Fixed/Single Speed Commuting

cheddarpaul

What "gift card trick"??

dhope

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19705680#p19705680]cheddarpaul[/url] wrote:

What "gift card trick"??

http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/22-off-any-purchase-halfords-1603626

cheddarpaul

Shame as the vouchers have to be posted and my local Halfords has only 1 TK Pro left in stock which they can only hold for today :-(

I can at least try to get the 10% discount for BC membership on top of the 10% for over £400 purchases on top of the £300 discount.....

dav1

Time for more fixie chat (and a thread Resurrection) and some ideas from he hive mind.

After a month riding around Sheffield I have finally relented and decided my 44x15 gear (23 mm tyre, 78 GI) was just too big. I got away with it in Bristol as I used it for flatter training rides and could grit up the hills, but not so much in Sheffield.

Now back on 44x16 (73 GI) and things feel a lot better but I'm spinning out on the faster slightly downhill sections.

What I cant decide is weather to try and find a happy medium and invest in a 45t ring and a bigger tyre (to get between 74 and 75 inches) or stick with it for the sake of my knees.

I would like to go further afield on it and start to save my geared bikes from the usual winter trashing, but I fear I won't survive in the peaks whatever gear I pick.

dyrlac

Oh good, now I can stop mucking up the other threads with FG chat. (I have to say though, if you told me two years ago that I would become a fixie obsessive ...).

Was on 42x15 until recently (74") which held me to a cruising speed of 20mph and an effective max of 30mph @ 140rpm (I can't really spin faster than that for very long). As part of my ongoing power meter-on-fixie project (which naturally entailed adding a DA 7710 crankset to a well-loved Charge Plug), I changed to a 45T chainring, which gives me 79". I have two hills on my usual commute (well, really one hill, but I hit it from different directions), maxing at 10%. Based on limited testing, 79" is pretty tall for these, but, the higher effective speed at my natural cadence on the flat is very welcome.

While 45x16 is would just take me back to 74", a better gear for me would actually be the 44x15 you're running, if only shimano made a dura ace 44T on a 144mm bcd.

So anyway, get the 45T. 45x16 gives you plenty of skidz patches to boot.

iPete

Having similar gearing dilemmas, gone down to 74GI and its way spinny (great for climbing!) but going to hold out until winter bites and everything slows down.

Now my TT bull borns are (as expected) very aggressive. Thinking about trying some riser/mtb bars.
I'm not sure how that'd be for 16 miles; less aeroz and harder to climb on?

ddraver

An insanely fast guy rode a 72 x 21 belt drive last night...that looked interesting

rhodrich

42x15 for me, which on 27 x 1 1/4 wheels gives me 76.5 GI.

Seems about right to me. I do spin out going down Dark Hill in Richmond Park, but then given I should be braking for the roundabout anyway at the bottom isn't a problem. It's a little bit tough climbing Broomfield, but that's so short that it's all over with in less than a minute. Everywhere else, it's perfect for cruising along at 20-22mph or so.

In other news, in the next few days, I'll pass the 1000 mile mark on my fixed gear bike. Every time I ride a bike with a freewheel now, it feels weird.....

dyrlac

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19723244#p19723244]Rhodrich[/url] wrote:

In other news, in the next few days, I'll pass the 1000 mile mark on my fixed gear bike. Every time I ride a bike with a freewheel now, it feels weird.....

That's some pretty good work in not very much time. I will have had my Plug for a year at the weekend. In that time I've clocked 4,650km, representing about half my total distance since then. But unless I can start getting out on long weekend rides again soon, I'm going to be useless on shifting technique; as it stands I'd probably be fine with a 3 speed (up, down and flat: call it c. 40"/100"/70", which would be a pretty amusing cassette), sod consistent cadence & close ratios.

redvee

Riding to work today I was nearly overtaken by a Boardman SLS disc but I saw him coming and kept pace with him on my Single Speed London Road with pannier and guards.

mtb-idle

I've just joined the singlespeed commuting club although not brave enough to try commuting fixed. I've done a few sessions at Lea Valley velodrome and that was fine but don't fancy it on the commute.

a few pics on another thread on here posted before I saw this thread viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=13037412

I'm riding 50:17 which is about 77.4 GI. I was planning on 50:18 but I couldn't get the chain the right length even with a chain tensioner, required cos I've converted a geared bike with vertical dropouts. The only way was to make the rear cog smaller and allowed the perfect chain length.

I've got an 18-mile commute each way but it's not too hilly. The hardest part is the ramp out of the underground car park. Feels at least as steep as the first few ramps of Alpe d'Huez but as i don't get a signal down there I can't check the gradient on garmin/strava.

I have to say that after 8 years commuting in various guises but always on geared bikes it's given me a new lease of life. It's only been a week but I'm really enjoying learning to spin quicker (which was always a weakness of mine, I had a really slow cadence before).

I'm also hoping it will make me stronger climbing hills and given that I'd plateau'd in terms of average speed hoping for an increase here too when I ride my geared road bike

itboffin

I finally got around to swapping my wheel around now back on 48x16 and loving it. Shame the rest of the bike is a state, I really need to do a full strip and rebuilt

dyrlac

Finally got around to Richmond Park for the first time since going to 45x15. 79.1" is, it must be said, too tall for Broomfield at my current levels of fitness--managed it, but it wasn't pretty as my cadence reading was zero on the steepest 25 metres (so it must have been sub 30 in reality :oops: ). Which means either (a) abandon the clockwise route until I find some more MMP or (b) gear down to 45x16. The first option will take a while as the focus of my wattbike training has been FTP... :?

itboffin

itboffin wrote:

I finally got around to swapping my wheel around now back on 48x16 and loving it. Shame the rest of the bike is a state, I really need to do a full strip and rebuilt

Seeing as i havent commuted by bike for almost two years I finally swapped out the rear sprocket from 48x16 to 20T ready for use as a hill reps bike 8)

9 mph = 48 rpm with 63" gearing, which is exactly the pace i do my reps at currently, i've tried reps in different gears and speeds and settled on 9 mph as the optimum, works for me!

http://cycleseven.org/bicycle-gear-inch-calculator

asprilla

I've been considering a new single speed but I cant find anything that meets my requirements.

I want something with drops or bull bars, rim brakes, mudguards and rear rack mounts. Possibly a front rack too but that's a nice to have. Oh, and tubeless would be great.

Happy to build too as I've got most of the required parts, I just cant find a frame.

No gas pipes.

itboffin

Dolan track matey, do eeeeeetttttt

Now if i can just find a track rear wheel that weighs less than a boat anchor that would be great

asprilla

itboffin wrote:

Dolan track matey, do eeeeeetttttt

Now if i can just find a track rear wheel that weighs less than a boat anchor that would be great

Was looking at an FXE yesterday. It's nice. And cheap. Does it take a rack?

itboffin

Asprilla wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Dolan track matey, do eeeeeetttttt

Now if i can just find a track rear wheel that weighs less than a boat anchor that would be great

Was looking at an FXE yesterday. It's nice. And cheap. Does it take a rack?

That newer model has a rear brake and mounts for racks, mine is the original track so no brake or mount points.

asprilla

Hmmm, interesting........

Might have to wait until the family goes away for Easter before I sneak it into the garage. I mean, before I have the free time to build it.....

asprilla

Hmmm, interesting........

Might have to wait until the family goes away for Easter before I sneak it into the garage. I mean, before I have the free time to build it.....

itboffin

If you need any further motivation the few KOMs I have are all on the SS, short and punchy like me

dhope

itboffin wrote:

Asprilla wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Dolan track matey, do eeeeeetttttt

Now if i can just find a track rear wheel that weighs less than a boat anchor that would be great

Was looking at an FXE yesterday. It's nice. And cheap. Does it take a rack?

That newer model has a rear brake and mounts for racks, mine is the original track so no brake or mount points.

Meh, but 25mm max tyre clearance. If you're they're going to bother with mount points then why not give space for 32s at the same time.

Condor Tempo however...
Fixed. Mudguards. 32s or 28s with guards. Disc fork if that's your thing. Rear (rim) brake mount.

though I'm pondering selling mine as I've really not commuted on it (or even by bike) for ages :oops:

timothyw

The Dolan is so cheap that it's hardly worth selling if you don't ride it.... :-P

asprilla

TimothyW wrote:

The Dolan is so cheap that it's hardly worth selling if you don't ride it.... :-P

As is usually the case with metal builds; the wheels end up being worth more than the frame.

Thinking about Borg22 flip/flop wheelset for tubeless bliss.

mtb-idle

itboffin wrote:

If you need any further motivation the few KOMs I have are all on the SS, short and punchy like me

I note that I last posted on this thread in October 2015 (previous page) and was just starting to commute on a converted previously geared Trek. I rode that winter on it and enjoyed it but when the drive-train wore out I did nothing about it and just went back to one of my geared bikes again and rode those for three and a half years until I inherited the Specialized Langster I have mentioned elsewhere.

Fast forward to April 2019 and to my surprise I picked up a KOM on my ss last night (as per ITB above I have few to none). I don't think i was particularly fast and it was probably a Garmin issue but you know what? I will take it.

I fully expect it to get flagged by the 'rightful' owner in a day or so.

Interestingly enough I appear to have smashed Tom H's time. This was the guy who used to work in my office & is now a semi-pro working for Zwift and who was trying to take OkGo's Strava KOM for the Richmond Park lap sometime last year.

Again this only makes me feel like my KOM was a mistake...

joe_totale-2

Likewise nearly all the KOM's I have ever gained have been on my SS.
I'm probably talking bow locks but it seems to 'carry' speed better so rewards putting some effort in, hence it's also those short punchy ones mentioned above.

asprilla

MTB-Idle wrote:

itboffin wrote:

If you need any further motivation the few KOMs I have are all on the SS, short and punchy like me

I note that I last posted on this thread in October 2015 (previous page) and was just starting to commute on a converted previously geared Trek. I rode that winter on it and enjoyed it but when the drive-train wore out I did nothing about it and just went back to one of my geared bikes again and rode those for three and a half years until I inherited the Specialized Langster I have mentioned elsewhere.

Fast forward to April 2019 and to my surprise I picked up a KOM on my ss last night (as per ITB above I have few to none). I don't think i was particularly fast and it was probably a Garmin issue but you know what? I will take it.

I fully expect it to get flagged by the 'rightful' owner in a day or so.

Interestingly enough I appear to have smashed Tom H's time. This was the guy who used to work in my office & is now a semi-pro working for Zwift and who was trying to take OkGo's Strava KOM for the Richmond Park lap sometime last year.

Again this only makes me feel like my KOM was a mistake...

Depends. A lot of my PBs, particularly on gently hills, have been on my previous SSs. If the gearing is right then it's muc more efficient than geared. Obviously, when the gearing is wrong then it's terrible.

itboffin

WFH today i'm about to head out and give my new 20T cog a spin up a rather nice 1 mile gentle climb

itboffin

itboffin wrote:

WFH today i'm about to head out and give my new 20T cog a spin up a rather nice 1 mile gentle climb

so 20T is too low for <5% hills and too spinny for the flat but could be perfect for sets of hill repeats

oh and bloody hell its cold today, started snowing whilst i was out

veronese68

Asprilla wrote:

TimothyW wrote:

The Dolan is so cheap that it's hardly worth selling if you don't ride it.... :-P

As is usually the case with metal builds; the wheels end up being worth more than the frame.

Thinking about Borg22 flip/flop wheelset for tubeless bliss.

Ply me with beer and I might have a go at building a wheel set for you, need more practice although I’ve not had one fail yet.