Fixed/Single Speed Commuting

lost_in_thought

2wheelzgood wrote:

common commuter gearing is between 70-80 but 80 fixed is tough to start with, I immediately went back to 74 even though I have been ss-ing for 6 months. mainly due to it being mega hard to stop a large gear.
70 inches will give you 30mph if you spin well and your karma is good 8) not for very long though!

Hold up a second there pardner.... I think the secret here is not to brake with your legs!

I know this has been previously discussed, but I started out with a fixed 48/14 on my now sadly nicked gollum bike, and found it fine once I'd installed a brake.

I'm now on a more girly 46/14, and kind of liking it. Still tempted to get my 48 chainring back though... those extra inches can make all the difference..... snigger...

2wheelzgood

what can I say, I like smaller one so I can stop at short notice

brownbosh

Its not that expensive to change and depends what your using it for. Mine is a training tool not a commuter - im here because you guys seem more informed than my roadie chums on the subject. As ill be doing plenty of hills ill keep my 42 16 for now and probably go no higher than a 46 16.
P.s litt and lit bring it on fat boys rule!

flybywire

Decided on a Spec. Tricross SS which will be collected on Saturday.

I think I've got a good deal £349 from £449 as it's 08 bike from LBS where they ordered direct from Specialized. (09 is same but different colours & now £499!)

I've ridden a test bike for a couple of miles and liked the feel and lively nature of being a CX bike where it can be ridden offroad whenever.

Does anyone own one of these and what sized gear do they run for mostly flat commute? (standard 42/18 for offroad/hilly on road)

flybywire

Decided on a Spec. Tricross SS which will be collected on Saturday.

I think I've got a good deal £349 from £449 as it's 08 bike from LBS where they ordered direct from Specialized. (09 is same but different colours & now £499!)

I've ridden a test bike for a couple of miles and liked the feel and lively nature of being a CX bike where it can be ridden offroad whenever.

Does anyone own one of these and what sized gear do they run for mostly flat commute? (standard 42/18 for offroad/hilly on road)

itboffin

brownbosh wrote:

Its not that expensive to change and depends what your using it for. Mine is a training tool not a commuter - im here because you guys seem more informed than my roadie chums on the subject. As ill be doing plenty of hills ill keep my 42 16 for now and probably go no higher than a 46 16.
P.s litt and lit bring it on fat boys rule!

I live in the middle of quite a few killer long steep hills so started my SS with 42/16T and only just switched to 44/16T at first I thought the GI was to low, that was until I did the return trip.

I'm also experimenting with riding my road bike without changing gears along my normal route.

Clever Pun

itboffin wrote:

I'm also experimenting with riding my road bike without changing gears along my normal route.

if you have anything like a hill, you have to get up it, so the flat will be a spinfest,

good for fitness and when you're back on gears

itboffin

I have a few hours before I fly off to Ireland for the weekend and it's not raining, So I think I'm going to go for a ride in the forest on my MTB!!!!!!! :shock:

http://www.multimap.com/s/BV5hHvdT

update: ride over, punctured in the first half mile (Hate Conti speedkings) but still great fun, just made it home before the rain

http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts/workoutdetail/index.do?id=420098

mcmullej

So, that's almost a full week of ss commuting done and it's been a lot of fun.

Spent 3 months during the summer doing my fairly hilly 15.5km each way commute on my trusty Marin Hawkhill ( and once or twice on the Brompton ). Picked up my Bowery last weekend.

Trial run of my commute last weekend was a big success. Black Lion Hill was do-able!

Real commuting is a little bit different, I think. I've not had to get off and walk yet but I've come very very close.

It's all about being prepared for the hills. When you've got gears, you don't have to think in advance, but on the ss, I find I've got to take it easy for a bit before the hill, then ramp it up a bit to get some momentum just before the hill starts.... otherwise it can get very messy.

The Bowery is just great. I love the simplicity. Direct transfer of power. No fiddling about with gears. How fast you go depends directly on how much your legs hurt... if you see what I mean.

Still getting used to the drop bars and having the brake levers all the way down there can be a bit scary.

The skinny little 700x26 tyres have fared much better on the rougher bits of road than I thought. It's a lot to do with the bike being lighter and having less stuff to rattle. I'm going to fit some 700x28s over the weekend and see how they go.

I love the Bowery but one thing I'm really looking forward this weekend is getting out on the bridleways on the Marin.

UnworthyPapaLazaru

Purity and simplicity. You'd be forgiven for thinking gears were as complicated as the Enigma machine!!

Tarts the lot of you!

biondino

I can honestly say that my favourite bit of a bike is the rear derailleur. I love the way it looks, I love how it works, I love that it works so well - what a fantastic piece of inspiration and engineering. When I bought the Focus my main thought was "finally I own a Dura-Ace rear derailleur!". Sexy.

2wheelzgood

and yet you ant to spend an equally obscene wad of cash on a bike with just one ratio and one brake. That is nuts, who'd do that then. 8)

ps I also want dura ace, a mate turned up last night with dura ace hubs on his fixed..


Seen as we have here on this topic assmebled the collective tarts (but not so vain as say San Fran fixie riders or LFGSGSGS or indeed my own fixed mates) what is the opinion on wheel rim stickers.

I have the stock Alexrims semi aaro rims that came on the bike. They are a bronze-titunium colour but are alluminum. Nice but have the stickers on em still. Black with red detail. I'm thinking to peel them off but the gf reckons that will make them look bland and nondescript. i.e.they could be any old cheap rims.. ahem, not that they are mega now but at least have some detail.

Also, I need to remove the "no brakes" decal from the bianchi frame, but not taking off the UCI champ colours as having an all chrome de badged bike is proper London tart stylee.
Need to clean the bar tape and bring it up white again.
:oops:

I feel like I've just been to confession

Clever Pun

WRT rims: on my project build the stickers will come off... on the pista, they're staying... Depends on the bike I guess

I'm fixed gear for the ride home tonight, but with the safety of two brakes, I think I'll only use them when utterly necassary...

in time with both brakes I can make the rear cog just that little bit smaller and lose the 18t training wheels so to speak

biondino

I was browsing Sheldon Brown last night and he was talking about riding with 10, 9 and 8 tooth sprockets. Is 8 the smallest possible considering the axle width?

2wheelzgood

do you like using up chains, or have gallons of lube to spare?
A guy who used to work at my LBS was making a microdrive trials bike with 20x10 or something insane.
What do BMX's run?

Ta CP, you have the Condor pista, right? What wheels and how obvious are the stickers?

Clever Pun

2wheelzgood wrote:

do you like using up chains, or have gallons of lube to spare?
A guy who used to work at my LBS was making a microdrive trials bike with 20x10 or something insane.
What do BMX's run?

Ta CP, you have the Condor pista, right? What wheels and how obvious are the stickers?

standard build Miche wheels... pretty obvious I think
(I removed the saddle bag for obvious reasons)

Clever Pun

My first fixed commute this evening, I was pretty nervous about putting the hammer down cause of the stopping thing... not sure why as I had 2 brakes...

I tried not to use them as much as possible and eventually worked out the silly slowdown reverse pedal thing... still need to practice some basic slow riding and turning skills and I suspect I looked like a clown a few times

in hindsight the A13 isn't the road to cut your teeth on

2wheelzgood

Very nice. I can see why you'd show off, you have Condor rims. 8)

excuse the card! :oops: 8)

Clever Pun

Depends on the look of the bike, but I'd be tempted to ditch the decals

I'm toying with open pros for my project minus decals of course

itboffin

Hey clever pun glad to hear you rode the fixie home on Friday I bet that focused your attn.

First ride today since last Thur. I had to check a couple of times if my chain was still attached flying baby flying, its def. time for a bigger "ring"

FYI I have an open pro rim on the front with a nice small flange stronglight hub, really happy with both and the fab job my LBS did on the rebuild.

Clever Pun

itboffin wrote:

Hey clever pun glad to hear you rode the fixie home on Friday I bet that focused your attn.

First ride today since last Thur. I had to check a couple of times if my chain was still attached flying baby flying, its def. time for a bigger "ring"

FYI I have an open pro rim on the front with a nice small flange stronglight hub, really happy with both and the fab job my LBS did on the rebuild.

no sh1t

cheers I might pop down the lbs on saturday

Greg T

Tinny rattle....

Arrrggghhh

What's making the tinny rattle I'm getting from my back wheel when I'm going over bumpy road?

Is it the chain? Too loose / too tight?

It's bugging me ragged and in my current overworked and underslept state doesn't take much.

Clever Pun

Greg T wrote:

Tinny rattle....

Arrrggghhh

What's making the tinny rattle I'm getting from my back wheel when I'm going over bumpy road?

Is it the chain? Too loose / too tight?

It's bugging me ragged and in my current overworked and underslept state doesn't take much.

front or back? are the wheels tight enough? if you pres the chain how much play is there?

Greg T

Back wheel.

Not much play in the chain - I'd say 0.5 cm or so......

Am I too tight?

Littigator

Talking of noises scrunt crunt crunt grunt






that's the noise my bottom bracket seems to be making at the moment, especially when I give it some beans (i.e. all the time obviously).

Blob of grease in there and if so how do I go about this :oops: or does it require the delicate ministrations of my LBS?

itboffin

ooooo please sir please!!!

do you have those little screw things on your tube valves, if you do check they are nice and tight, it almost drove me mad.

dafruk

Littigator wrote:

Talking of noises scrunt crunt crunt grunt

I reckon the bike shop is uncallled for here, I can quickly diagnose the problem. You appear to have a pig caught in your bottom bracket, try taking it to a farmer and he will extract the animal.

Littigator

Two entirely separate replies spring to mind...

1. Phew thanks for that I'll have the wee piggie removed and sent wee wee weeing all the way home

or

2. What daFRUK are you talking about :shock:

camvaile

On the noise front. Any of you learned chaps know what would cause a creaking around my bottom bracket/chainring. Doesn't do it when I lift the back wheel and pedal by hand, only when riding. Surely it can't be the bottom bracket, the bike's only 6 weeks old. I have, by the way changed the front chainring (and tightened and re-tightened the bolts) and the chain.

Any suggestions would be greatfully received. It's ruining my silent ride.

biondino

Pedals most likely? Someone posted this link recently which I bookmarked - seems pretty comprehensive!

http://www.jimlangley.net/wrench/keepitquiet.html