Originally Posted by
SmexyPenguin18
Could someone who has been riding fixed for like a decade or so give some insight on their knee health? I got kind of freaked out by an old bike wrench who showed me his knees after riding fixed for a decade. Is riding fixed going to ruin my knees in the long run?
If you ride brakeless, particularly with a big gear, you will hurt your knees because they aren't designed to apply that backwards pressure. Fit brakes and use them, the effect on your knees will be the same as riding a freewheel bike ie, you'll only hurt your knees if you gear too high and mash the pedals or your bike fit is out.
The secret is to fit brakes ( and use them), learn to spin and, rather than gearing for top speed, gear for a cadence of 90 at a comfy cruising speed - 70 gear inches works well though I've dropped back to 66.
Mind you, I only been riding fixed for six years, not decades
