# Fixed gear in a hilly area.



## fossala (31 Jul 2014)

I've got a chance to pick up a cheap/good quality fixed gear bike. I've always want to try one but I live in Cornwall. Has anyone on here used fixed gear bikes in areas as hilly as this?


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## CopperCyclist (31 Jul 2014)

@totallyfixed 

Rutland isn't exactly flat and totallyfixed manages just fine! If you have the legs, engine and willpower go for it - you'll only make yourself a better rider

And if it all goes wrong, there's always n+1...


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## fossala (31 Jul 2014)

Yeah, it's not like I would get rid of my other bikes. Just fancied scratching the itch.


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## mcshroom (31 Jul 2014)

Anyone who's met me will tell you I'm not hill climber, but I've been using a fixed gear around the edge of the Lake District for a few months. Learning how to ride down hills is probably more scary than riding up them. I would recommend two good working brakes.


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## Archie_tect (31 Jul 2014)

... + use the freewheel side?


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## mcshroom (31 Jul 2014)

Strangely spinning at 170rpm is quite fun. Breaking your arm striking a pedal on a bend less so. 

I'm going back to the freewheel side on mine after my crash, but in principal there's nothing wrong with riding fixed, and on my commute there didn't seem to be any difference in times.


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## Ian H (31 Jul 2014)

I'm in Devon and often on 67" or 63". There's the occasional hill where I have to resort to 24" - more often now that I've passed my three-score, but still not frequently.


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## totallyfixed (31 Jul 2014)

fossala said:


> I've got a chance to pick up a cheap/good quality fixed gear bike. I've always want to try one but I live in Cornwall. Has anyone on here used fixed gear bikes in areas as hilly as this?


As @CopperCyclist says I [we] ride fixed in a fairly hilly area and I push a big gear, however there are limits and mine is 17%, maybe 18% if it is short enough. Cornwall is something else, inland not so much of a problem but inevitably you have to do the coastal roads and many of those are over 20% and quite a few 25% +. It is one of the few places where I might consider a 3 gear fixed.


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## ColinJ (31 Jul 2014)

totallyfixed said:


> As @CopperCyclist says I [we] ride fixed in a fairly hilly area and I push a big gear, however there are limits and mine is 17%, maybe 18% if it is short enough. Cornwall is something else, inland not so much of a problem but inevitably you have to do the coastal roads and many of those are over 20% and quite a few 25% +. It is one of the few places where I might consider a 3 gear fixed.


Is a 3 gear fixed what it sounds like? Presumably a 'steep climbing' gear, a 'steep descending' gear, and an 'everything else' gear? If so, how does the bike cope with an imperfect chainline on 2 of the gears?

(I know what Ian H's 24" gear is, having been fooled by that description before. For those who don't know ... 24" = 2 feet = walking! )


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## mcshroom (31 Jul 2014)

I think it's a hub gear with a fixed sprocket so the chainline should be fine.


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## ColinJ (31 Jul 2014)

mcshroom said:


> I think it's a hub gear with a fixed sprocket so the chainline should be fine.


That's an interesting idea, but I thought the attraction of fixed was about the transmission being simple, lightweight, and efficient, all of which would be compromised by using a hub gear?


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## mcshroom (31 Jul 2014)

It is, but hub gears allow fixed riding without being stuck with one gear ratio. One of the forumites over on YACF has had this set up for a while


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## totallyfixed (1 Aug 2014)

Not for the purists I admit, but if you like riding fixed and don't like walking this would be the solution.


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## Ian H (1 Aug 2014)

ColinJ said:


> (I know what Ian H's 24" gear is, having been fooled by that description before. For those who don't know ... 24" = 2 feet = walking! )



Spoilsport!  
I have a double-sided hub with a 17 one side and an 18 on the other. I'm using the 17 at the moment for two reasons: 1) I'm feeling fit, and 2) I stripped the other side and have yet to replace the hub.


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## clarion (13 Aug 2014)

I use a three speed on one of my fixed bikes - my commuter. It means I can set off smoothly from the lights,and change up to the 90" top, to get a good speed up without spinning my legs off. It helps descending too. The lower gear is useful for climbing. Doesn't match my tourer, of course, but it helps with the ups. I've ridden the S3X off road, and taken it cycle camping (London-South Downs).

It's a wee bit different from riding normal fixed, as there is inevitably a bit of 'lash', which feels wrong at first, as if your chain is slack, but it gives you a good window for changing smoothly. Because of this, I don't tend to use backpedal braking, and have a rear brake fitted.

It does make the bike heavier, though that's not an issue for my commuter (I could still leave most MAMILs standing). It certainly helps in hillier areas.


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## jazzkat (14 Aug 2014)

Sorry for the late reply, I've only just noticed this.
Fixed for me in the South Lakes, it's quite lumpy here and I ride anything on it except the big passes (Hardknott, wrynose, etc) on fixed. 
I'm riding on 74 inches (48/17) gearing and cope with everything so far! Gearing is the key issue, you'll get up anything with the right gearing and as others have said it's a compromise with coming down the other side!


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## clarion (14 Aug 2014)

Prompted by this, I went out on my S3X this morning. Cracking ride!


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## fossala (14 Aug 2014)

To update I picked up a All-city thunderdome and have rode it twice to work and back (26 hilly miles) and it's been fine. I'm riding 48/17 and the only hill that nearly beats me is the one just outside work but it must be at least 15% (think closer to 20%).

What has surprised me is that I'm faster on the fixed than the brompton (s6l) or moulton (TSR with campy record).


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## Ian H (14 Aug 2014)

I'll stick to my 43x17 (approx 67"). It's got me round many long rides and I've never been noticeably slower, either uphill or down, than geared companions.


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## jazzkat (15 Aug 2014)

fossala said:


> What has surprised me is that I'm faster on the fixed



Another enlightened soul.


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## Old Plodder (15 Aug 2014)

I used to ride a 63" around Kent, Surrey & Sussex, which are quite hilly.


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## al-fresco (17 Aug 2014)

Welsh borders with a 69" gear. I choose my routes with care though!


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## The PainGiver (5 Sep 2014)

Ive just got my first fixie, is 44/16 and its fairly hilly sound where i live but so far ive been faster on it than i am my geared racer , ive yet to try 10% + hills but everything else seems to be easier .
Ive only been riding it a week and have seen my average shoot up to 17.2 from 15.2 at the beginning of the week.
My average at best on my geared racer round the same roads is only 17 !
So im a convert!


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## The PainGiver (6 Sep 2014)

But this morning i ruined myself, did 22 miles which is twice as far as id done on my fixie , which is now a week old, lol and chucked in three 4% hills all over a mile long,i got second and third bests on then ,the other times set on my racer, but at the top of the third one i was spent and crawled the last five miles home like a dog licking its wounds!! i think it might take a few weeks for my body to learn to cope with it!

I did manage 35 miles and hour down hill, screaming like a girl all the way!


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## Smurfy (6 Sep 2014)

Three speed fixed sounds rubbish. The direct drive gear is in the wrong position to be really useful, and you lose the connection because the hub has too much backlash


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## jazzkat (6 Sep 2014)

The PainGiver said:


> But this morning i ruined myself, did 22 miles which is twice as far as id done on my fixie , which is now a week old, lol and chucked in three 4% hills all over a mile long,i got second and third bests on then ,the other times set on my racer, but at the top of the third one i was spent and crawled the last five miles home like a dog licking its wounds!! i think it might take a few weeks for my body to learn to cope with it!
> 
> I did manage 35 miles and hour down hill, screaming like a girl all the way!


Ha ha, don't worry you'll soon get stronger, I did.


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## alecstilleyedye (30 Sep 2014)

flip-flop hub is the answer; one side for up, the other for down. 

tours de france used to be done thusly...


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## jazzkat (30 Sep 2014)

alecstilleyedye said:


> flip-flop hub is the answer; one side for up, the other for down.
> 
> tours de france used to be done thusly...


Blimey, if I did that around here I'd spend more time spinning my spanner than I would the pedals


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## Ian H (1 Oct 2014)

jazzkat said:


> Blimey, if I did that around here I'd spend more time spinning my spanner than I would the pedals



Yup. The only time I've turned the wheel round on a ride was when I stripped the 18 and was forced to continue on the 17.


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## DaveyA (3 Oct 2014)

Sorry this is not exactly on topic, but I have a question about your previous post Ian H.
I am a potential newbie convert to s/s. I was wondering how you manage the chain length when swapping between 17 and 18. Is there enough movement in the dropout or do you need to have a tensioner? The reason I ask is that I am building a s/s and feel that a similar arrangement of 17 and 18 might be a good idea for me.
Sorry again for the off topic-ness.


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (3 Oct 2014)

2 teeth = one link according to Sheldon Brown


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## DaveyA (3 Oct 2014)

So you couldn't just turn the wheel around without adjusting the chain length?


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (4 Oct 2014)

Yes, by having 16/18 or 18/20 teeth for example.


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## GGJ (4 Oct 2014)

The most common set-up for a flip flop hub is to have a 1 tooth difference between the two sides, the freewheel (single speed side) is usually 1 tooth more than the fixed cog


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## DaveyA (4 Oct 2014)

Well thanks. That's handy to know.


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## tyred (7 Oct 2014)

I believe each extra tooth moves the wheel by 1/8" So most traditional frames could cope with a few tooth difference but try to avoid having the axle right at the front of forward facing dropouts.


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## Ian H (9 Oct 2014)

I rode an AUK 200 from Cardiff to The Gower and back on Saturday, on 43x17. Nothing spectacularly hilly, but fairly constant up and down. The biggest climb was over Cefn Bryn. First time I've ridden a hilly distance on the fixed for a year or so. Made my legs ache a little.


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## clarion (13 Oct 2014)

YellowTim said:


> Three speed fixed sounds rubbish. The direct drive gear is in the wrong position to be really useful, and you lose the connection because the hub has too much backlash


Basing your opinion on no evidence, experience or knowledge whatsoever as usual.


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## Smurfy (13 Oct 2014)

clarion said:


> Basing your opinion on no evidence, experience or knowledge whatsoever as usual.


No, I read the reviews, and realised it would totally ruin the fixed experience. If I recall correctly, Adrian has one, and hardly rides it because he doesn't like it.


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## clarion (13 Oct 2014)

Yes, the reviews. A good substitute for actually knowing what you're talking about.


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