Fixie fascination... - Page 2

johnniecakes · #16 09-01-2019, 07:00 PM

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

Gummee · #17 09-01-2019, 07:05 PM

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

stephenmarklay · #18 09-01-2019, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veloo

Were you using clipless pedals?

No THANK GOD! I have big platform pedals.

stephenmarklay · #19 09-01-2019, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joel

Welcome the to the world of fixed gears!

I'm one of those strange humans who actually likes the feel of a fixed gear more than a freewheel. I've never quite put it into words, but there is an element of control and "one-ness" with the bike that nothing else quite gets close to. Learning how to spin without spinning out or bouncing is a life lesson that really makes you smooth (or you find yourself in a ditch!). Keep those gears low and knees happy!

Front brake is mandatory for the road if you want to live to an old age.

Four fixed gears in my stable, two from my coaches when I was a kid at the St. Louis Cycling Club. All get used...

1924 DOT Bike (Chester Nelsen Sr.'s Olympic Training Bike)
1946 DOT Bike (Chester Nelsen Jr's Olympic Training Bike)
1984 Gitane Kilo (Their el-chepo club model)
2009 Bianchi Pista Chrome (With a gazillion miles on it - daily trainer)

Enjoy!

Joel

Thanks Joel. The one thing that I am not sure I will be able to get used to is the cornering.

I guess you just need to slow for corners to avoid pedal strike?

stephenmarklay · #20 09-01-2019, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by witcombusa

The UK folks have a lot of fixie history for training and racing on the road.
The old standard is 65 inches for men, 60 inches for women. This was early season training to get some legs under you. Nothing bigger in inches till you got your first 1k miles in. They want the revs up and the torque on the knees down. Riding that 65" gear will really help you with your form and condition.
(their island is a bit flatter than where I live but it is always a great place to start. Anyone riding a fixie on public roads without a front brake is an idiot)

Interesting. Mine came with a 42/16 which is a bit more at 72. I like it pretty well and can climb the less steep (maybe 6-7% grade) fine. It is also a flat bar bike and it is not particularly light.

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.

Gummee · #21 09-01-2019, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephenmarklay

Thanks Joel. The one thing that I am not sure I will be able to get used to is the cornering.

I guess you just need to slow for corners to avoid pedal strike?

Learn to lean you, not the bike.

...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

jtbadge · #22 09-01-2019, 08:23 PM

If you ride fixed without foot retention, you’re going to have a bad time.

p nut · #23 09-01-2019, 08:35 PM

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.

scottcw2 · #24 09-01-2019, 10:09 PM

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.

kingpin75s · #25 09-01-2019, 10:43 PM

Fixed is way more fun in the city with fat tires.

The Scorcher will teach you.

rustychisel · #26 09-02-2019, 03:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by witcombusa

The UK folks have a lot of fixie history for training and racing on the road.
The old standard is 65 inches for men, 60 inches for women. This was early season training to get some legs under you. Nothing bigger in inches till you got your first 1k miles in. They want the revs up and the torque on the knees down. Riding that 65" gear will really help you with your form and condition.
(their island is a bit flatter than where I live but it is always a great place to start. Anyone riding a fixie on public roads without a front brake is an idiot)

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.

stephenmarklay · #27 09-02-2019, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rustychisel

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.

Thank you for the advice. Also, you are correct my particular bike does have a high bottom bracket. Though, I do have longer cranks (175mm) so it is really a wash.

mtechnica · #28 09-02-2019, 09:32 AM

175mm cranks on a fixie is a really bad idea

mtechnica · #29 09-02-2019, 09:57 AM

Nobody cares what I think though

YesNdeed · #30 09-02-2019, 11:10 AM

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.