TimothyH

There is something about a freewheel though, which doesn't require the rider to maintain tension on the legs so that they keep up with the cranks.

Over time and with enough experience riding fixed becomes very natural and the rider gets very fluid - effort required to maintain cadence with the cranks is minimized but a freewheel is never the same as a fixed gear, no matter what gear you are in.


-Tim-

TMonk

I think this is really the heart of the matter here and the only solidly objective difference. Everything else (never coasting, mashing up hills, spinning out etc) can be mitigated by the way that you chose to ride the bike.

hardboiled718

It seems difficult to definitively say one is a better workout than the other. As with any kind of training with different types of equipment, they don't fully equate. I feel like a lot of what constitutes a better workout is the mental focus, pushing yourself to go a little faster or farther, even if it may only be perceived effort (some people get into the numbers with HR monitors and power meters, but for me that's not something I'm interested in.) It's important to point out that this can be done on any kind of bike.

However, I will say that when I ride fixed I feel more focused on how much effort I'm putting in because of the fact that I can't change the bikes gearing. For example; when riding against the wind, in order to maintain the same cadence it takes more effort, whereas on a geared bike you might just downshift.

Colnago Mixte

It not only takes more effort, but you have to really focus on smoothing out that gear you're pedaling that's a little higher than you'd prefer. I'm just trying to protect my knees and tendons at that point, but it's very useful to be able to finesse a gear like that and adapt to it, rather than just pushing a button on my brifter.

And when the gear is too low, when going downhill or sprinting, you get a chance to work on smoothing out your spin at extremely high RPM's, also a very useful skill to develop, which is definitely transferable to geared bikes.

I could be wrong here, but it's difficult for me to see how riding a fixed gear WOULD NOT make a person a more skilled rider.

Bandera

A FG road bike is a relentless operant conditioning device for improving pedaling technique with instant negative feedback for slacking and constant reinforcement of proper technique.
Not for everyone, but highly effective.

-Bandera

TMonk

They do compliment each other very nicely (riding fixed vs geared). Riding exclusively fixed can actually impart poor form on your pedal stroke by making one lazy about pulling up/upstroke - the momentum of the drivetrain does it for you. This is where riding a freehub/freewheel bike can actually make you a better fixed rider as well.

The whole "effort" and "focus" argument is lost on many cyclists like myself who are competitive athletes on both road and track. Most of the time (say 75%) when I ride it's to train/workout, not for recreation. But hey that's what I like. Moreover it's on a road bike with a power meter - that will keep you honest about your effort level and what your objectives are.

When I start to build up for next year I'd like to incorporate more fixed gear road riding into my base plan by doing many of my endurance rides on the FG. One thing that irks me slightly is that I don't have a PM for my fixie. I'll use a HRM to keep me somewhat honest, but a part of me is worried that I might start to slack off a little bit mid-ride, and another part is just irritated that I won't have as many numbers and charts to look at when I get home

Mikefule

It must surely depend on riding style and the type of riding you do.

Long descents where you can coast, or sections of rough off road where you can coast over the worst patches are very much easier with a freewheel.

If you ride flat or gently undulating routes where you would not choose to freewheel on the short descents, there's little or nothing in it.

Then again, you can choose a low ratio and poddle along and never break sweat.

However, I see so many cyclist doing the "1 2 3 coast, 1 2 3 coast..." thing, where they never get up a head of steam. What they are choosing to do would be impossible on a fixed.

There's also the extra calories a fixed rider expends drawing his or her lips back into a wide grin.

On all bikes, geared or otherwise, if you pedal hard for the whole ride, the workout will be more or less the same. My most tiring ride recently was a hilly and windy ride with 20 gears at my disposal.

Wspsux

i dont because i go down hills like an out of control toddler on a tricycle.

Mikefule

That's why I have brakes on my fixed.

TimothyH

I'd like to watch this. Might even pay to see it.


-Tim-

vinfix

I would say yes, I get a better workout, if you define "better" as more strenuous for the legs and more intense effort. If I'm trying to do hills or endurance, fixed is not as good, because it's not as efficient in those conditions. That is, it's harder, but doesn't allow me to train on the right stuff.

I've been thinking about this question lately, and whether fixed is actually faster than a singlespeed/derailleur bike (or makes no difference) and under what conditions.
My PBR this year for avg. speed over 25 fairly flat miles was on my Pista. On my road bike, I was about 0.3-.4 mph slower. On hillier routes, I'm about 2 mph slower on both, but the geared bike has the edge, especially on downhills, and I can comfortably do more miles. I have a single speed I've been doing lunchtime rides of 10-15 mostly flat miles, consistently about 1 mph slower than my best on my Pista.