Fixed – A niche too far ?

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.

miketually – Member

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

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

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?

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 steep road into Fremington (which I struggle to ride up 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?

And all this guff about it making you pedal smoother etc. Thats the same logic as saying: Hey, I’ve had a **** 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 🙂

Aha. All becomes clear

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)

What kind of stuff are you lot riding on who ride fixed then?
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)

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!!

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 46×20 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 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 (uber-niche*, 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)