First Fixie
 

Hi all,

Just got my first fixie and was wondering if anyone had some tips.

Having just tried it out in my garden I can see an issue being how to unclip! Am going to be practising more without clipless pedals, but was hoping for some advice for a seasoned lazy coaster!

Thanks

Daven

try straps instead of toe clips

I have clipless pedals (crank brothers candies) and don't have straps so... Also I am used to clipless as I use it every day on my other bikes.

do you mean toe clips or clipless?

either way, just keep practicing and it'll eventually feel natural

It just takes a few minutes of practice.

- Slow down a bit
- Unclip one foot while using the other to slow the bike more
- Stand up while the clipped foot is coming upwards from the back (this helps slow you down even more)
- Then when the back foot is going down the front side, set the first foot on the ground.
- Perfect landing.
- Unclip the second foot.


It would be the exact same procedure with toe clips, so they don't provide any advantage.

Edited the OP to be more clear! I meant clipless pedals.

Thanks, I'll practise more tomorrow. It feels odd, but I can see how it will provide a better ride (eventually!).

Watch what this guy does at the 13 second mark in this film.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1205031088

Make sure you know how hard you can turn on your bike so you don't strike. I don't know how long your cranks are but I've had problems with pedal strike with some fairly long crank arms and I've been bucked off a few times. Riding fixed has completely changed my pedaling style, it's much more efficient to put force on the cranks on the top and bottom of each crank as well as pull up on the upswing. It helps bouncing when spinning out too. You'll love it as soon as you get used to it.