Phil_gretz

Be conscious of "pedal strike" when making tight turns, as your inside pedal will pass through its lowest position. So, you'll have to get a sense of how much inward lean is too much, and how to use the periodicity of the pedals to your advantage when turning quickly. You'll get the knack...

ianjk

Brakes are nice to have. I've heard mixed opinions on the S3X hub. Not sure if I would trust it as my only means of stopping, especially in an urban setting (shear a key in the hub or toss/break a chain and your SOL). Plus, if you ever end up in fender-bender/tangle up with a car/pedestrian, having a "legal" bike may keep you out of legal troubles.

TejanoTrackie 

The severity of pedal strike is dependent on bottom bracket height and crank arm length. That is why track bikes have higher bottom brackets and shorter crank arms. If the OP is running longer cranks on a road frame, he will need to be very careful when cornering. All of my fixed gear bikes have 165mm cranks and are built on track frames with high bottom brakets. I have a single speed bike with a road frame and 170mm cranks, and have accidentally had pedal stike in a turn when I forgot to coast with the inside pedal up.

CJWIZVRDGVNG

My advice:

Don't be nervous. It's like riding a bike...

highonpez

I'm kinda in the same boat. Just put a flipflop wheelset on my beater single speed and rode it a tiny bit tonight as it was raining and dark. Tomorrow brakes are going on that thing. Then we're going on an adventure. But so far even when I forgot to pedal the worst that happened was I popped out of the seat and then caught the pedal on the downturn. Straps are a nice invention.

JohnDThompson 

Also lean angle, which is dependent on speed. The faster you go, the more you can lean in a corner and the more likely you are to strike a pedal.

trevor_ash

That!

And don't worry about all the pedal strike stuff If it happens you'll live.

pkpyro

Here's a guide to riding fixed that I wrote for my bike club at school. Been riding fixed for two weeks, but my learning curve is very steep... can do seated skids and no hand track stands now.

Tutorial (?):
Baby steps! Transition is important.

1. Pick one gear, and stick with it.
Whether mountain bike or road bike, there usually is one gear that most people are constantly in / switch back and forth from most frequently. Pick that gear or a suitable gear for everyday riding (middle sprocket, small cog on most bikes) and stick with it for a couple weeks. Do NOT touch those shifters!

2. Do not coast.
The "wtf" factor of fixies, according to people who don't know how to ride fixies, is the inability to coast. It makes sense, then, to try riding your bicycle without coasting. On your next trip to the store or school or work, try to constantly keep pedaling. You can coast at corners, but over time, try to take those corners so that your pedals are always on the move.

3. Use foot retention systems
Clips or clipless, use some sort of foot retention system. For reference, most fixie riders go with clips / straps.
Fixed gear riding is easier and makes you feel more connected when your feet are one with the bike.
Grab a cheapo pair from your LBS used bin or your local co-op, or buy your friend a beer and get convince him to upgrade to new straps and give you the old ones. You can upgrade these later. You've got to be able to strap in fairly comfortably. Keep in mind that your pedals will be moving constantly on a fixie. Regardless of bike set-up, most people will forget that their foot is attached and fall a couple times. It's usually less painful to do this on a free wheeled bike.

4. Ride a fixie / SS!
Not what it looks like. This is only if you have a friend that has a fixie / SS. Get a feel for it - Numbers 1-3 were simulations of what it would be like to ride an actual fixie. SS is the closest you can get to a fixie, I suppose.

Conversions are a hassle, especially if you ride fixed for a week and want to switch back. That's a lot of work. If you're buying a new bike, you're going to have to give it away or sell it. Though... in your case with 3-speed hubs, I don't know how that will work.

5. Enjoy!
Now you can ride your own fixie. Enjoy the stealthyness of fixies and pimp it up! Come back to this forum for some advice later on.

Other thoughts:
RUN BRAKES. As other people said, brakes are CRUCIAL in the learning stage. You can pop out no brakes later if you get that comfortable, but if you're riding in traffick, I recommend you run at LEAST a front brake. It's the smart thing, and in most states, it's required by law.

I've never seen geared fixed gears before. Is that even possible? It's an internal hub shifter so I'm not sure how chain tension / all that jazz will work. Be careful and don't do anything crazy for the first couple weeks.

If you want to go brakeless, keep in mind that in the *fingers crossed* case of derailment or other object in your drive terrain (jeans, perhaps?), you lose 100% of your braking ability. You fall in traffic with your feet still in the pedals... that's not a good thing.

Hope this long tutorial helped!

GMJ

If you can ride a bike, you can ride a bike fixed. Honestly. It was awkward going around turns fast for like one day.

highonpez

Went on my first real fixed ride today. About 10 miles. Just take it slow and cautious at first and try not to forget to stop pedaling. Worst thing that happened to me was some mild pedal-strike. It was fun and odd and I'm not sure if I'm hooked yet. We'll see how this goes, but it's nice to know I have a freewheel on the other side.

bbattle

How many teeth does your chainring and cog have? If the lower gears on your SA hub feel too easy, get a smaller cog to raise them up. Use this gear calculator to see how different chainring/cog ratios affect the gearing. www.sheldonbrown.com/gears



The rule on owning bikes is N +1 with N being the number of bikes you currently own. Just as you wear different clothes for different situations, there is a bike for every occasion. Hang them on the wall, from the ceiling, etc. Ask the Classic and Vintage forum how they manage their stables; some of them have dozens of bikes. I have just 8 now but have had over 12 before. They come and go.


Some other tips for riding fixed: When looking over your shoulder at traffic or that cute girl on the sidewalk, don't forget to pedal. People will often coast in that situation but on a fixie, that'll get you thrown out of the saddle. Also, take corners easier until you get the hang of them because you can't coast and if you lean too far over(going too fast) you'll have a pedalstrike and that can lead to a bad day.

chanamagoo

Thanks for all the input, it's really nice to have kind of a running list of things to be careful of when going fixed for the first time...I didnt even KNOW about the pedal strike thing!

pkpyro, that was a very helpful tutorial...thanks! I'm definitely going to invest in straps...and I have been trying to continually pedal on my commutes, though like you said, the corner thing is a little tricksy and I have a hard time maintaining my pedal stroke through turns.

And bbattle, I would never have thought about the looking over your shoulder thing (though, as a single lady of the hetero persuasion, I would probably be checking out the single fella...or lets be honest, his bike...). And I didnt think about getting a smaller cog to raise up the gears a bit...I think the fixed cog has the same number of teeth as what I have on the bike right now, so maybe I'll invest in a smaller cog and see what happens.

I'm definitely going to practice a bit before taking it out onto the open road for a commute...Theres a park a few blocks from my bike shop that I can tool around in for a bit and then head home.

I also appreciate the "It's a bike...just ride it." sentiments...Sometimes I over-think things and then talk myself out of things...a lot of times, I'm a lot more successful if I just DO IT instead of TALKING about doing it...

misskaz

Girl, I do this too. I am the Queen of Overthinking Things. I did it about riding fixed (it's no big, you can do it, just DO IT) and I did it about trying cyclocross. Every time, afterwards I think "why did I make such a big deal out of this?"

JUST RIDE YO BIKE. You will love it.

Street rider

I had the same thing. Especially since I had just gotten on campus, so not being able to coast when I was weaving through people and such. You get used to it, and it becomes not a big deal after only a short time.

SSbalt

So... I started riding fixed gear about a week ago. I was getting really sketched out riding down hills with sharp turns at the bottom. I didn't want to get going too fast to slow myself and hit some gravel or a some small child wandering into my path - so I wussed out and installed a front brake.

I feel like it was the responsible thing to do for myself and others. I just can't skid yet with my noodle legs and 48/15 gearing.

Maybe once I get more comfortable with it I will ditch the brake.

GMJ

Nothing wuss about it. Good for emergencies and if you ever get smoked by a car, your bike is "legal". Don't let anybody tell you different. If someone looks down on you for running a brake, ignore them.

highonpez

Just installed a back brake to match the front one today. Safety is cool.

GMJ

I actually took off my back brake when I converted to fixed. I feel that my feet act as the brake in the rear and the back brake would be redundant. Symmetry is also cool though.

Accordion

I had a pista for awhile and it was really fun. I sold it and still miss it. I have tens of thousands of miles over the past twenty years on geared road bikes but other than my beach cruiser I had more fun on the fixie than anything else. It's not really a problem riding fixed. My body adjusted in about 5 minutes but I did almost get launched in the first corner because I wasn't given any warning and wasn't bright enough to think about how you go on autopilot and coast around corners.

I'm finally looking to get back into it. Thought about picking up the new Pista - I like Bianchi (long story - distant relations from Italy) and I'm an old dude so I'm not really into what's cool. That Kilo TT does look nice and it's $300 cheaper.

I just put on clipless pedals and ride the things stock anyway so it doesn't matter. You'll love it.

zoltani

I run two brakes as well.

FYI...You have to be aware that if you are flying down a hill and you use the rear break even a slight amount of back pressure on the pedals can send you into a skid. This would not be good if you are leaning into a turn and don't expect it.

highonpez

Word. Always **** around in a parking lot on your new setup before going into the real world.

Ha. I so almost typed that too.

m4rx12

Definitely invest in some pedal straps for retention. Also rock a brake until/if you feel you are up for brakeless. Might be a good call to wear a helmet too

Velognome 

[QUOTE][I've heard mixed opinions on the S3X hub/QUOTE]

The first set of Hubs had problems, SA was fast to replace the internals if you asked. Been riding a s3x for 2 years daily, a mix of 10 milers and all day rides. I'm approaching 50 so the 2 lower gears help with aging knees. As mentioned before the learning curve for riding fixed is steep. Just get out and do it, be cautious and in no time it will become second nature.

party1234

Sometimes.

Velognome 

but you'll never be the same again