#16
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Fixed fan here
I regularly ride my fixed gear bike, at least every 10 days. I just enjoy it, certainly cannot ride the same terrain as with gears. My bike has front and rear brakes and I use them in addition to holding back the crank. I ride 72 gear inches and find I can cruise at 18mph pretty comfortably and grunt up short hills. Riding fixed adds variety which keeps me inspired to ride. Highly recommended
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#17
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I miss my fixed gear. SS isn't the same.
A few tips: 1. Never, EVER! stop pedaling 2. If you forget #1 let your knees buckle so the bike doesn't spit you off. Brakes are good for us olde phartes. M |
#18
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No THANK GOD! I have big platform pedals.
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#19
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I guess you just need to slow for corners to avoid pedal strike? |
#20
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I guess I will just stick with this rather than go up and get some miles. I do have pretty strong legs but I have not ridden a lot so my stamina is poor. But just over the last 3 weeks of riding I feel stronger. |
#21
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...and learn where your pedals are going to hit BEFORE it becomes a problem. I found out the limit on my CX bike last Wed... Better to learn in practice before you find it on the road. M |
#22
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If you ride fixed without foot retention, you’re going to have a bad time.
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#23
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I still ride my fixed gear occasionally. I used to ride it quite a bit as it was my only road bike. I did several century rides and lots of grueling mountain climbs. The bike is so simple. Clean lines. No cables going to the back (just one for the front brake). Love it. Give Wabi bikes a look.
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#24
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I rode my fixed 42x17 from Menlo Park to the Stanford mini-loop yesterday. Sure, climbing wasn’t ideal and I had to control my speed on descents with my legs and front brake. But there is nothing I enjoy more than the connected feeling of one gear with no coasting.
Last edited by scottcw2; 09-02-2019 at 12:02 AM. |
#25
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Fixed is way more fun in the city with fat tires.
The Scorcher will teach you. |
#26
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Good on you for trying it out, well done. Read the above advice, it's all good. Keep your 42 x 16 and learn to use it, it's a perfect middle sized gear for road. You'll be thankful for it when you need to get home exhausted and riding into a 30kmh headwind. As for pedal strike; 3 things. First, track frames are constructed with a slightly higher bottom bracket for precisely this reason. A road fixed should be also, which is worth bearing in mind, since a cheap or converted road frame may not. Secondly, you can address this by using shorter cranks (which may obviate the problem). Shorter cranks will also speed up (marginally) your cadence and may well help leg and hip strain not becoming an issue. Thirdly, consider clipless pedals. Smaller pedal area = less chance of pedal strike when cornering. As you become expert at riding fixed gear then clipping in and out becomes a non issue; however slipping off a pedal at high cadence usually ends only one way and involves pain. Consider the excellence of foot retention offered by modern clipless pedal systems.
__________________
'Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer.' -- W. C. Fields |
#27
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#28
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175mm cranks on a fixie is a really bad idea
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#29
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Nobody cares what I think though
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#30
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I don't ride mine more than a few miles at a time, but I really like having it. It was a fun Peugeot (PX10?) restoration project. It's currently my only steel frame, lugged to boot. It's a great coffee shop or brewpub bike, but I don't have the control and confidence to use it as a commuter or otherwise, even after gaining considerable proficiency.
If all you're using are platform pedals without clips, counter pedaling isn't going to stop you effectively at all. Your option is to ride awkwardly slow. I use some old Maillard pedals and Christophe clips, and straps. Doing any sort of bunny hop is not necessary to make use of a skid to slow down IMO, and this technique is very useful keep speed down while descending, and to stop quickly whenever necessary. I do it in short, multiple skids when coming to a stop, as opposed to one long skid to a stop. I only seem to do it when my left foot is leading, which probably harkens back to my days as a regular foot skateboarder. I do not have any handbrakes. Call me mean names if you want, but again, I really only ride this thing in residential areas where traffic is at a minimum, for a mile or two at a time. Slow riding a fixie is a pleasure all its own. If pedal striking is a problem while cornering, your crank arms might be too long. I use 170s and had never had a hit. My pedals measure to 86mm from crankarm to the edge of the pedal (not the end of the rounded retains bolt, which would not make contact with the ground). If your pedals are long, that will also contribute to pedal strikes. I'd love to share a pic, but despite resizing it every which way I know how, can't seem to do it. Last edited by YesNdeed; 09-08-2019 at 01:02 AM. |
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