Fixie or Single
- Thread starter Guvnor
- Start date
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BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
I'm always disappointed when I see someone riding bike with the singlespeed instead of fixed. Go fixed, IMO. It's a little bit harder, but much more satisfying.
BrumJim
Forum Stalwart (won't take the hint and leave...)
- Location
- Selly Oak, Birmingham
Women will swoon as you go past. Men will doff their caps in appreciation of your greater manliness, and the fashion police will be compelled to turn themselves in.
Also you won't get your chain jumping off, dérailleur jamming or find yourself setting off in the wrong gear just after you have slammed on the brakes to avoid some numpty.
Also you won't get your chain jumping off, dérailleur jamming or find yourself setting off in the wrong gear just after you have slammed on the brakes to avoid some numpty.
Give fixed a go and see how you like it. Go into your LBS and ask to take one for a test ride. I understand the benefits, but I just don't get on with them.
Oh and I'm surprised it hasn't yet been mentioned how easy it is to do trackstands on a fixie, or so I've heard. Doing trackstands without wobbling your front wheel around is pretty badass.
IMPORTANT ADDENDUM: Doing trackstands where you are wobbling your handlebars and front wheel all over the place does NOT look cool. No, no it doesn't.
Oh and I'm surprised it hasn't yet been mentioned how easy it is to do trackstands on a fixie, or so I've heard. Doing trackstands without wobbling your front wheel around is pretty badass.
IMPORTANT ADDENDUM: Doing trackstands where you are wobbling your handlebars and front wheel all over the place does NOT look cool. No, no it doesn't.
crumpetman
Well-Known Member
My chain jumped off on a fixed gear bike! My fault for not keeping an eye on the chain tension.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
FIXED..............SS is pointless
adds21
Rider of bikes
- Location
- North Somerset
'tis true. I was on an organized ride the other weekend, and passed a chap on a fixed on top of the Mendips. I assumed it was SS until we had a brief chat about it. 100 hilly kms on a fixed? Hell, I nearly swooned, and I'm straight
.
Rob3rt
Man or Moose!
- Location
- Manchester
I agree with this on the most part.
Also people say fixed is harder, its not, it might be harder to get going if its highly geared, but once you are moving its easier!
Major benefit for me is in maintenance + a lighter bike without having to spend a lot of money. I ride SS because I couldn't get used to not being able to scoot. Probably with more practice I could get the hang of fixed, but trying to practice on my commute would be a stress.
Amanda P
Legendary Member
- Location
- York. Well, York-ish...
I built a fixie for fun, and to commute in winter.
I use panniers to carry my kit back and forth, and stopping and starting with panniers on is a pain. You can't always choose where you stop in traffic, and you have to lift the back of the bike and spin the pedals to 11 o'clock to move off each time. Easy enough with no load, awkward to do when you have one.
So I put a freewheel on the other side of the flipflop hub, and used it ever since.
On a flattish run, that's the only advantage I can see in single-speed - but if you have any load on the bike, it's a big advantage.
I think fixed or single, it's improved my spin, if only because to accelerate or climb a hill, the first and best option is simply to pull and push the pedals all the way round. On a geared bike, it's easier just to change down, so you tend not to learn to do this.
I use panniers to carry my kit back and forth, and stopping and starting with panniers on is a pain. You can't always choose where you stop in traffic, and you have to lift the back of the bike and spin the pedals to 11 o'clock to move off each time. Easy enough with no load, awkward to do when you have one.
So I put a freewheel on the other side of the flipflop hub, and used it ever since.
On a flattish run, that's the only advantage I can see in single-speed - but if you have any load on the bike, it's a big advantage.
I think fixed or single, it's improved my spin, if only because to accelerate or climb a hill, the first and best option is simply to pull and push the pedals all the way round. On a geared bike, it's easier just to change down, so you tend not to learn to do this.
MacB
Lover of things that come in 3's
- Location
- Farnborough, Hampshire
You'll get more people saying fixed than SS but I tend towards Uncle Phils view, it depends on what you want to do with the bike. The ability to freewheel can be useful as can scooting along.
clarion
Guru
- Location
- Exiled from Hyperborea
My fixed is deliberately as drab as possible, and has a rack and full 'guards. Deeply unhip.
But it came with a singlespeed, which I rode for a bit. First time I'd done that since I'd grown out of my Raleigh at about 10. It was OK, and better than I'd expected, but the few rises on my commute were a bit of a struggle. I swapped to fixed and it's all a lot easier. I run a relatively low gear (66.6"), so I tend to get away from the many red lights on my route ahead of the geared folk, many of whom are waving their arses in the air while I stay seated. It's not really comfortable to sustain a cadence of more than about 100rpm, which is about 30kph or so. That's fast enough for most purposes. Descending, I can get up to 40kph, which is the most I like to do on any bike in a busy city. My son, when I gave him a chance to ride it, got up to 52kph, which would be about 140rpm. Git. It's the track racing, I think...
Stopping. I used to not like it precisely because of the pedal position thing. And I carry at least a huge saddlebag (Super C containing clothes, many tools, first aid kit etc) and often a pannier as well at the back. I used to have to lift the saddle to turn the cranks, but now I've got the hang of planting my left foot firmly, and locking the front brake to lift the bike up. Didn't work so well on my previous fixies, because they had ageing sidepulls.
Biggest issue I have is if I'm trying to get down a narrow gap between a car and the kerb, cause I'm worried about pedalstrike. But mostly I wuold hold back and think WTF would I want to do that for.
But it came with a singlespeed, which I rode for a bit. First time I'd done that since I'd grown out of my Raleigh at about 10. It was OK, and better than I'd expected, but the few rises on my commute were a bit of a struggle. I swapped to fixed and it's all a lot easier. I run a relatively low gear (66.6"), so I tend to get away from the many red lights on my route ahead of the geared folk, many of whom are waving their arses in the air while I stay seated. It's not really comfortable to sustain a cadence of more than about 100rpm, which is about 30kph or so. That's fast enough for most purposes. Descending, I can get up to 40kph, which is the most I like to do on any bike in a busy city. My son, when I gave him a chance to ride it, got up to 52kph, which would be about 140rpm. Git. It's the track racing, I think...
Stopping. I used to not like it precisely because of the pedal position thing. And I carry at least a huge saddlebag (Super C containing clothes, many tools, first aid kit etc) and often a pannier as well at the back. I used to have to lift the saddle to turn the cranks, but now I've got the hang of planting my left foot firmly, and locking the front brake to lift the bike up. Didn't work so well on my previous fixies, because they had ageing sidepulls.
Biggest issue I have is if I'm trying to get down a narrow gap between a car and the kerb, cause I'm worried about pedalstrike. But mostly I wuold hold back and think WTF would I want to do that for.
Agreed, I am currently converting an old MTB to SS which I will use for rides out with the kids etc and will keep my fixed as my main road bike
I think that each has it's place and for the maintance point of view SS also makes sense.
