I've been riding a fixed gear road bike on my daily commute for 5 months now and am really beginning to feel the benefit. The gearing is quite high, 48×17, but my route is best described as undulating, although certainly not flat. At first I would try to keep the cadence high and get out of the saddle whenever needed. However, for the last week or so I have been extending the journey home from 3.5 miles to nearly 20 and instead of getting out of the saddle to keep spinning, I have been sitting and concentrating on good technique and power instead. I've also been trying to keep my heart rate down on the flats. Anyway my question is, do you think that this is a more beneficial way to ride fixed or has the wind simply been behind me?

more beneficial

to what end?

fitness, strength; that kind of thing

i ride the same gear and my rid eis also "flat" but with sections on exposed roads with killer side winds! sitting down will increse strength and technique and place less stress on knees (i think?)what would be better is changing your rear sprocket to a bigger one thus increasing your cadence. i'll be doing the same once i buy a fresh sprocket. what bike you riding?

That's the gear I use but I ride SS not fixed. IMO the only place for fixed is on a velodrome…

soft lad

Having returned to my winter bike for a commute the other day, riding it was like chopping broccoli. Fixed had killed my pedalling style. The trouble is that, while pushing big gears is beneficial for strength, fixed creatse a certain laziness around the dead spots.

if you ride fixed too much it can affect your geared riding for better and worse. cadence improves as does leg strength and it will give you a better workout but i found it made me lazy at the top of the stroke and switching back to geared was a killer on certain thigh muscles that weren't being used as much. i would certainly try an 18t and get some geared riding in too.

keep it up – see where it takes you