1:1 gearing!) so they're not likely to go fast enough to need brakes, and they don't ride on public roads. And they don't need to worry about backpedaling being bad for the legs.

Luis (over 21,000 km on the fixed gear so far this year, including London-Edinburgh-London, with no lock ring and no stupid skidz stops!)

bobthib

Cut out carbs! I lost 10 lbs when I started riding in '09 after about 8 months. But I got stuck at 175 with a belly (36") for 3 yrs. Then last year I went on a LCHF diet, and lost my belly and now I'm down to 163, and in size 32 pants, down from 38 in '08. I also got off statins, BP meds too. Carbs are killing us.

Dan Burkhart 

I've done that trip on a bus. if you traveled the same road we did on a fixie, I'm amazed and very impressed.

Slackerprince

Can you PM me with specifics. Meal plans, snack ideas, etc. I'd appreciate it.

S

Bikey Mikey

As you can see, I'm considered skinny. I did NOT cut out carbs. I ate a more balanced diet with lots of fruit and veggies and also portion control. BTW, I went down from 251 lbs to the low 140s. I've been sub 150 for more than 2 years.

Bandera

I don't see a FG...... but that is a pretty good Trick.

-Bandera

Slackerprince

Sorry to derail the thread.


S

Bikey Mikey

Back to our regularly scheduled program...

A fixie sounds like a fun thing to try.

trackhub

You're forgetting the random element.

Allegheny Jet

I'm 60 and ride a fixie for training and at the track.

My winter outside training bike:



My every day track bike:



My Sunday go to Meeting bike:

howeeee

sweet
sweet
and sweeter yet

nyrealitydose

Great thread, you guys are an inspiration! I'm 33 but hope I'm still in great health and still riding in my 60s and 70s! Riding fixed gear with front and rear brakes will definitely help me get there I think. LOL

trackhub

Well, since all the other kids are doing it.....

[IMG] Recent photo of Blue Max by a glass darkly2008, on Flickr[/IMG]

Reynolds 853 steel. No carbon, no apologies, no further discussion. I did replace the headlight recently. I now run a Niterider Lumina 550.
42x15 gets me around very nicely.

What I cannot seem to understand, is why so many feel that fixies are "so hard to ride". Learning curve, sure. Hard to ride? No.

Dan Burkhart 

Yeah, I didn't find it a problem to adapt. I have to mount the bike differently than I'm used to, and sometimes I forget myself and expect to coast down a grade and then nearly get ejected from the seat when it doesn't happen, but it hasn't thrown me off yet.

BluesDawg

I occasionally forget that I can't coast, but never more than one time in a ride.

DiabloScott

I used to be able to cowboy mount and dismount, and it was kind of a neat trick - but then I put that rack bag on there and now can't get my leg up high enough for the swing... you don't want to botch a cowboy dismount on a fixie.

Rick@OCRR

Very true! I call that "Overcoming the coast reflex" and I have to re-learn that occasionally. My fixed gear bike never fails to remind me when I forget though.

Rick / OCRR

dbg

I guess I should try fixie but I don't see it as appealing. I love single speed. All my workout rides and most of my knock around rides are on my SS. Even on my commuter which has a 4 speed IGH, I use one gear all summer and another all winter --I never shift during the commute.

There are times when I have shifted my weight (my butt) behind the seat to panic stop with full brakes brakes (not often but occasionally). I don't see how I could do that on a fixie.

Bandera

Riding fixed gear on the road isn't for everyone.
When the "fixie" fad fades serious club riders and those with an appreciation for riding antique bikes will carry on riding FG as they always had.

-Bandera

qcpmsame 

Not a fad follower, but a nice steel or aluminum track/pista frame with fixed gear and quality hubs, good rims and spokes, drop bars and Brooks saddle would be a great change up. I would want a front brake and I want to go back to tubular tires, kind of an English Path racer set up (of course a bell would be required.) Maybe that would be the next build I might be able to afford, hmmmm.

Bill

Bandera

In my experience track bikes don't make very good road bikes.
My Zeus track bike got one winter's use on the street where it rode like a lumber wagon, was nervous on big down-hills/in cross winds and wrecked a nice light track rim on potholed roads.

An older road bike w/ horizontal dropouts can be quickly and inexpensively converted to FG service and will handle and ride properly.
Leave as many brakes in place as desired and proceed. However you do it FG riding is an excellent activity if one commits to the proper technique and kit including a bell.

-Bandera

fietsbob

British Builders made a Frame around fitting Mudguards and Brakes,
and having thick Track type dropouts punched out with the eyelet hole in them..

howeeee

yea the bike just falls short of breaking your leg if you forget.lol

Mr. Thompson

Bill- Have a look at a Wabi fixed gear steel frame. The geometry is more road oriented. I am so tickled with mine that I'm building a road bike with Wabi's new RE road frame.

For the OP, 55 and riding a fixed gear Wabi Lighting for the last six weeks. I bought it for traditional winter training and to improve my skill set. I had no idea that it was to become my favorite steed.

DiabloScott

My FG has the longest wheelbase of any bike I've ever owned, it couldn't possibly handle any less like a track bike. And it is so much fun to ride.