The Curse Of Fixed

[Zoidburg]

Upon leaving the house today, suited, booted and strapped, ready for a fast ride in to town, I discovered I was not going to be leaving as soon as I thought.

The fairy had visited over night.

Now this in itself is no big deal under any other circumstances, but why oh why is it always, simply always the rear frigging wheel!

Not the front with the quick release, ooooohhhh no that would be too easy...

 

[clarion]

You know you need Marathons, don't you?

[border-rider]

You know you need Marathons, don't you?

The Pomp has a hub dynamo & brake on the front.  I'd rather have a rear wheel puncture than a front - but I use M+s

More seriously, I'm not sure that a rear wheel event on fixed is any more tricksy than on SS or gears - maybe less so than on gears.

[Zoidburg]

Oh I have geared punctures down to a fine art, I have fixed ones down as well, its just the embuggerance factor of getting out the track spanner, the levers, getting the chain tension back again, getting sodding oil all over your hands agian etc etc

In defence of my tyres I must admit that despite them being a bog standard Conti Ultrasport I have in fact been riding them all over the place on some of the most glass strewn cycle routes known to man.

I am impressed that they have got this far.

[Ian H]

If you can see where the puncture is (eg. an obvious intrusion in the tyre), don't remove the wheel, just lever the tyre off at that point and patch the tube...and remove the cause, of course.

[Zoidburg]

I am well versed in all types of puncture, glass works it way in and then you cant see it or feel it.

Got the knife out and went digging. Found 3 tiny bits of glass, one had penetrated.

I would also point out that if you must work on the rear wheel of a fixed it is always much safer to have the wheel out and the chain off.

[oncemore]

A spare set of shod wheels for every bike is SURELY an imperative?

[robbo6]

But that doesn't solve

... its just the embuggerance factor of getting out the track spanner, the levers, getting the chain tension back again, getting sodding oil all over your hands agian etc etc.

[border-rider]

Takes seconds.  The spanner lives with the spare tube etc, and getting the wheel straight and the chain tensioned is a doddle.

[Zoidburg]

Still a pain in the arse compared to the front on a QR.

[hubner]

Some things that will ease the pain:

Have spare bikes, not hack bikes though.

A stand.

An old bend spoke to lift off the chain, so you don't have to touch the chain.

A chain hanger on the seatstay, or use an old bent spoke, so the chain doesn't just flop down when the wheel is out.

A QR rear wheel, no it's not going fall out when you're riding.

[Greenbank]

I just use the spanner to hook the chain off, the spanner then rests in dropouts holding the chain in roughly the normal position. No mucky hands.

[longers]

The one time I've had a puncture on my fixed bike in the 3,000 miles on it this year was the only day I've left my spanner at home and I remember lying in bed the night before thinking "I must put that back in my bag tomorrow".
It was only a three mile walk. In the rain.

[1gear]

I always have a spanner in my bag now. I have been out before, but ive been lucky!
I managed to be able to get the chain off, the back wheel out and the chain back on and tensioned up just by using the spanner No need to get my hands dirty. But, the bike does get abit greasy like this.
Always use the side of the spanner which does up your nuts, and you will have a clean handle
Or at least, thats how i have found it.

[plug]

It's only a puncture, FFS.

[alan]

I have a combination spanner secured to the seat post of my GillP's our Langster with a Zefal doo-daa.

[aidan.f]

Surgical Gloves - Great for winter pun*tures

[LEE]

Did I miss a meeting?

Why is a rear puncture on a fixed such a problem?

Edit.  I have a Goldtec hub which has nice Allen-Key nuts but how long does it actually take to use a 15mm ring spanner?  Maybe a few extra seconds extra but nothing in relation to the overall procedure of repairing a flat.

I'm sorry about being so blunt but Fixed riders shouldn't moan about 15mm spanners and such like. THEY chose the Fixed route.  Shut up or use gears.