europa

I'm looking forward to the new 3 speed fixed hub from Sturmey Archer. Although I've offered a few thoughts on my gear selection, I'm now leaning towards having something like your 66 on the middle ratio - there's a small jump higher and a large jump lower so I'm looking at the middle gear for hilly stuff, the top gear for flat and the bottom gear for the occasional monster (my 'granny' so to speak).

The sad part about that hub is that you're moving away from one of the attractions of ss/fixed - simplicity, but at least it'll still be one chainline, one cog and all the virtues of riding fixed with the downsides softened a little (not being able to coast is NOT a downside).

Richard

icyclist 

This is an interesting thread for me. I'm about to purchase my first FG/SS bike - I'll pick it up when I visit my daughter in Manhattan next week. I think I'm going to have a blast. I love the youthful energy I see that people - most of them less than half my age - bring to the sport, at least in Los Angeles and New York. I want to tap into some of the energy, that sense of being young, the sense of freedom I have when I ride any of my bikes, that I had when I was young, in years, a long time ago.

Hermes

I saw the 154 downhill post previously and decided not to comment.

Since you bring it up again and challenge us geared bikers...In December last year, we did some long interval hill climb simulations on the trainer followed by high speed cadence 125 for 2 minutes with the last 30 seconds at max cadence on GEARED ROAD BIKES WITH A FREEWHEEL. I hit 145 cadence @ of 47 mph. The guy next to me hit 152 and my wife 135. It is no problem hitting high cadence on a road bike.

I do not see that leg speed and the ability to put out power at high cadence has anything to do with a fixed gear versus a geared bike. As both a trackie and a roadie, I train at slightly higher cadence on the road to compliment the track work. One needs higher cadence at the track otherwise you would be in too high a gear to accelerate. 50+ men hit 185 and above at the track putting out a lot of power. BTW, last year, I hit 37 mph in a flying 200 meters at the track in an 86 inch gear.

My point is there is no value in using 125 plus cadence on a geared bike - other than power training. You run out of power to overcome wind resistance long before you run out of gears or cadence. At the track, one needs a wide range of cadence since one only gets one chance to select the right gearing.

I do not ride fixed on the road so those that do can figure out what gearing, cadence and technique works for them.

The primary reason I ride fixed at the track is that the chicks dig it.

Pat

Fixed gears have their place. They are great for training.

However, you don't see them in bicycle races. Multi gear bikes have taken those over for a reason. Humans are underpowered and gearing helps to maximize one's abilities to a wide range of situations.

I believe that most fixed gears are like most things bought for vanity.

PaulH

I suspect that the satisfaction that people experience when riding a fixed gear bike is similar to what I feel when double-clutching a car with a non-synchromesh first gear. It puts one in tune with the basic dynamics of the machinery. Some of the people in Canada like them for winter riding because there is no freewheel mechanism to freeze at -40 or so.

At one time, I considered making my Specialized Crossroads into a singlespeed (but not fixed) to make it less maintenance-intensive, better suited to winter riding, and be able to have a chaincase. Buying a bike with hub gears turned out to be a better solution for my use.

I think that there are good reasons for singlespeed or fixed. Personally, I view the bicycle as a labor-saving device, so gears are good. Furthermore, coasting is one of the best things about bikes, so fixed is out. However, everyone has their preferences and priorities, and single/fixed seems as valid as anything.

Paul

lz4005

Lots of people find ss/fg more fun.

If you think it needs more justification than that, you probably don't like fun.

JohnDThompson 

Make sure you wear a knit hat so they can't see the grey hairs (or dome, as the case may be...)

alicestrong

Why not??

bcoppola

Like PaulH, I like to draw an analogy between fixed (or SS) and driving a manual tranny car (with or without 1st gear syncro!). (My 4 wheeled ride is a 5 speed '02 Subaru WRX wagon.)

I posted at length and with considerable eloquence ( ) my early impressions of riding fixed some time ago when I built my conversion out of equal parts curiosity and boredom. Search on my name in this forum for posts w/ "fixed" or variations thereof if you're curious.

I ride both fixed and geared. It's just a different way to enjoy riding, and maybe even improve strength/technique. But like others have said, it's not for everyone.

northbend 

Like many have said already, it may not be for everyone but hey, whatever turns your crank. Cycling is fun in any of it's forms. I'm probably never going to be a racer, a unicyclist, or a BMX'r but I can certainly appreciate those that carry on the passion. I am very new to fixed gear riding - on my second week actually. There was a time when I never would have considered fixed gear but a lonesome frame, some spare parts and a few dollars was all it took to get me started. The first thing I noticed straight away was how different it was from any other type of riding I do. Very much like learning to ride all over again, I think it will make me a better rider overall. I think it will increase my leg speed - there's no such thing as coasting. I am learning how to better modulate my brakes and I have to be more aware of everything I do.

buelito

don't knock it 'till you've tried it...

train safe--

nashcommguy

Realized as a commuter I could probably pull all the hills in my area w/t right ss gearing. So, I had an old rb I loved and had for years. Had it sandblasted/powdercoated. Bought all the components to make the singlespeed conversion. Went to a fellow bike-geek's house on a Saturday night and we drank dark beer and built my bike. Had a great time. Riding singlespeed has made me a stronger rider. Looking forward to getting a fixie. For 2 reasons: Because I want one and because I can get one. Simple as that.

Robert Foster

Ok Once again I understand the simplicity of one gear. I see the importance of selecting that gear carefully. But what I don't yet get is why give up the coasting ability of a SS for a FG? On an FG you are always working aren't you?

northbend 

Yep! Which is exactly why it is unlike any other type of riding (well, except for perhaps, a unicycle). It is different. It's challenging. It makes you pay attention.

GeraldChan

Coasting is bad for you and makes you lazy!

Riding a FG on rolling terrain makes you thinks about your elevation gain/loss. It teaches you how to conserve momentum which helps when we get back on our multi-speep road bikes.

Since I started riding FG I seldom coast on ANY of my bikes. That makes it a better workout when you have a short amt of time to ride.

bjjoondo 

Just wanted all to know, I was just wondering about FG riding, nothing against it as some say, it's all what turns your crank See I can totally see getting a old "ridged" MTB and say putting a 3, 5, 8 speed internal hub and making it a commuter/winter bike, heck even a SS (although I can hear my arthritic knees screaming, For GODS sake NO!!!) still I'll have to pass on FG, just seems a bit to extreem for me. For all you that FG, ENJOY!

alicestrong

If your legs get tired on the fixed you can just relax them and let the momentum take over. It's kind of like coasting...

roadfix

Just let your feet go noodley....it's like coasting, and it' a good feeling. It's better than sex.

alicestrong

Dang, I'm must not be doing it right then. It's nice and all, but...


You'll have to explain and demonstrate the technique when we do that ride with Rick.

roadfix

The only thing that is somewhat awkward is reaching down, retrieving, and replacing the water bottle.

alicestrong

Oh, well that helps explain it.

I don't have a water bottle on the fixed...

Rick@OCRR

Well, I do have a water bottle on my fixed gear bike . . . two actually, and I find it no more difficult to get a drink than when riding my multi-geared bikes, since I don't coast when I get a drink on those bikes either.

Now regarding being better than sex . . . I can't agree there. Unless you define "better" differently than I do, which is certainly possible. Regardless, cross training is important, so both are good!

Rick / OCRR

Plus, hopefully George will be joining us on the Mar. 22nd ride. Haven't gotten a reply back from him or Robert Foster yet. Maybe I should make a new post about the ride?

europa

I sort of agree with the waterbottle thing - it seems harder because I'm lazy on the geared bike and coast when putting it back, the reality is that for me, it's not really a problem.

One thing that's intrigued me for a while and which I think I've finally answered is: why is it so easy to slip your second foot into the toe clip as you move off on the fixed gear bike whereas it's rare to manage it on the geared bike?
Fixed - move off, slip foot into toe clip as the pedal rises for the first time, no problems
Geared - move off, miss the clip, wind up with foot on back of pedal, do a few revolutions with the clip scraping on the road, coast and pfaff about getting your foot in.

I used to think it was the pedals, then used the same pedals on both bikes (during the great pedal rebuild debacle).
Then I thought it was sheer laziness when on the geared bike but determined efforts failed to improve my hit rate much.
Then I got my gear changes wrong at a set of lights one day and the answer dawned like a flickering match at the end of a smoke filled tunnel. When riding geared, I change down when I stop and have got into the habit of taking off in a really low gear, too low probably. On the fixed gear, you're stuck with a high gear take off. With the low gear, that rear pedal comes up very quickly as you move off and so you just don't have time to cleanly slip your foot into the toe clip. With the higher gear take off, the pedal comes up slowly and with my fixed gearing, it's just right for a clean and neat slip into the toe clip. A few experiments with the geared bike and higher gear take offs confirmed the theory but it might still be bulldust.

Not that this is evidence of any advantage of one over the other mind you, but it's always interesting to track down the reasons for things and, even more interesting, what it was about the circumstances that led you to learn something.

Richard

roadfix

With the fixed gear, taking off, clipping in, and clipping out to a stop are gracefully done in seamless motion......and I like that.

europa

I also love the feel of slowing down then the final stopping move with your foot applying pressure on the rearwards pedal and holding it - no brakes, just seamless simplicity.

Of course, it also means that the pedals are in the wrong spot to move off again and you often find the wrong foot did the stop (if stopping by a kerb where I like to sit on the saddle with one foot on the kerb/raised thingy). Neither lifting the rear wheel to spin the wheel nor walking forward a bit are particularly elegant but ...

Richard