Threevok
Growing old disgracefully
- Location
- South Wales
Well I live in Wales and have done more miles on the SS this year than my 3x10
you are inevitably sacrificing some forward motion during gearchanges
Momentum is the word, you never change gear at the point of stall. You should of changed gear before speed begins to drop and just increase rpm or if accelerating change gear at the higher cadence so that the torque hit is minimal..
I... I've done the same round trip 20 mile journey now on a 21 speed knobbly-tyred rigid MTB, an 18 speed hybrid, and a 3-speed light roadster and compared the overall speeds. The MTB averages 10.5 MPH, the Hybrid manages 11.7 MPH, the Roadster just touches 12 MPH. You'd expect it to be slower with the limited ratio choice available, but the figures show the opposite and it's also by far the most user-friendly bike in traffic.
Would never expect a fixed or SS to be used for road racing when acceleration is required or gradients vary so much, but for solo riding and certain riding conditions, fixed/SS is by no means at a disadvantage.Anyone know when the last Grand Tour or Classic was won by a fixie or a SS?
The claim in the OP is just wishful thinking and confirmation bias. If there was any truth in it, the pros would be riding them.
....... for solo riding and certain riding conditions, fixed/SS is by no means at a disadvantage...........
I wouldn't expect it to be slower. Heavier tyres are the biggest factor by far in my experience from time-trialling and and distance riding.
I will happily do 200k Audax on my fixie and I have just converted my MTB commuter to SS just to cut down of the maintenance and wear issues.
Far from it, I actually find it easier even with gradients up and down. I have been riding fixed for over seven years now either commuting or as an Audax. Of course there are some rides such as Colin’s rides into the Yorkshire hills where fixed would be near on impossible so the Tourer comes out. That’s not saying the big hills are not out of bounds for fixed, I might challenge myself one day and take it up there. But for the majority of my rides, fixed really suits me and I like that simplicity of no gears and a handlebar full of cables and leversDo you find being limited to only one gear ratio to be more fatiguing than having a wide choice of gears and riding to a near-constant cadence? On my 3 speed I must spend over 90% of the time in the middle ratio which is, IIRC, around 66 gear inches. The Low gear is useful for gradients & headwinds, and the High gear for gentle descents and tailwinds, but I'm not convinced that for lightly-laden riding you actually need a large number of ratios. I have up to 21 gears on various bikes and I still find I only tend to use no more than 3 or 4 of them for the vast majority of my mileage.
What is your brake setup?...I like that simplicity of no gears and a handlebar full of cables and levers
My Giant Bowery has a normal brake set up (front & rear) and as I mix fixed & SS on this bike I need both.What is your brake setup?