daven1986

I hear all the time that fixed gear is better for winter riding as you can feel if your rear wheel loses traction. However I haven't seen any information as to what you can do to prevent falling / sliding if this happens.

So: what do you do if this happens?

Thanks

Daven

Squirrelli

Rear wheel losing traction is not as scary as the front wheel losing it. If you are feel like your rear wheel is going to lose traction, just don't use your front brake, keep your wheels rolling and you won't fall all over the place.

paktinat

The only thing I notice is from a start, like at a light, you'll know when you are applying to much torque and you can back off.

other than that I dont think it's a magic bullet; but we dont get a lot of snow here, just a lot of cold.

Nuggetross

i prefer to not ride fixed in snow. that might just be because my fixed bike is rather aggressive, thus more weight on the front tire. but my beater redline 925 set up as an ss w/ risers is a good time. baskets on the rear add some extra weight to keep it planted.

ianjk

I'm the opposite, one frozen up freewheel is all it takes to ruin your day

Studded tires + front brake + fixed wheel = 5 more months of safe, solid riding.


Also, never, I repeat never try riding a downhill street with 23c slicks on an icy day...

Retro Grouch 

So how much does is snow during July in the UK?

Squirrelli

^ He wins.

elemental

I've heard this over and over, but I never quite understood it. My commuter/snow bike for the past few years was an old Trek set up with 'cross drops, a 1x7 friction shift drivetrain (which I really miss), and 38c tires with knobs on the corners (not my choice, but they came on the bike and the whole thing cost about as much as a set of tires). Despite not being fixed, I can't imagine ever having my rear wheel spinning without my noticing. Accelerating from a stop is pretty much the same no matter what you're riding: If you apply too much torque, you feel it slip. I can't see how this could be different on a fixed gear, a singlespeed, or a 27-speed tandem recumbent tallbike.

What I could understand is feeling your tire start to slide laterally while turning, though I've never ridden fixed in winter conditions.

seejohnbike

i think it has to do with braking, more than accelerating. on a start, all bikes feel slippage. on a stop, you'll feel even a slight loss of traction through your legs/whole body, and not just through your (perhaps numb) fingers on a brake lever. i would also speculate that modulating braking force (to find the sweet spot between slowing and slipping) is easier fixed in the winter, due to cold/numb hands vs legs, and not having to deal with wet rims (unless you run disc brakes).

maybe?

daven1986

As usual I'm thinking about my N+1!

Thanks for the replies, I guess it is mainly braking then that it helps with - backpressure probably is less likely to skid than brakes.

equusbynature

I've been told that riding a fixie will prevent you from slipping, but I think i'll take that notion with a grain of salt. I think that if your back wheel slips there is nothing you can do on a fixed that you can't do on any other bike to prevent yourself from falling. I think the best defense against ice in the winter is fatter tires. I rode 23c's through this past winter, and I was wishing the whole time I had some wider tires.

ianjk

Fat tires are cute on ice compared to a set of proper studs.

xavier853

Yes i would highly recommend fatter tires with spikes. It will help a lot.

Running 23c or even 25 is not a very good idea

daven1986

Got some studs

Thanks

paktinat

I ran 23 slicks all winter and only went down once on some black ice that studs wouldn't have save me from (it was a thin film on the bike path not enough meat to dig into)
If I had studs I'd probably would have gone faster in the winter; but my commute is only 4mi so i just dealt with it.

Also not much snow here; average about 2"-4" a month

daven1986

Yea not much snow in London, mainly ice.