Originally Posted by
DiabloScott
I would wager real American money, that you could develop different testing scenarios (distance, hills, gear ratios) that would show fixed gear riding as more work and less efficient in some, and less work and more efficient in others.
You could ride a fixed and geared bike, otherwise similar, both with crank PMs, over the same road course.
Ignoring the question of whether you do more work (expend more kjs) on a FG, in my mind the benefit comes from riding so much of the time in the "wrong" gear. Too low and you have to spin, too low and you have to mash. This helps you widen your available power band.