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Originally Posted by wolfchild
(Post 12448172)
Absolute nonsense.
I guess I could argue that my fixed gear is safer since I effectively have three brakes while a geared bike only has two. HA |
OP says they are in London. not defining which one, so Ill Guess UK.
Another British Frame builders classic is the winter Training Fixed gear Bike . essentially a road bike, but the rear dropout is a track style , but has threaded Eyelets for fitting Mudguards , Ditto the front, Dropouts with Eyelets , fork crown with a Brake , clearance for reasonable tires , and mud guards of course and rear brake bridge , and cable guides for the brake . a traditional machine for riding on the road, and coping with the weather .. Not unlike Here, pissing inches of rain per day , day after day.. contact one of the British frame /bike companies. Help keep them going.. |
Originally Posted by andrewkirk
(Post 12457892)
I don't think I can agree with that as it suggests that once you make the decision to ride on the road there is no point in making any further decisions that might affect your safety one way or another. eg why have brakes? why wear a helmet? why use lights? [amazingly, it's quite trendy where I live to ride fixies at night on busy roads with no brakes, no lights, dark clothing, no helmet and both buds of an ipod jammed in the ears. Still, live and let live (die?) I suppose]
I think it's wise to focus on what really matters. Cycling without a properly functioning brake or at night with no lights is much more dangerous than cycling with brakes and lights. Cycling with one drivetrain vs. another is only slightly more dangerous (if at all) than the activity of cycling itself, and any perceptable difference would be dependent on the individual cyclist. |
Originally Posted by wolfchild
(Post 12448172)
Absolute nonsense.
"I think ss/fixies are actually safer than geared bikes because of reasons x, y and z"? Just wondering. |
If you can get away with going SS then go for it! Honestly I WISH use a SS however with the hills I have to deal with their is no way I can get away with only one gear. Single speeds are fun and simple, the way biking should be.
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andrewkirk, your assertion that equally skilled riders on a geared bike are safer and able to accelerate faster than single speed is wrong. A freewheel singlespeed or a fixed gear with brakes is no less safe than a geared bike with brakes.
A rider on a freewheel singlespeed or a fixed gear will out-accelerate a geared rider starting in low gear who needs to change up through the gears everytime until the singlespeed rider and fixed gear rider reach maximum sustainable cadence. If there are no traffic lights to stop them, the geared rider will eventually catch up to them and even pull away due to the mechanical advantage of larger gears (assuming the riders are of equal strength). The only way a geared rider can keep up with an SS or FG is if they ride their geared bike like an SS or FG - which means leaving the bike in a larger gear than the lowest one and accelerating from standstill the way SS\FG riders do. |
Thanks for all the reponses guys.... Interesting ideas and some really good points. I think for an efficient, low maintenance bike, and one that looks a lot less nickable i'll look into a single speed soon. I'd love to get a full road bike but i know i wouldn't be clamping that bad boy outside on the streets of London anywhere without it getting swiped.
Any thoughts on track bikes converted for the road? Looking into some interesting styles and shapes that could work, but i'm unsure of what would need doing ( other than a front brake fitted ) to the bike to make it road ready? I'm thinking wheels, handle bars?? I'm thinking why not build a custom one??? |
I suggest you open your wallet and get a Rohloff Speedhub 14-speed Internal-Gear Hubs
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Originally Posted by andrewkirk
(Post 12459645)
Wolfchild - is there any particular reason for making such an aggressive and unsupported post, rather than saying something like
"I think ss/fixies are actually safer than geared bikes because of reasons x, y and z"? Just wondering. |
Originally Posted by raggoflex
(Post 12488911)
I'm thinking why not build a custom one???
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Originally Posted by andrewkirk
(Post 12446452)
Geared bikes are safer than single speed bikes (and much safer than fixies) in traffic, because they can accelerate much faster from a slow speed or standing start (unless you use a single gear of 43" or less, in which case you'll spend most of your ride coasting) . This can be crucial for when making difficult turns, getting away from traffic lights before the cars, or responding to a suddenly perceived danger.
They're also much easier on your knees. As for response time in difficult turns, hammering off the line at a light, or getting away from perceived dangers... Which is easier? Shifting (and we'll assume a perfect world where you'd never drop your chain off the front inside, or cross-chain a downshift while on the big ring and gnaw up your chain/cassette), or just standing up to hammer? That's not to say that each drivetrain doesn't have its benefits. (It's like my dyno vs. battery lights thing; they each have their place.) I wouldn't want to ride something like the 3-Volcanoes 300k on a singlespeed (190mi, 11,500' of climbing over 3 mountain passes), or the Mountain Populaire (100k, 6500' including a couple of 22% grades.) But for rides with long steady climbs below 8%, I don't see any reason why a singlespeed isn't a great option. Plenty of people do 1200k brevets on singlespeeds, including some of the hilly ones with 35,000+ in climbing. For me, I like the ability to spin a high gear on long downhills and make up time lost during long climbs, so a geared bike is my choice on most rides over 100k. As for the knees argument, meh... whatever. That one's been done to death and there's nothing detrimental about riding a singlespeed vs. a geared bike. |
Originally Posted by raggoflex
(Post 12488911)
\Any thoughts on track bikes converted for the road? Looking into some interesting styles and shapes that could work, but i'm unsure of what would need doing ( other than a front brake fitted ) to the bike to make it road ready? I'm thinking wheels, handle bars??
I'm thinking why not build a custom one??? |
I feel like one reason not to get a single speed or fixed gear is that they are iconic to the "bike scene" and "bike culture" in most cities. I am a bit superficial about what people think about me, and don't want to be lumped in with the hipsters.
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Originally Posted by garagegirl
(Post 12493137)
If I were you I would just buy an off the rack bike like a steamroller, pista or san jose, or convert and old road bike with horizontal dropouts. Track bikes are fun in small doses, but no way would I want one as my only bike.
Originally Posted by Dan The Man
(Post 12493163)
I feel like one reason not to get a single speed or fixed gear is that they are iconic to the "bike scene" and "bike culture" in most cities. I am a bit superficial about what people think about me, and don't want to be lumped in with the hipsters.
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Originally Posted by Dan The Man
(Post 12493163)
I feel like one reason not to get a single speed or fixed gear is that they are iconic to the "bike scene" and "bike culture" in most cities. I am a bit superficial about what people think about me, and don't want to be lumped in with the hipsters.
:p |
Originally Posted by Dan The Man
(Post 12493163)
I feel like one reason not to get a single speed or fixed gear is that they are iconic to the "bike scene" and "bike culture" in most cities. I am a bit superficial about what people think about me, and don't want to be lumped in with the hipsters.
Hipsters ride as a fashion statement , I ride because I love to ride. I also believe that a hipster with his skinny jeans riding a fixie is no worse then a wannabe racer wearing his sausage suit. |
yep
http://gallery.me.com/aaronshort1/10...12938264900001 Yeah, I know I've posted this plenty...I need to take a new pic with the fenders and now that it's all dirtied up. I've tried to stop giving a **** about what people may think of me, it makes life more fun. |
Originally Posted by wolfchild
(Post 12496992)
My fixed gear bike has full fenders and front/rear racks, it looks more like a touring bike then a hipster bike. Just because I ride a fixie doesn't mean that I am hipster.
Hipsters ride as a fashion statement , I ride because I love to ride. I also believe that a hipster with his skinny jeans riding a fixie is no worse then a wannabe racer wearing his sausage suit. My road ss has fenders, a rack and bucket panniers. My SSCX bike is stripped bare, but still makes a good commuter for dry weather when I slap my L&M Solo on the front and a blinkie on my seat-wedge pack. |
Originally Posted by puppypilgrim
(Post 12451509)
I commute 40 KMs roundtrip on a singlespeed freewheel bike which formerly had an 8 speed Shimano gear cassette mounted. I converted both my Dahon folding bike and a Softride (carbon suspension beam bike) into singlespeeds.
The Dahon has 20" wheels, runs slicks and is fendered and racked. The Softride does not have fenders and runs 650c x 23 slick tires. The Dahon is geared at 66 gear inches while the Softride is at 69 gear inches. I would normally cruise around 90 rpm and between 28-32 km/h on either of these bikes. A converted SS freewheel bike tends to be simpler, lighter and marginally more efficient to ride. In my opinion, riding a SS: - provides safer, less distracted cycling for the rider. There are no gears to change. Instinctively, you feel the proportionality of effort. Faster cadence, faster speed. Never have to worry if you are in the right gear. The right gear is the gear inch you have chosen which allows you to climb the highest hill on your route while maintaining a reasonable speed on the flats. You are therefore, never in the "wrong" gear. - provides better reliability. A better chainline which is shorter and straighter yields better reliability. On my bike, the chain could derail when the chain bounced as I crossed railroad tracks. Having a chain derail is not a a big deal as it is soon fixed but it is a hassle as either your glove or finger is going to get dirty. A shorter and perfectly straight chainline yields a pleasant sensation that is absent on a derailleur bike. With SS, the front or rear derailleur never needs trimming to avoid contact sounds. If you have ever broken 3/32" chains, you can run slightly stronger 1/8" chains. - a converted SS running a generic cog is cheap - $6 Canadian is what I pay. Contrast this to replacing a set of SRAM or Shimano or Campy cassette gears. In all fairness though, a cassette of gears I bought last year cost $40. Most of us could afford that without breaking the bank. - makes you stronger. You get off the saddle and learn to feel the bike and handle the bike through various cadences. The connection with the bike feels more alive rather than merely sitting in the saddle and changing gears to spin within a narrow cadence window like a recumbent. For this reason alone, I feel a singlespeed bike whether freewheel (SS) or fixed gear (FG) provides a richer and more textured riding experience than a geared bike. One could mostly duplicate this by never changing gears on a derailleured bike, but that would be the difference between dating a girl while Facebooking for potential hook ups and commitment. ;) - all other things being equal, you will climb hills faster on a SS\FG than on a geared bike. On a geared bike, riders tend to gear down and spin. Whereas on a SS\FG, the rider strengthens their muscles and cardio by learning to pull on the handlebars for leverage while seated or stand on the pedals with the aid of gravity to aid their climb up hills and bridges. This movement provides a rest from being seated allows for variation during the ride. With SS you can coast down a hill while on FG you will have to spin down the hill. I recommend using brakes on an FG. - SS\FG bikes are easier to clean especially in winter. - SS\FG bikes are cheaper to maintain over the long run. Remember that SS\FG are atypical and unconventional. Consider it an extension of your personality or an expression of your right to think for yourself rather than following market patterns driven by manufacturing goals. |
While I may get a single speed as a backup/cruising the beach bike, I would never get one as a main bike. Sure, you get a bigger workout using a single speed to climb hills, but you can climb more hills and ride longer using gears. Gears are wonderful in the wind. Really, you can pick a gear ratio based on how fast you climb the biggest hill on your commute and it will work great until that day you hit a headwind. Unless you are in tip top shape, you get a single you walk it up hills now and again. Gears are just worth the extra maintenance. I don't care about a "raw experience", I care about riding and being able to spend more time in the saddle is well worth it.
I rode a Cane Creek fixie for a while. Yes, they make bikes too, not only components. It was fun for quick coffee shop runs, but hated it if I rode more than 5 or 6 miles, as it killed my knees. It wasn't the wrong gear ratio, but despite having brakes, I couldn't help but use my legs to slow down and that is what blows the knees! Think it over hard, comfort or low maintenance? For me, the answer is simple. |
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