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Old 03-24-14, 05:46 PM
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Question

Can anyone tell me why I go about 1 mph faster on my fixed speed than my old r800 Cannondale over the same routes?
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Old 03-24-14, 05:55 PM
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Yes.
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Old 03-24-14, 06:22 PM
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Maybe.
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Old 03-24-14, 06:27 PM
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Old 03-24-14, 06:29 PM
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Wormhole in the space/time continuum?
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Old 03-24-14, 06:39 PM
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Old 03-24-14, 06:45 PM
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Old 03-24-14, 06:46 PM
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42
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Old 03-24-14, 07:10 PM
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Originally Posted by Bullwinkl360
Can anyone tell me why I go about 1 mph faster on my fixed speed than my old r800 Cannondale over the same routes?
All of the above, plus ... you know this because ... ? (How did you measure the difference?)

Welcome to BikeForums.net and the 50+ board. Some may mess with ya a little bit... but you're welcome to dish it right back at 'em.

Last edited by Randy Bosma; 03-24-14 at 07:12 PM. Reason: My typo.
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Old 03-24-14, 07:20 PM
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I consider myself officially messed with.

I measure it with the sports tracker on my phone (Endomondo)
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Old 03-24-14, 08:56 PM
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It may be a local thing. You don't say where you're from but I'm guessing Frostbite Falls, MN.

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Old 03-25-14, 05:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Bullwinkl360
I consider myself officially messed with.

I measure it with the sports tracker on my phone (Endomondo)
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Old 03-25-14, 06:16 AM
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If the ride is not too hilly, a properly geared fixie is the more efficient machine.
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Old 03-25-14, 06:23 AM
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Have you accounted for all the variables? Different computers, wheel circumference inputs, wind drag...
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Old 03-25-14, 06:33 AM
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The reason is pretty clear now that the recent results on the polarization of the cosmic microwave background have proven that gravity is quantized.
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Old 03-25-14, 08:50 AM
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Old 03-25-14, 09:03 AM
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Originally Posted by nondes
Have you accounted for all the variables? Different computers, wheel circumference inputs, wind drag...
and...
Do you shift gears on the old Cannondale, or do you ride it also with one speed? Is the fixed speed an actual "fixie" or just a coast-able single speed? Is it a flat course? Is there a weight difference between bikes? Same exact tire sizes and inflation pressure? Same time of day on the rides? Is it a nonstop course or are there crossing and stoplights? Are the bikes same size and geometry? Do you have enough samples to be certain of the difference?
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Old 03-25-14, 09:36 AM
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Bullwinkl360,
Pay no attention to the posts above......you are obviously peddling faster.
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Old 03-25-14, 09:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Bullwinkl360
Can anyone tell me why I go about 1 mph faster on my fixed speed than my old r800 Cannondale over the same routes?
Why that's obvious.

Of course it's going to be faster. Your Cannondale needs servicing and your other bike has been fixed.
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Old 03-25-14, 10:29 AM
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Simple, really...

You're a wimpy lazy, puffy-bottomed, ninnie-muggins when you ride a geared bike. BUT...

when you ride the fixed gear, you're a younger verile stud-muffin. And your wife calls you "her hunk" to her friends, too.

At least that happens to me...
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Old 03-25-14, 10:42 AM
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Originally Posted by Bullwinkl360
I consider myself officially messed with.

I measure it with the sports tracker on my phone (Endomondo)
For future reference, non-descriptive subject lines like "Question" tend to trigger the "mess with the newb" response.

If you really have multiple records of riding the same route on the two different bikes; enough data that differences in weather, traffic, health, and quantum gravity effects all equal out, then you're left with the efficiency of the bike (weight, friction, aerodynamics) and the bike-rider interface (size and ergonomics).
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Old 03-25-14, 10:43 AM
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Originally Posted by qcpmsame
42
All of the above, but especially this.

I am about two mph faster on my fixie on flat ground. I attribute this to it being a little lighter, and that I am lower int he drops in it (less drag). Then again, it could be 42.
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Old 03-25-14, 10:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Bullwinkl360
Can anyone tell me why I go about 1 mph faster on my fixed speed than my old r800 Cannondale over the same routes?
Wow. Nary a real answer. Welcome!

To try and give you some serious answer:

1) Rolling resistance - Are you using the same tires on both bikes? I can get bigger differences swapping different 100 PSI tires.

2) Are you in a more aerodynamic position on your fixie?

3) Are you in a position that lets you generate more power on your fixie?

4) Measurement error?

Cheers,
Charles
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Old 03-25-14, 11:32 AM
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Hey, wait! I gave a real answer. Fixed gear riders are more verile. Proven fact...
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Old 03-25-14, 11:57 AM
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I just analyzed a whole bunch of Strava speed data for my morning commute - I'm pretty sure all of these are on my fixed gear bike, although some of them may be with fenders and others without. So a 5 mph spread is normal on the same bike, a 1 mph spread between two different bikes is not indicative of anything.

[TABLE="width: 128"]
[TR]
[TD="width: 64"]Max[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65, width: 64, align: right"]15.8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Avg[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65, align: right"]13.4[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Min[/TD]
[TD="class: xl65, align: right"]10.8[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Count[/TD]
[TD="align: right"]66[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

I have only a 3.2 mile commute, these numbers would likely be closer together for a longer trip.

Looks like I had one really fast ride, and four really slow ones, but there's still a 2mph spread on all the others.


Last edited by DiabloScott; 03-25-14 at 12:14 PM.
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