Fixies - group rides, fast descents etc

Haynes

Does anyone ride a fixie on a fast hilly group ride?

The plan is to continue our evening training rides right through the winter. Ive only got 2 bikes, my decent racer and a fixie all kitted out with guards, lumicylces for all year round commuting.

Just tried the fixie on part of the route and the descents are hideous. The roads, well country lanes, were damp, sh1tty, smattering of leaf mulch, bumpy, hidden farm entrances, twisty turny. I'm a rubbish descender at the best of times, very nervous (but i blame all that commuitng). We have been doing 45+ mph down some of those hills.

But on the fixie i was back pedalling and braking all the way down, i felt pretty shattered when i got home. Braking from speed takes a while and you have to slow right down for the corners, even slight bends, in plenty of time. Dont like that feeling of it running away out of control and being dragged into pedaling ever more furiously (I mean its ok on a desent smooth road without a sharp bend at the bottom). It'll only get worse in the dark. Ive just swapped down to a 42/18 from a 42/16 to make the up hills sweeter, but maybe its making the descents so much harder.

Am i just being pathetic or what? Ive been riding a fixie for 4 years, solo, on more relaxed inclines and have found a brilliant winter steed. But in a group or for more serious hills, just cant really see using it as being that safe, or fun, or able to keep up with the pace.

synchronicity

Why not just go to single speed with a freewheel?

John.T

A FIXED WHEEL bike (non of this American Campy type cr*p here please) is not good in a group unless all of you are riding them. The rythm is so different. We all used them in winter 50 years ago. I have just gone back but have not riden it yet.

Barry Roubaix

John.T wrote:

A FIXED WHEEL bike (non of this American Campy type cr*p here please) is not good in a group unless all of you are riding them. The rythm is so different. We all used them in winter 50 years ago. I have just gone back but have not riden it yet.

Well said fella

Tom Butcher

I rode fixed in Winter a couple of years ago - did a couple of club runs and plenty of chain gangs on it - didn't have a problem apart from the descents where I just couldn't keep up - not a problem on the club run as i'd just catch up at the bottom .

Gav2000

I ride 42:16 to make the uphill sections easier but do suffer going downhill and have to use my brakes. I haven't ridden in a group but don't think it'd be successful as I quite often find myself overtaking geared bikers going uphill only to be overtaken on the downhill sections. If a group of you are on fixed bikes then I'm sure it'd be great but I don't think geared and fixed will mix.

Gav.

Slow Downcp

I always used to ride in a group through winter on fixed - including weekends away to the Cotswolds. As already mentioned it's not an issue going up the hills, more coming down!

Ramanujan

I used to ride one on our clubs training group rides...like a chain gang.
In the end I rode a 90" gear just to keep up.
I still used to get left behind on the downhills though.

cougie

Guys in our club have always ridden fixed in winter. I didnt even notice - their riding was so good that descents were no problem in our bunch.

It will depend on how well you ride and what the route is really - its going to be harder for you on the descents - but you could have the edge climbing.

When I ride fixed with a gang - I'll attack on the hills to build time so I can get down the descent at the same time as them - so just dont go steady at the top.

Monty Dog

I've ridden plenty of fast group hilly group rides on a fixed gear - as others have said, it's the downhills rather than the uphills that are the problem. Fitting front and rear brakes helps a lot too and make sure you let others know you're coming through on the downhills - a fixed gear bike has far more momentum than a geared bike.

John.T

First ride on my Spec Singlecross yesterday. 70 miles with a small group of riders all on gears. I was on 42/17 fixed. Some thoughts and facts.
Average speed 15 mph which is normal for us.
Max speed 30 mph, cadence just under 150 rpm. I got dropped on the longer/steeper hills.
Also got dropped on longer/steeper climbs.
I had to attack some of the shorter hills harder so had to move off the front of the group.
No problem riding on the flatter sections of the ride.
I had to slow down more for fast corners as I could no longer weight the outside pedal.
My conclusion is that on a flatter ride fixed in a group is no problem at all but on more undulating sections you will be riding at different speeds to the others and need to ride accordingly.
Or get the others to convert also.

cougie

Its no real difference to any club run really - we dont all climb/descend at the same speed.

aracer

Haynes wrote:

Braking from speed takes a while and you have to slow right down for the corners, even slight bends, in plenty of time.

Do you not have the normal complement of brakes? If so, why is there a difference in how quickly you can brake compared to a more conventional bike?

Monty Dog

It takes slightly longer to brake because you are still power through the drivetrain due to the inertia from your legs - dpending on your gearing you could skid stop, but not if you want to keep your tyres for long and you're not exactly in control.. Did my first long-ish ride on a fixed this morning - 90k in just over 3 hours including a few longish drags around Watership Down - still need to work on the souplesse as anything nearing 60kph on the downhills was a struggle, whereas I've ridden them before at over 70kph.

John.T

60 KPH Monty !. What gear are you riding. :shock:
I found braking takes longer because the bike is not as stable when your legs are going round at 120+ rpm while trying to hold back on the pedals. I have not riden on the road on fixed for about 45 years so I hope this will improve with practise. I did find I could spin faster when holding the centre of the bars so I may fit the cross brake levers that I got with the bike and see if they help.