hey all. so i've recently got a redline monocog that i'm using as my "have crazy fun/ raise hell around the city/ commuter/ delivery" ride. i don't do much trail or off road riding at all, so i've got some slicks on there and it's been a blast. i'm also in the process of building up/putting together a fixie to train on and take to this secluded unused track by my house. it'll also be a cruise around town ride as well.

here's my question. on the redline i find myself getting out of the seat on long climbs, like say going up the williamsburg bridge (for those that know it). it's a long hill, but not a terribly steep one. i've noticed, for some reason, that fixed or track bike riders hardly leave the saddle. now i know this is partly because leaving the saddle messes up your cadence and rhythm a bit, but is staying seated while going uphill on one gear not hell on the knees? or is it that the track geometry is better suited for this and feels better when you're sitting down?

it's also a question of gearing i suppose, but my gearing right now is so that i can get speed and have fun on relative flats, which is what most of NYC is, and so i can also get my ass up the few hills around without a crazy struggle. so when going from moutain bike to road/track bike does the gearing have to change immensely if being used for the same thing?

i think i've asked more than i intended to, but thanks in advance for all your help and advice.

tami

I don't know who you have been watching, but my butt is out of the saddle a lot. Starting, hard climbing and braking are mostly out of the saddle for me.

I find that my spin is far better in the saddle than out. There is a feeling of momentum at higher cadences. If I concentrate on the spin instead of the hill I climb more efficiently. Try a fixed cog on your mono and see how if you ride differently. The only time I'm out of the saddle on a regular basis is when starting out at a light.

Cheers
Chris

I get out of the saddle to start out at times. I am running a 43 x 14. It needs a little more weight to kick up a start. I think it does abuse my knees a bit and for that I may go to a 16 or 17 in the back. But I have not decided yet. Anybody have any recommendations?

on my single speed mountain bike i run a 2:1 ratio with 175mm cranks. when i am around town, i lower my seat so i have more crotch clearance for hopping stuff. when i am on the trail, i raise my seat to more of a cross country level. with my seat higher i feel less of a need to get out of the saddle for climbs. either way, a 2:1 ratio seems to require a bit more out of saddle riding than my two fixies. i run a 3:1 ratio with 170mm cranks on both of them. i don't get out of the saddle too much, unless sprinting or going up a huge hill or starting from a stand. isn't the monocog a 2:1 ratio stock?

I'm out of the saddle for starts and hills and sometimes stops. But when I ride a bike with a freewheel I'm only out of the saddle for starts and hills and sometimes stops so.....
I'm at 2:1 on my SS mountain bike and it feels silly riding around on pavement, just too much spin. I run 42:16 2.65/1 on my general purpose fixie but I don't actually ride around in any urban areas, I really dig that gear. On my newest fixie I run 52/16 which is my super fast crazy fun open road bike, the gear is really too tall though and I can't imagine what would happen if I actually had any hills where I ride.
For urban stuff (if it was me) I'd run 42/16 - 42/18 with a 700c wheeled bike. A little less speed and a little more get up and go. But that's just me.

Most of the guys over at Old Skool Track run low 70's if they ride brakeless. I tried it 2 months or so ago and have become a convert. I used to ride in the mid 70's to mid 80's and would go fast on the flats but those hills were a mutha. Now the hills are a cinch and the flats are almost as fast and I have more braking control riding brakeless. I even changed one bike over to 68 to see if I liked it and it is a gas for just noodling around town. That is what works for me now.

fixedgearhead

Don't think about it too much - it's not really that important when or where you stand up. if you feel the need......stand up.

The general rule for when I'm singlespeeding, is I only get out of the saddle if I have to, or when I need a stretch. Part of the whole concept of single gear riding is to be able to focus on your spin, and generating power by pedalling in circles, not just stomping on the pedals.

I have no self control, so I have to run 42/17. After I took my brakes off, I was still running a 48/16, and could get up to a pretty swift pace. The only problem is that I have to play in traffic, and car sharking at 30mph without brakes can get really nasty. With 42/17, I spin out before I get to a speed that would make an emergency stop impossible. I've gotta keep my ass in line!

p.s. Even a 42/17, I'm still able to push mid-twenties, so it's not completely intolerable.

when going from a mountain to a road/track frame, the gearings would have to change because of the differences in the wheel & tire size... their subsequent higher efficiency and also that of the better geometry

i used to commute with 1.35" semi-slicks on my MTB... now i dont feel like going any faster than a cruising pace on the streets with it because it just doesnt feel right