He-heee!

I'm sure he meant 27. (3 x 9)

Thinking about Lakerat's latest comment, I've experienced something similar. For the past month, I've mostly ridden my two fixed gear bikes, and I rode them exclusively for a few weeks, as I had to fix a few things on my derailleur bike. I got it up and running Friday and took it for a good long ride. Wow! There's a reason 95% of cyclists went to them decades ago. I can shift up to a considerably higher gear on the descents, and shift down to a MUCH lower one for the climbs... and it's nice to coast once in a while.

I still love riding fixed gear, but I love my geared bike too. Different activities, each with its own appeal. I'm glad I don't have to pick one bike (or even two or three). If I did, I'm not sure what I'd choose, but it would probably have more than one set of gears.

79pmooney here, fresh back from 60 miles and 1700' fixed on toeclips, straps and aluminum cleats that do not slip. I love climbing and descending fixed (though I am getting softer and had built a bike with a really long dropouts and can run anything between 12t and 23t and 24t if I could only find one. I carry the wrenches. Today I used 14, 16, 17 and 22.)

The talk here is of the flywheel effect. If you are going fast, say in my workhorse 44-17, you may well be pedaling way over 150 RPM. Over 200 is not difficult on a bigger hill. (That's just 40 mph.) If you pull one foot out of the pedal you are so unbalanced pedaling one footed at 200 RPM that your first real (and maybe worst) injury is going to happen before you hit the road. You may be wrecking an ankle with a pedal with inertia behind it that is hard to fathom.

Also, at that same 200 RPM, it is very difficult to feel the relationship between your foot and the pedal. Most of us would rather not be looking down to witness it. So do we know we have our feet in line and are not close to unclipping a clipless pedal? Toeclips and straps are very reassuring here. Even if we do uncleat (something I have done many times; with worn cleats and esp in the '90s and 2000s when all the cleats I could bet were slippery plastic), our feet are still solidly inside our clips, held by the straps. Heart jumps, we hit the brake for a moment, twist our now slower moving foot a little, re-cleat and all is good. That same incident with clipless - well you won't have to tell your grandkids; if you have them, their dad will already have told them.

And the downside to clips and straps? Not being able to get your foot out? On a fix gear, you almost never want a foot out if you have any kind of speed. And slow enough that you fall over? Get used to it, accept that you just made a fool of yourself and relax. No big deal. Except you still have to reach "down" and unclip so you can stand up. (Oh, you can ride with the straps loose. I almost never do for more than a block or so.)

Ben (whose Peter Mooney was built with horizontal dropouts so it could ridden fixed although it never has and who would keep his city/rain/winter fix gear as his only bike if he had to have just one or my custom ti fix gear if I could trust it wouldn't be stolen.)

Or someone kludged a 2x system with a Rohloff Speedhub.

3rd fixed ride last night. So fun. I picked a 15 mile route with more gentle hills. One slight problem is that since I have to ride up hills close to my house, I have to do out of saddle climbing when cold, which I avoid on my geared bikes. The bike rides so well as I built it, I like the gearing, but it could be tough on my sorta bum knee. I might have to go up a tooth on the cog, but I sure like the 44/14 on the fast and smooth stretches.


The anxiety of riding fixed is mostly gone and I'm able to enjoy it more. Muscles have acclimated some which also makes it more fun. I was able to control descents mostly without braking. I did the 15 mile ride without having to dab a foot or unclip.

Thinking of going up a tooth or two on the cog. I like the 44/14 and hoped I would strengthen quickly to overcome the hard work it takes to ride it. If I'm perfectly fresh and well rested, the weather is cool I can handle it. Unfortunately I don't ride in those conditions all the time.


My 44/14 is about 83 inches, a 44/15 is about 77.5, and a 44/16 is about 72.5. Will going from 83 inches to 77.5 be very noticeable? If that is only a minor change, then I would go to 44/16 at 72.5 inches.


My current setup has a 1/8" chain and chainwheel, and a 3/32" cog. In shopping for a cog, a 3/32" cog is more available and cheaper. Also I don't need a 1/8" chain whip tool if I stick with a 3/32" cog. Is it dumb to stay with a 3/32" cog for these reasons, or should I pay more for a 1/8" and buy a 1/8" chain whip?

Going from 83gi to 77.5gi is VERY noticeable, but you may want to go to 72.5 anyway.
My suggestion is to just go out and get both cogs, try them both and see which you like...for now.
Your fitness level and riding terrain will probably change over time. You may want to swap cogs.
3/32" or 1/8"? your choice. Frankly I run 1/8", but I put in a lot of miles and haven't ridden a geared bike in years.

I think going from 44/14 to 44/15 will be a noticeable difference, but not a huge one. If you really have trouble with your knee in the higher ratio, I'd recommend going up two teeth.

I have a slight preference for 3/32" stuff. More than that, however, I like to keep everything the same thickness. In your situation I'd probably spring for the thicker cog. I have the opposite "problem" with one of my bikes: 1/8" cog and chain with a 3/32" chainring. Eventually, I'll get a thinner cog and chain, but in the meantime it works.

If you have a 3/32" chain whip and a lock ring tool, you can get your existing cog off, and you don't need any tool to install the new one. Just spin it on finger tight and ride the bike a short distance. You'll feel it slip a little first time you step down on a pedal, and then slip again the other direction the first time you backpedal to brake. Start and stop a few times, re-tighten the lock ring, and you're all set.

Aside from gearing, a wide handlebar and proper hoods has made a tremendous difference in my ability to climb on a fixed gear. If the OP is using droopy pista bars then he should consider proper road bars or at least something which allows some leverage.


The red/bold is very true. Mixing some fixed gear riding in with my road riding has made a huge difference and what was killing me at first is much easier now.


-Tim-

I've got a likely 1970's English stem and bar, road bars cut and turned over to make bull horns. After reading about fears of old bars being weak, I do baby them a bit. I'm going to replace them with something I don't mind pulling on a little harder.


I'm in pretty good cycling shape and not likely to make any major advances in strength, power, or endurance. As noted, I can handle it in perfect conditions when well rested, but it kicks my ass following a day when I ride pretty hard, or if its hot or windy. I have been alternating riding fixed and a geared bike. Yesterday I rode 24 miles on a geared bike in the morning, and about 9 miles in the evening on the fixed.

I know I can install a 1/8" cog without a 1/8" chain whip tool, I just don't like to not have the ability to work on it later if needed.


Thanks for the help.

It's not just about strength, power and endurance. Don't discount technique.

I was wrenching hard on the bars at first. Most of the leverage against the bar was coming from bending the shoulders and especially the elbow. It was hard on my arms and I actually tore a muscle in my forearm.

I've since learned that a more subtle motion is better - a much lighter pull on the opposite hood as each pedal is depressed, gently rocking the bike back and forth slightly. Less bending of the arms and shoulders but most of the leverage comes from the core muscles instead. The oblique muscles on the side of my abs actually hurt the day after a recent 56 mile ride with lots of climbing.

This I knew from the road bike but the need for a strong core and the technique of "Climbing from the core" has really been reinforced on the fixed-gear bike.


-Tim-

Its starting to sound like gutting it out on fixed gear is just part of the program. If it were easy everyone would do it.

Actually riding a FG for base miles was SOP "back when" for club cyclists, nothing notable about it as "everyone" in our club did and has for many decades.
This not news as riding FG for base miles, in a TT or in LD events has been the norm for serious club and racing cyclists for well over a century.

-Bandera

Hah, I just got my first fixed gear set up this week. It's been a learning curve for me as well. I keep forgetting it's fixed and get bucked a bit by the pedals when I try to coast. I'm really surprised by how tall gearing a lot of you guys push. I've got 39/16 and it seems perfect; If I went to a 44 or 46 chainring I'm pretty sure my knees would be super sore.

edit: Also, I have a 1/8" chain and cog, but 3/32" chainring like one of the posters above. Could this be causing a slight chain buzzing sound I'm hearing? It's only occasional, and when I hear it, it is still a bit more quiet than my geared bikes.

Could be. Your chain might be too tight as well.

I think you're right about chain tension. I swapped tires yesterday and I think I did tighten up the chain a bit relative to what it was when I started; seems the buzzing was marginally worse since the change.

Yeah it's a fairly common thing. I think a lot of people tend to over-tension their chains. A little bit of slack will keep it rolling quieter and smoother.

I just figured out today that I was overtensioning my chain. The usual suggestion was to adjust just short of binding, it rode smooth so I thought it must not be binding. I put the bike in a repair stand and spun the pedals and it wasn't very smooth due to being too tight. Now I know what binding is. It appears you adjust it too slack to see how freely it can run, then tension until it isn't that smooth anymore, then back it off a smidge.

Well! So I'm fairly sure I've gotten my tension right(ish), but now I realize both my chainring AND rear cog are 3/32", while my chain is 1/8". Should I be at all worried about tossing a chain? I'm planning on replacing the chain when I find an extra 3/32", but should I be worried and do it immediately?

The 1/8 chain is fine with the 3/32 cog and ring. You'd be surprised how loose a chain needs to be in order to derail. Adjust your chain to have some slop, a good amount, then try to derail it using your hand or a screwdriver.

What are your restoration plans for that Racer? All original or modded to suit?

Restoration in all honesty is probably a bit overstating what I'm doing. A more accurate term would probably be 'Fix Up and Make Less Ugly.' I'd honestly never done more than fixing flats/basic maintenance on bikes before this summer. But, my father in law gave me this bike out of his garage when he was moving out of his house, and I figured it would be a fun project.

It's sort of snowballed! I built a workbench in my garage, bought a bunch of tools, spent hours stipping all the rust off of this bike, overhauled the bottom bracket and headset. It rides very well now, and looks reasonably good. Almost all of the chrome is shiny again, and the frame really isnt all that bad, though it does not look great. It has very little rust on it, but LOTS of scrapes and chips down to the red primer underneath. I work at a car dealership, so I think I'll try using some black touch up paint on the worst spots and see how it looks. I talked to one of our body shop vendors and he said he could paint the frame properly for $200. We'll see how the touch up paint works first.

The fenders are pretty much toast I think. Rusty and pretty badly dented. I'm thinking some new chrome fenders might look nice. I'm not particularly concerned about original.

I've now got a '77 Schwinn Sierra I 'fixed up' with new tires/wheels/handlebars/cables and converted to a fixed gear.

Sounds cool. Black wasn't real common on those. I really like the old entry level Schwinns. I bet the Sierra rides nicely. Stock rims or did you convert to 700?

Please no. Don't do this.

Runs the risk of chopping your fingers off.

No hands near moving fixed gear chains, ever.

Tuck in your shirt and roll up your sleeves so they don't get caught. Long hair should be pulled back and tucked in. This is standard safety procedure around any moving machinery.

Not worth the risk doing it any other way.


-Tim-

Got a set of track 700s for super cheap. I've since put on new panaracer tires, toe clips, and a new saddle. It does actually ride very well, I was surprised. And I know, I've got to do something about that brake cable; cut it too long and haven't gotten around to adjusting it.

Edit: all in all, I'm quite happy with how it turned out, considering it was a $25 rusty craigslist find.

Just use common sense and be careful. No need to spin the cranks, just rotate.

You could use the longish brake cable to rewax your handlebar moustache without taking a hand off the bars.