[Closed] Fixed - A niche too far ?

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 fixie****, 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 [i]point[/i] 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.

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 fixie****, 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 [i][b]blast[/i][/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

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
[IMG] [/IMG]

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?
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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 [s]fixed[/s] singlespeed for off road riding

just seems like making things harder for no reason

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 [s]fixed singlespeed for[/s] 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.

[i]do people really ride 'proper' offroad trails on a fixie? [/i]

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.

I think it will be far too high, but the 44t chainring was free. Will play with larger rear sprockets.

I'm running 42-18 and its ok for on and off road stuff that's on 700cc other bike is 36-16 with bigger tyres which feels the same. Both about 63" iirc

I've been running a Langster for a while now and have been debating turning the wheel round and giving the fixed thing a go, just to see how it feels, so this thread is rather interesting,

xiphon - Member
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.

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!

I like the sound of that idea, may well have to give it a try next time i'm out, however not 100% convinced about the clipless pedal aspect, would you guys recommend swapping back to flats for the test period?

Flats and fixed would seem to be a good recipe for mangled calf muscles. 120rpm meat tenderisers anyone?

I prefer to be clipped to the pedals tbh

I run with flats because my ankle won't take clips. The only time I really lost the pedals I just put my feet on top of the fork stantions and prayed for it all to stop.

miketually - Member
Flats and fixed would seem to be a good recipe for mangled calf muscles. 120rpm meat tenderisers anyone?

good point well made, i was more concerned about me stopping as opposed to anything else and had kind of forgot that the cranks and pedals would continue to turn until either running out of momentum or running into my shins

I run disc brakes for extra stopping.

Where are you based? You can have a play on my bike for an afternoon if you want

The guy selling it talked about a smoother pedalling style with fixed.

ime i think this is rubbish. fixed means you can mash the pedals and think it is smooth, singlespeed makes you pedal in circles because you can feel you loose tension and regain it at the top of the stroke.

having said that fixed off road is really good fun and it's just another 'string to the bow' as it were.

if you are looking for "an advantage" it isn't for you. if you are looking for a laugh try it, you might like it.

The only advantages for fixed offroad is the hilarity (not always for you though) and you begin to learn pedal strikes aren't that scary on rocks/roots/dirt/plants. Mostly...

Being an advantage is clearly not the point of it.

2 brakes are essential IME. Especially when it's muddy as the rear is impossible to just slow with the pedals and when the front lets go it gets interesting. I very nearly bought a Phil Wood fixed disc hub but just couldn't justify the cost for the actual use it would get.

The main problem is the PITA it is riding down anything fast on anything like 2:1. I wouldn't thank you for coming on a ride with me with plenty of long fast downhills.

Agree with Tom about hilarity and down hills. I ride fixie in the New Forest which is not renown for its hills.

BEst bit about a newbie on a fixie is that the panic only appears when there is an obstacle like a drop or a really rocky bit. At this point they forget to pedal and get thrown off balance right at the moment the most need to be in control. Gosh how they laughed at me.

[i]miketually - Member

Flats and fixed would seem to be a good recipe for mangled calf muscles. 120rpm meat tenderisers anyone? [/i]

I had a go.
Stupid stupid stupid once things got fast as you can't keep your feet on. Good on technical stuff.

[i]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]

That's when they get interesting. Steep tech is ace. To a point... then after that point you end up a dabbing spinning mess hoping it will all stop sometime soon.

Oh just remembered from WCA's post. You also learn an awful lot what a bike with a sack of potatoes attached to it can roll over without falling over :0)

Try it, why not you might like it!

Personally I'll happily ride my fixed CX all day, but I haven't wanted to take the plunge with a mtb yet!

Cheers tom - you were watching my decent of terror then?

I've ridden fixed for the last 43 years. Yes, it's just a fashion fad and I'll get over it when I grow up.

Mostly on the road but I have taken my smooth tyred road bike on Follow the Dog and it's rather splendid, but not something I'd do more than once every couple of years.

I used to think it was essential to be clipped to the pedals but I recently bought some boots that are too bulky to get in the clips and straps so I put V8s on. Surprisingly, for commuting and riding to the pub, it doesn't feel any different.

The main problem is the PITA it is riding down anything fast on anything like 2:1. I wouldn't thank you for coming on a ride with me with plenty of long fast downhills.

I don't think I'd go on a group ride on fixed, unless everyone was fixed.

The [url= http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=406145&Y=498802&A=Y&Z=120 ]steep road into Fremington[/url] (which I struggle to ride [i]up[/i] on my SS MTB) was pretty scary riding down on my low-ratio fixed. Rear wheel kept locking up, which is a very odd sensation on a fixed wheel.

I managed a group ride around Swinley but then I was in the slow group

I'm sorry but I can't believe I'm the only person who thinks that even contemplating the whole concept of riding fixed off-road is the work of the terminal bewildered? or the criminally insane? Really? Are you all mad?!

You are aware that this isn't flat, aren't you?

[img] [/img]

And all this guff about it making you pedal smoother etc. Thats the same logic as saying: Hey, I've had a ****ing great idea! I'm going to gouge both my own eyes out with a sharpened screwdriver. Why? What do you mean, why? Isn't it obvious?

Well... they say that if you go blind then your other senses compensate by becoming sharper. So despite the fact I'll lose my vision for ever.... JUST IMAGINE HOW GOOD MY SENSE OF SMELL WILL BE. Pretty damn cool eh?!!!

I poked my eyes out and poured boiling oil into my ears.

The amazing things was that being deaf made my eye sight better and being blind made my hearing better so the end result was I could see and hear better than before!

binners - haven't you ever turned your lights off during a night ride just to see how far you can ride in real darkness?

Aye, plenty times. Riding by moonlight is hardly comparable with trying to cripple yourself though

What kind of stuff are you lot riding on who ride fixed then? Seriously. I'm just thinking of our average couple-of-hour blat round Rivi. To attempt some of those descents on a fixie would be genuinely suicidal!!

I'm sorry, but I really really just don't see the point

That's fine. Some of us enjoy it, some who have tried it don't like and some won't try it. No big deal. 🙂

binners - I am a soft southerner. Check out the contour lines on the map of the New Forest and you will see that fixie makes perfect sense

Aha. All becomes clear 🙂

[i]Aha. All becomes clear [/i]

I'm a hard northerner. Well hardish, well I used to be.

When I put the flats on I also out the drivetrain on the left. The pedals fell off a couple of times :0)

[i]What kind of stuff are you lot riding on who ride fixed then?[/i]
Anything I would normally ride barring a couple of trails which are basically a rut that you can't pedal in :0)

My favourite example was SSUK in Hamsterley. I was dropping people on the 2 tech downhills. I looked back at the water splash and expected to have a long line of grumpy people but they had disappeared.
You just have to disengage your brain that says freewheel and add pedal instead but pedaling without force.
What I didn't like was the amount of skidding and rear wheel locking that was necessary in places where it's unnecesary on a freewheel bike.

Ooh I've just remembered another "advantage".

You know how SS are supposed to be zero maintenance but clearly aren't. Fixy offroad almost get's there with the complete lack of cleaning required. The wheel will go round if you press on the pedals. (I'm ignoring all the chain tensioning required obviously)

[i]What kind of stuff are you lot riding on who ride fixed then? Seriously. I'm just thinking of our average couple-of-hour blat round Rivi. To attempt some of those descents on a fixie would be genuinely suicidal!! [/i]

Give me a shout next time you're up there, I'll show you something. 😉

my mate got down Blacka moor on fixed off road, it wasn't easy and he did fall off but he made it.

I run 22:16 x 700 on the road (for polo)
still experimenting with off road gearing

Clipped for fixed here. The bike came with toe clipped pedals, which are a nightmare to get into if you're fixed.... SPDs just seem so much easier to engage.

The flip/flop hub came as standard on my Langster (2010 model), and probably other models too.

When climbing, I find the momentum of the bike removes the 'dead spot' you get with a freewheel.

My favourite example was SSUK in Hamsterley.

I'd forgotten that you rode that fixed. Was it just you and Alex on the fixies?

I think Cab rode fixed at Dalby?

http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/6134603/ riding fixed in the lake district.

I ride fixed off road with a couple of other guys. It's good fun but then so is regular freewheel riding.

My bike of choice for fixed off road is a surly steamroller with 35c cx tyres, a caliper brake at the front and 46x20 on 165 cranks. It see's me right!

I think so Mike.

My legs were screwed the week after. Calves screamed at me on the Tuesday and I had to flip it over to the free. Not done much/any offroad since then I don't think. Maybe on my old Steamroller.

I can't believe no-one has mentioned [url= http://www.63xc.com/ ]63XC[/url] yet. Okay the site is no longer updated but there is still loads of useful info on there.

You also learn an awful lot what a bike with a sack of potatoes attached to it can roll over without falling over :0)

Not restricted to fixed - my SS DH bike ([i][b]uber-niche[/b][/i]*, eh?) showed me exactly what sort of terrain you can descent if you (a) stop braking (b) have decent armour (c) are so f***ing terrified that you daren't brake and just plough through everything at an ever- ascending rate of knots.

* Really, it's only because the shifter and derailleur are spectacularly knackered, but me, I'll take the applause of having possibly the only singlespeed with 200mm of travel at each end. I'm sick, I'm rad, and quite possibly stoked as well.

I can't believe no-one has mentioned 63XC yet. Okay the site is no longer updated but there is still loads of useful info on there.

Posted 1 hour ago # Report-Post

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

Posted 2 days ago # Report-Post

I believe the expression is "D'oh!"

Riding fixed offroad is plain stupid.

But jeez, it's fun 🙂

(I do it very badly)