Single Speed / Fixies

ollyridesfirst
ollyridesfirst Posts: 486
edited July 2011 in Road beginners
Considering getting one of these for a sort of winter commuting bike.....the only problem is none i have looked at tell you the size of the crank ring. All have details on the rear sprocket...

Do these bikes all have a standard size front ring? Or is it a case of asking about each one???

Comments

  • Baytt
    Baytt Posts: 102
    it varies between bikes.

    usual can be 42/16-18. but seen higher and lower.

    you can always change the chain ring after if you want something different.

    which bike did you have in mind?
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Gear choice depends on both terrain and the fitness of the rider: 42/16 would be fine for a beginner / commuter and then you can increase the chainring / gearing as you get fitter / technique develops. Don't be tempted by over-gearing, it'll hurt!
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • MountainMonster
    MountainMonster Posts: 7,423
    Singlespeeds can also be quite good training tools depending on what your area is like. If you ride in a hilly area, they force you to get stronger as you have no emergency gears, so to say. If you are viewing the bike in person, the chainring will probably have the number stamped on them somewhere. Online is harder to tell.
    My London Road
  • Ben6899
    Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    I have a Giant Bowery '72 and it's 48x17. I can't imagine anything lower, tbh... it'd be like an egg whisk!
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/143173475@N05/
  • Speedmenace
    Speedmenace Posts: 97
    I have a SS road bike, 48/16 which works out to be 79 gear inches
    Max out at 30-31 mph on a flat (130 RPM)
    It can be a bit harsh on the knees if you plan on doing ascents, some hills have me down to 5 - 8mph all the way up which is about 20 - 30 RPM!

    I previous had 48/18 (70 GI) which is probably the highest you'll need, yes you spin out on most descents but you can maintain decent speeds on flats and climb big hills no problem
    I'm looking in to buying a internal gear hub, 3 gears will be perfect for me

    This site is very useful for finding out the perfect ration for you

    http://software.bareknucklebrigade.com/ ... pplet.html
  • Rule74Please
    Rule74Please Posts: 307
    Go all the way get a district. Change the bars and you have a road bike.

    Gearing sounds odd at 55/22 but it is a 68" gear about the same as 44/17 which is common off the shelf setup
    Don't know the Rules?

    http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/
  • andyrr
    andyrr Posts: 1,823
    I'd think for any new bike you are considering you'll easily be able to find out the std chainring/rear sprocket it is supplied with, either the bike shop or the manufacturers.
    I think around 70" is fairly normal but it will vary maybe a tooth either side or that front/back.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    FWIW my speed record for 48x17 is 70kph and yes my feet were still clipped to the pedals!
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • Speedmenace
    Speedmenace Posts: 97
    Monty Dog wrote:
    FWIW my speed record for 48x17 is 70kph and yes my feet were still clipped to the pedals!

    notsureifserious.exe
  • ollyridesfirst
    ollyridesfirst Posts: 486
    Baytt wrote:
    it varies between bikes.

    usual can be 42/16-18. but seen higher and lower.

    you can always change the chain ring after if you want something different.

    which bike did you have in mind?

    The one i'm looking at has an 18 at the back.....i'm just wondering if 42 at the front will be too small? My commute is flat as a pancake, but what i'm looking for is trying to keep the fitness up over the winter...

    This is the bike i'm looking at....say what you want about how ugly it is, but i reckon it's bloody gorgeous!

    872894949b58ad7046589325bf59eb9d.jpg
  • jonny_trousers
    jonny_trousers Posts: 3,588
    OllyRidesFirst wrote:
    say what you want about how ugly it is...

    Okay then: it's bloody hideous.

    My SS is 50/18, which is a nice commuting compromise for my flat commute.
  • mattward1979
    mattward1979 Posts: 692
    Awesome for the first 2 miles, then it just looks like a crappy, dirty, ill treated SS like every other one in any metropolitan city in the world =P

    How about heading to an Evans in the City and trying out different ratios? That way you at least get a flavour for what speed you will be pulling on the flat... Personally the hills wouldnt be a problem.. but spinning out on the flat would be very dissapointing!!
    exercise.png
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    White tyres ? Noooo !
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Speedmenace wrote:
    Monty Dog wrote:
    FWIW my speed record for 48x17 is 70kph and yes my feet were still clipped to the pedals!

    notsureifserious.exe

    notsureiftrolling.exe
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • ollyridesfirst
    ollyridesfirst Posts: 486
    Monty Dog wrote:
    FWIW my speed record for 48x17 is 70kph and yes my feet were still clipped to the pedals!

    you realise that's 200rpm don't you?
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Sweet baby jeesus. I can spin quite happily for a turbo session at 120+ rpm - but 200 - impressive.
  • andyrr
    andyrr Posts: 1,823
    120rpm or so is probably the limit for many people to maintain tor any length of time.
    Hill near me I hit 35Mph on and was pedalling all the way : equated to 172RPM ! Was a bit mental but quite amusing for that short time.
    http://cycleseven.org/bicycle-gear-inch-calculator

    Also did a dlub run which totalled 80+miles, rest of the guys were geared and where we turned for home we had a howling tailwind - I was told we were frequently at 35Mph+ and after trying to keep up for probably 15 miles my legs started falling to bits, there was only so far I could keep going like that, on a geared bike I'd have kept up fine.

    I run a Trek SS with 44x17 which is 68" and for me it's about a perfect balance for a hilly 17 mile commute, one way I spin out a fair bit and the other I have a good few grinding climbs but on balance I couldn't get away with anything more than 16 on the rear for the ascents, but I'd be able to pedal a few of the descents a bit quicker.
    Depends on the route you'll take and your fitness as to what gears you'll need.
    Common bike, the Langster, has 42 x 16 = 69.25" so a tiny bit higher than mine.
    25Mph for example = 121 RPM, 20 = 97RPM.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    FWIW 220rpm plus is my record on a turbo and done 200rpm quite frequently on the road - just requires the right type of long, not too steep downhill with a clear run-out to give it 'beans'. Noticeable that people tend to avoid riding close on the downhill stretches, like they are about to witness some sort of impending calamity...did have a chain come off once at 60kph, luckily it hopped-off the outside rather than into the spokes..
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • markos1963
    markos1963 Posts: 3,724
    I have touched 30mph and that was enough for me, at my age the old legs don't spin as quick as I'd like!
    I run 48/18 with a 28mm rear tyre which I think gives me around 71in. That suits me fine for general riding around here.
    managed to do a 5h 33m 100mile ride on it a few weeks ago, passing hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of gears on the way :wink:
    Norfolk, who nicked all the hills?

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3013/243 ... 8d.jpg?v=0
    http://img362.imageshack.us/my.php?imag ... 076tl5.jpg
    http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/3407 ... e001af.jpg
  • ollyridesfirst
    ollyridesfirst Posts: 486
    Just to update, i ordered the fixie from Edinburgh Cycles......it'll be like learning to ride a bike again ;o)
  • geoff_ss
    geoff_ss Posts: 1,201
    It's quite hilly where I live and I used to ride between 72" or 63" fixed. The problem with the low gear was the descents but I used mentally to 'disconnect' my legs and relax them. No computers in those days so I've no idea how fast I went. I know a friend kept up with us freewheeling on the tandem down a steep hill on 63" when we must have been doing at least 30mph.

    I always said that there are actually 3 gears on a so-called single-fixed bike: sitting down; standing up; and the 24" universal gear :) btw I always had 2 brakes as I never really mastered locking the back wheel through the cranks.
    Old cyclists never die; they just fit smaller chainrings ... and pedal faster
  • smurfylicious
    smurfylicious Posts: 96
    Stanley222 wrote:
    Let me know what it's like please (build, quality and ride) as I am interested in one too - been looking at the Langster from Spesh but this is a lot cheaper! :wink:

    Edinburgh have the Langster on offer at the moment. I think they call it their red-label sale, or something like that. Reduced from 499.99GBP to 399.99GBP. I won't be bothering as I've got my eyes on a Genesis.

    http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cross/day-01/day-01-drop
  • smurfylicious
    smurfylicious Posts: 96
    OllyRidesFirst wrote:
    This is the bike i'm looking at....say what you want about how ugly it is, but i reckon it's bloody gorgeous!

    White, white, and more white. I hope you enjoy cleaning!
  • Thebigbee
    Thebigbee Posts: 570
    Jonny_Trousers wrote:
    OllyRidesFirst wrote:
    say what you want about how ugly it is...

    Okay then: it's bloody hideous.

    My SS is 50/18, which is a nice commuting compromise for my flat commute.

    Single speed hipsters and road riding are completely different IMO. You said that you want to use it to commute - maybe the commuter forum would be better?

    Anyway - check this out - and revel in your "bloody gorgeous" bike!!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_5uVdy5YmA
  • smurfylicious
    smurfylicious Posts: 96
    Thebigbee wrote:
    Single speed hipsters and road riding are completely different IMO. You said that you want to use it to commute - maybe the commuter forum would be better?

    Anyway - check this out - and revel in your "bloody gorgeous" bike!!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_5uVdy5YmA

    The orange and white bike that appeared in an earlier post can't possibly be a single-speed-hipster. It's got more than one caliper brake.

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