Can you keep up with fast roadies?
05-10-21, 11:44 PM
#26
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The proper term is how exciting is it, I'm gonna assume you have brakes front and rear before attempting such an exciting thing as pulling your feet off. Hope you have MTB SPD style or it'll head past sketchy and exciting to something even less fun real fast.
As others have mentioned, fixie will totally change your speeds at various times, I found it slightly easier to maintain a decent pace over small rollers due to the pedals wanting to turn and keeping the legs going although even then the downhill speed just wasn't the same. I'm limited to about 110rpm which I can't maintain for any real length of time so I'd find myself braking on even small downhills due to not being able to spin. At the same time I do best at about 75rpm and with my regular bikes and just tend to push harder gears to compensate while the fixie had to be set to lower gearing just so I could make the hills limiting my speed. Vs me on a road bike, the fixie will be slower, vs me on my hybrid over flatish terrain, I'd be faster on the fixie. The worst part, and what gets you over distance, is the inability to coast and rest in the process.
As others have mentioned, fixie will totally change your speeds at various times, I found it slightly easier to maintain a decent pace over small rollers due to the pedals wanting to turn and keeping the legs going although even then the downhill speed just wasn't the same. I'm limited to about 110rpm which I can't maintain for any real length of time so I'd find myself braking on even small downhills due to not being able to spin. At the same time I do best at about 75rpm and with my regular bikes and just tend to push harder gears to compensate while the fixie had to be set to lower gearing just so I could make the hills limiting my speed. Vs me on a road bike, the fixie will be slower, vs me on my hybrid over flatish terrain, I'd be faster on the fixie. The worst part, and what gets you over distance, is the inability to coast and rest in the process.
05-11-21, 02:57 AM
#27
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When I got my first SS three years ago what surprised me is my average speed was about the same as my geared bikes. I'm usually in the mid-high 17mph range. It made me wonder why I even had bikes with gears. My ride on my Wabi yesterday was 28 miles with a 17.9 average. I was pissed I didn't finally hit 18.
But as far as keeping up with "fast roadies", well I do group rides in A group. I could not hang with my SS because I would spin out way too early, the gearing isn't high enough. What would be awesome is a club or group who all rides single speeds. And I'm not talking about the no brakes flat bar fixie hipsters in the big cities I see videos of haha.
But as far as keeping up with "fast roadies", well I do group rides in A group. I could not hang with my SS because I would spin out way too early, the gearing isn't high enough. What would be awesome is a club or group who all rides single speeds. And I'm not talking about the no brakes flat bar fixie hipsters in the big cities I see videos of haha.
05-11-21, 04:52 AM
#28
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In terms of riding with others, if the goal is to go fast and hammer, no, you will want to ride something comparable to the pack. I've been there and done that and could happily spend the rest of my life far from modern roadie culture and its conspicuous consumption .
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05-11-21, 06:19 PM
#29
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+1 On it depends
If you're thinking of riding with a group of roadies with mutli-geared bikes and you on a single-geared bike, you could be at a disadvantage and a potential safety hazard to the group if they are drafting and taking turns on the front. Why? Because their speed will vary to a point where you either won't be able to keep up on a downhill or on an uphill...or even the flats if they go all out. That speed differential could be an issue with the group.
I'll give you my example as a case in point. When I moved from Arizona back to North Carolina I was in really good shape and used to riding in intense heat. The summer of 2016 it was hot in NC but not too bad, low 90's during the day. Too me, it was like air conditioning compared to the 112 degree summer I just left behind. I was smoking the normal "loop" and flying by many roadies on the flats and slight uphills. However, on the steeper downhills or moderate uphills, I lost a lot of ground. Nobody is racing but there is a sense of competition.
It was fun riding and the other riders loved the fact that I was riding a fixed gear bike. But, not for one second did I consider riding with these folks in a serious group ride. On my Pinarello? Yes, but not on a single speed.
The downhills in particular I lost a lot of ground. They could torque up to 40 mph+ on one downhill stretch and spinning at 90 rpms I could only manage about 23 mph.
If you're thinking of riding with a group of roadies with mutli-geared bikes and you on a single-geared bike, you could be at a disadvantage and a potential safety hazard to the group if they are drafting and taking turns on the front. Why? Because their speed will vary to a point where you either won't be able to keep up on a downhill or on an uphill...or even the flats if they go all out. That speed differential could be an issue with the group.
I'll give you my example as a case in point. When I moved from Arizona back to North Carolina I was in really good shape and used to riding in intense heat. The summer of 2016 it was hot in NC but not too bad, low 90's during the day. Too me, it was like air conditioning compared to the 112 degree summer I just left behind. I was smoking the normal "loop" and flying by many roadies on the flats and slight uphills. However, on the steeper downhills or moderate uphills, I lost a lot of ground. Nobody is racing but there is a sense of competition.
It was fun riding and the other riders loved the fact that I was riding a fixed gear bike. But, not for one second did I consider riding with these folks in a serious group ride. On my Pinarello? Yes, but not on a single speed.
The downhills in particular I lost a lot of ground. They could torque up to 40 mph+ on one downhill stretch and spinning at 90 rpms I could only manage about 23 mph.
05-12-21, 03:04 AM
#30
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And FYI, every year we have this 100K (canceled last year). I always wondered why because this isn't a big cycling area but there's always lots of riders who show up. It's usually the first Saturday in May but they just came out with a June date. I think I'll ride the Wabi this time.
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05-12-21, 03:17 AM
#31
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All the threads about "keeping up with roadies" and "Tour-de-France-type riders" that crop up every spring amount to the same existential conundrum: "Why wasn't I one of the cool kids in high school?"
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05-12-21, 07:56 PM
#32
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05-13-21, 03:52 AM
#33
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Yeah, especially climbing, I usually try to drop my roadies friends on the climbs because on downhills they can drop me pretty easily.
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05-13-21, 04:00 AM
#34
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Doing that in a straight lonely road is not very risky, doing it on a busy highway overtaking cars and trucks is pretty sketchy, especially clipping again in your pedals , spinning at 90 rpm.
05-14-21, 07:43 AM
#36
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I am faster on a road bike (even a heavy touring bike) than a single speed on any ride with climbs, descents, or start-stops. For fixed gear, and corners to that list. Really the only place my pace is the same is the actual velodome. Sure, I can find an empty stretch of separate bikepath to hammer on a track bike, but really the geared bikes are faster everywhere.
I can get some subtle psychological benefits on a really light single speed bike when my geared bikes were all 2-8lbs heavier but once you add in a geared bike that is equally light - goodbye.
I can get some subtle psychological benefits on a really light single speed bike when my geared bikes were all 2-8lbs heavier but once you add in a geared bike that is equally light - goodbye.
05-14-21, 09:40 AM
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Several years ago at a local 24-hour mountain bike race, a singlespeed team won the overall, and one of their riders posted the fastest lap time of the event. Just sayin'.
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