Originally Posted by
TMonk
I'm gonna present a dissenting opinion and state that I no longer enjoy riding SS/fixed on open road or trail. I sold my Wabi about 6 months ago as well for this reason, big sad. My background is a competitive road and track cyclist of 15 years that flirts with dirt sometimes, although nearly all of my MTB riding is purely recreational.
For me, I just don't enjoy having the terrain be the deciding factor in my effort. I like to use gears to be in control of my output and shift up or down to suit the cadence and power that I wish to produce at the time. I get the whole-body arguments above, and riding SS/FG "in the wild" is a good way to do that. I take care of that stuff with some strength and core exercises that I do at home, off the bike.
I started riding fixed in a more urban capacity in college and began road racing shortly after that. After all this time, my SS/FG riding may be limited to track and that is OK with me. I do still enjoy the culture, aesthetic and general vibe of SS/FG riding outside of track racing, and understand the sentiments above. It's just not for me. I am an elite level road racer and my opinion is that riding SS/FG on open road and trail is too hard! Y'all are badasses.
I'm absolutely not an elite anything; my focus is randonneuring and formerly some 24 hour races. In that world, it's all about keeping the level of effort sustainable, never going deep. Gearing is obviously critical, and lower than typical for road riders. Maybe it's because I ride so many miles at 70% or whatever, but I'm absolutely loving the variety of effort FG/SS requires I put out. I think I get a different kind of workout in the process, but that's a side effect of doing something fun.