Fixed/Single Speed Commuting

itboffin

What in the name of sweet baby Jebus has this guy done, a fixed gear messenger bike with a basket, NO no no :?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K5te_4ZD6I

itboffin

This counts as fixed gear right?

ansbaradigeidfran

itboffin wrote:

This counts as fixed gear right?

Perfect for a young padawan that does not yet pedal the true path...

il_principe

don_don wrote:

Now I'm wondering where I stand with my new(ish) Touche. I certainly don't have any old Raleighs knocking about. Does that mean I have to shave my beard off?

Adjudication please..

You bought a Touche. Top man!

Are you loving it?

Littigator

jashburnham wrote:

don_don wrote:

Now I'm wondering where I stand with my new(ish) Touche. I certainly don't have any old Raleighs knocking about. Does that mean I have to shave my beard off?

Adjudication please..

You bought a Touche. Top man!

Are you loving it?

Hmmm shaving your beard depends...perhaps you could mod your touche to add say ...leather elbow patches to your winter jersey...a pipe holder for your handle bars and a chrome rear rack to complete the look?

il_principe

Littigator wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

don_don wrote:

Now I'm wondering where I stand with my new(ish) Touche. I certainly don't have any old Raleighs knocking about. Does that mean I have to shave my beard off?

Adjudication please..

You bought a Touche. Top man!

Are you loving it?

Hmmm shaving your beard depends...perhaps you could mod your touche to add say ...leather elbow patches to your winter jersey...a pipe holder for your handle bars and a chrome rear rack to complete the look?

Mmm the Replacement HipSter look...

Clever Pun

I cranked up my GI just now... well the shop did as the original was superdoublehardbastard tight and it took both of them to get my ring greased and available.

I've err'ed on the side of caution and gone to 48-17 using the clever miche cog ring thing. Hopefully I can maintain the level of cadence so just increasing my speed...

Clever Pun

just used the new ratio for two journeys now and it feels harder (yes obviously) almost disproportionally harder, the bike shop gave it back and the chain is pretty damn tight, there is flex in in but not very much at all

would this affect it? I suspect it's just a case of me manning up

lost_in_thought

Actually if your chain is too tight it can make it all very difficult. I replaced mine a while ago, and went off to see if it would break or something, having tightened it up, and thought I'd had an MTFU-ectomy.

Once I'd loosened it off a touch it was fine. Give it a go.

Clever Pun

lost_in_thought wrote:

Actually if your chain is too tight it can make it all very difficult. I replaced mine a while ago, and went off to see if it would break or something, having tightened it up, and thought I'd had an MTFU-ectomy.

Once I'd loosened it off a touch it was fine. Give it a go.

thanks, that's what I wanted to hear, I'll give it a little slack later

Apollo748

Regarding chain tightness, give your cranks a slow spin and test the tightness at various points, you'll probably find it's tightens and slackens as the cranks rotate. Bike shop's probably adjusted it at it's slackest point or summut.

Incidentally switched out my Gatorskins for GP4000S' and I'm now feeling much better cornering in the wet. Difference in tyres or just in my head, who knows eh.

Greg T

Apollo748 wrote:

Incidentally switched out my Gatorskins for GP4000S' and I'm now feeling much better cornering in the wet. Difference in tyres or just in my head, who knows eh.

I'm running Schwalbe Marathon Plus's and my arse is gripped so tight with my overbanding slippyness I haven't crapped for a month.....

That having been said I've not had a flat since I put them on a thousand miles ago..

Jen J

Greg T wrote:

I'm running Schwalbe Marathon Plus's and my ars* is gripped so tight with my overbanding slippyness I haven't crapped for a month...

You have such an elegant way with words...

flattythehurdler

I am over 8000 crappy road miles on mine. The back is worn so that it is square. Still only one event ages ago.

wgwarburton

CleverPun,
The chain shouldn't have any "slop", but the drivetrain should run freely if you lift the back wheel.
I find an easy way to check is to walk the bike and then lift the rear up. It should continue to spin for several turns after lifting. If it binds, then something's awry (brakes, chain mudguards, wheel alignment...?).

If your chainring is a little out of round you can often correct by easing the mounting bolts and tapping the chainring into position. Takes a little practice to get the force right with the tapping thing, you want to shift it juuuusst slightly to alleviate the high spot, then snug down and check again. With patience you can often get it near-perfect. Don't forget to snug them ALL down again after getting it as good as you can or it'll be out again the first time you accelerate!!!

Cheers,
W.

Apollo748

It's roundabouts I had issues with. Going round fast so not to hold up the traffic, leaned over and pedalling in the wet while trying to avoid the big slippy painted white arrows.

Clever Pun

WGWarburton wrote:

CleverPun,
The chain shouldn't have any "slop", but the drivetrain should run freely if you lift the back wheel.
I find an easy way to check is to walk the bike and then lift the rear up. It should continue to spin for several turns after lifting. If it binds, then something's awry (brakes, chain mudguards, wheel alignment...?).

If your chainring is a little out of round you can often correct by easing the mounting bolts and tapping the chainring into position. Takes a little practice to get the force right with the tapping thing, you want to shift it juuuusst slightly to alleviate the high spot, then snug down and check again. With patience you can often get it near-perfect. Don't forget to snug them ALL down again after getting it as good as you can or it'll be out again the first time you accelerate!!!

Cheers,
W.

that's what I thought and it wasn't...

Cheers Buns you certainly know your flour

wgwarburton

Clever pun writes:

> Cheers Buns you certainly know your flour

Why, thank you sir! You're too kind.

Cheers,
W.

Clever Pun

WGWarburton wrote:

Clever pun writes:

> Cheers Buns you certainly know your flour

Why, thank you sir! You're too kind.

Cheers,
W.

no thank you, I flew home last night and was nice and fast this morning

don_don

Littigator wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

don_don wrote:

Now I'm wondering where I stand with my new(ish) Touche. I certainly don't have any old Raleighs knocking about. Does that mean I have to shave my beard off?

Adjudication please..

You bought a Touche. Top man!

Are you loving it?

Hmmm shaving your beard depends...perhaps you could mod your touche to add say ...leather elbow patches to your winter jersey...a pipe holder for your handle bars and a chrome rear rack to complete the look?

Well, after a while away 'doing other things', I am now back to my usual goatie, so I guess that messes things up all over again

And yes, jash, I am very pleased with my Touche, which has been faultless so far. I'm tempted to pinch the Midge bars from the Pompino to help with the larger hills here, but I can see that might be somewhat, ahem, 'unfashionable'!

TheBrogueadier

Righty ho, this looks like the place to ask daft questions...

What gearing makes the distinction between 'Real men' singlespeed and 'silly egg beater' on a fixed?

Running my old London gearing of 53x19 at the moment but finding that I die like a pathatic wuss now I'm living in good old Bristol (damn you Park Street!)

Thinking about lowering it down to 48x19 (or anyother recomendations for the joys of Bristol) but don't want to become a silly spinner!

Ta!

Clever Pun

TheBrogueadier wrote:

Righty ho, this looks like the place to ask daft questions...

What gearing makes the distinction between 'Real men' singlespeed and 'silly egg beater' on a fixed?

Running my old London gearing of 53x19 at the moment but finding that I die like a pathatic wuss now I'm living in good old Bristol (damn you Park Street!)

Thinking about lowering it down to 48x19 (or anyother recomendations for the joys of Bristol) but don't want to become a silly spinner!

Ta!

you have proper hills there... if you 'man up' you'll end up walking

do you have a geared bike? if so find out what you can do on that and then translate the gear inches on to your SS/FG

itboffin

I hate to say it but it sounds like he needs gears, I live in Marlborough which is fairly hilly, I ride SS and the occasional fixed and this is about the sane limit, Bristol well that's a step too far unless your just pootling around town.

If you're regularly doing 10%+ hills it might be time for gears.

*ducks and makes a dash for the safety of the SCR thread*

ansbaradigeidfran

Despite the fact that I periodically make an obsequious comment on this thread, I can't see myself riding anything less than a three-speed as long as I'm living in this neck of the woods. I'm sure London must have been a pancake in a previous life.

lost_in_thought

Riverbed, I reckon. I wouldn't ride one outside a city without any hills in it either...

vorsprung

TheBrogueadier wrote:

Righty ho, this looks like the place to ask daft questions...

What gearing makes the distinction between 'Real men' singlespeed and 'silly egg beater' on a fixed?

Running my old London gearing of 53x19 at the moment but finding that I die like a pathatic wuss now I'm living in good old Bristol (damn you Park Street!)

Thinking about lowering it down to 48x19 (or anyother recomendations for the joys of Bristol) but don't want to become a silly spinner!

Ta!

48x19 is about 68" on Sheldon Brown
I run 42x17 in Devon but there are some rotten hills in Bristol you might need a 60" gear
ie 42x19

Littigator

itboffin wrote:

If you're regularly doing 10%+ hills it might be time for gears.

*ducks and makes a dash for the safety of the SCR thread*

BLAAAAAAAAASPHEMER!!!! Smite him...smite him hard!

65-70 GI should see you alright even on short stretches of 10%...but I do mean short. Does it get hillier than that?

60 would be too damn spinny for any terrain

itboffin

Littigator wrote:

itboffin wrote:

If you're regularly doing 10%+ hills it might be time for gears.

*ducks and makes a dash for the safety of the SCR thread*

BLAAAAAAAAASPHEMER!!!! Smite him...smite him hard!

65-70 GI should see you alright even on short stretches of 10%...but I do mean short. Does it get hillier than that?

60 would be too damn spinny for any terrain

I totally MTFU today ignored my own advice seen here in this very thread and went for a 23 mile hilly hilly ride with serious MTB style mud and broken surfaces all on my little old SS running 75 GI - and it was sweeeeeeet, i'm still smiling now (demented grin).

It's amazing just how much punishment road tyres can take, I did get off a few times and have a good check for punctures, also managed to completely round out the square taper on my left crank arm, now that's feking double hard b*st@rd or what? - rhetorical!

itboffin

You guys would have loved it http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=2564 so muddy in sections I had to get off and shoulder the bike, totally ace - GRIN!!

don_don

IIRC Park Street is pretty steep? Maybe try a smaller gear over the winter and see how it goes. I'm using 46x18 / 46x20 in and around Chelt'm and that seems a good compromise.

Tyre size seems to make a noticeable difference to the gear as well - Sheldon Brown's calculator allows you to work that into the equation.