Between a fixed gear and a single speed bike
#101
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It's a motivational factor getting you to work harder. By your logic, riding a bicycle without an engine is a design flaw as one can't bail out to assist or take over.
I've ridden single speed over long distance, there's some fun to it, but I enjoy the versatility of geared bikes more. I have no desire to try a FG at this stage of my life, but "it's harder" doesn't strike me as irrational if one is attempting to maximize their effort and/or like technical challenges. People ride for different purposes, I can't imagine wanting to talk them out of their preferences except for when those preferences are actually endangering others. Don't get me started on people who ride on roads on FG without brakes, for example. That's not justifiable.
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#102
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Always good to bear in mind! For example, among others, I try to maximize the portion of a ride that I am standing. It makes the ride more of a weight bearing activity, improves saddle comfort on my longer rides and generally breaks up the monotony of being in the saddle a long time. I’ve gone to the extent of using swept back touring bars to help create better standing positions than drop bars allow. I’m sure a great many riders don’t have that as a priority.
Also, just an observation and I don’t know that there is causation with any of this, but since I went back to riding SS this summer, I’ve substantially increased my typical and longer ride lengths while no longer having to worry about saddle discomfort. As always, YMMV.
Otto
Also, just an observation and I don’t know that there is causation with any of this, but since I went back to riding SS this summer, I’ve substantially increased my typical and longer ride lengths while no longer having to worry about saddle discomfort. As always, YMMV.
Otto
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#103
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My legs freeze with the cranks perpendicular to the ground when I start freewheeling again after riding fixed gear on a regular basis. I can't tell whether ride with more souplesse once my legs get reacclimated to being the only thing spinning the cranks.
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#104
Senior Member
I got reminded of another benefit of fix gear road riding (especially downwind and downhill) that has been for me, huge. The training of the leg muscles that aren't actually driving the pedals to relax completely. I was never aware I had those less than loose muscles until I started going down real hills on gears like 42-17. At 45 MPH (225 RPM) any tightness at all makes for a wild ride! But 100% loose, I can go faster and it is ear-to-ear grin fun. And that teaching of those muscles to relax benefits me every ride. (Rollers go a long ways to achieving that same looseness.)
I rode a 50 mile out and back to a point straight upwind yesterday. Hard out, the spin on tired legs coming home. That my legs didn't fight that spin - a real blessing.
Ben
I rode a 50 mile out and back to a point straight upwind yesterday. Hard out, the spin on tired legs coming home. That my legs didn't fight that spin - a real blessing.
Ben
Two reasons some give up on or never warm up to fixed. There is not much chance of ever doing 225rpm if your position is not already very good and your pedaling at least decent. Fixed does absolutely improve anyone’s pedaling but you won’t get started if sitting awkwardly or too high or if your pedal stroke is too rough. So those who need it most are locked out, or at least need some good coaching and to make a serious try.
The other problem is big gears. Some of the gears mentioned on this thread are just enormous. The 42x17 mentioned in your post is way more reasonable. On rolling ground that is already quite big enough, thank you.The old Cinelli manual - actually the training bible for Italian amateur racers - talks about using gears as low as 44x23 for winter training. Even big riders are admonished to use 44x20 for developing agility during base miles. The old British notion of ‘medium gear’ at 48x18 also made medium gear the biggest to ever be used fixed. Only strong and fast guys would contemplate using medium at all and then only for racing. One of the old tropes was get under the hour for 25 mile time trial in a 48x18 gear before switching to a derailleur bike.
#105
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Otto
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in my opinion you should try a coaster brake wheel. with a coaster brake wheel you can have the benefit of coasting and the clear look of fixed gear
#108
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#109
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#110
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...The old British notion of ‘medium gear’ at 48x18 also made medium gear the biggest to ever be used fixed. Only strong and fast guys would contemplate using medium at all and then only for racing. One of the old tropes was get under the hour for 25 mile time trial in a 48x18 gear before switching to a derailleur bike...
The point is that this thread brings out the passions and prejudices, as well as fears and convictions of its posters. It's all pretty transparent. You could pick out the fellows with whom you'd enjoy riding because they share similar attitudes and interests. And that's one of the attractions of this forum's community. We're different from one another, but we share the love of bike riding. Even in its many forms.
Last edited by Phil_gretz; 10-26-21 at 08:16 AM. Reason: adjusted my rpm range to account for headwinds, etc.
#111
Senior Member
I ride 48x18 (~70 gear inches) for my every day rider. My local terrain is moderately hilly, and there are traffic lights and residential areas with cross streets. So, the riding is varied. My flipflop hub is fixed-fixed, and the other side is 17T for flatter duties. I don't consider myself particularly strong as a 62 year old. But I can sustain 85-95 rpms pretty routinely for an hour ride if unobstructed. But that sub-hour 25 mile ride would be well outside of my abilities. If I could accomplish 25 miles fixed in 75 minutes, I would be pleasantly surprised.
The point is that this thread brings out the passions and prejudices, as well as fears and convictions of its posters. It's all pretty transparent. You could pick out the fellows with whom you'd enjoy riding because they share similar attitudes and interests. And that's one of the attractions of this forum's community. We're different from one another, but we share the love of bike riding. Even in its many forms.
The point is that this thread brings out the passions and prejudices, as well as fears and convictions of its posters. It's all pretty transparent. You could pick out the fellows with whom you'd enjoy riding because they share similar attitudes and interests. And that's one of the attractions of this forum's community. We're different from one another, but we share the love of bike riding. Even in its many forms.
One small addition. In days when the Brit standard was 48x18 most rode wired-on tires and they were plain bad. The Dunlop HPRR (Yes, I had two pair of them when they existed) was fast enough and rode like tubulars, they were also even more fragile than tubulars. Fragile as old tubulars, not the good ones we have now. The old tires were just slow. Once on top of the gear and doing a ride it still felt good, felt just like riding a bike. But it was slower.
Even when I could do a 59 to 61 minute 40k and do it mostly on 52x17 and 52x16 free, a fixed gear at 48x18 felt big enough. 48x17 would mean killing the pedals from the start and never letting up. Only guys I ever knew who could really ride on a fixed bigger than that were Jim Rossi and Johnny VandeVelde. In that league you make your own rules. At age 69 I am on 48x19.
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#112
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OTOH, I’m very interested in trying it, after all our discussion of internal vs external pedaling work and how fixed gear lets you push forward, maintain exact speed or even force the bike to do work on your feet and legs and slow down. So, I may get a flip flop rear wheel that will let me try fixed on less challenging terrain. Hopefully without messing up and throwing myself off the bike. 😊
#113
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Weight and simplicity are the big ones, because you don't really need brakes (front one is still advised). That seems to be why they are popular for bike couriers in relatively flat cities. Without brakes there's almost nothing on one to go wrong except the chain and some bearings.
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This thread should be a sticky.
Perfect illustration that the only reason in the world for a recreational rider to ride fixed gear is the supposed cool or macho factor.
Key word being ‘supposed’ of course
Perfect illustration that the only reason in the world for a recreational rider to ride fixed gear is the supposed cool or macho factor.
Key word being ‘supposed’ of course
#115
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After all of the informed discussion, this ^ is what you want to leave in a Sticky-d thread? Ugh.
#116
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I've been riding fixed gear since 2009. I have a road bike set up as fixed gear and I also have a fixed gear wheelset which I use on my 29'er mountain bike for winter riding and commuting. The main benefits are almost zero maintenance besides lubing a chain. It also provides a different type of workout than a regular bike and it improves your bike handling skills because there is much less room for error than on a regular bike...The main reason why I continue to ride fixed gear is simply because I enjoy it so much, I ride for experience.
I have been riding fixed gear for years now and prefer it. I'm approaching 60 and will stop riding fixed when they pry it out of my cold dead feet, or words to that effect.
#117
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That was basically the sum total of your part of the informed discussion.
Thanks for informing us all that spinning is fun
#118
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I ride all three methods described: Geared, SS, FG. Each has it's place.
FG is not for everyone but then again, neither s cycling.
One error in thinking that FG is too hard or dangerous to attempt is thinking one has to master it at once. Mountain biking is far worse for example yet people do it.
Before I started FG I had a singular experience with one prior. a friend who had a FG came over and said: "Take it for a spin". I did and found it awkward to ride. "Who would want to ride one of those?" I thought. Sometime later I bought one on a whim because... well it's a bike (N+1). I did not tackle big hills right away. This is just common sense. I began by riding relatively flat routes to learn the skills needed. As I gained ability I expanded my horizons until I could ride pretty well anything the gearing allows, which includes some decent hills. Like bike riding in general - it's a process. No one (hopefully) would hop on a mountain bike without experience and ride down a black diamond run either.
From a skills/fitness perspective, what I notice about FG is that it helps me to develop consistent cadence, works the posterior and anterior chain of leg muscles and does not allow for micro rests. For shorter/medium routes when time compressed it feels like a better all around workout for the legs, especially when one rides a lot and the legs muscles become very conditioned to geared riding and plateau (they adapt for efficiency). FG forces them to work more completely.
From a fun perspective, I loosely equate it to driving an old sports car compared to a modern automatic transmission with power steering. Some people dig that sense of being more directly a part of the car/bike and some don't. It's not good or bad. Someone buying an expensive CF road bike might express the same feeling at the other end of the spectrum (like driving an F1 car).
FG is not for everyone but then again, neither s cycling.
One error in thinking that FG is too hard or dangerous to attempt is thinking one has to master it at once. Mountain biking is far worse for example yet people do it.
Before I started FG I had a singular experience with one prior. a friend who had a FG came over and said: "Take it for a spin". I did and found it awkward to ride. "Who would want to ride one of those?" I thought. Sometime later I bought one on a whim because... well it's a bike (N+1). I did not tackle big hills right away. This is just common sense. I began by riding relatively flat routes to learn the skills needed. As I gained ability I expanded my horizons until I could ride pretty well anything the gearing allows, which includes some decent hills. Like bike riding in general - it's a process. No one (hopefully) would hop on a mountain bike without experience and ride down a black diamond run either.
From a skills/fitness perspective, what I notice about FG is that it helps me to develop consistent cadence, works the posterior and anterior chain of leg muscles and does not allow for micro rests. For shorter/medium routes when time compressed it feels like a better all around workout for the legs, especially when one rides a lot and the legs muscles become very conditioned to geared riding and plateau (they adapt for efficiency). FG forces them to work more completely.
From a fun perspective, I loosely equate it to driving an old sports car compared to a modern automatic transmission with power steering. Some people dig that sense of being more directly a part of the car/bike and some don't. It's not good or bad. Someone buying an expensive CF road bike might express the same feeling at the other end of the spectrum (like driving an F1 car).
#119
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I live in the country and go on long rides, I'm not a city boy commuter. I ride the freewheel most of the time because my daily rides are 25 miles minimum and not being able to coast every so often sucks. I have a habit of staying clipped in and making tight turns when I'm at a stop sign or something waiting for a car to pass and on the fixed cog my toe will hit the front tire, almost went down a couple of times because of that. And I like bunny hopping over things and can't do that on a fixed cog.
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#124
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I have a cheapo single speed road bike with a flip flop rear hub. I never road it as a fixie. Front sprocket is 48, rear is 18. As a 68 year old cancer survivor with a bad knee, I don't give a whit about being "macho". I got back into riding about 4 months ago, and ride every day. Trying to gain back some strength and stamina after 2 years of cancer treatment, and have dropped 15+ pounds (down from 205). I ride because it's fun and makes for a good workout, along with walks and barbell work. My bad knee was not caused by riding, but I hope riding may help it.
#125
OwainGyndwr
Started riding fixed about 2007. It just sounded interesting to me. So, I converted a Fuji Del Rey to SS. Rode that for about one year. Then flipped it around one day. Been riding fixed ever since. It forces mindfulness and concentration. It's also more challenging physically. The main thing is I just like it.
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