Single speeds: what am I missing?

Clever Pun

Il Principe wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

If you don't get it, you don't get it. I'm a big fan, and a Touche owner. For me it's the simplicity, the saving on maintenance and the training. I run a 50*16 so whilst I may be slow away from lights I soon pull past most folk and only ever really have trouble with v fast roadies. Running that gearing and stopping/starting at lights has done wonders for my leg strength and improved my power on the roadie - this is all unscientific as I don't have a power meter, but I've seen a big difference in the last 2 years or so.

I tried fixed, didn't like it. Didn't fancy riding my winter roadie as a commuter everyday through winter - Fulcrum 1's and Ultegra are expensive so I'd rather not trash them with grit. SS parts are cheap and easy to replace.

Horses for courses.

Speaking of which where are you getting a new wheel from, I'm going to need some soon for the pista as the rims are starting to go and I don't want to rush into anything

I'll get another Halo from Pearson who always look after me very well. Can't go wrong with the Halo's I think. Sealed hubs and the wheels seem very strong, although I don't quite carry the weight you do...

was that wheelie necessary? fair point thought.. how many spokes and are the hubs super nice as well as tough?

il_principe

Clever Pun wrote:

was that wheelie necessary? fair point thought.. how many spokes and are the hubs super nice as well as tough?

I spoke as I found.

Halo Aeroage

jonginge

Il Principe wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

was that wheelie necessary? fair point thought.. how many spokes and are the hubs super nice as well as tough?

I spoke as I found.

Halo Aeroage

Whoa, that white paint is really heavy :P

Clever Pun

Il Principe wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

was that wheelie necessary? fair point thought.. how many spokes and are the hubs super nice as well as tough?

I spoke as I found.

Halo Aeroage

Cheers track wheels to me imply a lack of water and grim proofness... I take it they're fine in the disgusting wet and even snow?

il_principe

Clever Pun wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

was that wheelie necessary? fair point thought.. how many spokes and are the hubs super nice as well as tough?

I spoke as I found.

Halo Aeroage

Cheers track wheels to me imply a lack of water and grim proofness... I take it they're fine in the disgusting wet and even snow?

Yep the aeroage are - all sealed up. Pearson offer them as a standard upgrade ont he Touche and they make for great commuting wheels. I've not had any problems at all, aside from one getting nicked...

Clever Pun

JonGinge wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Clever Pun wrote:

was that wheelie necessary? fair point thought.. how many spokes and are the hubs super nice as well as tough?

I spoke as I found.

Halo Aeroage

Whoa, that white paint is really heavy :P

it's the bike equivalent of

innit

iPete

I've decided, I'd quite like a nice aero looking black SS with deeeep white blingy wheels and a belt drive for extra weirdness!

Just a shame that I can't find many that come in at the weight you'd expect, I realise its not everything but I'm into that kinky stuff.

Harveytile

I too have a Pearson but a Hanzo; the Touche's poorer steel cousin. I have had it for a couple of months now and found it to be very comfortable. I ride a 40mile round trip commute into Stratford 4 times a week and my times have pretty much stayed the same.

I started riding SS but changed to FG to see what the fuss was all about. All I can say is it works for me and has made me think about how I ride and stopping distances. I still have the brakes but try to use the pedals for all but emergency braking.

Uphills are what they are - just deal with them. The downs are more interesting when you start to spin out. I have to lift off the saddle a touch and almost run on the pedals to stop it getting away from me. It's a brilliant workout and keeps the mind working all the time - no time to think about work.

biondino

The benefits of SS over fixed:

1 - you don't spin out going downhill as you can just freewheel
2 - there's no learning curve - just feels like a regular geared bike, whereas when you're first on a fixed it feels very odd and takes a while to get used to
3 - you can take breathers more easily by freewheeling
4 - you're less likely to chop your fingers off while fixing the drivetrain/wheels
5 - you're not going to encounter potential dangers from fixed such as pedal strike or forgetting to pedal and being hurled into the air.

The benefits of fixed over SS:

1 - the flywheel effect. I thought this was a bit of a red herring, but when going uphill it's massive. Now, when I ride my (sportier, lighter) road bike, I get halfway up a hill and all my energy's gone. On the fixed the bike is actively helping me out and I can push harder for longer - hills are, for the most part, easier and always quicker on the fixed.
2 - feedback from the road and the bike. It's almost intangible but it's massive benefit - you get to know your bike really well, you know what it can do really well, it's much more of an extension of you. Very zen, but no less real for it.
3 - Another braking option.
4 - easier to trackstand.
5 - makes you fitter as there's no rest involved.

IMHO, fixed easily beats SS - the only real plus of the latter is when going downhill, and missing out on the flywheel effect is a massive negative. I think people tend to get SS bikes out of the same sense of fear of the unknown that leads people to buy hybrids

el_presidente

biondino wrote:

2 - feedback from the road and the bike. It's almost intangible but it's massive benefit - you get to know your bike really well, you know what it can do really well, it's much more of an extension of you. Very zen, but no less real for it.

this is true, a couple of times I have felt the back end go sideways on the fixed and managed to salvage it, I don't think I would have been able to with a freewheel. Last geared commute tonght for me for a long time hopefully!

TommyEss

biondino wrote:

1 - the flywheel effect. I thought this was a bit of a red herring, but when going uphill it's massive. Now, when I ride my (sportier, lighter) road bike, I get halfway up a hill and all my energy's gone. On the fixed the bike is actively helping me out and I can push harder for longer - hills are, for the most part, easier and always quicker on the fixed.

Some of the country's top hill climbers ride fixed....

itsbruce

biondino wrote:

I think people tend to get SS bikes out of the same sense of fear of the unknown that leads people to buy hybrids

Because when people make a different choice to your own, it's always because of a moral/mental/character defect :PpP

meanredspider

I'd imagine a fixed/ s/s is great for relatively level rides but I use the full range of gears on my compact everyday - from 10mph to 40mph - I'd always be in the "wrong gear" - and my climbs are typically a mile or more.

What's it like clipping into and out of a fixie? Bit of an acquired art i would have thought.

Oddjob62

meanredspider wrote:

What's it like clipping into and out of a fixie? Bit of an acquired art i would have thought.

You get used to it quick. I have come unclipped at 30mph, managed to keep upright and reclip (losing some speed obviously).

supersonic

What about bunny hopping and full leans into corners, outer pedal down for maximum grip? Of course higher BBs and shorter cranks can help, but I like to really lean into the corners, high speed with he other foot firmly down.

Hopping potholes is interesting!

Certainly not for me.

John Stevenson

Singlespeeds have completely mystified me since I passed three singlespeeders with mechanicals in one mountain bike race - all were battling to fix transmission problems.

Cafewanda

:idea:

Sounds like a FG/SS day (or a half day) should be held where such bikes can be tried out by geared folk, whether novice or experienced.

Oddjob62

supersonic wrote:

but I like to really lean into the corners,

Grab a fixed gear and hit the velodrome then... won't get more leaned over than on those banks

supersonic

Exactly - banked. Most roads are not.

itsbruce

So how do you avoid striking the road with your pedals on a fast, tight turn, Oddjob, or do you just not lean that far?

Not digging; genuinely interested to know. Will definitely be trying a fixie at some point.

roger_merriman

itsbruce wrote:

So how do you avoid striking the road with your pedals on a fast, tight turn, Oddjob, or do you just not lean that far?

Not digging; genuinely interested to know. Will definitely be trying a fixie at some point.

you slow down, a higher bottom bracket only gets you so far. charging down fast decent with hairpin turns isn't a fixed forte.

always_tyred

TommyEss wrote:

biondino wrote:

1 - the flywheel effect. I thought this was a bit of a red herring, but when going uphill it's massive. Now, when I ride my (sportier, lighter) road bike, I get halfway up a hill and all my energy's gone. On the fixed the bike is actively helping me out and I can push harder for longer - hills are, for the most part, easier and always quicker on the fixed.

Some of the country's top hill climbers ride fixed....

That's because of the weight savings. Most UK hill climbs are shortish lung busters. Any climb with a significant gradient change would be faster with gears.

Biondino - Climbing is a very specific discipline. I moved from Oxfordshire, to Scotland. After a year on the flat, cycling here killed me. A few years later, I tend to be mediocre on the flat, but I tear the wheels off going up hill, and I'm not terribly small or anything.

My guess is that you have a pedalling flat spot when you are climbing, particularly if you are out of the saddle, and that the fixed makes up for this. I suspect that the advanatage would be negated if you spent half your commute going up hill for a few months.

If you look at the top tour mountain goats, they rock from side to side, but not up and down very much. The pedal stroke even up Zoncolan or somewhere mental like that is astonishingly smooth. Alternatively, look at some top xc mtbers, who have amazing pedaling technique, to avoid breaking traction.

I've only ever seen a fixed speed bike used on the road in a 1km flat, straight, tt. Never in one of the mountain tt's. If there were ANY advantage, someone would try it.

stickman

Anyone know the sort of percentage of riders who fit a rear brake for fixed?

Oddjob62

itsbruce wrote:

So how do you avoid striking the road with your pedals on a fast, tight turn, Oddjob, or do you just not lean that far?

TBH i'm not a speed demon, even with a freewheel, but on the fixed i'll keep the bike more upright while leaning my body into the turn.

Skippy2309

i have only had one pedal strike on my fixed gear - which was due to cornering too close to the kerb and clipping it. Very odd feeling but managed to keep my feet on and keep moving forward.

I too was worried about the pedal striking the floor but I am yet to do it on a normal turn. How many tight turns do you find that can be taken at speed...



Being a bit of a speed demon fixed gear is quite good fun, I can judge my speed pretty well and can control descents. its a good work out as well as being great fun to ride. (especially accelerating away from everyone else at the lights)

itboffin

Living in hilly Wiltshire selecting the right gearing for my SS was always problematic, my commute is far from flat so the right gear for climbing didn't work on the flat and vice versa, I also found the seasons made a big difference, smaller gear in the winter.

Anyway all my PB times have been single speed I have no idea why, could be weight saving or smoother cadence.

Alas my duff knees have put paid to all hopes of riding FGSS again, in fact my FGSS is in bits in the garage awaiting he classifieds AGAIN!

Good luck in your quest.

Matty.W

I've commuted for over a year on a SS. Just bought a geared Road bike and for some reason i'm slower on the new one....

Absolutely no idea why. Feels like I'm flying on the new bike and i'm just as knackered when I arrive.

Just cant seem to get anywhere near my best time. Its becoming very annoying!

Aidy

Single speeds: what am I missing?

At least 15 other gears?

al2098

all this talk of low maintenance is rubbish.
Doesn't take a genius to lube and clean a mech..
Chances are a singlespeed will break a chain more often than the alternative anyway.
How many singlespeed cars do you know of?
Simple.. none..
Single speed motorbike?.. None

Because... its a daft idea. Gears have been invented for a reason.. because they make sense
Next you lot will be on about rigid forks and 29" wheels...

asprilla

al2098 wrote:

all this talk of low maintenance is rubbish.
Doesn't take a genius to lube and clean a mech...

True, but, when the Ultegra or 105 cassettes start to shark tooth it will cost me £50 for a new one and a 10 speed chain is around £20.

Because I don't need to change gears on my fixed I can allow for greater ware on my fixed drive train and when I need to replace a rear cog it's less than £10 and a chain isn't much more.

It doesn't take a genius to clean and lube, but after an hour and a quarter in the saddle each way in the middle of winter when it's raining and windy I frequently just want a shower and my supper. My fixed copes much better with that kind of treatment than any of my other bikes.