Steve90068

I recently acquired a single speed that will become my daily rider. I was wondering if anyone uses a single speed (or fixed gear) for training purposes? It seems like it would be good to build strength and so on, but what do I know.

Basil Moss

I do all my winter training on a fixed gear. It builds leg strength, yes, if you have a few little hills. It also improved pedalling technique and especially leg speed if you have fixed, on your way down the hills. Makes for good endurance training too, since you never stop pedalling- four hours on a fixed seems like five on gears. Get fixed, freewheeling singlespeed has barely any of these benefits. That said, if I lived in Wales I'd probably do my winter riding on gears...

bmw5nkj

before i got my road bike, i rode my single speed 'cross bike with slicks with a 42x16 ratio and went on group rides for a couple of months. i get wows and compliments from my teammates. it really helped me with my spin.

AngryScientist 

i use a SS to commute to work a few days a week. its great training if the terrain is relatively unchanging. i wouldnt want to wreck my knees if there were a lot of hills though.

DXchulo

It's up for debate.

For: https://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=4474
Against: https://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=7831

hairnet

I had to ride one for a while because I busted my multi speed. I learned how to really spin when I want to go fast or downhill because I use 64 gear inches. Now that I have my road bike back, the fixie just makes riding more fun because it's just a totally different machine and I get to mix it up between fixie and roadie. The fixed gear did teach me to just muscle it out at times.

VA_Esquire

I use a fixed gear with 48/15 gearing to train on that helps my leg strength and practice pedal stroke. Its a killer on hills, but their isnt alot of hills around here so just straight out speed is the only thing I gotta deal with.

larryfeltonj

I've recently acquired a fixed gear bike and have been using it for training, but strength isn't the main reason (Atlanta's hilly piedmont area, so there are ample opportunities to work on leg strength even with a multi-gear bike). I got it primarily to work on my spin. At one time racers would use fixed gear for the first 1,000 miles of every season, to get the pedal stroke burned into memory before they began training on the multi-gear bikes.

roadwarrior

When I was overseas racing, we used to train often this way. It's a ton of fun to ride with 20 or 30 guys all riding fixies in a pack. Makes you think and focus on what's going on around you. And it's good for learning to use the whole stroke, not just the downside. When Icame back here, I got several of my team mates into this training.

I have one and I love riding it.

i'm paramount

I purchased a Fuji Obey Track Bike a year ago and have ridden it 3.000+ miles. I just love the bike. great quick acceleration and just a hoot to ride. Yes as mentioned the pedal stroke will improve, your cardio will also improve.
At 68 years old i often feel like i'm much younger as i ride the bike. I have a great road bike but the SS is just way COOL !
Here-- https://www.flickr.com/photos/mynewti/4306591851/

caloso

Yes. As a matter of fact, I'm headed out for a lunchtime 2x20 set on my fixed gear. I have about 73 gear inches and I'll ride based on HR rather than speed. With a flat course, I'll be forced to spin a pretty high cadence. Good stuff.

Crash2Much

I road a single speed for many years. I does make strong leg muscles. I use to ride up South Mountain in Tempe AZ every Saturday. It was hard at first had to stop and rest several times on the way up but after about 7 months I was going all the way to the top without stopping.

graphs

I've only been riding fixed for the past year because they're the only bikes I've had so I wouldn't call it training per se, but I am a much stronger rider since I flipped that hub around.

zatopek

Yep. I ride it for fun and keep it clamped on my trainer for interval training indoors when the weather is particularly inhospitable.

crhilton

I use a fixed gear, somewhat, for training. It's also fun and a different experience.

I find that I've got to work harder (sometimes a lot harder). There's no downshifting and going tempo up a steep hill. There's sit and stand. And when you come back down, yea, you get to work again to keep it under control.

graphs

That is where my nice weather/track one is right now!

Grumpy McTrumpy

I do singlespeed cross. it's pretty tough for me to ride that bike on roads around here though with the sheer abundance of steep hills. It's not uncommon for me to climb at cadences below 40. Also pretty easy to get it revved up to 160 or more on the descents.

With that said, I still spend the vast majority of training time on the geared bike, even during cross season.

ahsposo 

When I moved to the GA coast I bought a SS because it's very flat and I figured it would be low maintenance. I came to really like it for reasons mentioned above. Really great to work on your spin and going into a headwind it can work your strength. Wore out my old geared bike and recently bought a new one...so the SS comes out when it's wet and I don't wanna get my fancy new one dirty (that won't last).

Uni-Vibe

I don't get it. Your body is only maximally efficient at one cadence. So a single speed or fixie is only efficient at one speed.

How does a fixie help your pedalling? You're connected directly to the rear wheel which uses the momentum of the bike to force your feet around the crank spindle, rather than the other way round.

You can blow out your knees mashing up a hill or into the wind on a single speed.

Using a fixie for training is like using a single shot rifle on the range and then switching to an AR-15 when it's for real.

Fixieism is an urban fad. Like all fads, it'll die a well-deserved death.

Make mine ten speed Ultegra.

geist

I commute on a fixed 5 days a week. I've gotta keep it locked up outside and the fixed is less susceptible to theft. You may need to find the gearing that best suits you. Get a flip-flop hub so you can run single speed too. Fortunately, cogs and chainrings for these bikes are relatively cheap. Also, it definitely helps with pedal stroke (not peddling "in squares").

merlinextraligh

I think there is some degree of truth in your post.

However, the "Fixeism is an Urban fad" misses the mark with regard to the training discussion. Winter base training on fixed gear bikes has a time honored european pro tradition that greatly predates the hipster's discovery of fixed geared bikes

DieselDan

I have started using my fixed gear by accident somewhat. I had been using my Cannondale, but the noise was almost too much with the way my house was constructed. I flipped the hub around and started pedaling and found some kind of Zen like training zone, but the steel frame bike was much quieter.

hairnet

Yes, the pedals move on their own but they don't force your feet around. If you can't keep up with the pedals then you're ****ed.

Why shoot it down like that anyway? It's a different kind of riding. If you don't like it, that's fine, but others love it.

caloso

Partially correct. Before I started riding a fixed gear, I was only efficient at one cadence. Since riding fixed, I've widened my power band. The counterintuitive genius of fixed gear training is that you are almost always in the "wrong" gear. Going uphill or into a headwind, you are in too high a gear so you are forced to push, thus building power. Going downhill or with a tailwind, you are in too low a gear so you are forced to spin, thus building suppleness. When there's a surge in a race or a hammerfest, I used to have to drop a cog and then get out of the seat to sprint. Now I can stay seated, spin up a high cadence, and then drop a cog.

So the fixed gear makes the engine more efficient.

roadwarrior

And trust me, it works. Been there, done that.