Fixed wheel: Why? Why not? Vote now please!

[RickH]

Just checked Strava, my commute is on fixed and entails 1300ft of climbing in 10miles, this include something that is around 20% as well. It's doable as I do it 4 days a week.

You must be fitter &/or more bloody minded than me!

My cadence on the final hill home (the 250ft in 1/2 mile) drops to 60 & below with a 24" gear. For me that is well to the bottom end of comfortable - my last 2, fairly flat, rides average cadence was 88 & 90. Heading away from home I'm unlikely to not do 30+mph, sometimes 40+, freewheeling on the downhills.

It may be do-able on fixed but would I want to - for me, definitely no!

[Cyril Haearn]

Did have some lovely Airlite hubs many years ago, large flanges, red anodised

[fossala]

Just checked Strava, my commute is on fixed and entails 1300ft of climbing in 10miles, this include something that is around 20% as well. It's doable as I do it 4 days a week.

You must be fitter &/or more bloody minded than me!

My cadence on the final hill home (the 250ft in 1/2 mile) drops to 60 & below with a 24" gear. For me that is well to the bottom end of comfortable - my last 2, fairly flat, rides average cadence was 88 & 90. Heading away from home I'm unlikely to not do 30+mph, sometimes 40+, freewheeling on the downhills.

It may be do-able on fixed but would I want to - for me, definitely no!

Stupidity explains most of it.

[Bowedw]

Many years ago a very knowledgeable bike shop owner suggested I convert my bike to a fixie, daily commuting was taking a toll on my drivetrain and my wallet. Freewheels where on average pretty poor life wise.
At the time I thought he was being silly and did not give it a second thought.
Fast forward more years than I care to admit to and I tried a fixie and been hooked since. My hill climbing was pretty good ,or at least was to my satisfaction, I however did not feel happy on the downhills as my speed was pretty high and did not feel in control. I lowered the gearing and my downhill speed and felt a much happier bunny. Obviously I cannot hit the same speeds with a following tail wind but it suits me.
There again I have only seen a upright racing trike twice, once was when I was about 12 and the other time was donkey years later. I bought one and eventually got to grips with it and it is really something special. I now alternate between it, a normal road bike and the fixie. Also a mtb but mainly on trails and fire roads.

[fastpedaller]

didn't a track kilo rider have some sort of two sprocket system?

IIRC one was a little loose and, as the bike accelerated, the chain dropped down to a smaller sprocket. not sure what happened to chain tension though!

i'll see if i can find some info somewhere.

I remember that - and ISTR it was a British rider. It had a chainwheel on each side, and if my memory serves me, it worked by having a 'back to front' freewheel on the left side. The right side had a fixed sprocket that was undone (maybe as much as feasible?). Because the gearing on the freewheel side was lower to aid acceleration, the fixed sprocket would wind on until it took over the drive, and the freewheel would be err freewheeling until the end of the trial! Whether the added weight, subsequent small drag of the freewheel and complexity made it worthwhile.... who knows?

[Cyril Haearn]

Done several rides on fixed, nearly 50 km altogether, it is easy but not so inspiring as I maybe expected (rode fixed quite a bit years ago)
Going down hill holding back was a bit queer, maybe my 52" gear is too low
Light and simple is good, it forces me to work a bit harder too, I shall certainly persevere, my other cycle can have a rest

[drossall]

52" is quite low. Traditionally, club riders typically rode 63-67" in winter. They upped that to 72" for the early-season medium gear races. Plenty of people on here will come along and tell you that they ride gears in the 70s or even 80s all the time, but I'm not as fit as them.

[fossala]

I'm on 73" all year. Same for club rides, commuting and Audaxs.

[alexnharvey]

Is that one of those hipster sleds?

[fossala]

Is that one of those hipster sleds?

Call it what you want, still did me well on an overnight 300k at the weekend.

[alexnharvey]

Is that one of those hipster sleds?

Call it what you want, still did me well on an overnight 300k at the weekend.

Whoosh.

It's a hipster sled when you set it up like that, or more specifically like you're going for a tt, just to ride around town.

[mattheus]

Aaah, the joys of fixie jargon ...

[Pneumant]

Done several rides on fixed, nearly 50 km altogether, it is easy but not so inspiring as I maybe expected (rode fixed quite a bit years ago)
Going down hill holding back was a bit queer, maybe my 52" gear is too low
Light and simple is good, it forces me to work a bit harder too, I shall certainly persevere, my other cycle can have a rest

Easy enough to change the sprocket if it feels too low & well worth experimenting. I can get up some serious hills on my 66" gear without too much suffering. No shame in jumping off and pushing if the hill wins as you can justifiably blame the bike.........
I rode the fixed last Saturday and the chain was making horrible groaning sounds at the end of a damp 50-mile ride. I am using up cheapo Wilkinsons chains purchased for silly low money (as in 60p each or something like that) a couple of years ago. They are 1/8 pitch black unlubed (from the factory) Tayas and fixed destroys them in the hundreds of miles. They must be very low grade metal. I have 2 left and the next batch of chains will be KMC's!

[seph]

https://i.redd.it/s01ev4375gz31.jpg
I like the look of your Corrado Fossala. Was it originally a track frame? If so, how do you find the geometry for longer rides?
I have an old Steve goff track frame that Ive thought about using for long distance stuff, just not sure that I’d find it as comfy as the converted touring frame that I normally use, (and I do like to run mudguards too )

[tatanab]

Apart from my track racing/time trial machine I have always (since 1969) had a road/track machine in my stable i.e a "track" frame with mudguard eyes and clearance. Below is the current one since 1988. As youngsters we generally rode 72" until we learned to pedal and then dropped the gear to 65". This was around the South Downs. I have toured central Wales and Normandy/Brittany on 65" as well as general club riding and commuting. I like the slim understated elegance (to my eyes) of old frames over the fat tubed lardy modern aluminium frames. Modern trendy riders seem to routinely ride gears in the range that I used for racing, 81" to 86", but perhaps they ride at my old racing speed .