I’ve always liked the clean lines of a fixie, but in 25 years of cycling I’d never ridden one. However my old cx bike was gathering dust so I decided it would be a quick job just to get it running again using a disc brake sprocket.

WTF was I thinking! I’m not the most talented ridden but this was like I’d never ridden a bike before. Getting off the driveway was an effort even trying to get my foot on the moving pedal. Less than a mile from the house I had to go downhill and managed to drop the chain (not sure tensioner is setup right, or even a good idea). Thankfully I had kept the front brake or I’d have had to bail. Couldn’t get up kerbs, eventually getting a pinch puncture. Couldn’t get through the railings at work.

It’s given me a new respect for the talent of people who make it look so effortless, but it’s not for me!

You should have put your cycling ears and nose on before venturing out.

Tensioner?

That is really not going to work!

Have you got either track ends or horizontal dropouts? If not, check your dental insurance.

Yeah, realised very quickly the tensioner was a bad move, but vertical dropouts. I’ll just be sticking on a normal singlespeed conversion kit now!

You used a tensioner!?

No wonder you hated it, that sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Did you use foot retention (SPDs or straps)? Riding fixed is a little weird at first, but you get used to properly set up one very quickly.

You’ve probably got the wrong beard.

A 30-35 min session round the park will have you riding fixed OK as far as the mechanics go, then take it cautious on the street at first just as far as manoeuvring round traffic goes, as it’s a bit different.

Riding it smooth does take some time, though – Remember being a bit clumsy with it at first and casing it over a pot hole or two. Worth sticking with, it’s a nice way to roll. Get shut of that tensioner!

Google ‘magic ratio’ and get rid of the tensioner without that you can’t ride vert dropouts fixed

As an honest question, what would dropping the tensioner improve – apart from the dropped chain? Would it make it easier, or smoother?

Maybe I’ll have a bit more of a practice round the park before I abandon the idea completely.

Say goodbye to your knees…

The OP made me chuckle with his experiences. A couple of years ago I built up a fixie because I felt it would be good for training on (I have neither a beard or ink so it was a non-fashion purchase).

Now, I live on a hill, surrounded by hills and quickly found out that my choice of gearing which enabled me to get up the hills meant I had no ability to brake effectively through the pedals when doing down them. I’m no idiot, I did fit brakes, but I got tired of starting every ride with hands like claws after braking and pedaling at 3000 rpm away from my house downhill (yes it looks stupid). I also found riding in traffic was no fun (just where the hell will your feet be when you get cut up and need to stop suddenly?) and turning right from busy junctions involved clipping in at a speed not seen outside of a velodrome.

I loved the acceleration and the ability to mash my way up every climb at full speed. The directness of a fixed gear is brilliant and every ride was a great workout. Nowadays however I ride my bike as a single speed. Its an On One Machinato and since swapping to a freewheel I’ve discovered it handles beautifully in tight corners. Its possibly my favourite bike to ride but as a fixie I just found it a little too focused.

I feel no shame in swapping it from a fixie to a freewheeling singlespeed; its still hard work but without the added peril.

The tensioner is making it jerky, it’s the wrong way to make a fixed gear bike

WTF was I thinking! I’m not the most talented ridden but this was like I’d never ridden a bike before.

Are you me? 😆

Serve you right for using the word “fixie”.
Its fixed.

A tensioner is going to get mangled if you back-pedal.

You might get away with a magic gear. Or get a fixie frame with trackends.

Just run it singlespeed instead. Like a fixed gear bike, but with the added bonus of not being shite.

TBH I took to fixed pretty much straight away. There were a couple of “kicked up the arse” incidents for attempting to freewheel. And I slid off twice on icey roads, because I was trying to carry speed through corners, it happens to everyone… Right?

My tip would be don’t worry about speed, just get rolling and the bike just carries it’s own momentum far better when fixed, smooth circles with the pedals. Riding fixed will definitely sort your pedalling technique.

But mostly learn to read the road ahead better. Potholes, lights changing, pedestrians and cars you need to be better prepared to respond to things when riding fixed in town, it’s not impossible to stop or change direction in a hurry but it can be trickier, especially if you forget you have no FW or rear brake.

Say goodbye to your knees…

Rubbish.

Rode my usual 100 km loop loop on my fixed road bike on Tuesday night. It’s not particularly hilly, but in 3:25 I did not put my feet down once. To be honest, once you are used to spinning, it’s really no different to any other bike, just a little more fluid and lot harder into strong headwinds. I always ride with proper brakes and use them. Think my peak cadence was 140 and I ride 3:1 42×14, which is taller than typical for a beginner, buy I am no masher.

I just love the connectedness with the bike. Don’t go singlespeed unless off-road, that really is a compromise, it’s the transmission that makes you smooth. #Souplesse.

And just for lunge…

Fixed gear (no freewheel) + chain tensioner = disaster + pain

Dread to think what could happen with a tensioner – need to be a solid, locked system, but with a tiny bit of slack to make it run smoothly. Used to love riding fixed on the commute – perfect for 30 minute, point-to-point rides. The speed the things carry up hills is astounding, and single speed really doesn’t come close to that feeling of being pushed by an invisible hand.

I’ve noticed people gear too high too through fear of spinning out down hill – makes it hard work IMO. I used to use about a 66 inch gear, used the brakes a bit downhill for the first few rides, then learned to spin freely.

Nothing like the feeling of flying along on one of these. Used to be significantly faster on the fixed than when I took my (50 years younger for the most part) road bike.

Say goodbye to your knees…

Rubbish.

Agree. Have ridden mostly fixed for last 15 years (last 10 or so brakeless) and absolutely no problem with knees.

To OP, as others have said you do get used to it quickly. For the first 15 minutes you just need to consciously think about pedalling otherwise you will soon be over the bars.
You will still forget now and again for first few weeks especially when trying to do certain manoeuvres like hopping up a kerb.

Depends on your knees!…mine couldn’t handle the braking forces, even with brakes…but then my knees aren’t exactly what you’d call prime specimens…

When I was a very small nipper I learnt to ride a two wheeler bike on a much bigger cousins fixie. It was a very painful experience. In fact it is remarkable that I ever rode a bike again. Needless to say I have, and will never, ride a fixie again. Why would you?

Depends on your knees!…mine couldn’t handle the braking forces, even with brakes…but then my knees aren’t exactly what you’d call prime specimens…

Well if you have bad knees riding fixed won’t make them better. But riding fixed is not the cause of bad knees.

mine couldn’t handle the braking forces, even with brakes

Why the need to use your legs to brake? My Shimano dual pivots stop me just fine, like on any other bike I ride. On the track, I may use a little pressure to stop, but never on the road.

The PW is now sporting a nice clean new unstretched SRAM PC-1 chain and my vintage GP4/Airlight/Campag track wheels with Tufo tubs for this morning’s commute. I also swapped to a -17 degree Thomson stem 8) and could do with a matching seatpost really.

But OP, fixed wheel really shouldn’t have a chain tensioner. Either reverse/horizontal dropouts, an eccentric bottom bracket (as per tandems and some SS mtbs), or a chainring/sprocket ratio that just works (for a while). If you are light on the pedals, a good spinner and don’t brake with your legs, it might work.

The OP takes me back a few years when I bought a track bike for my daughter.

I picked it up from Square Wheels and thought about riding it home. After all it was only about 30 years since I used to ride fixed a lot. Shouldn’t be a problem, just like riding a bike…

To try it out I headed up the hill on the main road. Piece of cake – the bike flew up, what a machine! Nothing demolishes hills like a fixed wheel.

On the way down I started to strap it out, by god, this thing could move.

In an excess of exuberance and hubris I decided that I was going to lock up the back wheel and broadside round the corner back into Square Wheels – that would surely impress the lads.

So there I was, flat chat downhill, bald head gleaming in the sunlight, beard and eyes streaming in the wind, and legs spinning so fast they must have been invisible.

As I closed up to the bus stop I went to lock the back wheel. Nothing happened except I nearly got pitched off. Did I mention this thing had no brakes at all?

So still going flat chat minus the minimal retardation of a poofteenth of a mph I whizzed past the first junction, missed an ill-mannered angry chap coming out of the Coop exit, and continued whizzing down the hill in a paroxysm of terror while heroically trying to put back pressure on the pedals. I’m sure I mentioned this thing had no brakes at all?

I managed to avoid a couple of other very excitable and detestably rude motorists but without losing much speed, which I estimate was around 95 zillion mph. Why the hell didn’t this damned thing have brakes?

By this time my legs were like jelly and one foot had managed to detach from the pedal. In the process of finding the pedal the other foot came loose just after the junction to the old station and another cranky driver.

I was only aiming to survive by this point so stuck my feet back on the rear wheel nuts, narrowly escaping toe amputation on the right, and let the thing slow down on its own.

Well, as a finely tuned track bike it rolled rather well, so it was past the Achterneed junction before it slowed enough for me to get my quivering foot back on a pedal.

It was then I made the mistake of trying to do the dismount, one foot on a pedal. I ended up in the hedge still clutching the handlebars and no idea how I got there because there’s a substantial kerb to cross, and that bit I don’t remember – maybe we flew.

Some of the motorists I had passed went by tooting. I think I had impressed them with my control skills because a couple held up one finger, by which I assume they thought I was a number one rider.

I modestly accepted their accolades, waited for the leg trembles to subside, and rode home at a very sedate pace with my feet strapped in so tight that I doubt much blood got to my toes.

Which is why when I arrived home I fell to the ground still attached to the bike and in front of my daughter. Talk about total loss of credibility… 🙂

I’ve only ridden fixed on the track and that was bad enough. It wouldn’t be as bad with brakes I think but riding a fixed bike without brakes on the road sounds like a monumentally stupid thing to do as I found the track bike had about 1% of the braking capability I’m used to!

epicsteve – Member
…but riding a fixed bike without brakes on the road sounds like a monumentally stupid thing to do…

Agree. 🙂

epicyclo – my eyes are now streaming in tandem to yours in description. thanks for that!

I did convert an old MTB to a fixed gear and you’re right, it is pretty quick, on local loops some of fastest times (relatively speaking) were on the frankenbike. However it wasn’t so much my knees as my hips I think that protested, and the thing is being dismantled until I can find another project – needed the space and hadn’t ridden it for more than a twelvemonth.. I did enjoy the release of it, and while enjoy singlespeed – off-road – and didn’t think that was too hard, found the fixed gear an immense workout in a good way.. !

Was out this afternoon on one of my fixed gear bikes today round Leigh Woods, damn pleasant…….

A fixed gear experiment too far….

*looks sideways at Genesis io lying unused*

I just don’t get it, full stop, single speed for simplicity I suppose could be an option for certain niches, but why would you not want a free wheel, it just seems crazy to me.

Epicyclo that was a great tale and brilliant advertisement for riding singlespeed instead of fixed. 🙂

mattyfez – Member 
I just don’t get it, full stop, single speed for simplicity I suppose could be an option for certain niches, but why would you not want a free wheel, it just seems crazy to me.

It’s about riding smooth – it’s been a fixture (sry) of club riding in the UK for 100 years for this reason. Things like winter cadence training, fixed time trialling, influence of track cycling etc. Was marshalling our club ten tonight as it goes and there were a few (v fast) lads on fixed – they’re doing it for a reason.

it just seems crazy to me

On the road, in the right gear, with brakes to stop, it’s magical. You’ll never feel so connected with a bike. In the wrong gear, into a stiff headwind, it’s errr character building. Honestly, my Paddy Wagon, which rolled out this morning at 8.3 kg is a joy to ride.

I have raced fixed wheel crits without brakes at the Nocturn. The ride to Smithfields through London was terrifying. The racing itself was so bad.

funkmasterp – Member
Epicyclo that was a great tale and brilliant advertisement for riding singlespeed instead of fixed.

It certainly proved it’s not a good idea to jump on an 84 gear inch bike when you haven’t ridden fixed for a long time and then ride downhill. 🙂

It acquired a nice set of Campag brakes the next day and more reasonable gearing for stopping (medium gear) and became nicer to ride on hills.

I suspect the smart thing is to gear around 65″ which was the normal (ie non racer) gearing used in the days when all bikes were fixed and few had brakes.

Riding fixed definitely is an acquired skill that only comes with time. At first all the inputs are coming at you with bewildering speed – you can’t just rise out of the saddle to coast over road irregularities for example. Well you can, but…

Fixed is like singlespeed on speed. 🙂

Started commuting fixed round London in 2004. Now live in Sheffield and haven’t seen a reason to stop. Flat and uphill is fine (hell, it does half the pedalling for you uphill). Steep downs are interesting.

It makes me think far harder about traffic flow as I have to think much further ahead – I’m definitely more banzai on my geared roadies, which is not a good thing. Getting the flow on in heavy traffic is just awesome. There’s something about the whole process of acc/decelerating using just your legs that’s bloody lovely.

I run a front brake, no back. Legs are fine, and guaranteed to work whatever the weather. 44/16 which is about 72″ I think.

As above, DON’T run a tensioner. BAD things will happen. Chain wants to be just not quite tight at its tightest point.

Epicyclo: just read your post from a few days back. Laughing out loud so much mrs root-n-5th was giving me odd looks. I explained but she didn’t get it. Most amusing thing I’ve read all week. Thank you!

I enjoyed riding fixed….

Only had a front brake, ended up trashing my knee. Felt constantly bruised at the top.