# wow



## andyfromotley (10 Jun 2008)

So am cycling up the chevin this morning when man in a cycling cap passes me. Not too unusual, anyway as we are coming to weetwood i start catching him up. Aha my natural weight 'advantage' and gravity doing its stuff. 

Caught him up in headingly.............he was on a fixed!!!

So if you are the bloke on a green fixed with brooks saddle... chapeau.

andy


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## peejay78 (10 Jun 2008)

come to london, they're two a penny down here. 

and they ain't quick either.


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## andyfromotley (10 Jun 2008)

Fixed cycles may be two a penny. It was the combination of one with a 600 ft climb that i found impressive.

Andy


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## Disgruntled Goat (10 Jun 2008)

If you are geared right, a fixed is the best thing for getting up a hill - take a look at Hill Climbs, all the top riders ride a fixed - something to do with power transfer or summat.


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## Twenty Inch (10 Jun 2008)

I certainly go past my commuting buddy on the hills - just when he's faffing around with his second gear change down.

It's not a 600ft climb though, more like 16ft.

How steep is it down the other side?


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## andyfromotley (10 Jun 2008)

Twenty Inch said:


> I certainly go past my commuting buddy on the hills - just when he's faffing around with his second gear change down.
> 
> It's not a 600ft climb though, more like 16ft.
> 
> How steep is it down the other side?



Well thats the pay off! The other side is a gentle downhill all the way into Leeds, about 8 miles. Very pleasant.


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## ASC1951 (10 Jun 2008)

I have a regular route on my 46 x 17 fixed which takes me from Chapel Allerton over to Kirkstall and up Tinshill Approach to Holt Park, then along the Chevin. I also do the climb up the Chevin from Menston or from Otley (Birdcage Walk?) straight up to Chevin End on it. It wasn't me you saw, though, Andy - I have the Brooks saddle but not the cap*.

I did get up Skipton - Embsay Crag - Barden Tower on the beast once, but that was when I was 15 years younger, lighter and stupider. I live in hope of doing it again.

*I've thought of another reason. It wouldn't have taken you until Headingley to catch me. Bramhope would have done it.


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## Twenty Inch (11 Jun 2008)

ASC1951 said:


> I have a regular route on my 46 x 17 fixed which takes me from Chapel Allerton over to Kirkstall and up Tinshill Approach to Holt Park, then along the Chevin. I also do the climb up the Chevin from Menston or from Otley (Birdcage Walk?) straight up to Chevin End on it. It wasn't me you saw, though, Andy - I have the Brooks saddle but not the cap*.
> 
> I did get up Skipton - Embsay Crag - Barden Tower on the beast once, but that was when I was 15 years younger, lighter and stupider. I live in hope of doing it again.
> 
> *I've thought of another reason. It wouldn't have taken you until Headingley to catch me. Bramhope would have done it.



I'd love to give that a go. Plenty of hills here in Kent to try though.


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## dudi (11 Jun 2008)

not so many long hills here in suffolk, and my gearing is 48x16.

going up ditchling beacon on it on sunday. will see how it goes!


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## peejay78 (12 Jun 2008)

you'll be ok. i did it on a 77" a few weeks ago. it levels out a lot which makes things easier.


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## BentMikey (12 Jun 2008)

dudi said:


> not so many long hills here in suffolk, and my gearing is 48x16.
> 
> going up ditchling beacon on it on sunday. will see how it goes!





Look out for me and my mates on skates, we're off at 07.30ish, I'll be one of those in lycra, with LSMike on the back! 48x16, crikey mate! I reckon I'd hurt on 48x19, which is what I'm riding.


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## skwerl (12 Jun 2008)

BentMikey said:


> Look out for me and my mates on skates, we're off at 07.30ish, I'll be one of those in lycra, with LSMike on the back! 48x16, crikey mate! I reckon I'd hurt on 48x19, which is what I'm riding.



on a completely differnt note: do you know a guy called Kim Hendrikse? He's also a fruit-booter


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## BentMikey (12 Jun 2008)

Oh I do know Kim, haven't seen him for a while though!!


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## dudi (12 Jun 2008)

Mikey, I'll keep an eye open for you, we're setting off at 7.00 so you'll probably overtake at some point. 

I'll be in black and white lycra to match my black & white bike (vane i know)... will be riding with my brother on a blue Claud Butler and my brother in law on a MTB. 

you'll find us by the roadside, i'll be standing around while the other two are huffing and puffing... 

and then you'll find me collapsed at the top of Ditchling eating an ice-cream hopefully!


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## yenrod (12 Jun 2008)

Why the hell ride a 'fixed wheel' when you can have a spread of gears !

It just dont make sense !


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## ASC1951 (13 Jun 2008)

It's a Zen thing, yenrod. You don't really appreciate it until you have tried it (and sometimes not even then).


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## Twenty Inch (13 Jun 2008)

yenrod said:


> Why the hell ride a 'fixed wheel' when you can have a spread of gears !
> 
> It just dont make sense !




If you have to ask, you'll never know....


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## GrahamG (13 Jun 2008)

Zen bollocks aside - it's a good workout, low maintenance, stealthy silent, a challenge, great for modulating speed in traffic hence lots of commuters using them, and I find that you don't even think about the bike (gears etc.) as you just get on with it and enjoy the scenery (which is mostly women on my way to work until the odd weekend ride).


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## ColinJ (13 Jun 2008)

I've been riding a single-speed bike with a 39/15 gear (~70 inch?) in the midlands recently. I'm a couple of stone overweight so I found that a bit tough on some steepish little hills in north Warwickshire. It got me thinking about why people say fixed is easier uphill. Obviously, the 'easiest' thing would be to just use a lower gear but then I'd spin out when trying to go quickly. I can pedal comfortably at about 24 mph in 39/15 which is fine for knocking about in lanes. I freewheel downhill above about 30 mph.

I think the point being made is that if you are a bit overgeared on a climb, it is better to be on fixed than single-speed. After a couple of rides it dawned on me why... I found the problem on s/s on steep climbs was the 'deadspot' at the top of each pedal stroke. My cadence was so low that I was having to use brute strength to get the pedal over the top and get my weight down on it. Once the weight was on the pedal, it wasn't too bad for another 120 degrees or so. On fixed, the momentum of the bike would force the pedals round through the deadspots. 

The main thing that puts me off fixed is going down steep hills - I really wouldn't fancy that. I've heard too many horror stories about nasty crashes due to accidental unclipping, that kind of thing.

PS I enjoy riding my geared bikes in Yorkshire, but I have to admit that the single-speed bike is very light and simple (and cheap!) and it is nice to just pedal and forget gears for a while. Easier said than done actually - I find myself reaching for the gear levers for the first 20 minutes or so of each s/s ride.


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## peejay78 (14 Jun 2008)

yenrod said:


> Why the hell ride a 'fixed wheel' when you can have a spread of gears !
> 
> It just dont make sense !



most of us who ride fixed also ride geared.

and know when to opt for fixed, and when geared.

those who just ride gears, or just fixed, don't get it. i put you in that bracket.


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## skwerl (16 Jun 2008)

peejay78 said:


> those who just ride gears, or just fixed, don't get it.



total arse


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## peejay78 (16 Jun 2008)

my post was a bit arsey, yes, as is the 'why the hell' comment. 

but nevermind, i guess i was trying to say, in silly, forum responsive way, that there are plenty of very good reasons for riding fixed. or geared. 

i was reductive in response to a reductive post.


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## andyfromotley (16 Jun 2008)

peejay and skwerl both have the same number of posts!! so alike yet still they bicker.....

(why dont thier post counts go up?)

andy


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## peejay78 (16 Jun 2008)

you have the same number of posts too. 

how weird.


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## bagpuss (12 Jul 2008)

Seen the BOOT {History test for you}riding his fixed many a time. Yellow wool sweater in winter. He had no trouble sitting on the back of a club run up the Via Gella in Derbyshire.


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