# Toe nearly dipped in the fixed pool



## skudupnorth (1 May 2010)

Well I'm about to go ahead and order a Specialized Langster through the ride to work scheme,is this a good choice ? I got gears on the road and mountain bikes but from what I've read,fixed sounds fun !


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## Theseus (1 May 2010)

The Langster is a nice bike and was on my shortlist. Enjoy it.


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## skudupnorth (1 May 2010)

I'm glad it's got the thumbs up,looking forward to joining the fixed gang !


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## aserota (2 May 2010)

Langster is a great bike IMO. I switch between an 08 Langster and 09 Allez for my commutes. The weight difference is large and I much prefer riding the Langster (always fixed).

Just take the bike out off roading (well more through the park and small trails). Ride is comfortable and solid even when tyres are 100psi and on mud!


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## skudupnorth (2 May 2010)

I get a real confused look off work mates when I tell them what I'm getting "fixed ????? As in no gears OR freewheel...are you mad !"


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## MrGrumpy (3 May 2010)

skudupnorth said:


> I'm glad it's got the thumbs up,looking forward to joining the fixed gang !




wheels are pap tho ! been through 2 sets, now on some handbuilts.


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## skudupnorth (3 May 2010)

No worries on the wheel front,got a set for my Sirrus when they went belly up through the scheme under warranty


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## skudupnorth (3 May 2010)

User3143 said:


> Langsters are great ss/fixed bikes for commuting and getting around town.



I am planning to use it as a commuter bike,I've ordered some SKS mudguards for it.


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## MrGrumpy (3 May 2010)

raceguards? Not very easy fitting full guards, I use crud roadracer guards on mine during winter.


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## skudupnorth (4 May 2010)

SKS not a good idea then ?


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## RedBike (4 May 2010)

I think the Langster comes single speed? 
although it wont take you two seconds to fit a track sprocket / lockring to the other side of the wheel.


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## djb1971 (4 May 2010)

My Langster came fixed 42*16 with a shimano freewheel 16 on the other side.

I was speaking to someone in Brian Rourkes last week and they said that all bikes have to sold a ss now not fixed. Anyone else heard this?


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## RedBike (4 May 2010)

djb1971 said:


> My Langster came fixed 42*16 with a shimano freewheel 16 on the other side.
> 
> I was speaking to someone in Brian Rourkes last week and they said that all bikes have to sold a ss now not fixed. Anyone else heard this?



That would make a lot of sense though as all the main manufactures seem to sell their fixed wheeled bike as a single speed.


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## djb1971 (4 May 2010)

RedBike said:


> That would make a lot of sense though as all the main manufactures seem to sell their fixed wheeled bike as a single speed.



It would make sense.

Look at how dodgy you and I are on fixed


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## redjedi (4 May 2010)

Evans have just called me to say they have the bike I asked to try in stock. I'm having a look at the Ridgeback Solo, my first fixed.
It comes with 48-18 freewheel setup, and I'll need to pluck up a bit of courage before I take to the streets fixed.

I've got a couple of cracked ribs at the moment so perhaps not the best time to decide if a bike is comfortable. I'll just have to knock back a handful of pain killers a few hours before I get there


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## 4F (4 May 2010)

Looks nice Luke


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## RedBike (4 May 2010)

redjedi said:


> Evans have just called me to say they have the bike I asked to try in stock. I'm having a look at the Ridgeback Solo, my first fixed.
> It comes with 48-18 freewheel setup, and I'll need to pluck up a bit of courage before I take to the streets fixed.



I've got the Ridgeback and i've ridden the Langster. They're two very different bikes. The Ridgeback takes full mud-guards + larger tyres and is more comfortable. The Langster is lighter and feels more agile


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## RedBike (5 May 2010)

djb1971 said:


> It would make sense.
> 
> Look at how dodgy you and I are on fixed



Lol. For the last month or so i've had no fixie. I used the brakes going downhill so much I wore out the rims. The bikes now sat in a corner looking very sorry for itself waitiing to be treated to new wheels.

I had a very odd love hate relationship with the fixie. Its attacked me on several occations and even managed to throw me over the bonnet of a car. Despite riding it for over a year I still can't go downhill on it without being terrified. 
Yet, strangely, it was always the bike I would pick up if I was going out for a ride on my own. I would rarely ride anything else. 

I often thought the fixie would be improved no end if there was an emergengy stop button. You'd hit the button and be able to freewheel.


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## stevevw (5 May 2010)

redjedi said:


> got a couple of cracked ribs at the moment



Good Birthday on Friday Luke?


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## redjedi (5 May 2010)

stevevw said:


> Good Birthday on Friday Luke?





The ribs are a result of my wheel fitting failure last week. Friday helped to numb the pain though, and in the morning my head helped to distract further from the pain.
Was back to full agony on Sunday. Luckily I haven't needed to sneeze in the past week. I'm not looking forward to when it does happen though


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## redjedi (6 May 2010)

Well I'm now crouched by the side of the fixed pool with my armbands on.

Picked up a Ridgeback Solo last night which so far seems very nice. I need to set it up properly and go for a good spin but first impressions are very good.

Still only got a freewheel on for now, but I'll order a fixed sprocket and then pluck up the courage to use it


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## palinurus (6 May 2010)

redjedi said:


> Still only got a freewheel on for now, but I'll order a fixed sprocket and then pluck up the courage to use it



It took me a few weeks to get around to converting my Singlecross to fixed, but it's been a whole lot more interesting since. I rarely ride anything else now.


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## RedBike (6 May 2010)

redjedi said:


> Well I'm now crouched by the side of the fixed pool with my armbands on.
> 
> Picked up a Ridgeback Solo last night which so far seems very nice. I need to set it up properly and go for a good spin but first impressions are very good.
> 
> Still only got a freewheel on for now, but I'll order a fixed sprocket and then pluck up the courage to use it



I've got the same bike and I love it. 
Its not the lightest of beasts, its almost as though Ridgeback have addapted a touring bikes frame. If you can put a carbon seatpost on it. This seems to improve the ride dramatically. 

When you come to ride it fixed for the first time you might want to initially use a smaller ratio to what you use for single speeding. The theory being the lower the ratio the easier it is to slow the bike down via the pedals. So hopefully with a low ratio you will feel more incontrol of the bike and enjoy riding fixed wheel more. With a low ratio you will also be getting used to spinning like the clappers. 

Once you've got used to riding fixed and spinning like the clappers then you will probably switch to a higher ratio to what you use for singlespeeding. The reason for this is that the 'fly-wheel' effect you get from riding fixed seems to give you a helping hand up the hills so you can climb running a slightly larger gear fixed than singlespeed.


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## redjedi (9 May 2010)

RedBike said:


> I've got the same bike and I love it.
> Its not the lightest of beasts, its almost as though Ridgeback have addapted a touring bikes frame. If you can put a carbon seatpost on it. This seems to improve the ride dramatically.
> 
> When you come to ride it fixed for the first time you might want to initially use a smaller ratio to what you use for single speeding. The theory being the lower the ratio the easier it is to slow the bike down via the pedals. So hopefully with a low ratio you will feel more incontrol of the bike and enjoy riding fixed wheel more. With a low ratio you will also be getting used to spinning like the clappers.
> ...



Your blog was one of the few sites that came up with a review of the RB Solo, and was very helpful in my decision.
I've already ordered a carbon seatpost picked up for £19 from PBK. Which I've just realised I'll need anyway as the seatpost supplied is very short and is a couple of CM to small.
I think I'll have to try a few sizes out and see how I get on.

Does anyone know where I can get cheap track cogs from, so I can experiment a bit without spending a small fortune?


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## RedBike (9 May 2010)

When I first got the bike I kept fitting larger and larger ratios thinking this would help me go downhill. 

I didn't feel comfortable spinning like a mad man going downhill or around bends. 
It only took one pothole while pedalling at 150rpm to throw me into a mild panic. 

Irronically the larger the ratio I ran the less I was actually in-control. It took me months to realise what I actually needed to do was to ditch the large ratios and become comfortable pedalling quickly. Unfortunately this is easier said than done.


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## Spin City (9 May 2010)

redjedi: Good luck with your new purchase. 

I've got a Genesis Skyline which is exactly the same bike as the Solo but mine's a couple of years old now i.e. It was bought before the name change. 

I think it's a great bike and I've been very happy with mine. I asked the shop where I bought the bike to set it up as a fixed wheel so I've never known it as a 'single speed'. I've kept the gear ratio as 48/18 which I find is just about right. 

The Skyline came with a carbon seatpost so obviously I've not had to change that. As I've now done approximately 5700km on it there are a few things I've had to replace because of wear and tear but overall it's been a very reliable bike. 

You will no doubt have come across the bike's minor irritation in that there is some toe overlap but if you're careful this shouldn't cause any problems. I replaced the pedals immediately for clipless one's so I don't know if this makes the overlap better or worse. 

One last thing, the tyres that came with the Skyline were not very good so I replaced those very early on. Also, the chainlength on my bike is such that I can remove the back wheel without having to do anything with the mudguard. i.e. the back wheel can be slid forward to get the chain off and then the wheel can be removed off the back without touching the mudguard. I'd advise that you get yours set up similarly (just in case you get any visits from that well known 'fairy').


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## Aperitif (10 May 2010)

redjedi said:


> Your blog was one of the few sites that came up with a review of the RB Solo, and was very helpful in my decision.
> I've already ordered a carbon seatpost picked up for £19 from PBK. Which I've just realised I'll need anyway as the seatpost supplied is very short and is a couple of CM to small.
> I think I'll have to try a few sizes out and see how I get on.
> 
> Does anyone know where I can get *cheap track cogs from*, so I can experiment a bit without spending a small fortune?



Yes - quickly mounts up Luke! Pannier rack, seatpost, next - a saddle...panniers (Ortlieb - of course) swap out the front wheel for a dynahub and mega blaster light, change poxy brake blocks for Koolstops, M+ for a bulletproof ride, fall off again...LET ALONE the brake levers are set up with the front brake on the right! Bloody 'English' bikes - cack-handed ne'erdowells...
Sheesh - it's never ending!


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## 4F (10 May 2010)

Luke, welcome to the world of velo solo http://www.velosolo.co.uk/intro.html


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## RedBike (10 May 2010)

I nearly forgot. 

For some reason on the stock Formula wheels if you just screw a track sprocket onto the fixed side of the hub it ends up being 1/2mm closer to the center of the hub than the single speed sprocket is. 

This miss-alignment isn't enough to cause a problem, but to get everything running quitely and spot on then you might want to use a spacer. 

http://www.velosolo.co.uk/bbspacers.html


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## Aperitif (10 May 2010)

RedBike said:


> I nearly forgot.
> 
> For some reason on the stock Formula wheels if you just screw a track sprocket onto the fixed side of the hub it ends up being *1/2mm* closer to the center of the hub than the single speed sprocket is.
> 
> ...



 Purist!


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## davidad (10 May 2010)

Aperitif said:


> Purist!


I suspect RedBike meant 1mm - 2mm not 0.5mm. I've got an unbranded (possibly Formula) hub that came off a Langster and the chainline on the fixed side is a good 2mm further in than the freewheel side.


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## Aperitif (10 May 2010)

davidad said:


> I suspect RedBike meant 1mm - 2mm not 0.5mm. I've got an unbranded (possibly Formula) hub that came off a Langster and the chainline on the fixed side is a good 2mm further in than the freewheel side.



Lesser purist!


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## redjedi (10 May 2010)

Aperitif said:


> Yes - quickly mounts up Luke! Pannier rack, seatpost, next - a saddle...panniers (Ortlieb - of course) swap out the front wheel for a dynahub and mega blaster light, change poxy brake blocks for Koolstops, M+ for a bulletproof ride, fall off again...LET ALONE the brake levers are set up with the front brake on the right! Bloody 'English' bikes - cack-handed ne'erdowells...
> Sheesh - it's never ending!



 

Tell me about it. Carbon seatpost fitted - bargain at £19 , rack and panniers ordered - £50 (obviously not Ortlieb).
Next up, track cog (or 2) £15 each and lock ring. Then I need a tool for the lockring and a new spanner I can take with me. I'll probably get the Pedros's Trixie.

and I haven't even started to think about the brakes and/or levers.



4F said:


> Luke, welcome to the world of velo solo http://www.velosolo.co.uk/intro.html



I have been spending a lot of time on there, lot's of bling to catch the eye. I was thinking about some cheapie cogs, but I read that you risk stripping the hubs.

Shame they haven't got the coloured cogs in 3/32 (I think that is what I need). Maybe a bit of gold could work


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## fossyant (10 May 2010)

Get a Fixed Fixed Formula hub then..perfik..

I went fixed from day one...was scarey, as the route I picked had a blooming long incline to go down (and it's not a road I've used before) just to keep the route short.... after that, spinning upto 160 soon became OK..... can't do much more than that, but I can slow it easily now....but not on the steep stuff... 

One year in, and I prefer commuting fixed..yes it's harder, but it builds up the important hamstrings and tendons more, and it's good training....(certainly fixed/strengthened a weak hamstring in my left left leg that 'free wheeled' bikes couldn't)..


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## RedBike (10 May 2010)

Ooops, That is 1mm- 2mm. 

If you haven't got a spacer then don't worry everything will work fine without it.


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## GrumpyGregry (11 May 2010)

fossyant said:


> One year in, and I prefer commuting fixed..yes it's harder, but it builds up the important hamstrings and tendons more, and it's good training....(certainly fixed/strengthened a weak hamstring in my left left leg that 'free wheeled' bikes couldn't)..



Only got a fixie to get the muscle bulk/tone back in my legs after weeks on crutches. My God it don't half work well, and the scenery is so much better than a spinning class. Which is what the registrar suggested.


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## 4F (11 May 2010)

redjedi said:


> Maybe a bit of gold could work



That's what I went with


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## Aperitif (11 May 2010)

Are you toughening up on the fixed falling over skills Greg, or are you freewheeling it - like sensible recuperators? 48 x16 is a comfy gear. (On the flat, with no wind and twitchy thighs, no past or current damage to other body parts and...)


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## stevevw (11 May 2010)

redjedi said:


> Does anyone know where I can get cheap track cogs from, so I can experiment a bit without spending a small fortune?



Yes

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=101328


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## GrumpyGregry (11 May 2010)

Aperitif said:


> Are you toughening up on the fixed falling over skills Greg, or are you freewheeling it - like sensible recuperators? 48 x16 is a comfy gear. (On the flat, with no wind and twitchy thighs, no past or current damage to other body parts and...)



Well I managed 35 miles with the local club the other weekend on 48 x 16 free by storming every hill like a nutter. I was wrecked when I got home. Did 20 fixed with them on the same gearing t'other day before the lure of a shiny surly sprocket with 18t got the better of me as it made more of my route home from work options enjoyable rather than just do-able.

So riding fixed now 48 x 18, and touch wood, no further offage or backwardsage, just the occasional "whoa... why are my legs doing that?" moments like when I tried to freewheel to get my mobile out of my jersey pocket last evening.

In a quandary. My new, but hopefully not shiny, cycle-to-work bike should arrive before FNRttC Whitstable and it's got oudles of gears from some bunch of italian guiseppies whose equipment I've always shunned before. Think fixed to Whitstable will be too far for my little legs, if he takes us up Greenwich and Shooters Hill a la my first run to Whitstable I'd be jellified before we leave London.


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## Aperitif (11 May 2010)

Ah good - fixed! I think fixed to Whitstable would be ok. Coming back up the nasty slopey bits is not so good - unless you're a benborp type (which neither you nor I are ) of this parish. A return trip entitles one to two goes of Andy's Café though!


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## GrumpyGregry (11 May 2010)

My return trip is jeopardy. It's Eurovision night, iirc, and a party has been arranged a very long way from Whitstable.


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## skudupnorth (18 May 2010)

Fixed should not be a problem me thinks as i once built a fixed in the 80's with standard issue "cowhorn" handle bars ! Oh the joy as they snapped after too many wheelies !!!! 
Of course i will have to take into account more traffic and older limbs than my younger foolish days but i cannot think of any other problems i encountered with the old style fixed on 26" rims.
Cannot wait for my voucher from work and i'm off to join the clan !


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