first metric century fixed
08-13-07, 12:49 PM
#51
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Noticed 1 other dude riding fixed--he was on an orange Milwaukee. There was also a guy on a time trial bike with the aero-bars and rear disk wheel, but I only saw his non-drive side, so I didn't know if he was fixed or not.
08-13-07, 12:58 PM
#52
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Speaking of which, I'd love to get together with any other fixed guys or gals from Wisconsin to do a ride if there are any out there who are interested
08-13-07, 02:16 PM
#53
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A metric century is my longest fixed ride, too. I did one here in Texas hill country a few months back and it sounds like similar terrain. When a hill's steep enough, you don't really have any choice on a fixed gear but just attack it, rather than gear down and pace yourself up like on a road bike. I sometimes feel like an ass, like the guy I'm passing thinks I'm being macho or something, when in reality I'd take the hill much differently on my road bike.
Anyway, nice job. And yeah, you get used to going up hills, but after a while your legs feel desperate for a chance to coast back down.
Anyway, nice job. And yeah, you get used to going up hills, but after a while your legs feel desperate for a chance to coast back down.
08-13-07, 06:43 PM
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I have found the more I bike the less I have the urge to smoke. When I was pounding those hills and my lungs were burning, all I could think of was "thank god I quit smoking." Now, everytime I have a nicotene urge, I think of how my lungs feel when hill climbing and how they used to feel when I was still smoking, and the urge passes.
08-13-07, 10:12 PM
#55
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you're going to find out real fast that that's bad news for the knees. it's been posted before - hardcore backpressure, especially in a high gear, is something the knees have not evolved to handle well.
08-13-07, 10:48 PM
#56
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Thanks for the info skankin'. Maybe I should get a jersey too, cuz I sure as **** ain't takin' my mess bag on a long as ride and it would be nice to have a place to put some ****. The rear bottle mount thing sounds like a good idea too. I've gone out many times without water, telling myself I'm only riding 30 miles and I'll be ok and would have really liked to have had some water. I would get a camelback if I could afford one. Someday.
08-13-07, 11:03 PM
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Nashbar has big assed bar bags on sale for $20, 50% off. I just ordered one for fixed ld riding (with free shipping!), and i'm looking forward to storing lunch and extra bottles of water in there where I can access it while rolling on ld rides. I ran panniers for awhile but having to stop to get things out is kind of a buzzkill, and having the weight at the back makes skipping much harder and makes the bike feel less like a fg. Before that I used a backpack and that just doesn't cut it over the long haul.
