Fixed wheel v Road bike?

pamuzu

Hi,

I have been riding a Road bike for the last two years. Ive seen a really nice Fuji Track fixed wheel bike however ive never ridden one. My main questions are;

1. How safe are fixed wheel bikes when commuting in busy areas? (centre Manchester).
2. On long rides is it possible to beat the hills and keep up in pace? (say the Mancester 100?)
3. I read that they are faster, due to the momentum. Is this true?
4. Which is the best to ride?

Thanks for the answers to any of those questions

Phil

BR 1979

In my experience, fixed wheel is only better because:

1) Components last longer and are cheaper to replace.
2) The bike is easier to clean.
3) Small changes in speed require no use of brake.

For anything other than commuting or wet weather there's no need for fixed gear.

Don't buy the "easier to climb hills" bit. Maybe slightly, but it really makes no odds. Downhill is a bugger too.

Did 25 miles in the Chilterns on Wednesday on my Langster. I've no built up geared road bike at mo.

Love it for London commuting though.

pamuzu

Cheers,

How was it over the 25 miles? Do you struggle to keep up with geared riders?

Phil

BR 1979

I enjoyed it, but felt slightly masochistic at times.

Didn't ride with anyone, never do. Cycling's a lone pursuit for me. Nice bit of quiet contemplation (aside from the puffing and panting!).

Tom Butcher

The standard gearing that comes on the Fuji Track is a bit high for my taste - certainly for hilly rides.

Apart from that so long as you've got a front brake attached I'd recommend it - probably not the thing for your average UK sportive but I've been out in the Peak on mine and done around 50 miles without too much problem. Fine round urban areas once you get used to it - can be harder to clip in on as you can't stop the pedal in one position.

You will never keep up with freewheels on fast descents though.

dawebbo

Agree with BR1979s statements.

Fine for commuting or solo riding - but the benefit is the simplicity, not speed.

Depending on how strong you are and what ratio you use getting up hills shouldn't be a problem, but it's a grind, and horrible to decend at any speed.

Personally I'd only use a fg as a dedicated commuting bike.

One other benefit I can think of is that you don't feel the effects of a dirty chain etc as much, so infrequent cleaning isn't as much of a penalty for fg.

Headhuunter

Never used fixed gear or SS and don't see any reason to. As others have pointed out, they are easier to clean and as there are fewer components, there's less to go wrong but I really appreciate the ability to brake, shift down and accelerate away from situations or accelerate away from lights before traffic on a geared bike. They may possibly be marginally faster once yuo reach most efficient cadence for the specific gearing you have, but as soon as you have to slow down and start to accelerate a again a fixie rider is going to get dropped....

mankybianchi

Think it's fair to also say, there's no real need for 11 speed setups.

I ride fixed because I prefer it that way. My local area is mainly rolling hills and I simply pedal, I don't need to keep changing up or down which I found annoying.

It evens out a ride; I find that the top and bottom speeds are less extreme but my flexibility in cadence is extended.

kipperonabike

Phil,
1. depends how you ride it , fixed IMO demands far more attention to the craft of cycling than geared riding, which is the whole appeal of fixed for me. Many riders in London (where I commute, largely fixed) ride brakeless - I consider them barmy, but having followed quite a few of them I have to admit they can usually ride there bikes VERY well. In eight years I've only had 1 prang, which was ice induced.
2. No. Unless your a superman that is. I've always found rides of 50+ miles become uncomfortable fixed. My road bike is much lighter and 10x the cost of my old Langster.
3. No. Never. Geared bikes will always prevail, again, with the exception of those many fixed bikes ridden by supermen! I do find short steep hills surprisingly easy fixed....but longer hills/longer rides take there toll, and I do have an overall preference to riding UP hill anyway. Ascents, as stated earlier, are a pain in the knees.
4. Impossible to answer, when I havent ridden fixed for a few weeks I love it again for a while, then I get my Dawes tourer and panniers out and I love that.......BUT, the purity of riding fixed is always a pleasure, its wonderfully smooth and silent and you feel like YOU are part of the machine.

peejay78

fixed is clearly appropriate for commuting for the reasons above.

in terms of out-and-out speed, it's about gear selection, and matching gear and bike set-up to the terrain.

there are a substantial minority who race time trials on fixed wheel bikes, often riding in excess of 100". this tends to be for flatter courses, but you will see some big ratios even on spocos.

hillclimbs are classic fixed-wheel terrain; matt clinton rode fixed at the national championships this year, coming second, chris boardman and paul curran regularly used to push a fixed gear up savage inclines. jim henderson, 5 times national champion also rode fixed.

there are many tangible benefits to riding fixed beyond the daily commute, and they are not about simplicity or the fixed vs gears debate.

1. choosing the right gear does wonders for your cadence and souplesse, spinning a 68" gear at around 23mph feels absolutely lovely

2. climbing on fixed builds leg strength, stops you bailing out by rattlign down the sprocket and makes you think far more about rhythm and pacing

3. climbing on fixed makes you realise just how strong you really are and what you can do

4. fixed wheel bikes can be built up to an really low-weight - probably lighter than many o-t-p road bikes. my bob jackson comes in at nudging 7kg.

5. they are great for rest days, on the flat, spinning out the legs for a recovery ride.

6. in winter they are ideal for working on base fitness, but also for control on skiddy surfaces, 'feeling' the road and riding safely. likewise, riding in cities, the control and flow of a fixed drivetrain is very useful.

if you get to the point where you are upping mileage and looking for something different to compliment your riding, alongside the gears, it's the only way to go. beyond that, there will always be a ride where you want to ride fixed, but it's a really silly idea. this is what egars are for.

Monty Dog

I've two fixed gear bikes plus a singlespeed cross bike.
1. Safety is down to the riders ability to react to situations. Not worrying about the bike i.e gears etc means you only have to worry about the road and traffic. You tend to look further ahead on a fixed in order to keep it smooth and avoid slowing down.
2. You can ride hills, but strength and gear selection are more critical - particularly considering that fast descents when under-geared can be hairy. You'll need both brakes for long, steep descents.
3. Speed purely comes down to the ability of the rider, rather than the bike - I TT on fixed - it's a who different category of suffering
4. For a Zen-like riding experience, ride fixed. Not better, just different.

cougie

I love my fixed and it's remarkably speedy uphill.
I rode the joddrell bank sportive on it this year and that was 80 miles but not too hilly.
It's great for speedy getaways from lights as the gear isn't too high and you never get caught in a massive gear.

It's descending that's slower though. I can't pedal as fast as I could freewheel. That said there's some track riders at my club that have brilliant cadence.

I love fixed for winter riding but I also like having a freewheel for hillier rides.

And my fixed has conventional brakes too - I'd rather have front and rear brakes as well as the fixed gear.

lfcquin

Its not road v fixed. Clearly its both.

Buy the fixed, but keep the road bike. You won't regret it. Once you learn the art you'll love fixed and it'll improve your riding style on the road bike. Perfect!

springtide9

I have never been able to look at fixies' in the same way since seeing....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVmmYMwFj1I

and..

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid= ... =1&theater

Someone stated.. if a road bike gets you there too quickly... find a longer route!

P_Tucker

peejay78 wrote:

2. climbing on fixed builds leg strength

For the millionth time, no it doesn't.

P_Tucker

cadseen wrote:

P_Tucker wrote:

peejay78 wrote:

2. climbing on fixed builds leg strength

For the millionth time, no it doesn't.

riding any bike uphill could build leg strength

Unless you're climbing at about 10 rpm, no it won't. FFS

peejay78

maybe it's subjective, i don't know. it's an observation gained through experience, namely training for hillclimbs and riding a substantial amount of fixed miles.

i guess moser/obree/bowdler were wrong in their assertion that riding either side of your cadence was good, and using a big gear (which happens on gears - through choice - as well as fixed) is good for building strength and stamina.

having said that, the reaction - the macho 'ffs' and 'for the millionth time' bits - is needless arrogance and really subjective. and nice of you to ignore all the other points made, singling out the one thing that you feel 'compelled' to flame.

father_jack

I could not cope with a single speed, problem is with top end, pulling away from lights would be a nightmare. Gear it down so ok pulling away but then top out early.

What is the usual fixed gearing? May try biking and trying to stay in one gear. I typically use medium ring on my bike, so I think single chainring, and rear dealler cassette ,would be sufficent.

peejay78

depends on terrain. around bristol most people ride mid to high 60s. for flatter areas it tends to be 70-74.

Monty Dog

IME a month of being over-geared on a fixed 'finishes-off' my winter trainer with 5-6 hour hilly rides - lots of out of saddle effort strengthens my core which means I can push bigger gears for longer. I also do my 'hard' interval sessions on fixed as it gets my legs used to high cadence efforts. Gearing recommendation depends on lots of factors - but suggest you start on something like 46x17 and see how you get on.

peejay78

jpetr tadros after winning the hounslow ten with a short 20:

“I just like riding a bike. I’ve decided to race on gears this season, but I believe fixed wheel suits me best for training, and I think the benefit comes from the combination of suppleness induced by spinning at high revs, while strength comes from having to climb on a relatively high gear”.

AlunJ

Father Jack wrote:

I could not cope with a single speed, problem is with top end, pulling away from lights would be a nightmare. Gear it down so ok pulling away but then top out early.

My fixie pulls off nicely, beat most of the cars off the line! Down side is you're right there's next to no top end

Mark Elvin

I did a 70mile ride in 4h30m across some hilly sections of the New Forest on Sunday, I won't say it was easy, but I managed it, all on a fixie, there's no doubt gears would have made some sections easier, but where's the challenge in that?