palladio

I'm posting this here, not in the Fixed Gear forum and I apologize if that ruffles feathers. The serious racers/trainers mostly seem to be on this forum.

I've recently started riding a fixed gear bike in NYC and love the feel and simplicity of it. I'm now trying to do 10-15 miles 5-6 days a week to improve my fitness, since I had to give up running last year due to herniated discs.

I'm currently riding 71 gear inches. I usually ride laps in Central Park, which has some smaller rolling hills with one bigger one at the top - the loop is 6 miles. So far I calculate that I am averaging about 19 mph at a cadence of around 90 rpm. I can do this for 2 laps and maybe 3 on a good day without hitting a wall.

I try to keep my cadence fairly constant, which means powering up the hills seated and resting (as much as I can with a fixed gear - no coasting) on the downhills. So I end up passing most geared people on the uphills and getting blown by on the downhills where I don't have a taller gear to use.

So my question is this - if I just keep at what I'm doing am I cheating myself in terms of improving strength and fitness? Do I need gears to really improve so that I can spin more easily uphill and power more downhill? Or is this only important if I am trying to train for racing and increase lap times?

FYI, I'm not looking to race (yet at least), but I am serious about building my fitness, endurance and speed over time.

bt

yes and no

Randochap

No and yes.

jollysnowman

Why do you think you're cheating yourself? If you notice a positive difference in your health, then you are losing absolutely nothing by riding a fixed gear.

And ask this same question in the SSFG forum. You'll find that both Road Cycling and SSFG have their share of serious riders, as well as their share of poseurs.

mugatu

keep pushing yourself on the downhills, you'll improve your ability to hold a high cadence smoothly and that's important
if you're only doing 15 mile rides you're not missing out on much of the advantages of having gears, especially if you're doing loops
you won't win races against road bikes on your fixed, but you'll be in fantastic shape

SkyeC

short rides like that are perfect for a fixed-gear bike. if i want to go ride for an hour, i usually just grab the track bike and do a flat ride around town. anything longer or climbing involved, i take the road bike. makes perfect sense to me.

nahh

you'll improve your overall fitness with the fixed, and be able to spin faster, which is very important.

just...change it up with something with variable gears.
I know for around town rides, my muscles are burning and i'm sweating way earlier on the fixed gear than I am the geared bike.

merlinextraligh

fixed gear has certain training advantages.


The freewheel however, seems to have caught on over the last 100 years or so. There are reasons for this.

late

It also depends...

You are talking about training.

But the question always is... training for what? If you just want to ride around the park, you are 'training' for what you want. If you want to ride cross country or something, you might want to mix it up.

Creakyknees

since when are toe straps supposed to match grips?

fordmanvt

maybe.


gears can make it eaiser or harder depending on how you use them. You can sit and spin up a hill at 120rpm or stand up and mash up the same hill at 60rpm.

Dion Rides

Until my (new) road bike is built, I've been riding my fixed gear only.

palladio

Exactly my point. I'm not "training" for anything really. I just enjoy riding. However, if I'm spending 5 hours a week doing something, I'd like to know that I am going to improve my fitness and strength over the long term. Does that make sense? Maybe I'm asking a stupid question, but I'm somewhere between pleasure riding and hard core training for an event. I'd like to be productive with my time so that a year from now I'm a stronger rider.

I can't really explain it, but it's awfully fun riding a fixed gear.

cyclefreaksix

I've been commuting via fixed gear for about four months now. I can tell you that it's made me a stronger rider and I'm sure my form has improved. You aren't cheating yourself at all.

AngryScientist 

i commute a few days a week (25 miles RT) on a singlespeed, it has undoubtedly improved my fitness level, i made a thread about it a few weeks back. i think they are a great training tool that keeps you honest without the ability to shift gears, fixed even more so because you cant coast.

the only issue that you may experience (i dont know how old you are or what your overall physical health is) is the knees. i find, expecially on rolling hills with the SS that the knees really take a beating having to mash up the hills. keep an eye out for achy knees while riding...

bayareawheeler

yes you are limited. you need additional bike(s) a single speed mtb (29er), geared ht mtb, track bike, fixed commuter, FS downhill mtb, uber light carbon roadbike your afraid to ride, aluminum crit bike that you are not afraid to ride.

looking for a tandem now...hoping the wife will get a kick out of it and with 4 boys i should have lots of stokers...?? i think there called.

oh ya i forgot the TT bike

BobLoblaw

You're not doing yourself a disservice at this point by sticking to the fixie; however, you might try varying your routine. Doing the same distance and loop every time will lead to stagnation and a big huge plateau.

If I was in your shoes, I'd be trying to vary the ride and terrain more to mix up the challenge, keep improving, and avoid boredom. Take it out of the city on the weekends and try for longer miles with some harder hills. If you keep at it, eventually, you may get to the point where you do want a bike with multiple gears.

BL

GirlAnachronism

This is great advice. I rode a fixed gear for three years before getting a road bike (also in NYC) and man do I wish I had done it sooner. I got more serious about cycling when I started riding at the track, and from there thought a road bike would be good for training. My endurance, speed, and general enthusiasm for cycling really skyrocketed once I got the road bike, and I haven't been back on the track bike since.

YMMV and all that, but do try some longer/hillier rides, and you might find yourself wanting some gears. Alternatively, if you do love the fixed gear, head out to Kissena and work out with some of the guys there.

Saddle Up

Two of us did a 220km charity ride on the weekend fixed. It was the most fun I've ever had on a bicycle. BTW age has nothing to do with it, at 50 my knees are fine because I use brakes on my fixed gear bikes. We owned the big hills. The training on a fixed before hand is what enabled us to do the ride. I'm still giddy and looking forward to my next fixed gear road ride.



In short, without the mechanical advantage of gears you have to rely on your strength. Riding a fixed gear will make you stronger.



This seems like a perfect excuse to post a photo of my bike...

palladio

Thanks BobLoblaw and GirlAnachronism for the helpful advice. You've given me some new ideas for my riding/training.

palladio

Nice bike, and better yet, nice work on the 220KM charity ride fixed!

late

No,
it make perfect sense. If you settle on an event, train for it. How long depends on the event. In the meantime, I suggest crosstraining.

What sort is dealer's choice.

I like going to the gym. I really, really like The New Rules of Lifting.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...condition=used

Then there are other aerobic exercises. Rowing is very synergistic with cycling. It builds aerobic fitness while strengthening some of the core muscles cycling needs but doesn't develop. Spinning classes might do the trick if you could find a good instructor. Some are a lot better than others. Never pedal backwards...

Then there are general exercise programs, Pilates, Aerobic classes.

And then there is extreme training, like Crossfit.

The best exercise is the one you will actually do.

Go play.

Pat Eisenhauer

I've been commuting daily on a track bike for like 6 years.

Park laps are fine and all but you should really do yourself a favor and get a road bike and get out of the city and do some real miles on the weekends. Much more fun.

lukasz

As long as you're out riding on a bicycle I don't think you are cheating yourself. It is really easy to overthink cycling.

MattDC

It depends what your fitness goals are, every ones are different. If you have no specific goal other than to, burn some extra calories, loose some weight and have fun; no you aren't cheating your self.

If you harbor serious ambition of breaking legs in your very first cat 5 race this summer then yes probably you aren't using your time to it's fullest on a fixie. Fixed gear bikes are a ton of fun and I ride them lots in the off season. With out getting too involved in the whys, if you have a specific goal like road racing then training predominantly on a road bike would be most beneficial. Same principal for track, MTB, marathons, etc. doing a lot of training in kind is key.