Originally Posted by
noglider
@
Duo, I think you're onto something there. People who ride fixed gear bikes a lot tend to be very fit.
perhaps onto something; spinning good for cardio and mashing for muscles it would seem.
Being a regular recreational rider, i try to make the most of the limited time that i ride. Fixed gear riding is not for me though, i value my knees being an older rider. Someone who is into racing probably has a set program they work, but i would like to develop something for myself and other rec riders to improve strength and endurance. There is a suggestion that we spin very hard for 5 minutes at a time to improve strength.
Originally Posted by
ramzilla
With 6 speed you're stuck with downtube or thumb shifters. Mostly friction unless you got the old original Shimano 600 or Suntour Accushift. With 7 speed you have several choices of brifters. IMHO brifters are better.
Both of my vintage 6 speeds have bar end shifters, which is my personal preference. i would like to find a vintage aluminum bike with down tube shifters for the shear beauty of simplicity. One of my bikes has brifters, but when they break, my reaction would be to replace them with bar ends, DT or stem shifters.
Brifters generally too complicated to repair and too expensive to replace. Other than that, they are fine. In my youth, stem shifters were fine and still find them enjoyable to this day, especially the quality ones by Suntour.