Originally Posted by akochan
Yeah... it's hard work having to ride slow so they can keep up with you
-Andy
Okay Andy, you just won today's lunacy prize!
Geared road-racing bikes are faster than fixed gear and singlespeed bikes on group rides.
Sorry, but that's the way it is. You will either A.} wear yourself out on the hills (if your area has HUGE hills like Atlanta does). or B.}spin out on the fast downhills in a smaller gear.
It's just facts, man. I've done the group ride with hardcore racers (talkin' Kalahari/Jittery Joe guys, etc.)
on a fixie/ss enough times (with a couple of team guys on ss as well). Guess what? Light, fast road racers drop SS'ers eventually. Just the way it is, man...enough with the anecdotal "I dropped a roadie today" stories. Oh really? Who was he? How long did the ride last? Any hills?
Anybody can drop any other random person unawares at any given time. But the facts remain. Geared bikes are faster and more efficent on long hilly rides or races. Period.
I ride singlespeed for a lot of reasons, but none of them involve delusions of winning road races.