what fixed

I've been drawing a blank in other areas of the forum so...
I've never used a fixed wheel but I'm looking to try one. As it'll be my 1st, I'm not looking to build one myself.
someone recommended an On One Pompino. After looking at their site there sems to be the Pompino and the "pro" (with drops) the standard bars look a little odd.
39x16 has been suggested
any advice is welcome to this novice
I've never used a fixed wheel but I'm looking to try one. As it'll be my 1st, I'm not looking to build one myself.
someone recommended an On One Pompino. After looking at their site there sems to be the Pompino and the "pro" (with drops) the standard bars look a little odd.
39x16 has been suggested
any advice is welcome to this novice

http://twitter.com/mgalex
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
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fuji track - £350 by the time you've fitted a brake, may be hard to find, stock is low, great starter bike, wheels a bit poor, more 'track' than the others
langster/bowery/genesis flyer - much of a muchness, off the peg, relaxed geometry, comfortable, can be found everywhere, stock parts ok, great starter. not beloved of purists due to a.popularity and b.shape/geometry. genesis flyer possibly best bet. all have carbon fork i think. london langster has come in for awful lot of flak from fixed riders in the capital. see here: http://tinyurl.com/2dmuya
bianchi pista - very shiny, quite track orientated, quite harsh ride, looks good though.
lemond fillmore - great bike for price, comes with front and rear brake, gumetal grey colour. good stock parts. may be hard to find.
pearson touche - for £500, probably the best off the peg you can get.
pompino - people either love it or hate it, i personally hate it, the shape is all wrong, but it is a great winter bike.
more pricey:
condor pista, bob jackson vigorelli, wilier pista - perhaps all recommended for when you're really bitten.
gearing - depends where you are, how many hills. 39:16 for me in London is inconceivably tiny. i run a 48:16.
I've read the C+ review link from the on-one website. (before picking up your message.
I'm leaning towards a Pearson Touche' and am glad you have given it the thumbs up.
I noticed that all the chainrings were 42+ but the Pearson was a 48 (a little large for undulating areas) may bee a little too large as a starter?
Does the Pearson lend itself to upgrading at a later date?
Do people use spd/look ets or flat pedals?
at least to start anyway
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
in terms of upgrades, there's not much you'd want to upgrade, the stock ooptions should keep you going for a while. as far as i know, the touche is aluminium, which is ok, but it's not steel.
you may want to change the bars and wheels, that's easy, and the rear sprocket, very easy, and the chainring, same again.
i bought my fuji, swapped out the back wheel for a handbuilt harry rowland, then a few months later got a new cpx 22 front wheel, again harry rowland, then swapped the bars for cinelli criterium, and the saddle for something nicer.
after i'd done all that i bought a bob jackson frame, bottom bracket and ambrosio chainring, then took all the bits from the fuji and put them on the bob jackson.
i use shimano race pedals on all my bikes. being clipped in is pretty essential, i think. some people use cages, but i get the feeling this is an aesthetic decision, not a practical one.
peejay's summary in spot on.
The Touche is fantastic. Far nicer ride than the Flyer & Langster (IMO), though not quite up to the Condor (that was sadly out of my £ range).
Mine has 48:17 which is really fine across London - pretty spinny, which I'm just getting used to.
I'm using spd's, so I didn't need new shoes from my mtb. I also went for courier bars rather than drops, which i don't like in the traffic. The only dodgy thing for me was the saddle, but the guys at Pearson swapped it for me after a couple of weeks.
You won't go wrong with one - they're a cracking bike & lovely shop.
My Precious...
a 48x18 would be much harder on hills wouldn't it?
it sounds as though I need to count the teeth at the back, go for a test on different hills with different rings.
This is what I got from Pearson’s site. They seem to only fit a 48 chain ring as std.
Sprocket size - number of teeth 15 16 17 18 19 20
Gear sizes - inches (using 48t chainring) 86.4 81.0 76.2 72.0 68.2 64.8
A silly question but more inches makes for easier riding, is this right
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
a 48x18 would be much harder on hills wouldn't it?
it sounds as though I need to count the teeth at the back, go for a test on different hills with different rings.
This is what I got from Pearson’s site. They seem to only fit a 48 chain ring as std.
Sprocket size - number of teeth 15 16 17 18 19 20
Gear sizes - inches (using 48t chainring) 86.4 81.0 76.2 72.0 68.2 64.8
A silly question but more inches makes for easier riding, is this right
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
I ride 48 x 19 which gives the 68" gear and it seems a fair balance for me - I never feel too spinny, and although serious hills (Lakes/Scotland etc) are prob out of the question on this gear, most things are do-able, although when I ground to a halt a while back on a climb out of Dunsop Bridge on the way to Lancaster I was cursing the fact it wasn't a 48 x 20.
you work harder and climb faster.
I looked at the Touche and noticed that you can get a double fixed hub so you can choose 2 different ratios anyway.
I hope this helps you select your first gearing. The Touche looked very nice by the way, just too expensive for me at the moment.
Gav.
Like a streak of lightnin' flashin' cross the sky,
Like the swiftest arrow whizzin' from a bow,
Like a mighty cannonball he seems to fly.
You'll hear about him ever'where you go.
If I seem to be faster racing at slow cadence, then could a higher gearing be a bettr option?
feel free to shoot me down.
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
For what it's worth, I had a winter on fixed two seasons ago and managed to get around on 50x14 by the time the summer came. I did this by sticking to the valley floor and having a nightmarishly low cadence (20rpm up the Rhigos. 8) ). I'll be back on fixed this winter for a bit of fun.
It's great to have a familiar face with insider knowlege
That has put my mind at rest about the gearing I think i'll check out 42x16 on the campag road and see what that's like it seems to be th nearest equivalent that I have (i looked at the CTC gear table)
I'm leaning towards the Touche' with 48x17/18
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
On a 700c wheel
48 x 16 = 80"
48 x 17 = 75"
48 x 18 = 70"
If you start with 48 x17 you could go up/down one tooth either side later for just a few quid without having to lengthen or shorten your chain. My bike is 76" (52x18) because those are the parts I had lying around at the time, but seems to work fine at that.
do they have options on chain rings etc. as the site doesn't seem to cater for those without a clue. lol
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
any good?
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
do you think they'r a better option than the normal road drops or just different
I'm thinking of ordering tomorrow.
49x18
double rear hub
£499 seems a good start.
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
what is would the difference be between a 49x18 on a fixed/free than the same cogs on a 'normal' bike?
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
Can anyone recommnd brake lavers? I was looking at the Cane Creek SCR 5
www.ogmorevalleywheelers.co.uk
10TT 24:36 25TT: 57:59 50TT: 2:08:11, 100TT: 4:30:05 12hr 204.... unfinished business
I've been riding it for a month now, and was thinking about possibly putting a slightly bigger gear on it. I didn't know what gear I was running, but I suspected it was probably very little. Last night I had the back wheel off to change tyres, and discovered it's an 18t sprocket on the back. I then decided to count the teeth on the chainring, and it's a 48, which means I'm running a 70" gear.
I certainly wouldn't want to run anything less unless you're going to be cycling in a very hilly area.
Thanks
Steven
I shortlisted my choice to the Pearson and the Pompino. I went for the Pompino Pro because the ride was much nicer. However, when I bought mine they were being built with Truvativ cranks which are just rubbish and my personal top five Worst Component of All Time list. This year's Pompinos have different cranks I think.
Where the rain gets in.
But they're ever so small
That's why rain is thin. " Spike Milligan
The bike is an old converted Nigel Dean, with the 120 mm hub re-spaced out to 126 to fit the frame. When its worn out i would probably go for a Bob Jackson frame i have to admit, and swop the bits over. Starting from scratch it would probably be a Pearson Touche.