AJW2W11E

Track bikes faster than geared bikes?
I don’t race that much actually, but once in a while, when I am really warmed up, I like to give it a go. My bike seems to have a lot of zip, and can hold its own against high end geared bikes and fast riders .
My big disadvantage is that with one flimsy hand brake and two skinny pads going down steep long hills I tend to be careful .. .
Hit a temporary road sign last month in the bike lane and I still have scars . I am thinking I love my track bike, but it’s just not the type of bike to be going really fast downhill at high speed .

Rolla

Too many variables to say. Depends on the course and which bikes you're comparing. Steep climbs and fast descents don't really play to a fixed-gear's strengths.

But it's also a false dichotomy -- what about a non-fixed singlespeed? At a local 24-hour mountain bike race a few years ago, a singlespeed team won the overall and one of their members also posted the fastest lap time. But that still doesn't mean a singlespeed is always going to be faster than a geared bike.

AJW2W11E

Good answer. Forget to add my geometry is a bit more unstable then those newer geared bikes. Going downhill on a turn is always a time to be cautious.

Senrab62 

Generally, I am faster on a multiple geared bike. Even my 3 speed fixed, although by far heaviest bike I own, I am faster than with one speed. Not always, but most of the time. Certain sectors, I might be quicker fixed, usually with lots of climbing or elevation.

TejanoTrackie 

Yes. Track frames contain the exotic rare earth element Speedium, which makes them inherently faster than geared bikes.

TMonk

Actually, it's you that are holding your own against faster riders, not the bike! Over diverse terrain and wind conditions, the flexibility of a geared freehub/freewheel bike is generally faster. Flat with consistent wind? Maybe the track bike.

ThermionicScott 

The "laboratory of the road" seems to favor multi-speed bikes, but we only have about a century of data so far.

sdimattia

In the most optimal conditions with the most optimal bike setup, a bike is only ever as fast as its rider . . . Gears just provide a continued optimal bike setup in less than optimal conditions.

aniki

I only ride fixed on the road. Usually with several other riders all on geared bikes. Some are faster than me and some are slower.
The only time they lose me is on long fast descents; trying to maintain 180rpm for too long is a ball-ache so I usually just leg-brake or hand brake and wait until it's flat again to catch everyone up.
Overall I would say that riding fixed you are at a mechanical disadvantage; based on power numbers I would be riding with a faster group altogether if I rode gears on the road but I ride for fun and social etc. so I just do what I enjoy most.
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Just as an aside, I've seen plenty of people trying to ride fixed or more specifically, 'track' frames on the road and they usually have way too much weight over the front. This makes descending much more difficult than it needs to be! Move the centre of gravity back 20mm or so and all of a sudden they have much better control....

AJW2W11E

Got to agree. I’m used to the geometry now, but I remember in the beginning hitting my pedals in sharp turns and trying to avoid a poodle making a sharp turn and landing in gravel. But I still love my Pista!

TheRealDrPhil

How does a three-speed fixed work? If the gears are in the hub, how does the hub change gears in both directions of chain motion (a defining element of a fixed gear bike)?

Senrab62 

Definitely a fixed gear bike. 3 speeds. Sturmey archer S3X hub. Not the first of it's kind either, SA made somenother multiple speed fixed gear hubs in the 40s and 50s. If engaged, can pedal backwards, though this is not recommended for longevity.

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/asc.html

Edit: Uses a indexed gear shifter, can be bar end mounted, or on downtube boss as I use it. They also made handlebar mount thumb shifter as well.