Fixed – A niche too far ?

Been offered the loan of a fixed 29er rear wheel complete to try in my single speed with the option to buy if I like it.
I’m tempted, but I can’t help thinking it will all end in tears.

I’m currently running 34×20 and can cruise indefinitely at 20km/h, sustain 24km/h for reasonable periods and hit 30km/h briefly.
I frequently reach 40km/h+ by sprinting over the brow of a hill and letting it build up speed while coasting down.
Without a freewheel, I’m going to be limited to 24km/h up and down hill.

The guy selling it talked about a smoother pedalling style with fixed.
I don’t get it. As long as I’m pedalling hard enough to put tension on the chain, I can’t see how it matters if I’ve got a freewheel or not, while I’m pedalling.

I’m prepared to give it a go, but tell me honestly before I do, what are the advantages of fixed over freewheel single speed on a mountain bike ?

on an mtb,none.
on a road bike,several.

Not a fan of fixed at all. Tried to get into it but I just found it a huge step back! Can’t imagine it’d be very fun off-road. The only advantage I’ve found is that the momentum of your rear wheel seems to help you push the pedals round. Still prefer freewheel though, spinning that fast down hills is crap.

Be a fixietwat, you know you want to.

there is no point, its just fun

Not off road IMHO

why don’t you try it and make your own mind up? it won’t kill you.

I am going to try it.
He works part time in the LBS and he’s bringing it in to the shop for me next Saturday.
I thought I’d swap wheels and take it for a spin down the road, but he’s happy for me to borrow it for a week.

It’s just that I’m struggling to think of any advantages, so I thought I’d ask on here to see if anyone could come up with any benefits of fixed that I hadn’t thought of.
They haven’t yet.

I ride occasionally with some chaps who ride fixed MTBs. You might think it would hold you back, but they are strong, capable riders, and aren’t hampered by it, up or down (even in the Peaks)

Having said that, I can’t actually see the point of it 🙂

It’s a momentum machine. Climbing on a fixed is ace.

The ‘dead spot’ in the pedal stroke disappears as the momentum of the wheel carries you through it.

I can’t honestly see the point of fixed for off road riding

just seems like making things harder for no reason

you could go the full hog and run a fixed fully rigid with slicks and no saddle

I have a rigid fixed with slicks and an uncomfortable saddle, does that count?

The ‘dead spot’ in the pedal stroke disappears as the momentum of the wheel carries you through it.

See, this is the bit I just don’t get.
I can understand how the combined weight of wheel and chainset would give a greater flywheel effect then a chainset alone, but to do that the wheel would need to be putting tension on the bottom run of the chain to carry the chainset through its dead spot.
And if that was happening, then surely a freewheel would freewheel briefly at every dead spot and it doesn’t.

I guess when I try it, I’ll either get one of those “Wow, it really does do that” moments or be left thinking “Oh, is that it ?”.

Riding fixed will improve your general skills as you’ll have to nail every line to maintain your pedalling. You pedalling will become more fluant and you’ll be much stronger. Just ignore what the STW crew say and give it a go it may well work out for you…

miketually – Member
Be a fixietwat, you know you want to.

How very rude! [edit]On reflection, he does have a point though…[/edit]

Or give it a go and have a blast[/b]. Works best if you can find someone simple enough to join you. miketually? 😉

You pedalling will become more fluant and you’ll be much stronger

This is starting to sound a bit New Age now…

So what crank length do people use off road fixed?

Plenty of stuff on off-road fixed-gear riding at http://63xc.com/ – website sadly mothballed, but everything still there.

I can understand how the combined weight of wheel and chainset would give a greater flywheel effect then a chainset alone, but to do that the wheel would need to be putting tension on the bottom run of the chain to carry the chainset through its dead spot.
And if that was happening, then surely a freewheel would freewheel briefly at every dead spot and it doesn’t.

it’s got little to do with flywheel effect and more to do with the fact the you are moving forward, with momentum, and your wheel is in contact with the ground. You are moving forward, therefore the wheel must be turning. There is no freewheel so if the wheel is turning the cranks must be turning. It is your own forward momentum that is driving the cranks through the deadspot.

Ask WorldClassAccident, he’s been running his Carver 69er fixed off road for quite a while i think.

Mine are 170mm on this and 175 when I do it on my 29er

There is little point to many things. On the right terrain it can be fun, it adds a new dimension to old dull routes, it can mean a good workout in a short period e.t.c It’s not for everyone or for every where all the time, but it’s a good laugh.

If you’re going to get rid of the freewheel, why bother with a chain at all?

With a 36″ wheel I think that’s roughly equivalent to 26″ 32-22, so in theory you’ll be able to hoik yourself up most stuff, and you’ll out-niche everyone in a 100 mile radius no problem. Going downhill might be interesting though, and you’ll probably experience an odd compulsion to grow a large moustache and take up pipe-smoking.

Do you have a sister ? If so you will need to borrow her jeans forthwith. 😉

I can’t honestly see the point of fixed singlespeed for off road riding

just seems like making things harder for no reason
FTFY

I’ve got a fixed wheel which i use every now and again.

It’s good fun for making you consentrate one your local everyday trails, but i’m not skillfull enough to ride fixed all the time or on propper challenging trails.

Give it a go and make up your own mind. 🙂

I guess when I try it, I’ll either get one of those “Wow, it really does do that” moments or be left thinking **** **** **** i can’t spin fast enough to keep up with the cranks on this descent and the bike’s trying to fire me over the bars

😉

I can see the.appeal if you like the.ultimate simplicity of a fixie but surely it’s a total pig for anything more technical than a tow path do people really ride ‘proper’ offroad trails on a fixie?

do people really ride ‘proper’ offroad trails on a fixie?

I’ve met a few that do yes.

Off road – no thanks.

On road – been riding fixed for a few years now. It’s fun, and have found it benefits riding XC – seem to maintain a higher cadence for longer.

_tom_ ^^ Try your Langster fixed on flat roads, not hills. Take a spanner on your next ride – that’s the beauty of the flip/flop hub!

aracer – Member

I can’t honestly see the point of fixed singlespeed for off road riding

FTFY

REDUCTIO AD ABSURDAM

cookeaa – Member
I can see the.appeal if you like the.ultimate simplicity of a fixie but surely it’s a total pig for anything more technical than a tow path do people really ride ‘proper’ offroad trails on a fixie?

I do occasionally, but not very well.

Just do it for a bit of fun and prefer it offroad where any stupidity on my part doesn’t end up in being squashed by a truck.

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blah blah bollocks bollocks.
If you don’t like it, don’t do it. There you go, the problem is solved.
If you want an answer, then fixed offers no advantage over normal freewheel singlespeed.

People don’t do these things for an advantage, they never have and never will, they do it because some part of the experience makes them feel good. If it doesn’t do that for you then no problem, find something that does. It’s that easy.

do people really ride ‘proper’ offroad trails on a fixie?

Yep. I do. All the time. If it can be ridden on a normal bike, it can be ridden on a fixed bike, trust me.

The more I think about this, the more reasons I come up with why it’s a bad idea.

My usual rolling remount technique after pushing up a hill is to put my left foot on the pedal, scoot myself along with my right foot to get moving, then swing my right leg over and start pedalling before I roll to a halt.
I can’t see how I’m going to do that on a fixed, so it’ll be standing restarts every time.

There’s a few short flights of steps I bump down on my regular routes (the footbridge over Dowles Brook by Cooper’s Mill in the Wyre Forest is as rad as I get, for those who know it).
My usual technique is pedals at 3 o’clock/9 o’clock and hang as far off the back as I dare.
That won’t be possible for me on a fixed.

So, along with my earlier comment about being limited to 24km/h, that means it will be slower down hill, slower up hill, and slower over what I consider technical stuff.
The loan of the wheel is looking less like an experiment to see if I like it or not and more like a test to see if it’s really as bad as I expect it to be.

Oh yes, I ride clipless too, so I guess the inability to simply take my feet off the pedals will significantly increases the risk of injury when it all, inevitably, goes wrong.

Well you could ride up hills rather than getting off lol

As for the clipless pedals they are easy you just turn your heel outward and stop spinning your feet immediately rip out from the pedals 😉

Apparently your knees are not evolved to cope with the stresses imposed by resisting the turn of the pedals, such as when you go downhill.

So to be safe I think you would be riding the brakes a lot on the downhills, or risking long-term knee damage.

Have we got this far without talking ratios?

http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/index.html

I’ve been running 34:16 fixed, with 700c 1.6″ tyres. About 59″. On the roads, I’ve found that to be scary-low when descending, especially on steeper stuff.

I’m switching to 44:16, with 28c tyres. About 74″. I think this’ll help with the descents, but not sure I’ll manage the ups. It’s mainly an experiment to see if I can get on with fixed a bit more with the higher gear and I’ll play round with different ratios if I do.

Any thoughts/advice from the more experienced fixers?

74″ sounds high to me for a road gear, let alone off – but I’m a spinner not a masher. I’ve found 58″ ok off road.

I have a fixed wheel and a free wheel for my SS MTB. I enjoy both and swap between them happily.

I don’t know if it makes you pedal smoother or anything but it is different and fun for a change. I have ridden fixie around Swinley with a few groups from STW and kept up with them but you are going to spin out if you try steep hills.

From memory I am running 34/18 because I am lazy, unfit and it was the size of cog I had to hand when I started.