ISO: Fixed Gear Riding Tips

[Bostic]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

The trouble for most comes when you come to a bump in the road...on a freewheeling bike we tend to pause pedaling when we come to a bump. We like to level the pedals and lift our butt off the saddle slightly, roll over the bump, and then drop back onto the saddle and start pedaling again. We barely stop pedaling but most of the time we do.

It's hard to train the brain to not do this on a fixed gear. You see the bump coming up, stop pedaling and lift the butt to better absorb the bump and this can go badly. The legs stiffen and lock but the pedals don't stop. The front pedal goes down and the rear comes up and this all too often pushes the already raised hips up and forward and if not caught very quickly can toss you right over the bars.

Don't ask me how I know.

Please read this several times over. A bump, Railroad tracks, debris. Anything that your eyes and brain see in front of you that reflexively tells you to relax and coast. You are in for a rude awakening until you unlearn that.

[bambam]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

As others have said you need to keep pedaling …

The trouble for most comes when you come to a bump in the road...on a freewheeling bike we tend to pause pedaling when we come to a bump. We like to level the pedals and lift our butt off the saddle slightly, roll over the bump, and then drop back onto the saddle and start pedaling again. We barely stop pedaling but most of the time we do.

It's hard to train the brain to not do this on a fixed gear. ...

Good advice. one way I think to get use to this is to imagine your in spin class.
They always got you standing up, hovering sitting down. Find a paring lot or road and practice this same technique.
Don't time you movement off the saddle. I.e try at different times because the road bumps wont always happen when your ready.

Can't see the pictures but the way I test my chain tension is to stand on the side, lift the back wheel up, put a pedal at 3 o'clock drop your foot more that pushing it and when it separates at 6 o'clock count the revolutions. I like min to be around 6 revs.

I always ride clipped in so as not to loose contact with the pedal.
I get a little more knee bend than on a geared bike. (feel it helps on circles and less of a chance of locking your knee and causing damage)
I use 5 mm shorter cranks for piece of mind pedaling through turns.
Don't worry about the bike weight, I feel a heaver fixed is more stable and less likely to jump underneath you.
Like other have said, back pedal to control speed and brake(s) to stop.
Hi cadence/speed 17 % deccents will illuminate your need for a back brake, but if they aren't in the plan a back break may not be necessary, back pressure and the front brake may be enough.
Search for other articles in the forum. I know this subject has been brought up before.

And when your hooked get Mr. Kirk to make you a Fixie. I did for my birthday once and road PBP in '15 on it as well as many centuries.

Ride safe,
BamBam

[Asudef]

^^Thats second nature to me now that I hadn't even really considered how it could happen.

If you really need to learn to skid, go to a grassy field or find some wet asphalt. Its much easier and you can get the mechanics right before having to fight the momentum.

It also depends on your gear ratios and tire. I've got ~75 gi which is relatively easy and gets me up almost any hill but my tire was too grippy to skid easily until its nearing the end life now.

[slowpoke]

If you haven't, please give the late Sheldon Brown's page a quick read:

https://sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

re: chain tension.. if you have cheap chainrings, they will not be as perfectly round, so your chain tension varies as you pedal. There will be tight spot and loose spots. Ideally, the chain tension should not vary that much so you can have some slack in the system without the chain falling off.

[bthornt]

This one minute youtube video should prove helpful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAs-N9R85L0

[Asudef]

If you're so inclined, I have the MKS tensioners and they're work great. Its like having the adjusters on horizontal dropouts to dial in the wheel. I mainly got them because I have Paul hubs though and they don't bite that well.

[brewsmith]

Originally Posted by David Kirk

My first ever skinny tire bike was a full on track bike and I did a 25 mile commute and group rides on it and I loved it. I miss it still and keep telling myself that I should build a new one just to have that wonderful connected feeling that only a fixed gear has.

Have fun, go slow at first, enjoy.

dave

The connected feeling is definitely something I though was all hype, but even after my first few rides, I definitely noticed a different feel when switching to geared. I think the new skill and hyper awareness has something to do with that.

[bironi]

I've been riding fixed mostly for the last 15 years.
I would advise a short crank, I use 165 with Speedplay Frogs.
I have never clipped a pedal since switching from a 170.
I like to take sharp turns so it's important to me.
I like the Frogs for very easy engagement and disengagement.
And the last few years post partial knee replacement, I been pulling my feet from the pedals to coast down steep hills on quiet roads to extend the lifetime of the knee hardware. I tuck my feet up and back behind the seat tube.
I feel safer on fixed gear in urban riding.
You'll find over time that you have better control in tight situations.

Anyway stick with it.
It's addictive.
Byron

[pasadena]

1. never stop pedalling.
2. never forget to 1.

That's it! The rest will come naturally.
Good luck

[ultraman6970]

Your pedaling technique will improve 100% after doing fixie for a while, actually the 1st time you go to a road bike you will be waiting for the pedal to go up by itself to clip in :P

All is about technique and fixie is the best way to get rid off of all those bad customs pedaling and riding you might have and you never noticed because u are forced to do things in a different way now.

As for the chain, yes is lose

The other thing, if you want to do this old style and that will help you even more with your technique is to just put regular pedals with cages, no straps but put with shoes with cleats obviously. You will be forced to pedal correctly ot the feet will fly off the pedals, is hard to do if your technique is weak. And with super light gears like 47x20... 48x17... once you master that you will feel the difference.

Originally Posted by brewsmith

The connected feeling is definitely something I though was all hype, but even after my first few rides, I definitely noticed a different feel when switching to geared. I think the new skill and hyper awareness has something to do with that.

[19wisconsin64]

Nice Ride! Here are a few pointers-I've been riding fixed gear vintage steel frames for the past 20 years. A De Rosa, a Cinelli, a Motobecane, and a Davidson......thousands of memorable miles!

-everything needs to be dialed in and tuned up properly so you can ride efficiently, comfortably, and safely. your chain is just a little too loose, so you are correct, take out a link or two and then check the chain line while you are at it.

-little changes make big differences on fixies. check the brake pads to make sure they are fresh, clean, and are properly set up. you may not use your brakes much, but when you do you'll need all the power they have. You’ll need to practice panic stopping before you need to panic stop too….it’s different than on a geared bike.

-consider getting a very high-quality chain and rear cog. EAI makes some amazing cogs-they are very quiet and well made. quiet is good. can't tell if your bike is set up for 1/8 or 3/32 chain, but either way, make sure the chain is clean and in good condition.

-consider your gearing-you don't want to be in a gear that is too difficult or too easy. it's better to start with a slightly easier gear and then slowly change it to faster gear setups once you are more experienced. because you are part of a direct-drive transmission, keep in mind the faster you go the more kinetic energy you have and will need to slow down-sounds like normal common bike sense, but it's amplified on a fixed gear. When you first start riding take it easy on your knees! Power, cadence, speed will come with practice and time.

-the rims on the bike you have might be older-school narrow rims and the ride might be on the stiffer side. If your going to do a lot of miles, consider a wheelset that has wider rims that have a wider internal width. This will make you faster, the ride will be more comfortable, and the braking will be better. The best I can think of would be a Dura Ace low flange hubset laced to some HED alloy clincher rims like the Belgium models they have. High flange hubs and high profile narrow rims are cool looking for the track, but on real roads they are painful to ride. A cheap fix would be to try 25 mm tires or even 28’s if they will fit.

-be prepared to slightly adjust everything to become more efficient. Your cleat position, your saddle height, your stem reach and height. Once dialled-in you should be smooth rolling. This is just part of where riding a fixie makes you a better rider.

On a fixie it’s “ power power power power….” You’ll swim your bike forward like a shark and learn to sustain more watts than you thought you could ever do. Well, there’s that, but there’s also the “in the moment” aspect of fixie riding that amplifies the cycling experience. Riding a fixie will make you enjoy the sport even more...good luck! dave

[NHAero]

The road I live on is paved with speed bumps, so great for practicing the "keep pedaling over obstacles" process! And the 10 mile loop around the State Forest has transverse cracks, somewhat the same thing. When I'm out of practice riding the Nagasawa I ride that loop until my legs remember what to do. That bike has front and rear brakes so easier on the knees than previous fixed gear bikes I've had.

Originally Posted by David Kirk

As others have said you need to keep pedaling or the poo can hit the fan. This isn't all that hard most of the time and you'll find that you become hyper aware while normally rolling along. Good stuff.

The trouble for most comes when you come to a bump in the road...on a freewheeling bike we tend to pause pedaling when we come to a bump. We like to level the pedals and lift our butt off the saddle slightly, roll over the bump, and then drop back onto the saddle and start pedaling again. We barely stop pedaling but most of the time we do.

It's hard to train the brain to not do this on a fixed gear. You see the bump coming up, stop pedaling and lift the butt to better absorb the bump and this can go badly. The legs stiffen and lock but the pedals don't stop. The front pedal goes down and the rear comes up and this all too often pushes the already raised hips up and forward and if not caught very quickly can toss you right over the bars.

Don't ask me how I know.

IMHO the skill to work on is riding over bumps while maintaining your cadence. Try it in a grassy area or empty parking lot until you can unweight the saddle while keeping the cadence.

My first ever skinny tire bike was a full on track bike and I did a 25 mile commute and group rides on it and I loved it. I miss it still and keep telling myself that I should build a new one just to have that wonderful connected feeling that only a fixed gear has.

Have fun, go slow at first, enjoy.

dave

[bronk]

Like several others, I've been riding fixed exclusively for the last 5 years or so and happily admit to being totally addicted. A couple additional pluses I'd like to mention:
-- fixed gear allows you to track stand much easier than a geared bike. Learn it, practice it, eventually do it no handed and enjoy it.
-- fixed gear allows you to try out different handle bar styles without looking like a total dork. Yes, maybe a hipster.
-- fixed gear allows you to wear whatever clothes and shoes you have on at the moment. No need for proper cycling kit.

Once you go fixed, you may never go back. Enjoy.

[Drmojo]

live fixed or die tryin’
I miss Sheldon
the guru
the master
We finished Big Fix 2006 in Boston on his birthday!
He went to our dinner finale
3400 miles fixed
Coast to Coast
no Coasting
Enjoy the ride....