Originally Posted by
hobbitman
I did my first fixed century yesterday. Honestly, I think 100 miles on the fixed gear was a bit easier for me to complete then doing 50 on a geared bike. My reason is on a geared bike I'm guilty of coasting after a big climb, only to have sore quads for the next climb. It seems like the fixed gear worked the soreness back out and I was ready to take the next climb. Anybody else have this experience?
Oh yeah! (I call it conservation of energy. You take the potential energy you have gained by climbing that hill and put it back into your legs instead of wasting it on some easy speed.) More seriously: in my crazy, post accident days living on Alameda island off of Oakland, CA, I used to ride my fix gear up Fruitvale and Joaquin Miller roads up to Skyline on the 42-17, turn around and spin crazy fast down those same roads. I would roll back into Alameda with no soreness at all after doing that 1000' climb. Whipped, yes, but not sore.
Good work! But be careful. There is danger you might get addicted to fix gear riding. I went for a fateful (and very short; 8 miles) fixed gear ride 40 years ago and have never been the same. In fact, I have been known to say even after I got my high end custom titanium bike that if I had to trim my herd to one bike it would be my winter fix gear. Then I had that builder make me a custom titanium fix gear. Sick or what?
I have acquiesced to my age however. This new fix gear has a very long dropout and can handle any 1/8" cog made (I have 12 teeth through 23 teeth. A 24 would fit but I have yet to see one. Anyone know where a 24 can be obtained?). On seriously hilly rides with big descents, I have been known to carry a cog wrench on the top tube so I can use three or more cogs. Oh, that bike has done two Cycle Oregons. And I am consider doing it again this year.
Again, careful. You could end up a 60 year old fix gear addict like me.
Ben