Fixed Wheel Q

the ferry

want to ride my fixed all winter but wondering if i can manage it on the sunday club run.

Is it easy enough riding in group situations?

oldwelshman

the ferry wrote:

want to ride my fixed all winter but wondering if i can manage it on the sunday club run.

Is it easy enough riding in group situations?

Yes it is fine as long as you use a front brake and lower gear than for track racing and preferably clinchers and not tubs

chrisw12

My view and given that I don't do many club runs, fixed is a nightmare when ridding with other people. You'll go slow when they go fast (uphill). They'll go fast when you go slow (downhill).

I live in mixed terrain and me taking my fixed wheel bike out ment that our routes were limited, this wasn't particularly fair on everyone else.

I'm sure the fixed brigade will be on to tell you how great it is, but hey that's the beauty of a forum.

oldwelshman

chrisw12 wrote:

My view and given that I don't do many club runs, fixed is a nightmare when ridding with other people. You'll go slow when they go fast (uphill). They'll go fast when you go slow (downhill).

I live in mixed terrain and me taking my fixed wheel bike out ment that our routes were limited, this wasn't particularly fair on everyone else.

I'm sure the fixed brigade will be on to tell you how great it is, but hey that's the beauty of a forum.

I used to go out with the ajax run on a fixed and did them on 84 inch which is a bot big really but I was fine going uphill due to weight saving but it was fun keeping up going downhill but good for high speed cadence training Certainly not for the fainthearted though.

Johnpwr

Riding on fixed in a group with freewheels is at best stressful, emotionally as well as physically, with the flywheel effect you have to be more attentive in the group because you are going to stop more slowly than those around you

Last winter, I rode 66" fixed and my average cadence was 90ish on rides of 18mph, but it topped out at over 180 on one or two hills ! (I'll be using my brakes a bit more this winter:) ) Fortunately, I'm picking the routes on my club-run at the moment, so when I'm on my fixed, I tend to avoid the steeper hills:)

I've turned off on a ride when I just couldn't face pedalling down some hills while everybody else coasted ! Admittedly I wasn't going too well at the time, which meant that I was uncomfortable.

If you're considering it, you know that you are going to try it a t least once so best of luck !!

the ferry

my fixed is 66inch which suits me even though most others are a bit higher.
To be honest bike handling is not my strong point so i think it will be my winter bike for the club runs and keep the fixed for solo or two up rides.

suze

We all used to ride fixed through the winter, club runs, commute.....basically all the time.
It's so much simpler in the winter too, no gears to get full of crud, only one brake, less to go wrong.

I used gear between 66" and 72". It always improved my pedalling style, cadence, and helped my strength when climbing. And it keeps you warm when going down hill.

As regards riding in a group then, you'll adapt and soon find that you keep up up hills and down hills too. There's also more control of pace.

Still I'm biased I ride track......have done for years.

cougie

I've not had any problems fixed on club runs. A few of our older guys ride fixed an awful lot and can spin downhill with the freewheelers no problems - you don't even notice they're on fixed.

Really for me - steep downhills are the only problem, but the fixed wheel is faster uphill anyway so it balances out.

Cant say I've noticed slower stopping - I'd say it should stop quicker than a freewheeled bike if anything - with three seperate braking systems on it.