Originally Posted by
Leinster
In fairness, I can't think of many situations where my geared bike wouldn't be faster, bar maybe a long steady slight uphill grade where my 46x16 wouldn't be too low or too high and the slight weight advantage would kick in.
I do agree, though, that most other concerns about SS are unfounded. You can get good bikes without paying through the nose or peering special. In my case, though, I converted a road bike when the derailleur hanger broke.
A gear is a gear. There is no magic because it is on a road bike rather than a fixed gear bike.
All things being equal - weight, aero, tire size, etc, the bike itself isn't any faster or slower.
If you are consistently faster on your road bike it is because you are pushing higher gears and/or because you are pedaling faster.
The exception is downhill. There is clearly a limit to downhill speed on a fixed gear bike. I solved this Saturday by unclipping and coasting down Lucas Brunelle style.
