Cyclaholic

I took the CAAD9 for a quick 60 mile ride with a few buddies, they were on their geared road bikes.

I thought I was going to be working harder but it felt like less effort than usual to maintain the pace. There was a lot of interest from the others in my 'new' ss/fg road bike, and a couple of them took turns swapping bikes with me for a few miles at a time.... They all got the same impression that it was a little less effort to maintain the pace once they got up to speed. Not what they expected.

The steeper hills were definitely harder work, but I was quicker up those simply because I can't downshift and had to hammer all the way up. That's the parts of the ride that got me hurting, and probably why my legs feel like I did heavy squats at the gym yesterday.

I don't have a computer but one of the guys that does reckons we averaged 21mph. We're planning a 100 mile ride next week.

Dion Rides

I have to completely agree with you. I thought I was out of my mind when I felt that my FG was "easier" to ride than my road bike. My theory is the deraillure and drive train is just simply less efficient - to get power through the mechanism you have to exert a little more energy. Basically, you get more power through the drive train on a simplier, FG/SS set-up.

You'll also find that sprints feel great, but you just eventually run out of pedal on the FG. Unless I'm going to be doing some crazy climbing where a granny-gear is desired, I totally prefer my FG as my "road bike".

Ken Cox

I find my fixed gear as quick around town as most geared bikes (and quicker than some), largely because of quicker acceleration; but, I think Cyclaholic's experience indicates a higher than average level of conditioning on his part.

When I rode a large gear (82 gear inches) I could average 19.7mph on rolling terrain with light winds and light traffic, which probably corresponds to Cyclaholic's 21mph.

I can also outclimb geared bikes on my normal hills, meaning, relatively short hills to which I have become accustomed, but, on really long climbs the geared bikes leave me behind both uphill and downhill.

A local geared bike rider says 19.7mph would keep me in the group, but I don't think I could do that for 60 miles, and especially with any long hills involved.

Hirohsima

Generally riding alone, SS I am faster than my geared road bike. But throw in a lot of stop signs, hilly terrain, or long distances,... (riding alone), I am slower. I have not taken the SS out on a fast group ride because my current gearing would have me spinning too fast to be efficient. I run a 48x16 right now, and the speeds of my group rides go between 21-30mph with an average around 23 for a 12 mile stretch (with slower sections tacked on to both ends). At that average, I would be spinng really fast to keep up, and would probably get dropped.

Sixty Fiver

SS / FG faster than a geared road bike ?

If we had riders of equal abilities on bikes with similar setups and weights the rider on a geared road bike will drop a rider on a fixed gear like a bad habit... by the time you get a fg up to speed the person riding the geared should be long gone if they know how to shift, should waste you on the hills and descents, and the only place where things might get even is on the flats and on very short climbs.

To stay even with a geared bike on the flats you need to push a really tall gear and I can spin out 100 gear inches on the flats and still have more gears to play with after that.

I am fast on my fixed gear road bike (I have multiple fg bikes) but can't get any faster than when I break out the old road bike.

jollysnowman

A SS bike is easier to ride because the drivetrain is much more efficient. No derailleurs or pulleys to go through, so less friction.

adriano 

we have a winner.

bhamlax

pass the kool-aid son.

queerpunk

The thing about "faster" is that it implies competition. And if you're competing, than somebody on a road bike will attack a person on a ss or fix until their legs fall off, and then they'll ride away, laughing, from that panting fool.

Yes, sometimes a ss or fix feels really smooth and effortless, to maintain tempo. It keeps you steady because you've got one gear, and you know if you're not on top of it because your cadence is slow so you've got to get on top of it.

But "faster"? Not if the road bikes are playing that game, too.

Sixty Fiver

He stated things correctly... mono speed bikes have a more efficient drive train as there is less friction loss without a derailer and no chain deflection.

If the engine had unlimited power and could spin at unlimited rpm's it would be superior but because a human being can only generate so much power and spin so fast, a geared drive maximizes the engine output despite being somewhat less efficient mechanically.

bhamlax

If he had said "somewhat" instead of "much more" I would agree.

btw your avatar has me loling with monty memories.

jollysnowman

Meh, semantics... no worries. Perhaps a better word is noticeable?

Raiden

My FG is by far my lightest bike, and I CAN accelerate and climb steep grades faster (a higher cadence becomes a necessity) on it than my other bikes- but neither for long, and any extra weight seems to carry an even higher penalty. On any long ride, my geared bikes will get my there faster and with less fatigue.

bhamlax

meh, I'm just surly cus I have to stay up and write a paper, not to mention the fact its like a brazilian degrees here.

Cyclaholic

The point about racing/competing is a good one. Let's be clear that I wasn't out racing, none of us were, we were on a social ride. If we were racing a couple of those guys would wipe the floor with me without breaking a sweat, regardless of what I was riding.

Maybe 'faster' was not the best choice of word in the thread title.... but I think you guys get the idea.

JacoKierkegaard

This. Period.

bratton