Bike Forums - Century on a fixie

With a new baby and not much time for training, my goal for this summer was to complete a century on my fixie. Until yesterday, the longest ride on my fixie (Surly Cross Check) had been 37 miles. 100 miles and ~5400 ft of elevation gain is way way harder! The last 25 miles were definitely a challenge.

Overall, the 42x16 gearing worked ok. I resisted the urge to walk a few of the larger hills. By far, the hardest sections were the extended steep downhills. Thankfully, I put on front and rear brakes for the ride. If I had stuck to just a front brake, my left hand would have been fried.

The most exciting part of the ride was the downhill blowout at ~28mph. Tons of fun trying to get my hands onto the hoods so I could brake and get things under control. I actually had a big hole right in the center of the tire. I used a glueless patch on the inside of the tire and put in a piece of cardboard I found on the roadside. This setup and several stops to pump up the slowly leaking tube got me through to a 2nd aid station where, luckily, there was a mobile bike shop selling tires, tubes, etc. That was a saviour, as I thought I might have to abandon with 30 miles to go and a blown out tire.

Anyway, it was quite an experience. I'm not sure I'll repeat it. Single speed, maybe... That way I can enjoy the downhills as well as the uphills.

baker