HankScorpio

Definitely check out Tokyo to Osaka on vimeo; It's one of my favourite videos. Intergalactical linked in his post, but here is the full version.
https://vimeo.com/15791718

nashcommguy

A friend of mine and I did a single-speed century last year. 6 Cat 5 hills we came to find out. We both had 46x16 gearing. This year we're doing the same ride on fg. We've upped the gearing to 48x16. And this time we'll be prepared for those hills.

There's a book called 'Around The World On A Bicycle' by Fred A. Birchmore of Athens, GA. He did it on a 50 lb single speed. The book's really good. Here's an article about him: https://onlineathens.com/stories/1129...29877510.shtml

RaiderInBlue47

Heh, funny this thread just popped up, just last week I did an overnighter on the Natchez Trace Parkway with a friend of mine on his MTB with slicks.

I think it came out to about 75 miles round trip. I was hoping to go farther but the first couple of hours were hell on earth as I ate some spoiled ranch dressing with my lunchable before riding. Nothing like puking a couple times to get your body prepped up for a 40 mile ride!

Anywho, I definitely recommend doing a tour on SSFG. Just be sure to go conservative on your gear ratio, pick a comfortable saddle (no seriously, the only reason I didn't shoot myself at some points was because I swapped out my Bontrager saddle for a Brooks beforehand), and be prepared to walk here and there if you've got a load on the back.

It's all worth it when you see a view like this though.




Seriously though, if you get the chance, do yourself a favor and ride the Natchez Trace Parkway. I'm already planning my trip next summer, but this time I'm gonna pack lighter and ride on the Leader I'm building up. Some of those views will make you believe in god. Not to mention the half mile "rollers". The whole thing is hills that go on forever. However, the downhills are a roller coaster. I believe my top speed with a tent on the back was 46 mph. And that's on a steel bike, stock steel wheels, Brooks saddle, a tent on the back, a linebacker on the controls and a 20-something pound bag on my back.

Lycosa

Yep, I have to agree.. that was an amazing video. Thanks for sharing it. I'm loving this! It's pretty awesome to hear people come out of the woodwork and say that it not only can be done, but is done often.

@Nashcommguy I've already bookmarked that book and I'll hopefully be reading some tonight.

@RaiderInBlue47 - Love those pics. Great story too.

It's really cool to see people out there defying the advice of the 'derailleur' folks. It's posts like these that remind me that people all over the world ride SS bikes, they ride long distances, and they don't let life stop because they don't have a few extra gears. Sure they may ride out of necessity, but.. isn't it a beautiful thing knowing that in today's overpriced fuel market that you can still go anywhere you want to go if you're willing to put forth the effort? That it doesn't require a bicycle that costs as much as a car. That the simplicity of a SS bike brings with it a sort of echo of that mentality.. that voluntary simplicity doesn't equate to being poor, but being rich in so many other ways.

lol Ok.. group hug.

JoshTheSkier

~120mi, ~5800ft vertical from Rutland, VT to Fitchburg, MA was my longest one-day trip on my fixed gear.

I've done some 2-3 day tours on it, too.

That was running a 44/16 on a Motobecane Messenger.

yott

The most I've done was roughly 40-50 miles in a critical mass in san diego. I know there's a ride from sd to irvine (or irvine to sd, i forgot) that i want to try. if anything, i'm planning to ride from la to sd during this coming semester.

nashcommguy

The century referred to in my previous post was largely done on the NTP. I live 0.6 mile from MP 423 which is from where we started. My daily commute allows me 12 miles per day on the NTP from MP 423 to MP 429 and then the opposite on my way home. 4-5 days per week. Also, I do weekend nighttime rides on it all the time.

We rode from MP 423 to MP 391 on the Trace and exited @ Highway 412 to Hohenwald. Then reversed back to the Trace went north and exited on Highway 50 to Rt 247 and north to Rt7 west back to the Trace. Then exited @ the Pinewood Rd./Leiper's Fork exit @ MP 429. East to Leiper's Creek Rd. South to Natchez Trace Rd. West to Carter lane. The NTP, Natchez Trace Rd and Carter Lane all intersect and I live .6 mi. from there.

PM me if you ever want to come out for a park/ride. I've got routes laid out from 20 to 120 miles. All of them include substantial time on the NTP.

puppypilgrim

Sorry been too busy to log into SSFG lately.

Squirrelli and I just rode up Cypress Mountain today. I did this mountain twice now in 2 weeks. Here are pics and elevation profile:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post13089178

The Softride I used is a XS size geared at 47 inches freewheel. There is something mystical about riding a singlespeed freewheel or fixed bike that I can't find in a derailleured bike.

Squirrelli and I have done from longish rides from a metric century with hills in one day to up mountains and so forth. For touring, may I suggest:

- gearing somewhere around 60-65 gear inches. Not more. The long nature of touring means many hours in the saddle. You want to avoid repetitive stress injuries particularly your knees. Pushing a big gear for 6 hours or more a day will strain any human joint. Take time to smell the roses. Touring isn't racing. Something in the low to mid-60s is a good all round gear.

- Use a Master Link or Quick Link on your chain. Once you climb the hill or mountain, you have the option of rapidly removing the chain, bagging it in a sandwich bag and coasting down the mountain using your brakes (you do use brakes on a fixie right?). The advantage of this is not burning your legs out on the descent as it is difficult to pedal fast enough down long steep mountains with a touring load on a mid-60s gear.

This way you have the best of both worlds. Being able to ride and climb on a fixed gear while coasting on the other side.

Lycosa

Nice.. I checked out the pics and good advice as well. Thanks. That's gotta be a tough climb, but at least I didn't see anyone walking the bikes up. More inspiration for sure!


I did some research on that guy. I haven't found the book yet and Amazon's price for it is pretty steep, but there's good info on him on the web. What an amazing story. Not only did the guy go around the world, but without brakes, on a heavy single speed bike. On his tour he reportedly battled with tigers and cobras and brought the hides back as souvenirs. He contracted malaria, got boils from improper nutrition, and even ended up robbed of his personal belongings.. but kept right on riding. After reading about that guy, I'm really going to have to laugh when someone says that a modern BMX or Beach cruiser is good for a few miles, but anything over that requires a bike with gears. After reading a couple interviews with the guy, I guess the point really hit home that he did it for the experience, not to break any land speed records. He cycled because it took him places, not just because of the sport of it. I guess we all find our personal niche in the hobby/sport. I guess I find myself a lot more like Fred Birchmore than Lance Armstrong.

JesusBananas

I had never realized that this was an alternative to having a flip-flop hub.

nyxis

Im still waiting for my TK3 to come in so no rides for me yet :/


Friend of mine's cousins nephews uncle brother .. (i forget what relation he is)

hwdxbassist

Im thinking about doing the California Climate Ride on my Track Bike. Has anyone gone from Eureka-->SF on an SS??

RaiderInBlue47

I'll definitely have to hold you to that once the semester starts and things cool down for me. That had to be one of the most beautiful rides I've ever gone on.

Six jours

Prior to WWII, multi-day touring on a fixed gear was quite common in Britain and not thought of as anything out of the ordinary. Folks today who say it cannot be done - or cannot be enjoyed, at least - are simply displaying their ignorance.

I personally don't have time for multi-day tours at this point in my life, but would be perfectly content with a fixed gear if the opportunity came up. I built a replica of a 1930s British FG touring bike (shown below) and have done several 200 kilometer (124 mile) rolling rides with it, in perfect comfort.

prooftheory

Lots of people do RAGBRAI ss/fg.

Lycosa

That's a beautiful bike

And I couldn't agree with you more.

I've been dressing up a 1998 GT pro series BMX bike for touring... no really. lol

I've almost got everything worked out for comfort. I look a little odd going down the road with the flag pole..err.. seatpost up so high, but I'm pretty comfortable and went 18 miles today with very little problems. I'm doing it simply because I love the feel of the smaller lightweight bike. I may need to raise my handlebars a bit since I'm a little bit lower than I'd like in relation to the seat, but other than that.. I'm rolling down the road at a very nice pace without discomfort.

I have a Trek 520 that I could get back from my son to ride. I also have a Panasonic Sport 1000 that's in immaculate shape that I could ride, but man I'm having fun with this bike. I installed a bike rack on the back today. I'm going to order panniers this week and I'll be all set for a bit longer trial through the Ocala National Forest here in Florida. I'm not sure about how I'll take hills, but in Florida they're pretty hard to find so I guess I'll work that out in time. My gearing is good for flats, but I'm not sure how I'll fare on grades.

I'm embracing my inner-Fred I suppose.

striknein

That's the craziest ****ing thing I've ever heard.

Lycosa

lmao.. ya, It really is. But.. it's fun. It's 6:50 AM this morning when I'm writing this and I just got back from a 10 mile ride. You have to think about it though.. the geometry, as far as your riding position, comes out pretty much the same as any other fixie/SS bike if you tweak it. With my seatpost flying high I'm at a decent 10 degree bend at the knee and that's right where it's comfortable and good for the knees. As far as my reach to the handlebars, now that I think about it I'm going to bust out a tape measure, but eyeballing it, I'm very close to a comfortable 45 degree back angle and the seat distance to handlebar length is pretty much the same as my road bike. You'd think that the biggest disadvantage would be the 20" tires, but honestly, not bothering me at all and I haven't even changed out the knobby tires for street yet. I have decided to now since I'm working out the 'bugs' in it all, but other than the rolling resistance, I'm not having any issues. As far as seating, I just threw a Gel Pad I had lying around on top of the seat and it makes it quite comfy.

This is really just for fun more than anything. Of course, I'm not breaking any land speed records but that's not the intent anyhow. It's more about the experience of doing something most people wouldn't do. Not because it's not possible. Not because it's not comfortable or putting yourself in a position that might lead to injury. I just honestly think that the internet along with many generations of dare I say.. 'spoiled people' have this thought that it can't or shouldn't be done. Honestly, after the miles I've put on the bike already, I can comfortably say that not only can it be done, but it's not even a problem. And trust me, I'm not a super cyclist. I used to tour when I was younger, but took an 18 year leave of absence to raise kids.

Maybe later today I'll take some pictures of the beast today still in it's $40 Garage sale glory state and post them. I bought the bike for much cheaper than it's worth. The 4130 CroMoly frame will stand up to any abuse that I'll throw at it and keep riding.

Btw.. I'm 39 years old. Even I laugh when I think about it, but hey, I'm having fun and somewhere in my twisted thinking, I'm proving a
point(?) lol

That's the reason I started this thread. After reading all your posts, it really gave me the inspiration to give it a shot. After all, what could be more encouraging to people wanting to get into cycling that to learn that the things they wish to do on their bike can likely be achieved with the old bike they already have in their garage. That cost isn't the limitation, ambition is.

prooftheory

We really need pics of your bmx.

JesusBananas

+1000.

toasterweasel

100 miles in 2.25 days on the Katy Trail with a group of 7 guys/girls, all fixed or single. 80 miles in 1.5 days on the Katy Trail with a group of 4 guys, all fixed. Camp overnight, about 20-25 lbs of gear and food

Lycosa

Well.. you asked for it. Picture is pretty crappy though.. it was raining outside so I had to take the pic in the house.

ya, it looks a little silly with the seat up high, but it's working just fine.

I bet you thought I was kidding

JesusBananas

I find this incredibly entertaining. Thank you for the pic.

Lycosa

lol no problem..

It wasn't a very entertaining day for me on the BMX. I went for a 10 mile ride this afternoon and 5 miles into it, I stood up on it as I was climbing up a hill in a local park and the tire spun off the rim. Of course, it guillotined the schrader valve as it did it. I of course had no spare tube on me and I decided not to bring my cell phone. It was a long.. long.. walk home.

The tires aren't good on the bike and I know I need to change them anyhow, but part of me is wondering if that could happen again with new tires. I'm guessing it won't happen and it's just the old dryrotted tire. Keeping my fingers crossed anyhow.

Scaught

A buddy of mine and I rode ~105 miles in one day on some keirin bikes. It was hellacious, but so goddamn rewarding. I wouldn't do it again unless I wanted to have back problems later on in life.