mukman

Hi folks,

Not trying to troll here, this is a serious question. I live in the Netherlands, this place is pretty hella-flat. I ride a fixed gear bike and a road bike on the streets and I almost always have more fun and feel better on the fixed gear bike.

The advice I get from most experienced track riders is to buy a road bike, but I'm not feeling it. So far my only theory is that I would enjoy the road bike much more if I lived somewhere with a substantial climb. Here in the Netherlands, you can ride for a good 200km and have a total elevation change of maybe 100m on a good day.

What am I missing that makes a road bike so great?

rpcleary

Its really a personal preference and based on what you want to do. For example, I really hate riding fixies and SS bikes. They just don't feel comfortable to ride to me, and I much prefer a proper road bike. I also tend to travel to a lot and race, so having the gearing options and other design features of road bikes really appeal to me much more.

Dave Cutter

I had bought a near-finished fixie conversion from a young man... and finished it. It was fun to learn to ride.... and the lightest bicycle I'd ever held. I can understand the fun. But I've had a love affair with road bikes for half a century and live around a few big hills as well. So I sold the fixie.

Machka 

I grew up with road bicycles ... been riding them for almost 4 decades. They just feel ... right.

K.Katso

Speed, probably.

I have fixie too, but it is used more as a stadsfiets than recreation. The racebike is way faster and more fun to ride. I also do some racing here in the local area. Sure there are fixed-gear criteriums also, but I love the full-on race bikes.

Not sure what part of the country you're in, but there are some "hills" around. For mountain riding, I usually do big cyclosportive rides in other countries when I am on vacation. My vacations usually revolve around taking bikes to the mountains in France, Italy, or Spain. It's a lifestyle.

mukman

When I say I ride a fixed gear bike, I'm not talking about some recreational fixie. I'm ride fast enough to keep up with the road biker group rides here. I'm sorry, I can be bad at asking questions. I'm looking for real objective reasons why a road bike is so special, not just "this is what I'm used to" or "this is what I like". Those are great reasons to ride any bike, but that's not my question.

OldTryGuy

SPEED!!!!

Almost pancake flat South West Floridian here and 64 years old who will be going on a LBS ride in 2 hours. All but one other rider will be younger than me and a couple of those younger riders will ride a fixie. After a beginning warm-up of 7 miles at around 19-21mph, the tempo will be picked up. When the speeds start to maintain 24 to 28 they drop off and miss out on 32+ miles of fun straights and some fast turns. I know our ride is not really a fast ride compared to many on the Forums, but for this older rider they are a blast and almost heart stopping.

Just wouldn't be fun being unable to stay with faster riders and dive into turns with a fixie the way I can with my road bikes.

Campag4life

You need to tell us more about your fixie that makes it so appealing to you. Flat bar? Handlebar below the saddle? Same basic position as your road bike? If your fixie is a flat bar, most on longer riders will miss the multiple hand positions of a drop bar which allow you to change body position as well to recruit different muscles. So it isn't just about a gearing difference between the two bike, but rather your riding position difference that would likely explain why you may prefer your fixed gear bike. Road bikes come in all different shapes and sizes. As to gears...yeah if you have the right gear on your fixie and ride on flat land, then gearing is less of an issue but still an issue.

The other day, I was turning around and a guy on a fixed gear was well up ahead and as a challenge I decided to hunt him down. He was riding fast and we were riding into a stiff breeze...and above 20 mph. 21 mph or so for me into the wind is asking a lot. He saw me behind him and sped up. A very strong rider and he slowly pulled away. I would say most that ride can't do what he did. Rare at least. He didn't need gears...an animal.

Lazyass

If you've ridden and experienced both and like the fixey thingy better then I'm not sure why you have a question. I've ridden a fixey bike thing, I thought it was stupid. I don't need to ask anyone why I should like it.

mukman

This is the road bike I ride: Caad10 - Pedal Room
This is the fixed gear bike I ride: Cinelli Vigorelli - Pedal Room

So far my maximum speed is about the same on either on the road. I can do about 42km/hr for a bit before I lose my strength. In the velodrome I can do about 50 or more on the fixed gear.

I'm asking the question because it's easy for people to get attached to something even if it's not a good idea. I like to question everything and know why I do something more than "I feel like it" when I can.

banerjek

Don't you have wind there or ever want to ride a different cadence than conditions allow you to with one speed? Gears are useful in situations that don't involve hills.

Ben I.

Assuming your fixie doesn't have drop handlebars, you only have one hand position choice and usually not as comfortable for longer rides. As far as gearing, obviously with a fixie you have only one choice for which gear. On a road bike (or most bikes really) you have 2 or 3 in the front and up to 11 in the back. If you encounter a big hill you can use a smaller chainring, if it's just a little hill you can use a slightly easier cog. But as someone else said, if you have a brutal headwind, you can downshift and adjust your cadence appropriately. If you have a long descend you can upshift so you don't spin out. Hope that helps answer your question some.

bikemig 

There's pretty good riding in Limburg and the Ardennes. There's some climbing there. Plus there's lots of wind and being able to change your cadence is a good thing.

Bandera

Agree, I've spent an inordinate amount of time riding FG on the road for decades.
Not being a FG zealot/martyr when wind conditions are adverse I ride a multi-geared road bike instead.
Horses for courses as they say.

-Bandera

79pmooney

You're asking the wrong crowd. Most of the guys here don't get riding fixed and probably never will.

If you ride/compete in groups, you need gears because everyone else has them and they are a game changer. If speed matters, for instance if you record it, again gears matter. If you are out riding solo for the ride itself, gears matter little. Yes, they make windy days easier and faster. Fixed gears make those windy rides a lot more memorable.

If you need to be able to say "I rode XX miles today", ride gears. If you want to really feel you really rode those XX miles, ride them fixed. For me, it as about the ride. and the ride is more real fixed. I do 50-80% of my miles fixed.

Ben

79pmooney

Funny, I find I ride far more varying cadences riding fixed than I (or others I see) do riding gears. On a hilly ride, I will see 50 - 250 rpm. Windy? 70-150 maybe. Sure, the guys with gears can vary their cadence more, but do they?

Ben

Campag4life

Now that I see your fixie, its a bit more clear. You are not giving up a drop bar or aerodynamics. You have an aggressive riding position and if you participate on group rides with it and keep up, you are a strong rider...bottom line.
So all you are giving up is a second brake and gears. Gears are a big deal. I know I couldn't keep up with the A group on a fixie but any CAT 1 or 2 or Pro...no problem.

kbarch

Efficiency.

Jiggle

Your Cinelli is a road bike.

Bunyanderman

Because the hipster life is not for me.

GuyDebord

efficiency and because fixies destroy your knees!

bbattle

A lot of roadies ride fixed gear bikes and vice versa. If one doesn't rock your boat, that's fine. I wouldn't worry about it.



Just ride your bike and be happy.

plodderslusk

I have recently here on the forum offended those who insist on a very strong stroboscopic blinking light at the front of their commuter bikes so now I can take on another group. Only morons ride in traffic without well functioning brakes ! Any decent roadbike has that. Track bike lack them because they are set up to be used inside a velodrome .

pdedes

most track racers incorporate a significant amount of time on the road for training purposes. It's easier to train at specific work loads or cadences when you have gears. I raced both road and track. My favourite off season training was fixed gear 'cross.

popeye

When you have a fixed gear spun up "in the zone" it is like magic. It's everything you need and nothing more.