Author Topic: gearing  (Read 25349 times)

JonB

  • Granny Ring ... Yes Please!
Re: gearing
« Reply #25 on: 09 April, 2020, 09:50:24 pm »
How I like to open a can of worms.
It's good, this board's been too quiet lately - you've woken us all up  :)

Re: gearing
« Reply #26 on: 10 April, 2020, 09:47:48 am »

fixed bikes belong to velodrome, too many compromises/drawbacks for the road use.

For you, maybe. The rest of us learned how to ride a bike :)

Re: gearing
« Reply #27 on: 10 April, 2020, 09:52:58 am »

fixed bikes belong to velodrome, too many compromises/drawbacks for the road use.

Such as?

I havent found one yet, and I've been riding them for 15 years.

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: gearing
« Reply #28 on: 10 April, 2020, 11:48:47 am »

fixed bikes belong to velodrome, too many compromises/drawbacks for the road use.

Such as?

I havent found one yet, and I've been riding them for 15 years.

i've listed some above, can also add - too slow, unsuitable to ride in groups (thus banned in most club rides), punish your sitbones on longer rides. could think of some more if there's interest ;D

LMT

Re: gearing
« Reply #29 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:11:49 pm »

fixed bikes belong to velodrome, too many compromises/drawbacks for the road use.

Such as?

I havent found one yet, and I've been riding them for 15 years.

Once you get over pulling a track stand a few times and get good enough to do it on a freewheeli you realise that fixed aint all that.

Re: gearing
« Reply #30 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:29:46 pm »

fixed bikes belong to velodrome, too many compromises/drawbacks for the road use.

Such as?

I havent found one yet, and I've been riding them for 15 years.

i've listed some above, can also add - too slow, unsuitable to ride in groups (thus banned in most club rides), punish your sitbones on longer rides. could think of some more if there's interest ;D

What we can ascertain from this is that you arent very good at riding fixed.

Re: gearing
« Reply #31 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:30:53 pm »

fixed bikes belong to velodrome, too many compromises/drawbacks for the road use.

Such as?

I havent found one yet, and I've been riding them for 15 years.

Once you get over pulling a track stand a few times and get good enough to do it on a freewheeli you realise that fixed aint all that.

^Reads this. Remembers that LMT rides a recumbent. Disregards.

LMT

Re: gearing
« Reply #32 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:34:17 pm »

fixed bikes belong to velodrome, too many compromises/drawbacks for the road use.

Such as?

I havent found one yet, and I've been riding them for 15 years.

Once you get over pulling a track stand a few times and get good enough to do it on a freewheeli you realise that fixed aint all that.

^Reads this. Remembers that LMT rides a recumbent. Disregards.

Sniggers
You're a sheep and you dont even know it.

Re: gearing
« Reply #33 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:37:50 pm »
i've listed some above, can also add - too slow, unsuitable to ride in groups (thus banned in most club rides), punish your sitbones on longer rides. could think of some more if there's interest ;D
Banned in most club runs?  Most??????????  The only ban I've seen is in pretend races (Sportifs), but they ban several types of machines.  If club runs ban fixed, what other machines do they ban?   Too slow?  Having to wait at the top of hills for your geared mates is a pain.  Why do they change down as soon as they see a rise instead of getting on with it?  Punishing on sit bones?  I admit I don't think I ever rode more than 120 miles on fixed, but with a decent saddle that presented no problems.  Or the next day when I rode back. I don't think my clubmates riding 12 hour time trials found them a problem either.

Ok, I admit that this was a few decades ago when I was young and comparatively fit.  It is just another aspect to cycling which some enjoy and some do not.

Re: gearing
« Reply #34 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:41:06 pm »

fixed bikes belong to velodrome, too many compromises/drawbacks for the road use.

Such as?

I havent found one yet, and I've been riding them for 15 years.

Once you get over pulling a track stand a few times and get good enough to do it on a freewheeli you realise that fixed aint all that.

^Reads this. Remembers that LMT rides a recumbent. Disregards.

Sniggers
You're a sheep and you dont even know it.

I have 6 bikes. 2 of them fixed.

And what do the other 4 say about me?

IanDG

  • The p*** artist formerly known as 'Windy'
    • the_dandg_rouleur
Re: gearing
« Reply #35 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:41:57 pm »

fixed bikes belong to velodrome, too many compromises/drawbacks for the road use.

Such as?

I havent found one yet, and I've been riding them for 15 years.

i've listed some above, can also add - too slow, unsuitable to ride in groups (thus banned in most club rides), punish your sitbones on longer rides. could think of some more if there's interest ;D

When cycling log was up and running it showed average speed for each bike. My fastest average speed was on my fixed.

IanDG

  • The p*** artist formerly known as 'Windy'
    • the_dandg_rouleur
Re: gearing
« Reply #36 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:44:12 pm »
Getting back on topic I ride low to mid 60". Used to use 64" fixed for 100 mile reliability trials finishing in under 6hrs.

LMT

Re: gearing
« Reply #37 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:45:07 pm »

fixed bikes belong to velodrome, too many compromises/drawbacks for the road use.

Such as?

I havent found one yet, and I've been riding them for 15 years.

Once you get over pulling a track stand a few times and get good enough to do it on a freewheeli you realise that fixed aint all that.

^Reads this. Remembers that LMT rides a recumbent. Disregards.

Sniggers
You're a sheep and you dont even know it.

I have 6 bikes. 2 of them fixed.

And what do the other 4 say about me?

Sheep,.

rob

Re: gearing
« Reply #38 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:57:23 pm »
I only have 1 bike with gears (4 are fixed including my TT bike).

I have used gears from 63” to 95” depending on the event.

All that said, I have really enjoyed riding my geared bike recently.  It’s my first one in 10 years.

Re: gearing
« Reply #39 on: 10 April, 2020, 12:59:26 pm »
Hope you can turn the heat off as the weather gets warmer

rob

Re: gearing
« Reply #40 on: 10 April, 2020, 01:20:11 pm »
Hope you can turn the heat off as the weather gets warmer

Balls.  Editing.

Re: gearing
« Reply #41 on: 10 April, 2020, 01:21:45 pm »
...unsuitable to ride in groups (thus banned in most club rides)...
Unsuitability for groups may come as a shock to riders in the points race and so on. Not to mention that many club riders rode fixed all winter, back in the day, for everything. Is this a case of new clubs banning what they don't understand? It's not as if you can't have the same brakes on a fixed as on anything else. The issue I've had is too much braking power, with the cog and a caliper on the back.

Re: gearing
« Reply #42 on: 10 April, 2020, 01:37:56 pm »
Riding fixed encourages keeping a steady pace. If you're trying to stick with a tight group you find riding with a freewheel encourages the opposite.

Though the biggest problem is being dropped on steep descents.

Re: gearing
« Reply #43 on: 10 April, 2020, 01:50:16 pm »
I dont know of any clubs where riding fixed is banned.

The main issue I encounter in groups is the more newby riders not realising they have to give a bit more room on sharp corners. You also have to educate them that they need to keep left on hills 😉

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: gearing
« Reply #44 on: 10 April, 2020, 02:50:03 pm »
the rule is mainly to maintain a coherent group all the time, i had no problem to ride ss in sync with others. if that is of relevance, our group rides averaged 31-32kph on a rolling terrain, with a few ~60kph descents.

Re: gearing
« Reply #45 on: 10 April, 2020, 06:29:29 pm »
the rule is mainly to maintain a coherent group all the time, i had no problem to ride ss in sync with others. if that is of relevance, our group rides averaged 31-32kph on a rolling terrain, with a few ~60kph descents.

That's perfectly within fixed territory.  I fail to see any issues

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: gearing
« Reply #46 on: 11 April, 2020, 10:33:41 am »
the rule is mainly to maintain a coherent group all the time, i had no problem to ride ss in sync with others. if that is of relevance, our group rides averaged 31-32kph on a rolling terrain, with a few ~60kph descents.

That's perfectly within fixed territory.  I fail to see any issues

there are two hills that ramp up to 15%, so the gear needs to be low enough to ride up them (for me it was 48x16), the downhills would require someone spinning at 160rpm in a group. let's say someone can spin smoothly and ride without causing danger at those cadences. by the end of descend they'll be cooked and need to recover, while the rest of the group who coasted or soft pedalled in top gear would carry on as normal. another element of risk is that it is difficult to tell when a fixie rider is slowing down as the legs keep turning regardless.

i've seen many smooth fixie riders on audaxes, but they are usually riding low(ish) gear, take their time and drag the brakes on faster/longer downhills.

Re: gearing
« Reply #47 on: 11 April, 2020, 10:42:30 am »
If in a tight pack then fair enough, I'm not sure why anyone would ride a fixie in those circumstances.

Now I'm just trying to remember the last time I saw a cycling club riding in a tight pack....

....in fact, never mind the last time, now trying to remember any time.

zigzag

  • unfuckwithable
Re: gearing
« Reply #48 on: 11 April, 2020, 01:48:05 pm »
our group was quite disciplined, with riders (6-12) of similar fitness. almost always even number, riding two abreast, front guys splitting apart and letting the group  forward every few (2...5) km.


rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: gearing
« Reply #49 on: 11 April, 2020, 08:48:43 pm »
I have four fixies (two actual track* bikes, one 700c conversion and a Moulton TSR, which was crying out to be a fixie and is all the better for it).

I wouldn't ride the Dunwich Dynamo on gears now.  Done it three times on fixed.  Gets easier every time.  Like going for a long walk.

It doesn't suit the type of racing whippet with little dinosaur arms.  You have to wrestle the bike up hills and stand on the pedals a lot to save your knees.  You cannot control cadence, only torque.  This is not a bad thing.  The human body is capable of doing a lot more than cranking out constant power at 90rpm.  Leave that to the machines.

*once you're used to the toe overlap and the skippiness of the rear wheel over bumps, a track bike is a delight on the road.  Track forks are stiff in all directions (round blades, not oval) which is great for honking up hill, and it's as light as a bike can be
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.