I am doing the cross-Canada touring thing this summer and was wondering whether it is feasible to do thousands of kilometeres on a fixed gear. Any advice?

why don't you ask gordon taylor?

i'm riding minneapolis to ohio this fall, so it better be possible.

and if it's not, i'll make it possible.

There's some guy on this forum who did 500 miles and all that on his Pista. I think he did Ragbrai or sumpin' ... damn, can't remember who.

that would be stickerguy, perpetually giving full-kit roadies a run for their money all over the greater chicagoland area.

That was a supported ride if I remember correctly - their stuff was carried in a van. Pretty hardcore though - that's something I would like to work up to. Century first though.

I've been considering doing some short 3-4 day tours myself this summer, couldn't decide on fixed vs. geared. I'll try to get my stamina up on fixed, see how I hold up on a century ride or two, and then take it from there. An internally geared 7-speed hub may be in my future. Or not.

About 4 of us are going to give it a shot this summer, not sure where we are going yet.

the bike that jon is gonna be building for me is gonna be for fixie touring, i plan to be using it on the boston montreal boston ride...

alexi, i'm curious, since i'm building a touring fixie for myself soon (hopefully)...how are you dealing with fenders? are you going to have some eyelets mounted on track ends? are there good ways to deal with the need to change the tire with track ends with fenders on?

if it's custom you could use an EBB and vertical DO's.

It's funny too, I initially have this reaction of "huh?" before I realize all those guys touring back in the day were doing it on fixed-gears that were really heavy, not to mention high-wheelers and such! More power to you, I think fixed touring is badass!

I am new to fix, but this summer I did VA to OR on a geared touring bike. Fix touring is possible. However the simplicity of a FG may complicate things. It is relatively easy to chose the appropriate gear for urban areas or a hilly commute, but what is appropriate for Kansas may not work in Appalachia. I am not familiar with the topography of Canada but would imagine it is similar to the US. I would be afraid of spinning myself to exhaustion or killing my knees. Even geared touring presents potential knee issues. Gordon Taylor is traversing a relatively flat area of the US, I don’t know about the rest of his journey. Personally, I feel that FG touring may actually detract from the cycling experience and isn’t that what FG is all about? Regardless, I am mighty impressed by all who pull it off.

Your concern is valid but a flip-flop with a nice rolling gear and a nice climbing gear should be good. If a person's really concerned they could take along a couple of extra cogs in different sizes to be sure to have one should they need to really change gears.

i found this awhile ago

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...light=daughter

Just as Fixies don't look like mainstream bikes, Fixie Touring might not necessarily look like mainstream touring (presently, it does look like maintstream touring with only one gear).
One might take a more lightweight and minimalist approach to Fixie Touring.
What if a rider carried only what would fit comfortably in a Messenger Bag?
Yes, that level of lightweight and compactness costs big bucks, but it represents an alternative way of looking at touring.

As for fenders, I use SKS RaceBlades.
They weigh almost nothing, they pop on and off, and they work, if not perfectly then well enough.

Around May or so, I plan on riding from Chicago to Columbus and am taking a very minimalist approach. I'll be riding my fixed. I considered using my backpack to hold gear (i have a pearl izumi bag that's super confortable) but I realized that even 10 extra pounds pressing down on my naughty bits for 4 days would probably get really uncomfortable, really quickly. I'll probably buy some small paniers, mainly to hold food, tools, and a tarp. I'm not taking a tent, I'm not taking a sleeping bag, no stove, nothing like that... Only essentials. Think about it... that's how people used to travel. I'm looking forward to this being a trip where I get to know myself and my bike really well. If you haven't tried camping under the stars, try it. There are few things I find more pleasurable.

This is a good thread.

Some of the DCC will be riding to Milwaukee this summer, a very small run (100-120 miles or so one way) but it should be fun regardless.

BostonTrevor said it right - install different cogs and you got yourself two gears to work with if you need to. One for the flats, one for the hills.

The thing with minimalism - I like this. Indeed, it's like the old days. I think a messenger bag's worth of stuff would be fine. At most I'd add a saddlebag. How far could you go?

Regarding ten pounds pressing on one's back for four days: my son commutes to school and formerly used a conventional double-shoulder strap bike pack for his athletic gear and books, and didn't like it; and, he now uses a Chrome Messenger Bag, carries more, and finds it very comfortable - but it costs one hundred and fifty dollars.
A microlight tent and a super quality down bag weigh, together, five pounds - but, they cost five hundred dollars.
Do everything, weigh nothing clothing packs down to tininess - but it costs five hundred dollars.
Catch my drift?

Some people on this forum receive understandable pleasure from building a fixie for the fewest dollars.
I wonder if a person could put together a light, cheap, minimalist touring package that would not require panniers.
I need to think about that.

additionally, I don't think of "minimalist" touring as touring with a credit card. despite the fact that you're not carrying much gear, to me it seems more like "maximist" camping. You can get what you want, when you want it, and depending on your credit limit that may mean a lot of stuff you don't need.

Make a list of things you think you need to take on a tour, and then remove %50 of the things you though you needed. Then get on the bike! I promise you won't die. Promise! Hell, it could be more fun that you imagine.

Absntr wrote:

"At most I'd add a saddlebag."

Don't they make a thin bag that hangs from the top tube and fits in the triangle?

you can! I'm budgeting less than $100 on this trip, and I doubt i'll even come close to that mark.
I may have one small pannier bag, but that just seems to be the best way to carry a few things. Basically, the only think i'm taking besides food & a couple of tools is a tarp. I'll sleep in fields, under bridges, forests, etc.

I wouldn't think of minimalist touring that way either. There's a great book.reference that Fugazi dave recommended me last summer, it's called The Complete Walker (currently in its fourth edition). Some of you may have read it or have it. It's a handy reference for walking/hiking but a lot of it could apply to touring in general or any kind of exploration.

I think you could get away with a lot of military surplus gear. That way it keeps your cost down for stuff that has at one point been field tested.

Ken - regarding the higher quality cost of stuff, I believe in gear. I really do. I'm a minimalist at heart in the sense that I buy one thing, but of the highest quality. I believe that if you do so once, you'll never end up replacing it. My father always reminded me of that, everytime I wanted to buy something of a lesser value because I could afford it. He said to save up instead and get the better quality gear. I have things that I've used for years. There's a belt I own that I bought when I was 15 (I'm 27) and I still use it. I paid more for it, but it's been worth it. I too, own a Chrome and consider that it will be the last messenger bag I will own (unless something happens to it).

Teadogg - good stuff. It's good to work withn a budget because then you're preparing yourself mentally for the challenges ahead. I can dig that.

absntr makes one of my favorite philosophical points. every time i even THINK about buying something, i ask myself, "how temporary is this?"

this is why i'm a vegan who loves his brooks saddle.

the idea of getting what you pay for is a bit less important to me, because i'm convinced that whatever it is that you want, someone nearby is throwing it away. it's the american way.

Buy it nice, or buy it twice.

yeah ragbrai was awesome! especially fixed.
we had a van which was really great since we could
hit up costco & have plenty of capri suns & gatorades.
and lawn chairs.

Once I did a short camping trip by myself in wisconsin
and I used a large saddle bag, a triangle frame pack,
and my messenger bag. (ended up my timbuk2
was lighter when it was filled with clothes instead of
my normal commuting junk). it was a lot of fun.
I left my stuff at a LBS so I could do a 60 miler on
the hills of kettle moraine, wi in just my spandex.

If I had to do a self supported tour I wouldn't bring
much more stuff, but I would definitely ask AL5 &
Ryan_C about getting a rack & panniers.

have fun,
jeff

dumpster dive it nice, or steal it if you can't!