If you get a leg cramp while riding a fixed gear bike, you are pretty much screwed right?

I was just thinking, since yesterday while i was off the bike i got a cramp, and thought lucky i wasn't on my fixed...

What are you experiences with cramps while on the bike?

they go away with fitness and dont come back until you take time off

as far a what happens when riding, dunno, never had cramps on fixed gear, probably just stop, stretch and keep going

Not really. Would you say that some of the best tennis and football (soccer for you silly people) players out there are "not fit"? They do get a cramp during matches every now and again.
Strangely, I don't remember seeing cyclists get off the bike with a cramp.

Anyway, cramps come with exhaustion and losing minerals and whatnot. I guess a sudden bad cramp at high rpm's on a fixed could make you crash... but with muscles that tired you probably couldn't get up to high rpm's in the first place.

its part of the periodization process, ride a few hundred miles a week and find out for yourself, you will hit a phase where under hard long efforts cramps will come regularly, they go away with some more training, then they come back briefly whenever you take 2-3 days off.......its normal

its an easy way to crush those without proper training in a race too, been there done that, Ive never seen someone get off the bike and stop but I have seen guys just sit up and DNF in a race because of it

people playing soccer or tennis likely dont get enough leg work thats intense enough or long enough for it to happen often, but runners do, it happens to them too

for those that dont have the training, quick way to get cramps is ride at just under LT for about 45mins or more, thats usually where they show up

It will hurt but your leg won't be able to lock up. The momentum will pull your leg around until you unclip or eventually come to a stop.

It's just one more reason to have a brake. No matter how fit you are you will cramp sometimes if you push yourself.

I had this happen to me a couple weeks ago. I just pulled the cramped leg out and stuck it to the side, slowed to a stop with the other leg, and waited for the cramp to go away. I did come sort of close to crashing but managed to avoid it.

wait a half hour after eating to ride.

I find that keeping well hydrated, electrolyted, and fed during long rides is the key to avoiding cramps.

I figure ~ 1 bottle of water, 1 bottle of half strength gatorade or similar/hour.
I tape a packet of goo to my stem so that it's easy to get to if i start feeling hungry, and a bar or sandwich in my back pocket.

I cramped up at the end of the Tour da Bronx and while painful, it's not like I could do anything about it. I couldn't spin it out so I pulled over and stretched until the pain subsided enough that I could pedal again.

Were you on a fixed? Cause i could see getting a cramp on a free wheel you can just relax your leg, but when you are strapped (or clipped) in/on to a fixed, it must be crazy painful to have you cramped leg pulled and pushed, and then you crash.

it's not that bad, just stop and rest

this happened to me a few months ago but it was my fault cuz i was pushing myself too hard and was not fueled well enough for my efforts (yea and i was brakeless). i ran out of electrolytes was my issue. i was riding along with a friend and i felt it coming but though i could push thru it but didn't happen so i pulled over and stretched but that sucker stayed even after 5 min of doing it. He told me to buy a tomato and it will do the trick. sure nuff it worked and now after that i make sure i keep an energy bar or something with electrolytes to keep me going. but fueling well enough can play a part in avoiding it

when you are riding you can usually feel it coming. its a painful reminder from your body that you arent hydrated.

not always, you can have plenty of fluids and salts/vitamins and cramp up quite badly, when that happens its fitness, just the way it is