Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Singlespeed & Fixed Gear
Reload this Page >

Mounting & dismount issues

Notices
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear "I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"-- Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 - 16 August 1940)

Mounting & dismount issues

Old 09-03-19, 06:46 PM
  #1  
thehammerdog
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
thehammerdog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: NWNJ
Posts: 3,704

Bikes: Road bike is a Carbon Bianchi C2C & Grandis (1980's), Gary Fisher Mt Bike, Trek Tandem & Mongoose SS MTB circa 1992.

Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 722 Post(s)
Liked 353 Times in 226 Posts
Mounting & dismount issues



Fixie by lake
Ok, I struggle with getting both on and off bike need insights into helpful tips
my seat is high so cannot reach ground easily when dismounting
i click out of pedals let bike roll until i can jump off
looks feels crazy
help

Last edited by thehammerdog; 09-03-19 at 06:51 PM.
thehammerdog is offline  
Old 09-03-19, 09:44 PM
  #2  
Loose Chain
Senior Member
 
Loose Chain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 2,067

Bikes: 84 Pinarello Trevisio, 86 Guerciotti SLX, 96 Specialized Stumpjumper, 2010 Surly Cross Check, 88 Centurion Prestige, 73 Raleigh Sports, GT Force, Bridgestone MB4

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 278 Post(s)
Liked 71 Times in 56 Posts
If that is the correct saddle height extension for your anatomy, well, the bike might be a little small. I have never fit a track bike but I have fit a lot of road racing frames, cycle cross and MTBs. My starting point for saddle height setting is 0.883 X PBH. The PBH is your pubic bone height or cycling inseam, barefooted against a wall, a one inch hard bound book shoved up square to the wall until your feet get light. Mark that and use that as your PBH. Multiply by 0.883 and set that as a STARTING point saddle height as measured from center of crank to the crown of the seat along the seat tube. Shoes, cleats, some other bio-mechanical differences, peddling style etc. can alter this STARTING point but generally not by more than about 0.5cm.
Loose Chain is offline  
Old 09-04-19, 05:51 AM
  #3  
IAmSam
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,611
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 399 Post(s)
Liked 273 Times in 136 Posts
I'm not going to dispute Loose Chain's diagnosis that your bike may be too big, and am not in the mood to make that conundrum into the discussion here anyway.

But OP - I gotta ask you...how long you been riding bikes?
IAmSam is offline  
Old 09-04-19, 06:39 AM
  #4  
rustystrings61 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Greenwood SC USA
Posts: 2,340

Bikes: 2002 Mercian Vincitore, 1982 Mercian Colorado, 1976 Puch Royal X, 1973 Raleigh Competition, 1971 Gitane Tour de France and others

Mentioned: 55 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 822 Post(s)
Liked 1,387 Times in 690 Posts
EDIT: This is NOT a slam on the OP, and you would be surprised at how often milder forms of this issue show up.

More times than I care to count, I was on club rides with folks who had transitioned from spin bikes to the road, or hadn't ridden since childhood, and would find myself wincing when the group tried to start from a standing stop at a traffic signal. Sure, this is a basic skill, but how often is it taught? I used to bite my tongue as I watched awkward mounts and dismounts, but since the OP asked -

1. Straddle the bike with both feet on the ground, over the top tube with the saddle behind you
2 Squeeze your front brake lever to immobilize the front wheel
3. Pick one foot to stay on the ground and the other to start pedaling with. Clip in with that foot, the other foot remaining on the ground.
4. Fixed-gear specific - Still squeezing the front brake to stabilize the bike, push slightly down and forward on the handlebars and rotate your clipped in foot to around a 2:00-3:00 position, then set the rear wheel back down.
5. When ready to roll, release the front brake, rise and stand on the clipped-in foot and push off with the other foot. As your clipped in foot descends, find your saddle. Now you have both hands, backside and one foot in place as you locate the other pedal with the free foot and clip in as smoothly as possible.

While learning this and internalizing the movements, focus on making all motions as smooth and efficient as possible. You don't jump on the bike, you flow up onto it and then glide into movement. My observation is that other road users who see you start like this will treat you more respectfully.

Stopping?
Slow down and unclip the pedal you are going to plant on the ground.
As the bike slows to a stop come forward out of the saddle and follow that unclipped foot to the ground as you apply the last little bit of brake power to stop the bike. You stop, your free foot plants you, you hold onto the front brake to further stabilize you, then rotate the cranks to a happy point and unclip the other foot and remove it from the pedal. Dismount.

Last edited by rustystrings61; 09-04-19 at 09:15 AM.
rustystrings61 is offline  
Old 09-04-19, 09:07 AM
  #5  
Loose Chain
Senior Member
 
Loose Chain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 2,067

Bikes: 84 Pinarello Trevisio, 86 Guerciotti SLX, 96 Specialized Stumpjumper, 2010 Surly Cross Check, 88 Centurion Prestige, 73 Raleigh Sports, GT Force, Bridgestone MB4

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 278 Post(s)
Liked 71 Times in 56 Posts
The issue the OP has is dismounting from a fixie. I understand his pain. The pedals are always going! That involves some technique different from a freewheel bicycle.

I only mentioned saddle height because I suspect an overly high saddle might be contributing to the difficulty so provided the Lemond Formula for a Saddle Height Sanity Check and reference only.
Loose Chain is offline  
Old 09-04-19, 01:49 PM
  #6  
Mikefule
Full Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 303
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 99 Post(s)
Liked 115 Times in 78 Posts
The saddle cannot be over height. There is a maximum height of saddle relative to the pedal at the bottom of its travel: that maximum is the length of your leg, with a very slight bend in it. If the saddle is significantly higher than that, you can't pedal.

So on a bike with a freewheel, you have the pedal at the bottom of its travel and use that as a step as you swing your other leg over and behind the saddle as you freewheel to a stop. Then you step down onto the trailing foot.

On a bike with a fixed wheel, you can actually do the same, but taking care to come to a stop, or very nearly so, and, if necessary, holding the bike on the brakes.

If you put one foot on the floor then try to bring your leg over, it can be difficult, especially on a bike with a high bottom bracket (and therefore a higher seat). That's why I have never done that on any bike I've owned for 50 years.

So, long story short: use the bottom pedal as a step.
Mikefule is offline  
Old 09-04-19, 02:55 PM
  #7  
thehammerdog
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
thehammerdog's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: NWNJ
Posts: 3,704

Bikes: Road bike is a Carbon Bianchi C2C & Grandis (1980's), Gary Fisher Mt Bike, Trek Tandem & Mongoose SS MTB circa 1992.

Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 722 Post(s)
Liked 353 Times in 226 Posts
The answer is many years have many well fitting bikes from titanium to carbon
this my first fixie Craigslist find and seems not well suited for me but trying to make it work setup as closely as possible to road bikes
so now do have any suggestions as i find the fixed thing unique to get on or off
Originally Posted by IAmSam
I'm not going to dispute Loose Chain's diagnosis that your bike may be too big, and am not in the mood to make that conundrum into the discussion here anyway.

But OP - I gotta ask you...how long you been riding bikes?
thehammerdog is offline  
Old 09-04-19, 04:28 PM
  #8  
JohnDThompson 
Old fart
 
JohnDThompson's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Appleton WI
Posts: 24,934

Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.

Mentioned: 153 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3571 Post(s)
Liked 3,366 Times in 1,915 Posts
Sheldon Brown describes an elegant fixed gear dismount technique. It takes a little practice, but once mastered works well:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html#mounting
JohnDThompson is offline  
Likes For JohnDThompson:
Old 09-05-19, 03:43 PM
  #9  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Originally Posted by Mikefule
The saddle cannot be over height. There is a maximum height of saddle relative to the pedal at the bottom of its travel: that maximum is the length of your leg, with a very slight bend in it. If the saddle is significantly higher than that, you can't pedal.
I would disagree. One can have their saddle several centimeters too high and still ride, if they're oblivious to the fact that they are pointing their toes downward and rocking their hips to do it. A mild case of that happened to me when I was still learning how to set up my bikes to ride, and it does make it harder to mount and dismount.

OP seems to have made it a long time in riding bikes with the bad habit of mounting/dismounting directly to/from the saddle...
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Likes For ThermionicScott:
Old 09-15-19, 12:47 PM
  #10  
Caliper
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Michigan
Posts: 990

Bikes: Many

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 385 Post(s)
Liked 58 Times in 43 Posts
Originally Posted by thehammerdog
The answer is many years have many well fitting bikes from titanium to carbon
I find the dismount the least graceful (and I'm not coordinated enough to use Sheldon's method!). On freewheeling bikes, you are probably used to unclipping one foot and coasting as you stop then putting the unclipped foot down. With a fixed gear, I do find that I can't get the same "stop exactly where I want" sort of thing, but I do unclip one foot while slowing and then while the clipped-in foot is coming past the 6:00 position on the upstroke I will come off the saddle and use the clipped-in foot to backpedal and help with the final stop as I put my free foot down.

Starting is just like any other bike except that instead of using the freewheel to help position my pedals for starting, I will apply the front brake, push forward on the bars to lift the rear wheel off the ground and then use my clipped in foot to position the pedal. At that point, you are ready to start off. Getting the other foot clipped in may take a bit of practice if you are used to clipping in while coasting. Mentally getting over the habit of clipping in at a certain point in the pedal rotation may help. The pedals are rotating at a very consistent rate though, so with a quick glance down I find I can often catch the pedal wherever it is in its cycle.
Caliper is offline  
Old 09-15-19, 01:15 PM
  #11  
caloso
Senior Member
 
caloso's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times in 1,417 Posts
Roll to a near stop and then scoot forward off the saddle and straddle the top tube. Put a foot down. Then put the other foot down. This is the same technique as dismounting a freewheel bike except that because the FG pedals continue to rotate you have to time it so you don't smack your ankle.
caloso is offline  
Old 09-16-19, 01:14 AM
  #12  
diff
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 535
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18 Post(s)
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
If your saddle is too high your hips will rock. Obviously it can't be 10 feet in the air. I rode with too high of a saddle for a couple years due to listening to fit specs. I think foot size also plays a role. Being a size 11 shoe I can ride a lower saddle than someone my same inseam but with size 8 shoe. As long as you can stretch your legs while riding (by pointing your toes up or down every so often) and it feels good, saddle height should be fine.

The OP shouldn't be riding clipless. Since you have brakes just toss some platforms on their with no straps get comfortable riding a bike. You don't sit on the saddle when stopped.

I guess for me mostly when I stop I leave my right foot in the strap, left foot on the ground, but lean the bike. I am probably on the very nose of the saddle since 90% of the time at a stop grab the seat tube to lift the back wheel and set the pedal.

If you are not used to riding fixed, bikes, clipless and sitting so high up in the cockpit - I can see why dismount may be tricky. Just keep practicing.
diff is offline  
Old 09-16-19, 02:21 AM
  #13  
KraneXL
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: La-la Land, CA
Posts: 3,623

Bikes: Cannondale Quick SL1 Bike - 2014

Mentioned: 32 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3405 Post(s)
Liked 240 Times in 185 Posts
Just set the bike off the curb and mount/dismount from there.
KraneXL is offline  
Old 09-20-19, 04:00 PM
  #14  
roadfix
hello
 
roadfix's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 18,684
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 190 Post(s)
Liked 109 Times in 48 Posts
To dismount on a fixed gear, come to a complete stop first, unclick and put one foot on ground, regardless of pedal position, then do the same for the other foot. You should do this all within a second of coming to a stop while the bike is upright, obviously. Practice doing this. Learn it, it'll help you during a sudden, panic stop.
roadfix is offline  
Old 09-20-19, 06:19 PM
  #15  
Gods lonely man
Junior Member
 
Gods lonely man's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Posts: 86
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 27 Post(s)
Liked 27 Times in 16 Posts
I usually stop, unclip one foot then the other one, the leg that was the last on the pedal goes over the handlebar and top tube, I catch the bike by the stem then.
Gods lonely man is offline  
Old 09-20-19, 09:01 PM
  #16  
acir71
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Posts: 54

Bikes: Mongoose Maurice FS 2011 fixed gear, custom 2017 Haro Master Flatland bmx, Contrast FL475 mid school flatland bmx

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 15 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 11 Times in 10 Posts
I always free my foot from the pedal strap, both sides, before lifting one foot over the tt/ seat & standing on the pedal with the remaining foot while still in motion, allowing my weight to slow it to a halt. I see clip users do the same thing, and they twist the remaining foot during that final motion. I learnt from this vid on youtube - streets of chrome damien riehl.
acir71 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Johnny H.
Bicycle Mechanics
33
09-23-19 02:29 PM
antimonysarah
Tandem Cycling
33
03-21-16 05:57 PM
Campag4life
Road Cycling
9
05-18-14 08:02 AM
lsberrios1
Road Cycling
8
07-25-13 01:12 PM
lil'hobo
Road Cycling
4
07-21-10 11:20 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.