Am I going to die?
Comments
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Good man! Another convert by the sounds of it.
My only note of caution is on the downhills. I would avoid solely using the pedals to decelerate on a long downhill as your knees may soon object. Mine did.
In traffic, I try to anticipate stops and slowly creep along, as you say, stop/start is a PITA on a fix, but you get better at starting, just as you get faster at riding.
As you get more confident, try going up to a 46/15 or a 48/16. You will be amazed what hills you can climb.0 -
Is it me, and call me a heathen if you will, but I just don't see the point of fixed. Single speed yes, but fixed just seems illogical. Being able to freewheel (preferably downhill) and, if you wish, say "weeeeeeeeee" as you're doing so is one of the greatest joys in cycling.0
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I'm rocking 46x16 (25c) and Broomfield is where I slay roadies :twisted:
But seriously, give it time, it must have taken me a solid month to adapt and with all the traffic lights over 20 miles there is no difference in commute times.
What bars have you got? With bull horns I find hammering away from traffic lights a breeze and with TT levers, the braking is superb.0 -
Other way round for me. Can't see the point of single speed. No gears and not fixed.Is it me, and call me a heathen if you will, but I just don't see the point of fixed. Single speed yes, but fixed just seems illogical. Being able to freewheel (preferably downhill) and, if you wish, say "weeeeeeeeee" as you're doing so is one of the greatest joys in cycling.
Still have geared bikes and enjoy saying 'weeeeeeeeee', but none of them will be SS for the time being.0 -
Is it me, and call me a heathen if you will, but I just don't see the point of fixed. Single speed yes, but fixed just seems illogical. Being able to freewheel (preferably downhill) and, if you wish, say "weeeeeeeeee" as you're doing so is one of the greatest joys in cycling.
Heathen. Single speed is a restricted version of a geared bike. Fixed is a subtly-different kind of riding altogether. Everyone started out with a freewheel yet loads have ended up singing the praises of riding fixed which should tell its own story.0 -
Commuting on fixed, day 2....
So amazingly, I got a PB on Kingston Hill this morning (full ascent and descent). Perhaps I normally climb hills in too low a gear. On the descent, my spin out speed is about 25mph (40km/h). Once I get a bit more used to all this, I'll change to a 15T cog on the back to give me a bit more pace.
iPete - I've got the original bars on the bike (Dawes branded drop bars with a GB stem), with a Tektro cross brake lever on top. The conversion has been done on the cheap, so I've tried to use as many original components as possible, plus parts from my bike cave. I didn't want to spend too much, in case I hated the whole experience. I'm sure I'll swap in some better stuff once I decide that this is a road I want to go down.1938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
Ah yeah, fixed makes you man up on hillsSo amazingly, I got a PB on Kingston Hill this morning (full ascent and descent). Perhaps I normally climb hills in too low a gear. On the descent, my spin out speed is about 25mph (40km/h). Once I get a bit more used to all this, I'll change 15 cog on the back to give me a bit more pace.
Especially the short sharp types. 0 -
To be fair, single speed also conveys this benefit - I have set a similar number of uphill PBs on mine!
Ah yeah, fixed makes you man up on hillsSo amazingly, I got a PB on Kingston Hill this morning (full ascent and descent). Perhaps I normally climb hills in too low a gear. On the descent, my spin out speed is about 25mph (40km/h). Once I get a bit more used to all this, I'll change 15 cog on the back to give me a bit more pace. Especially the short sharp types.0 -
I’ve only recently started riding fixed. I can see the attraction as it is a completely different way of riding.
I’m really not sure I’d bother with it for my commute though for several reasons.
1. I like my knees and grinding up / spinning down Crytsal Palace / College Road every day doesn’t seem the best way to preserve them. Also my mum and dad have five replacements between them so I’m leery in that respect.
2. Riding through Penge and Brixton (not to mention the West End) can be pretty sketchy with drivers doing the unexpected every day – at the moment I can’t see how riding fixed will improve my safety when a driver does something unexpected. I’m already pretty good at reading traffic (practice).
3. My commuter (which is also my main bike) is lighter than my paddy wagon and I like bike maintenance anyway.
4. I get the ‘flow’ on my geared bike.
So, I think riding fixed will be something I do when the wife and I go for a pootle and for the occasional weekend spin.Kinesis Racelite 4s disc
Kona Paddy Wagon
Canyon Roadlite Al 7.0 - reborn as single speed!
Felt Z85 - mangled by taxi.0 -
Pretty sure it was the other way round, bikes started as fixed wheel (think penny farthing or velocipede).Is it me, and call me a heathen if you will, but I just don't see the point of fixed. Single speed yes, but fixed just seems illogical. Being able to freewheel (preferably downhill) and, if you wish, say "weeeeeeeeee" as you're doing so is one of the greatest joys in cycling.
Heathen. Single speed is a restricted version of a geared bike. Fixed is a subtly-different kind of riding altogether. Everyone started out with a freewheel yet loads have ended up singing the praises of riding fixed which should tell its own story.0 -
I didn't mean everyone in the literal sense more everyone as in those likely to be reading most of whom would have had a BMX for their first bike.0
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I was being kind of facetious, but alas my second bike was a mighty red and yellow Raleigh Burner. My very first bike was a less cool second-hand purple bso with yellow mudguards.I didn't mean everyone in the literal sense more everyone as in those likely to be reading most of whom would have had a BMX for their first bike.0 -
Is that so she can laugh at you when you forget you're fixed and come a cropper?So, I think riding fixed will be something I do when the wife and I go for a pootle0 -
Is that so she can laugh at you when you forget you're fixed and come a cropper?So, I think riding fixed will be something I do when the wife and I go for a pootle
She finds many reasons to laugh at me in many situations. Adding one is a drop in the ocean.Kinesis Racelite 4s disc
Kona Paddy Wagon
Canyon Roadlite Al 7.0 - reborn as single speed!
Felt Z85 - mangled by taxi.0 -
Day 3 of the Fixed Gear diaries....
Nothing really to report! 70 miles in, and riding fixed is just beginning to feel 'normal'. Is this the point at which I should start to get worried? Pride before the fall......
If anyone has a 15T sprocket kicking about, let me know. I'm nearly ready to gear up.1938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
Is it me, and call me a heathen if you will, but I just don't see the point of fixed. Single speed yes, but fixed just seems illogical. Being able to freewheel (preferably downhill) and, if you wish, say "weeeeeeeeee" as you're doing so is one of the greatest joys in cycling.
Heathen. Single speed is a restricted version of a geared bike. Fixed is a subtly-different kind of riding altogether. Everyone started out with a freewheel yet loads have ended up singing the praises of riding fixed which should tell its own story.
and most of which will be found well within the M25, fixies are rare beasts outside the M25, admittedly SS aren't that common either but you do see them more often, the nature of a fixie makes it a interesting ride but equally means it's restricted.
Peddle strike is a real possibility, cornering.
you'll struggle to fart let alone ride light or use your body weight to maximize grip.
if you want to go on proper bike rides, very few chose fixed, I had a roadie SS which I happily ran for a few years about the only downside was the freewheels which seem prone to getting iced up, and so on.0 -
Pedal strike is a real possibility, cornering.
you'll struggle to fart let alone ride light or use your body weight to maximize grip.
if you want to go on proper bike rides, very few chose fixed, I had a roadie SS which I happily ran for a few years about the only downside was the freewheels which seem prone to getting iced up, and so on.
Fixed Gear diaries, day 4:
I have to say that 100 miles in, perhaps I'm speaking too soon, but I've not found any such problems so far. It does take a little more thought - not going through gaps that you might have been tempted to go through previously, taking corners wider and slower, and holding back at junctions. 'Riding light' over speed bumps etc is no problem at all, as long as your pedalling stroke is smooth. Much like cantering on a horse, it's perfectly possible to unweight and reweight the saddle, and shift your weight where needed, all whilst continuing to pedal.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'proper' bike rides? I clearly wouldn't go out on a club ride running fixed, as it would be impossible to keep up with the group going downhill, but if I was on my own, I'd be quite happy going on a 'proper' ride fixed. In fact, I've got next week off, and I may be cycling the 65 miles down to the seaside one day if the weather's nice. Very tempted to try it fixed....1938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
[quote="Rhodrich[/urlIn fact, I've got next week off, and I may be cycling the 65 miles down to the seaside one day if the weather's nice. Very tempted to try it fixed....[/quote]
Dude - I've ridden down to Brighton on 12 different bikes including a road bike (at night) a TT bike and a fixie. OBvs a very unscientific methodology, but I was only 6min (riding time) slower. You can see the comparisons here: http://12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.georgesfoundation.org
http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/0 -
Is it me, and call me a heathen if you will, but I just don't see the point of fixed. Single speed yes, but fixed just seems illogical. Being able to freewheel (preferably downhill) and, if you wish, say "weeeeeeeeee" as you're doing so is one of the greatest joys in cycling.
Heathen. Single speed is a restricted version of a geared bike. Fixed is a subtly-different kind of riding altogether. Everyone started out with a freewheel yet loads have ended up singing the praises of riding fixed which should tell its own story.
and most of which will be found well within the M25, fixies are rare beasts outside the M25, admittedly SS aren't that common either but you do see them more often, the nature of a fixie makes it a interesting ride but equally means it's restricted.
Peddle strike is a real possibility, cornering.
you'll struggle to fart let alone ride light or use your body weight to maximize grip.
if you want to go on proper bike rides, very few chose fixed, I had a roadie SS which I happily ran for a few years about the only downside was the freewheels which seem prone to getting iced up, and so on.
I agree with this
I think the sales on fixed / single speed bikes peaked 4 years ago and have tailed off loads since then. I have 1 but like most people on here I have more than one bike in the stable. I just don't think they're practical as someone's sole bike but I suppose that obviously depends what riding you do. When I was a teenager mountain bikes seemed to be the thing with everyone wanting a muddy fox or whatever. But again, they're obv just not as functional as road bikes / hybrids so the fad tailed off. Having said all that, I could never bring myself to sell mine. It sounds completely pretentious but I never feel as 'as one' with the bike as I do on the fixie.Cannondale caad7 ultegra
S-works Tarmac sl5 etap
Colnago c64 etap wifli
Brother Swift0 -
Is it me, and call me a heathen if you will, but I just don't see the point of fixed. Single speed yes, but fixed just seems illogical. Being able to freewheel (preferably downhill) and, if you wish, say "weeeeeeeeee" as you're doing so is one of the greatest joys in cycling.
Heathen. Single speed is a restricted version of a geared bike. Fixed is a subtly-different kind of riding altogether. Everyone started out with a freewheel yet loads have ended up singing the praises of riding fixed which should tell its own story.
and most of which will be found well within the M25, fixies are rare beasts outside the M25, admittedly SS aren't that common either but you do see them more often, the nature of a fixie makes it a interesting ride but equally means it's restricted.
Peddle strike is a real possibility, cornering.
you'll struggle to fart let alone ride light or use your body weight to maximize grip.
if you want to go on proper bike rides, very few chose fixed, I had a roadie SS which I happily ran for a few years about the only downside was the freewheels which seem prone to getting iced up, and so on.
There are a fair number of people round here on fixies. I saw a complete loon who has the Pott Shrigley Brickworks as part of his commute home: (strava segment here
I saw him on the downhill one afternoon, as I was driving back from Macclesfield, and he was doing 42mph on the downhill part into Kettleshume (youtube video of this section) By the bottom he was doing 42mph.
I know this is his regular route because the next day we were both stopped at roadworks, cycling into work and had a bit of a chat.0 -
Pedal strike is a real possibility, cornering.
you'll struggle to fart let alone ride light or use your body weight to maximize grip.
if you want to go on proper bike rides, very few chose fixed, I had a roadie SS which I happily ran for a few years about the only downside was the freewheels which seem prone to getting iced up, and so on.
I'm not sure what you mean by 'proper' bike rides? I clearly wouldn't go out on a club ride running fixed, as it would be impossible to keep up with the group going downhill, but if I was on my own, I'd be quite happy going on a 'proper' ride fixed. In fact, I've got next week off, and I may be cycling the 65 miles down to the seaside one day if the weather's nice. Very tempted to try it fixed....
I joined KW back when I only had a fixed bike, those were some fun club rides! Granted a few sections got a little hairy on the down and whitedown was a tough but you can smash Box, much to everyone's surprise 0 -
Late to this one, but two thoughts (after 3600 km riding fixed in and about London, primarily on the commute):
1) Pedal strike easily averted by (as in so many other things) consulting Sheldon. Essentially lean your bike out (effectively holding the bike vertical with respect to the tarmac) and lean your body in through the curve; like so: > versus \. Becomes reasonably natural at reasonable speeds, and the conditions in which you could come a cropper due to the *potentially* resulting adverse camber are ones where you probably want to reconsider your speed anyway.
2) There is a substantial danger in forgetting how to ride a geared bike. I forget to change gears all the time now and will never willingly change the FD unless faced with, e.g., whitedown, as a result while my fixed average cadence has gone way up as I've gotten better at riding fixed, my geared average cadence has gone a little bit down. If you care about efficiency of cadence, this may bother you (although in that case why are you riding fixed at all?).0 -
I've sometimes thought Marcus insane for his long distance exploits, this on a fixed appears to confirm it:
viewtopic.php?f=40013&t=130353360 -
Forgetting how to ride a geared bike? I know the feeling! After just a week of fixed, going out on a club run on Sunday felt really odd on the geared bike for the first 5 minutes. Freewheeling was just 'wrong'
Had day off today. Weather was appalling, so a trip to the seaside wasn't going to happen. Decided to do a round trip round some Surrey hills on the fixed gear bike instead.
The climb up past Polesden Lacy was uneventful, but the descent was pretty hairy. Scared away all the wildlife with my squealing brake. The Ranmore Common Road climb was tough, especially near the hairpin. Being out of the saddle wasn't enough. Had to brace myself with the handlebars to push down enough, and traction was a real problem in the pouring rain. My legs didn't hurt so much, it was more my lower back and hands. Descent from Ranmore to Dorking was a bit of a nightmare, but then it always is.
Finally, Box Hill was a breeze. Not really any harder than normal. Probably could have pushed myself harder.
All in all, nothing to be scared of. Whitedown, Leith, or Crocknorth would be a bit tougher, but manageable.
I was a lot slower though, primarily due to my top speed of 25mph on the downhills. Definitely time to gear up to a 15T at the back. Is it worth spending money on quality cogs, or will cheapy ones do? The 16T currently on there is a Condor branded one.1938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
Never had a problem with cheap cogs. The more costly ones seem a bit more hardwearing but I don't think the extra costs is worthwhile.
This is my recommended chain by the way. Been using them for years, dirt cheap and never let me down. They've gone up in price lately, never used to pay more than £2.50 for them:
http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/chains-chains-kmc-s1-1-8-chain/kmcachai2050 -
Cheap cogs are fine, and I second the chain recommendation above. I ride 42x15 (74 gear inches), which in practice limits me to 50kph at c. 140 rpm (my max, as I really don't spin to win), but is a very comfortable 30kph at c. 90 rpm.
Chapeau on the surrey hills outing, I happily do the "hills" of RP fixed, but other than Box (most over-rated hill ever?), would be whimpering elsewhere.0 -
Fixed Gear Diaries - week 3:
I still haven't died. Have purchased and fitted a 15T cog for the back, and now that I'm on 42x15, things feel much better. My natural cruising speed is higher, and as Dyriao confirms, spin out is at 50kph, which is fine. Got another PB on Kingston Hill this morning, so it can't have caused too many problems with my climbing, although we'll have to wait until Broomfield on the way home to see what that brings. It can't be any worse than Ranmore Common Road.
Front brake still squeals, badly. Looking for a Tektro R559 to replace the Mafac Racer brake, if anyone's got one kicking around in their spares box?
Picture of bike in all its glory below:
It's a beater, but it seems to do the job.1938 Hobbs Tandem
1956 Carlton Flyer Path/Track
1960 Mercian Superlight Track
1974 Pete Luxton Path/Track*
1980 Harry Hall
1986 Dawes Galaxy
1988 Jack Taylor Tourer
1988 Pearson
1989 Condor
1993 Dawes Hybrid
2016 Ridley Helium SL
*Currently on this0 -
Just drank 2 cups of Bovril that had a best before date of Nov 14, am I going to die?First love - Genesis Equilibrium 20
Dirty - Forme Calver CX Sport
Quickie - Scott CR1 SL HMX
Notable ex's - Kinesis Crosslight, Specialized Tricross0 -
Just drank 2 cups of Bovril that had a best before date of Nov 14, am I going to die?
Probably not. I had some chicken gravy granules the other day that went out of date in early 2011. Don't tell the wife. She had them too.0 -
... but you sounded as though you wanted to when I cruised past you this morningI still haven't died...
Dolan Titanium ADX 2016
Ridley Noah FAST 2013
Bottecchia/Campagnolo 1990
Carrera Parva Hybrid 2016
Hoy Sa Calobra 002 2014 [off duty]
Storck Absolutist 2011 [off duty]
http://www.slidingseat.net/cycling/cycling.html0
