I've just created a eBay listing for it, just easier for the photos and messaging on here isn't possible!
Edit: Offer is set at £150 btw.
Lovely bike and a great price. Too small and I don’t need an other ?. Although a Condor caught my eye in the shop last week. But the Paddy Wagon just keeps rolling on
How would you gear a fixed for low gears on the uphills but also ‘easy’ on the downhills? For reference I’m 38/17 singlespeed at the moment…
mine is se up as 42/16 on a 26ins wheel converted mtb. 1.5in tyres, On One Mary bars, Pace RC31 forks.
I ride around the W.Berks/Hampshire/Wiltshire borders. I find I'm alright for about 30mles then I get a bit knackered. Av sp. usually between 15-16mph.
Wouldn't catch me riding without a freewheel, never, nada, no chance, not doing it.
How steep are the hills? Generally I find it easier to heave my way up a hill than spin my way down. 42/16 is absolutely standard on off the peg road bikes. I find it too low, but have ridden lumpy 225 km on 42x15 and even 42x14 when fit. However, I just road home into a hard headwind on 42x14 with a meagre average cadence!
Original Tour de France mountain stages were ridden on fixed. Something about 74-76 inches is the sweet spot for me. If it is too steep, you can aways walk up it. And it will be harder than gears, that's why gears were invented 😉
Aside from my SS MTB off road, you would never catch me riding a single speed with a freewheel. Has all of the disadvantages and none of the advantages of fixed and gears. Worst of all worlds.
Whereas I use a 43/18 (62 inches) on road and gravel. I find it good gearing for gravel and easier to skid stop (I don’t have brakes) but does mean I am hitting almost 200 rpm downhill which is not ideal and my speed is hampered a bit on the road. All about the compromise though isn’t it.
How steep are the hills?
Looking on Strava segments about 6%-8% for most part, tracking them shows a few peaks around 10%-13%. It's a bit of a heave-ho to get up some of them but nothing to cry about, I'd call it nicely undulating.
here's stats for one of my rides
29.02 miDistance
1:54:06Moving Time
1,601 ftElevation
117 WEstimated Avg Power
798 kJEnergy Output
Avg 15.3 mi/h
Max
Speed 40.8 mi/h
Elapsed Time
2:05:03
Anyone had a fixie spin out over Christmas? I did the club Boxing day 10 mile time trial on mine. That's my time at the top, not great, but I suspect riding a full on TT bike wouldn't have made a significant difference TBH.
Anyone had a fixie spin out over Christmas?
Yes, Christmas Day and Boxing Day and around 200 other days of the year. As it is my only bike then every ride is a fixie fixed gear ride.
I’ll be doing the 225 km loop on NYE to finish the RF500. Might gear down a little. Other rides have all been geared so far. You are welcome to join.
Once you’ve tried fixed, you’ll adapt. And the smoothness will transfer to geared rides too. Coasting is a pernicious habit that breaks up tight groups.
Yes, it is very noticeable that when I get a geared bike for a few months (before getting bored of it) I never stop pedalling even when I can.
225km - Oof. I hope it's fairly flat. 140 is the most I've ever done, and I was a lot younger then!
https://www.strava.com/routes/9638079
Not that hilly. Done it about a dozen times, half fixed. Will ride the Enigma on 49x17 or 78”.
I've given myself 'singlespeed knee' again 😥
I know singlespeed isn't inherently bad for knees, but it seems like if I suddenly go further or faster (or both, in the case of my ride last week) I'll get the familiar sharp pain under the kneecap under flexion and certain pedalling movements. I guess maybe I get too quad dependent when pushing a bigger gear than usual uphill or in to headwinds etc.
So a few weeks of easy/geared rides and turbo only if it's icy (the singlespeed was the only bike with ice spikes), try and incorporate some hamstring work to keep them firing..
Just keep an eye open for a White Industries eccentric axle hub. You can drop it into a frame with vertical dropouts as long as you match up axle widths.
