Dumb fixie question
 

I see several pictures of fixie bikes on the forum and was wondering what are suitable areas for riding fixies. My driveway is a 11% grade and when I get to the main road about 1/2 mile down the road is a 6% grade and in the other direction maybe 3% for 3 miles. Once up the grades it's mostly level (sort of). For me my 10-speed works but where do people ride single-speeds? Thanks.
Skip Magnuson

Everywhere. When we hit hills, we get outta the saddle and keep pedalling. Going up is easy, going down is the hard part.

well, a lot of us ride them everywhere. the trick is to find a gear ratio that will barely get you up the steepest hill, without having to spin like crazy on the downhill (with a fixie, that is.... if you're riding SS, the downhill spinning obviously isn't a concern)

"where do people ride single-speeds?

pick one of your gears on your ten speed (something in the middle). ride it like that from now on, and if you encounter a hill or "grade" that you cannot physically climb up, then that is one of the places YOU cannot ride a single speed.

Every rider has different abilities and can run different gear ratios, it varies.

It takes a real man to walk his bike up a hill...it take even more a man to walk his bike DOWN a hill.

(Speaking from a brakeless point of view)

there are no flat roads where i ride
i also have two brakes so i might be a p ussy

Say again, over?

But you're healthy. There's no shame in having brakes.

hey formulaben, where'd you get that quote from bontrager? fantastic!

I saw it somewhere and thought it was so insightful regarding design compromises. Kinda says it all, huh?

I've walked my bike up a hill... It didn't feel very manly...

Not long after I started riding my fixie/SS I did a really big ride (wth the SS side) and it was in some hilly terrain. After going 50 miles I just couldn't go uphill in that gear. I was much too heavy and tired...the guying going the other direction just kinda looked at me. No words need be spoken. :mad: