Justsomedude

I know there are some really experienced riders here.
Getting used to a new bike...sprinting around my neighborhood for short rides and trying to have good technique.
Being sure to stop before I burn out and start pedaling sloppy.
Lots of hills, cars parallel parked and not many bike lanes...have to watch out for people opening car doors while you are getting passed...4 way stops at the bottoms of hills etc.
Urban

I'm riding with Bullhorns and 46x17 gearing.
Ends of the horns gives great climbing/acceleration, riding on the flats feels good.
No forward pressure riding uphill or on flats.

Going downhill I like having my hands on top of the curves where I can get to the brake.
Been practicing rolling my hand from an underhand/outside grip to on the tops/overhand without letting go of the bars.
Downhill stops without using the brakes isn't controlled enough for me yet.

I was getting a lot of pressure on my palms going downhill.
Was using a good bit of backpedaling to keep my speed down as the roads were wet and I don't have Pedal retention yet (coming in today).
Could also have partially come from TENSION as I was getting pretty high (for me) RPM and my pedals and the roads were wet.
Sitting back in the saddle and relaxing a little definitely made a difference.

I didn't want to rush into raising my handlebars without asking for a few coaching tips first.

THANKS

hairnet

Pressure on the hands while going downhill is a given. When you ride a fixed gear you can't gear up or coast to support your weight. I focus on being comfortable everywhere else and learning how to relax and change grip when riding downhill.

Relaxing involves getting comfortable with high rpms (good foot retention is important), looking ahead and not down at your wheel, and letting go of your death grip. You can wiggle your elbows and fingers to help with that.

Mumonkan

i find that (barring gnarly offroad or moonscape streets) the less grip i use doing downhill the better

when youre trying to get more power you want to be pulling up on your bars, and pedaling circles. using the pull on the upstroke as well as the push on the downstroke with your feets

Six jours

Is your saddle roughly level, or have you fallen for the fixie fad of pointing the nose toward the ground?

steady407

Maybe soft tape and gloves can help/

Justsomedude

Saddle is level.
cork tape on bars

europa

You only need enough weight on the bars to steer the bike. Trouble is, point the nose downhill, and that weight will increase - as hairnet said, "weight on the hands when going downhill is a given" so set your bike up for the flat and learn to work around the downhills. I make sure I set myself up before the downhill by varying my hand positions and freeing up any tension in my arms and hands before the downhill starts (I've got a monster).

As Mumonkan says, the less grip the better. The natural move is to grip tighter and it's not hard to develop a real death grip. This makes your hands and forearms work too hard and messes up the control of your bike which makes you grip harder which reduces your control which... Learn to relax and all will come.

Braking on a hill need only be in bursts or maybe just a dragging brake (this is where a rear brake is useful) provided you don't leave the brakes on too long because that will heat up the rim. You don't need ridiculous back pressure on the pedals, you only need some resistance by your legs as the pedals go over the top, very different to trying to stop the pedal from rising. Not only is this easier on the knees, it's more effective (you won't stop the pedal without doing other stuff) and you can develop a rhythm that will carry you to the point where you can go back to powering on.

Get some foot retention and learn to spin. Seriously. It's not hard to spin to 150 and in reality, not hard to spin to 180, it's just a matter of technique and a determination to spin in circles (no, not pulling and tugging, turning your feet in circles). You need your bum set firmly on the saddle (ie, all the weight going through the saddle), to be aggressive with the pedals and to be slightly in front of them so no, you can't just let the pedals pull your legs around. You know when you've got it right because life just smooths out and you feel like you're part of a turbine - one of the most wonderful feelings in cycling.

Fixed gear cycling offers a wide range of cycling skills that go well beyond the hipster stuff of skids and tricks. It's why some of us old pharts ride the things and keep reaching for our fixed gear bikes first. Sadly, I don't think a lot of riders (fixed and otherwise) get that, they only think of the glamour stuff which makes this old grump wonder if they ride their geared bikes the same way (follow a roadie group and I become convinced of it).

Justsomedude

Thanks. That's just what I needed.
I've got straps on the pedals now so tomorrow will be a new adventure
I feel stable on the moderate downhills. Will slowly work up to the one's I am avoiding at the moment.

And the only tricks I'm interested in is being able to ride where I want and be able to stop when I need to!

europa

Bloody hell, the kid wants to be Superman

Six jours

Okay, hold on. Your saddle is level. You use a brake, and you're planning on foot retention. You have no interest in trick riding, and you expect that in order to improve you'll actually have to work at it.

So what in hell are you doing on this forum?

Justsomedude

i eat my veggies too