Over 50 Fixed Gear Riders
 

Hello to all fellow cyclists! Are there any other fixed gear street riders out there? I started riding fixed gear bikes for fun at 56, and now at 59 still riding pure adrenaline pumping fun.

Welcome to the forum.
This is my 51st season riding fixed gear on the road, a traditional activity for club cyclists for the last century or so.
The SS/FG, C&V and Long Distance BF sub-forums have active FG riders of the >50 age cadre as well.

-Bandera

I'm 64 and still ride fixed gear on the road frequently. Here I am a couple years ago finished a century ride on my fixed gear bike:

http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/ride4nature.jpg

54 years old here. I recently picked up this pre-owned Schwinn. It's a cruiser type single speed in great condition and will be modded soon to suit me better.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b183a49859.jpg

Twelve years ago I converted my ParisSport 10-speed, that I originally purchased in 1970, to a fixed year. I'm 66 now and it's still my go-to bike for pure riding enjoyment.

http://ziligy.com/photos/posts/Paris...sonWithC19.jpg

Hello @1AvidCyclistCat.

I ride a Rodriguez custom on the road and have done centuries on it. I started at 51 with a Bianchi Pista and I'm now 55.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ad48e8e196.jpg

I started riding fixed about 4 years ago. Now at 58, I enjoy it enough that I have 3 FG bikes.

Hmmm. One end of my street has an 18% grade and the other end has about a 15% grade. Most any ride I take will also have mile long stretches of around 6% to 8%. This and my 65 years sort of rules out the concept of fixed gear for me.

Humbling. I'm just a newcomer. Didn't ride my first one until 1976. But I was sold that first ride, have had one ever since and done more than half my lifetime miles fixed. And yeah, I started my first season of racing when the club vets told me i needed to set my second bike up fixed to learn to pedal smoothly. Thank you! my Mooney is a (rather differently geared) very traditional English road fix gear and wonderful! My TiCycles is what we might have raced in the '80s as a top of the line road bike in a fictional world where gears never happened. If I were to put light sewups on, that bike would be pure race.


Fix gear bikes:

~1983 Trek 400 set up with an enormous stem, centerpull brakes, fenders, LowRider rack and a U-lock mount. Winter/rain/city bike. The bike I will always have. All parts, including frame, subject to wear, crashes and replacement. 28c Paselas. The Trek is about to roll 20,000 miles, all fixed. ~75,000 with all five frames it's been through.

2011 TiCycles ti fix gear with custom super long dropout (yes, not track ends), fenders as appropriate and two brake/"cockpit"s. Dual pivots, deep, wide pista bars and V-brake levers for the climbing setup and traditional Nitto road bars with regular levers and Superbe sidepulls for flat rides. 5 minutes to swap. Tires to 25c. Bigger at the expense of the biggest (23 and 24 tooth) cogs. Can run all cogs, 12 to 24 on one length chain. 17,000 miles. Never seen a freewheel.

And in part time fix gear use, my Mooney running a triple in front with super low Q-factor and 1/8" rings. In back a single or double cog on one side, a single on the other so I can run either a true mountain fix gear (95", 70" and 46" with the option of going to a 41" if I carry a chainwhip) or simple fix-fix two speed for the flat, say 72" and 67". Brakes of course and fenders as appropriate. Tires to 35c. Part time fix gear use because this bike is also the one I will take for serious gravel or touring. A newbie. Only 3200 miles fixed.

Ben

At 59 I rode my brand new TiCycles fix gear at Cycle Oregon to, around Crater Lake and down. And the wonderful descent down Dead Indian Memorial Highway into Ashland. 42-12 for 16 miles!

I might ride CO this year on the same bike. We'll see, I am now 66, I do have a bigger cog, a 24 instead of a 23 but is that difference enough? I could ride it on the Mooney and drop that low gear a bunch. (My knees get the final word.)

Ben

I have had fixed gears off and on for many years. I built this one up from a Nashbar frame, a Bianchi fork I found on eBay, and some spare parts from the bin.

Great for commuting, LSD training, and just riding around.

https://66.media.tumblr.com/dee6bbf2...58mo1_1280.jpg

Riding Fixies after 50
 

That’s very impressive, dear Ben. Wow. I wish for building more velodromes, and riding the pista bike unrestrained by no cars. I ride 42-16 with Vuelta alloy wheels from BikeNashbar. For the regular streets I use my 1980 Gios Torino Super Record transformed into a fixie but keeping the Campagnolo Nuovo Record front rear caliper brakes. I will post pictures once I am allowed...

Wow cool
 

Impressive indeed, Bandera. Inspiring! My older neighbors over 60 think I’m a nut...I agree, I’m a happy VELONAUT😇

Thank you kindly!
 

Impressive inspiring Bandera!

Nice obsession.
 

I have x2 FGB, it’s so wonderfully addicting...he he. It’s the most pure form of riding a bike and always peddling without coasting breaks like regular bikes.

I feel your pain...With the right gear ratio you may be able to do it.

Thanks, but not really it was just SOP for club riders to strip off the derail drive train and convert to FG for winter base miles "back when".
My 1st coach who had raced on the board tracks pre-(edit) WWII continued to ride FG into his '80's with style, that was impressive and he was inspiring.

-Bandera

Do you remember/ever have contact with John Allis? (1968 Olympic Pursuit team at Mexico City and raced road in Europe ~1970.) He was the guru of bike racing around Boston in the '70s. Huge proponent and example of winter fix gear riding. Might still be doing it.

Bandera, I met the first woman National Champion (1937) at a bike show in Seattle in the '90s. She had a booth with photos and her bike, custom built by her dad, a retired pro. She gave me a postcard of her on her bike between the two men's champions, all balancing, her arms on their shoulders. That bike fit her! Obvious in the photo, obvious seeing her next to it.

Ben

Sure, the CRC of A aka "The Raleigh Boys" won multiple US road championships by John Allis ('74), John Howard ('68,'72,'73,'75). They were is a class by themselves at the time w/ only the Stetina brothers able to challenge and beat them with Wayne ('76, '77) and Dale ('78,'80) winning Nat'ls. I have lined up behind them, but it was as usual two different races taking place at the same time on the same course: Them, and then a long way back Us.

When I started racing my coach was dismissive of road events as a boring defensive parade settled as always by the sprint.
To him Real racing was on the track, fast technical and exciting.
When Eddie B was appointed US Nat'l coach in '77 supported by Dr. Ed Burke the insular post war US racing scene was shaken awake, but one thing didn't change.

"A fixed gear helps develop a nice 360 degree pedal stroke.....this means you can get the same benefit for less time in miserable conditions."

-Bicycle Road Racing by Edward Borysewicz

Priceless memory
 

Oh man, that’s so wonderful, to speak and getting advice from a track FG pre WW1: epic 🏆

Wow
 

Man...living the dream.

Sweet ride Bianchi Nashbar hybrid build
 

I like this fixie.

Touché true
 

I am a witness of this true fact.

Gios Torino Super Record circa 1980
 

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...290adf76a.jpeg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...75879effe.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f2354f62d.jpeg