Another gearing/newbie advice request

[Reg.T]

A quick update on my Fixie conversion/riding.

I've been commuting on it most of the time since November, except when in taper/recovery mode for a few days before/after Audax rides.

First longer run was Boxing Day with Bath CC, where I did about 50 miles, which was OK.

28th Dec went for a planned longer ride with Feline, simonp, mrkwr and Cudzoziemiec OTP, but hit a pothole after about 20 miles which punctured both tyres and had me off the bike. Then managed to break my spanner trying to get the back wheel off, so bailed and got a lift home.

Wasn't planning to do any Audaxes on fixed this year. Then plans for last weekend (300km Sat and 200km Sun) got screwed when I decided to DNS The Dean due to the weather. This got me thinking about finding another way to make the weekend a challenge, so I decided to ride LVIS' Barry's Bristol Ball Buster on fixed. With riding to/from the start I ended up just over 150miles for the day. Brief report in the relevant thread here: link

Despite being 45 mins slower than on last year's event, I was very pleased to get around in the time I did, because the cold weather made it a much harder ride. Not sure, but I think I would've been slower on gears.

May not do any more fixed Audaxes before LEL, but will certainly aim to do more thereafter.

Generally happy with the 48x18 ratio (about 71"), and haven't yet decided what (if anything) to put on the other side of the hub. What does the panel think? A 19 or 20 for a hillier ride?

[Sergeant Pluck]

Better to have a bigger sprocket on "other" side, tired legs for the use of, while your "main" everyday gear is the higher one.

71" is about what I have. Occasionally it feels a bit spinny, or, to be more precise, my legs feel not spinny enough. But it's a pretty good everyday gear; I find if I use anything bigger like 76" long term, I get sore knees due to the stop start nature of most of my riding.

[Nelson Longflap]

Better to have a bigger sprocket on "other" side, tired legs for the use of, while your "main" everyday gear is the higher one.

+1 and even better if the bigger sprocket is a freewheel 

71" is about what I have. Occasionally it feels a bit spinny, or, to be more precise, my legs feel not spinny enough. But it's a pretty good everyday gear; I find if I use anything bigger like 76" long term, I get sore knees due to the stop start nature of most of my riding.

I feel the same way about my 66" gear ... maybe you're stronger than me, or we ride different terrain? (I'm generally in rolling hills, with the odd steep one included.)

I sometimes get a mild pain / discomfort in the left knee which might be due to over-ambitious leg braking. The problem goes away when running the freewheel side on a one tooth lower gear. 

[Nelson Longflap]

Here's what my fixed wheel spreadsheet tells me about my 66" gear:
My wheel diameter in inches   26.94   
My gear ratio   2.47   
My gear inches   66.57   
My development (m)   5.31   
My pedal revs per km   188   
rpm   kph   mph
50   16   10
65   21   13
85   27   17
100   32   20
130   41   25
      
kph   rpm   mins per km
15   47   04:00
20   63   03:00
24   75   02:30
28   88   02:09
32   100   01:53
40   126   01:30
50   157   01:12
60   188   01:00

I'm happy enough at 100 rpm, and I'm more than happy to be maintaining 32kph so I'm happy with the gear. 

[Henry]

Good stuff doing Ball Buster on fixed Reg. Know what you mean about Harptree Hill, I thought the first time I tried it on t'cog (on our group ride in Dec) it might be a walker, but with careful pacing and timely use of the upper body it is a goer.

I have the same gear 48/18 and a 19t cog on the other side of the wheel, I tend to use the 48/19 more (66.6" the gear of the beast), but I am 6'6" and my rides are often a bit bumpy. A smaller/lighter/more urbane and witty rider might well be OK on the bigger gear.

[Martin109]

Splash tape is just right.

The bars feel a bit weird with the big drop now, having just ridden on shorter drop anatomical bars recently. But the bars and stem are the only parts brought forward from the first bike I bought over 30 years ago (a Falcon Majorca that I did morning and evening paper rounds to save up for), so I'll persevere there.

A word of caution about bars... how old are they?  What are they made of?  If aluminium, consider replacing, as they develop metal fatigue over time, and you don't want them failing as you're hauling on them, honking up some Bristol hill!

[Reg.T]

I guess I bought the (donor) bike in 1979 or 1980 . They are the Sakae Custom / Road Champion (sic) alloy type that I think were prevalent at the time.

So should I consider replacing the stem too, or just the bars? 

[Martin109]

Personally, I would replace the bars.  Others may be along in a mo to recommend whether stems need changing too.  I think alu bars, certainly, should be considered a consumable, as they're prone to failure and are safety-critical.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I'd continue to use the bars, if they haven't been crashed and straightened but then I am a gum-chewing, leather-jacketed, slicked-back rebel who sneers at danger.

Handlebar wall thickness was a lot greater than is common now. Many handlebars were sleeved, making it difficult to snap them at the stem.

[Crumbling Nick]

I guess I bought the (donor) bike in 1979 or 1980 . They are the Sakae Custom / Road Champion (sic) alloy type that I think were prevalent at the time.

So should I consider replacing the stem too, or just the bars? 

Do they have a sleeve over the central part (like mine), 15-20 cm wide? If so I'd be more inclined to ask how many miles rather than how old, and how many were on a fixed wheel, which increases handlebar loads quite a lot. Mine have survivd for about 55 000 miles so far...

[Reg.T]

I'd always assumed that it was one piece, but whether it's a sleeve or not the central section is thicker than the taped parts, as you describe.