Bandera

Converted to FG >20 years ago still in LD service.

-Bandera

rhm

When setting up a SS/FG bike with a flip flop hub, so fixed gear on one side and freewheel on the other, do you normally use the same gearing on both sides? Or make the freewheel lower?

I'm pretty sure my Claud Butler (post no 5 above) has a 46/17 gear ratio right now. On descents it gets a little disconcerting when my feet are going around at 160 rpm (I know this is no big deal for serious fixie riders; but yes, I admit it, it scares me). Would you put a larger freewheel on the other side? how much bigger?

Bandera

After enduring what has become known as "The Death March" LD ride a few seasons ago my riding buddy built a FG/FG 48 X 17/18T to get from 75 to 70GI as necessary. Smart guy, no point in trying to win the non-existent hard-man contest and getting knee surgery as the prize. Same goes for using a FW flop-swap.

Setting up a "bail-out" gear whether FG or FW depends on your track-end/horizontal dropout and chain lengths, some combos won't work. Look at cadence on your terrain w/ current gearing to see what gearing makes sense. Don't forget that hamster-in-cage-syndrome on FG down hills is prevented by simply feathering a brake. I do it all the time around here, there is no prize for over-spin either.

-Bandera

OneIsAllYouNeed

My century+ fixies include: mid 90s Giant Boulder (26 to 700c conversion), 2006 Redline 925, ~2004 IRO Rob Roy, 2006 Voodoo Wazoo, ~2007 On One Il Pompino, 2008 Jamis Sputnik, 2010 Surly Travelers Check, ~2011 Voodoo Agwe. For the most part, the gearing was 42/15 w/ 28-30mm tire for hilly rides, and 45/15 w/ 25mm tires for ultra races. The Redline 925 saw the most centuries of all bikes I've owned, and the Jamis Sputnik saw the most double centuries or longer.

rustystrings61 

I've done numerous metric centuries on this bike, and I specified the design for brevets and long-distance rides - does that count?

[IMG]IMG_3634_zpsnqkfyh2l by Russ Fitzgerald, on Flickr[/IMG]

Julius is a Mercian Vincitore built for 47-57mm brakes, geared 42x16/18 fixed/fixed, but I think I'll swap out the 18T for a freewheel the same size. In 2003 when this was a new bike, I rode all the secret chipseal and gravel and fire roads on it using 45x19, flipping it over to 45x17 for pavement.

If I were to order this bike today, I would have specifically asked for forward-facing dropouts with the appropriate angle - that would also have meant conventional fender eyelets, thus avoiding having my fender stays interfering with the rear q/r skewer. I think I also would have had the front headlamp boss brazed onto the right fork instead of the left - I came to hate routing the wiring up around the fork crown from the dynohub I used to the lamp on the other side.

Bandera

Track-ends are all well and good on the velodrome, having to wrestle with them w/ mudguards installed to remove a rear wheel puncture: Not so much.

What set-up do you use to have a rear QR on a FG hub?

-Bandera

rustystrings61 

The rear hub is a c.2002 Surly "New" fixed/fixed track hub; I replaced the axle with a hollow one, either a vintage one scavenged from the bin or a modern one I cut down with a hacksaw, I don't remember. The quick release is an older steel one with an internal cam the way Tullio intended. I think it's either an old Atom or Maillard, but I would have to look. It's worked pretty well for me for about a decade now.

EDIT: I looked - it is an old steel, straight-handled M.M. Atom skewer. Works flawlessly!

Bandera

Thanks!
If I get back into LD/FG riding next season that sounds like an excellent set-up.
Being able to flop to a 1T lower FG cog and not have to carry a wrench for the rear makes lots of sense to me on long windy routes.

Not concerned about having a QR on the rear, never slipped a rear wheel w/ a Campag QR when I was young/strong doing full-on Crit starts. Now?

PS: Mercians rock!

-Bandera

groovestew

I can join this club now...Finished my first fixed gear 200 yesterday on this thing...



This is my main summer commuter, perhaps not really well suited for long distances, and I probably won't do another randonnee on it, at least not without a better saddle. The bars are also too narrow, and the biggest tire I can put on the front is 23mm (28mm on the back). But, I can cross "Fixed Gear 200" off my list now.

The course itself was pretty flat (about 2000 feet of climbing), and the weather was perfect - temperatures never went above the low 20's (C) and hardly a breath of wind. Only in the last 25 km, the wind picked up and it started to rain a bit. Overall, great conditions for my fixed long distance initiation.

Going into this ride, I underestimated the advantages of being able to coast. After all, you're pedalling 99% of the time anyway, right? By the 60km mark, I was already wishing that I could stop pedalling, stand on the pedals, and stretch, without having to stop. By the 150km mark, I really, really wanted to stand up and coast periodically. I could have stopped to flip the wheel to the freewheel side, but my desire to complete the ride 100% fixed overrode my desire for comfort.

Completed the ride (215 km total) in 9:11, a pretty good time for me.

ThermionicScott 

Well done, @groovestew!

rhm

+1! Congratulations!

Having done quite a few fixed gear centuries, on Saturday I did my first official brevet on fixed gear. In fact five of the riders did the route on fixed gear bikes, and another on single speed freewheel. I always get the feeling that I go faster on a single speed than on a bike with multiple gears; I think it's because I can't gear down and spin up the hills at an easy pace, I really have to attack them and get them over with as quickly as possible. And sure enough, this was the first 200k I finished in under ten hours.

Robbykills

not the same beast at all but I always find my fixed gear commutes to be much faster for this very reason

amedias

80's Mercian 531ST converted to SS 44x17 on 165mm cranks, normally used for shorter rides or the occasional metric century, but it's fine for imperial centuries too if I know the route. Don't find it quicker than geared, but it is more consistent...

rustystrings61 

^^^^
What a lovely bike!

amedias

thank you :-)

Actually has silver hubs on it now (front Dynamo) and I'll be changing that chainring when it wears out as I don;t like the black bits so much...

fuji86

SS/FG is a 2010 Vilano. It's been ridden up to a metric century and that's flat FL (USA) as SS. Upgrades in the last year, orange platform pedals & the comp white WTB Thickslick tires. somewhat regretting the white tires for the dirty factor, doesn't take long with road oils from the cars & asphalt and even if that didn't do the heavier layer of filth, dust and puddles would get them dirty. Maybe next time the black tires and white sidewall letters. I figured yolo, I'll probably run Continentals on them, the WTB Thickslicks are more expensive and I don't see what that buys in terms of durability yet.

What it was before:

https://fixedgeargallery.com/wp-conte...nd-973x550.jpg

After is the photo here.