One gear, 100 miles a day, across the continent

[FixedWheel]

Am I crazy? I plan to cycle on a fixed wheel, with minimal luggage (no racks, no panniers), doing more than 100 miles a day, from Manchester to Istanbul. Gearing is 42x15. Following EuroVelo routes as much as I can. The Balkans seem to be hilly which looks like the biggest challenge after the Peak District. No hotel. Sleeping bag on the side of the road, field, or wherever. Starting end of May. Should be back to work by the end of June. Aiming to spend some time in Istanbul if I can get there in the first place. Tell me what you think.

[NUKe]

Are you fit?what mileage have you ridden fixed . And how light do really want to travel, but yes it is do able,even if you have to walk the odd hill

[raybo]

Why are you doing this?

Riding 100 miles a day leaves no room for delay. What if sometching breaks or starts hurting? You plan on riding 100 miles in bad weather? What about the days when you are climbing up a mountain pass?

In addition, riding 100 miles a day means no sightseeing, no stopping to talk or enjoy a meal. There is nothing about your plan that I think Is a good idea.

If this is a life challenge, go for it. If it is a bike tour, don’t.

[Cyril Haearn]

Am I crazy? I plan to cycle on a fixed wheel, with minimal luggage (no racks, no panniers), doing more than 100 miles a day, from Manchester to Istanbul. Gearing is 42x15... .

We urgently need some crazy people
Look what a mess the normal people have got us into
Over to you, Mr President!

[tatanab]

I know a chap who has done this or similar, but hauling light camping kit as well and using Warmshowers and staying with people he met along the way. So provided you have the basic fitness and experience I don't see why not. Not for me thanks.

[pwa]

Aren't there rear hubs that will take a sprocket on each side, allowing a different gear for the hills? Might mean taking a spare chain though, as length will be different.

[KTHSullivan]

Back in the day I used to tour on a fixed, but with a flip-flop (40 x 16) and (40 x 22) for the hills; however in those far off distant days my legs weighed more than my belly does now. Also the 22 sprocket became a freewheel after an unfortunate "incident" descending the butter tubs that involved a reasonably large flock of kamikaze sheep.

[pwa]

Some people do the Bryan Chapman Memorial Ride on fixed. About 620km across Wales and the Welsh Marches in 40 hours or less. So big miles can be done if the body and mind are in the right place.

[foxyrider]

Doesn't sound like any kind of fun

[pwa]

I've never tried single speed or fixed, but I can see that there is a purity to it. And doing it over long distances is a challenge, an achievement. Just because there is an easier way to do it doesn't mean that it has no value. After all, if we just wanted easy we would use a motorcycle, or fly. For all cyclists, getting to the end of a long hard ride is a moment of achievement. But getting to that point and then thinking "I did that on one sprocket" must make the achievement greater. Personally, if I did that, on getting home I would remove that sprocket and put it on display on a wall as a permanent souvenir.

[Bonefishblues]

I've never tried single speed or fixed, but I can see that there is a purity to it. And doing it over long distances is a challenge, an achievement. Just because there is an easier way to do it doesn't mean that it has no value. After all, if we just wanted easy we would use a motorcycle, or fly. For all cyclists, getting to the end of a long hard ride is a moment of achievement. But getting to that point and then thinking "I did that on one sprocket" must make the achievement greater. Personally, if I did that, on getting home I would remove that sprocket and put it on display on a wall as a permanent souvenir.

Indeed - if the OP could do this it would be a remarkable achievement indeed.

[pwa]

Things I would be thinking about if I were intending to do this:

Saddle / shorts. If you fail it will not be because your bike is too heavy, or not aerodynamic. It will be because you suffer too much discomfort that slows you down, or because of mechanical failure. So you absolutely need to know that your saddle is tried and tested on long rides. Same with your shorts.

Position on the bike must be good for long hours, and tested over practice rides. Extremely low stretched out positions are unlikely to be sustainable day after day.

Wheels must be reliable. The rear wheel must be well made and have enough spokes to give you no trouble. So don't get wheels just on the basis of how light or aero they are.

Carry your kit on the bike and not on your body. Your body is your most valuable component and you are looking after it. So get bags that fit on your bike.

Get lots of practice rides in. Some long ones, some day after day.

[thirdcrank]

My first impression, as a former fixed-wheel rider (but never for touring) is that 42x15 - about 76" with 27" wheels - will be overgeared. In my far off youth it seemed I met quite a lot of Scots youth hostelling on fixed and IIRC 65" was common for that sort of lightweight touring. I think it's also worth pointing out that in those far off days with less traffic, it was easier to tour on the generally flatter main roads and walking up hills was the norm. There's also the not insignificant point that riding downhill on fixed can use more energy than climbing.

I think that the two-sided hub is a good idea, and unless your bike has vertical dropouts you can make some adjustment for different sprocket size by moving the wheel backwards and forwards. I'd also consider having one side freewheel for if you get fed up of pedalling downhill. (Two brakes then required in UK of course.)

I'm not clear why you are posing the question because to have any realistic hope of doing this you must surely be an experienced rider and I blush at offering this advice. If you are not very experienced, then I'd say your plan is quixotic to put it mildly.

Former forum member Edinburgh Fixed - the clue is in the username - attempted a JoGLE ride IIRC, and climbed off before finishing with a bad knee (?) aggravated by the demands of his gearing.

[Tiberius]

My first impression, as a former fixed-wheel rider (but never for touring) is that 42x15 - about 76" with 27" wheels - will be overgeared.

Exactly what I thought.

I ride single speed through the winter, in very hilly North Yorkshire and I'm running 42x18x27'' wheels = around 63" and it's about right for me. Yes, I could go higher at times but this is single speed, it's always a compromise.

However, I am sixty, reasonably fit but hardly athletic....Maybe the OP is Bradley Wiggins esq ???

I don't really see the fixed/single speed bike as the biggest hurdle (you can tour on anything) but I think 100 miles/day...day in, day out.. would allow so little time to enjoy the experience, it would kill it for me,

It's a great idea though and I do love 'minimalist'. People do dafter things (ask Ed' Pratt) so why not ??!!

[PH]

Am I crazy?

We're all crazy, it's just a sliding scale. Are you doing this because you want people to think you're crazy? It's a common enough theme, it's no surprise that the biggest touring journal website is crazyguyonabike!
Whatever your motivation, it's very doable given enough determination and physical fitness, you're never far from civilisation if plans change, you seem to have given yourself a fair time cushion and you can always jump on a train.
I like to tour at around 100 miles a day average, dropping down to 60ish on a tough day and making it up on the easier ones. I do this with enough camping kit to be comfortable and use a full set of gears. I get people saying I miss the sights, but I see plenty of them from the saddle, and it's still only about 9 hours riding time, there another 15 hours a day for other stuff. The lack of luggage fits well with the crazy image, but there's little disadvantage carrying a few kg of comforts, or at least fitting a lightweight rack would give you the option to add things along the way. You'll know what gearing suites you better than anyone, but a choice of sprockets for different regions sounds like a good idea.
Enjoy your ride, certainly sounds like it'll be interesting, you can tell us afterwards if it was crazy enough.