Originally Posted by
JohnDThompson
I ride fixed, not single-speed, and multispeed bikes (derailleur and IGH). Fixed gear is a different kind of work out. It works different muscles, and works the same muscles differently. It trains you to pedal smoothly regardless of cadence and develop power regardless of cadence. You can't really slack off, since whenever the bike is moving, the pedals are moving. You can choose to pedal fast or slow, hard or soft, but you're always pedaling.
+1 (Well I haven't had an IGH for 55 years; long before the term "IGH" was coined.)
I was told to set my second bike up fix gear when I started racing 45 years ago to smooth out and improve my pedaling. It did that very well, especially since I loved to ride hills and had to pedal down them. Learned early on that the smoother I could spin the pedals, the faster I could descend safely (and have fun doing so). Real positive incentive! I also discovered that fix gears make really good bikes for long hard rides on miserable, stormy days. I"d pick a destination town 50 miles upwind, ride there, find a lunch spot downtown, enjoy it and spin home on dead legs. (I was a bike shop employee/racer. Sundays and one weekday off. Weekday was long ride day, If it was raining ...)
A few of the benefits of fix gear - miles (or time) on a fix gear are worth 25-33% more of the same on a geared bike. Or, the same miles are 25-33% harder and more draining. (The benefits of fix gear don't translate directly into speed on gears but the regular fix gear rider will be impressively strong and resilient.) The fix gear offers far more conditioning to the upper body along both paths of push and pull from leg downstroke to hands. (Go out and dig some ditches - yes there will be a lot discomfort but you'll have a much better upper body base to start with. Be less likely to hurt yourself.)
And the zen. With a good fitting fix gear, you can completely lose yourself into "the ride". Nothing but your body, the bike and and the road. And the bike disappears. Doesn't hurt that it is so close to silent. (I rarely actually get there, I run the sturdy and square plated Izumi chains and likewise EAI 1/8" cogs where no attempt has been made to make them silent - or more prone to being thrown off.)
To show my love of fix gears (and climbing on them and the fact that I am in my 60s and not a young pup any more), here is the bike I dreamed up to be the ultimate road fix gear capable of riding the Oregon hills. Note the long dropout (that angles down in front like a vertical dropout. It can handle any cog from 24 to 12 teeth on one chain length and allow easy forward wheel changes, even with cogs so big the tire is almost hitting the seat tube. Makes flipping the wheel on the road child's play. (Also the big 18 oz chainwhip so I can screw on the tiny 12 tooth you can barely see hanging from the tool bag. And the Pedros Trixie hub wrench/lockring spanner under the too bag.)
This photo was taken on one of Cycle Oregon's most mountainous weeks. 2 mile hill hitting 14+%. Photographer was CO's Dean; one of the best and parked at the steepest point. I screwed up; thought the "big" hill was one hill later. It was too steep to stop, flip the wheel and restart in heavy bike traffic so I just muscled out the 17 tooth flat ground gear. You can see the 23 tooth on the left side of my wheel. My forearms were so sore when I arrived in camp that touching them with the bar of soap hurt.
