Cornering fixed - any tips? and any other general handling tips!

[Pennine-Paul]

I use eggbeaters on my fixopholous fixed-gear fixie and they are a doddle to get into and out of.

Just as a ball lobbed into the air must be stationary for a split second at its maximum height, so a bicycle is beatifully still for a moment after you've stopped pedalling.

That gives you plenty of time to unclip and put a foot down.

All that sodding about with trackstands at traffic signals is for those who want to look cool.

I write this as someone who has never mastered the art of the trackstand, so you may detect a bias in my opinion.

Eggbeaters all the way here too,I had shimano cheapies before but the bearings started making horrible
noises after 6 months,rebuilt em many times only for them to start grinding within a few hundred miles,they were horrible
to get out of as well,felt like you were gonna pop your knee unclipping.Moved up to eggbeaters a year ago,never had to
touch them since and your foot just glides out when you need it to.

I've never seen the point in trackstanding either,It's easier to adjust your speed so the light turns to green just as you get
to the line.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

More great tips folks thanks, especially the bodily function related ones

Well I got the bike and have done about 1 mile or so clipless (SPD) round the block a few times.

First thing I need to do it get a shorter stem, from a 110mm to a 60mm. I can reach the tops OK but the hoods and brakes are just miles away! From above it probably looks like I'm being crucified when I'm on the hoods. I think I might change the 44cm bars at some point to 40cm bullhorns but I'll see how I get on with the shorter stem first.

Now, stopping and dismounting... that had me toiling! While one leg was unclipped the other one is still turning! Is there a knack to it? Or is it a case of working out your own way of unclipping and stopping?

I've never used clipless on my fixed, I use clips and straps, I've got clipless on my geared bike, Time Freerides, I prefer clips and straps, I've always used clips and straps on my fixed bikes, I recon I'd struggle to unclip on fixed.

 

[al-fresco]

I've never used anything other than SPDs on fixed. Can't really imagine riding in anything else - especially with the steep downhills around here. Having said that I'll probably give egg-beaters a try in the future.

 

[jim55]

I've never used clipless on my fixed, I use clips and straps, I've got clipless on my geared bike, Time Freerides, I prefer clips and straps, I've always used clips and straps on my fixed bikes, I recon I'd struggle to unclip on fixed.

I find while the cranks rotating I can't get one foot in the strap , I have double sided spds and I just peddle and it clips in , when I had straps n it I ended up with one foot just using the flat side and the toe clip scraping along the ground going round corners , with the result it's mostly ground away , put the spds on to try them thinking it b really hard on fixed but it's actually easier ,spds all the way for me))

 

[HLaB]

I've still not plucked up the courage to make my Viking fixed yet; I enjoy freewheeling downhill too much. I've skiffed the outside of wider shoes however, pedalling through a corner nothing major though. I actual find the 44cm bars although way too large on the hoods that I gravitate to the flats and find them comfy.

 

[Theseus]

I've still not plucked up the courage to make my Viking fixed yet; I enjoy freewheeling downhill too much.

Go-on, go-on, go-on.

You know you want to.

That way, the next time we do the Borders Raid, we can have all 3 of us on fixed.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I find while the cranks rotating I can't get one foot in the strap , I have double sided spds and I just peddle and it clips in , when I had straps n it I ended up with one foot just using the flat side and the toe clip scraping along the ground going round corners , with the result it's mostly ground away , put the spds on to try them thinking it b really hard on fixed but it's actually easier ,spds all the way for me))

I don't have any trouble getting my foot in, but I have been using clips and straps for about 25 years, I usually get my foot in as soon as I've started to move, when the cranks have hardly started to turn, it gets more difficult the faster the cranks are turning.

 

[edindave]

I've never tried clips and I'm not hearing anything to put me off SPDs, in fact I'm feeling encouraged to stick with SPDs by a lot of these posts. Thanks guys

 

[HLaB]

I've never tried clips and I'm not hearing anything to put me off SPDs, in fact I'm feeling encouraged to stick with SPDs by a lot of these posts. Thanks guys

As you'll know by now the Viking is a heavy bike and clips just make that little difference which makes climbs doable they also give the confidence to descend faster (at least on the freewheel)

 

[edindave]

To begin with I plan to use it Mon-Fri, for my 2.5mi commute to work and 15mi extended ride home, but no real hills/descents apart from a short 1:10 in Cramond

 

[HLaB]

To begin with I plan to use it Mon-Fri, for my 2.5mi commute to work and 15mi extended ride home, but no real hills/descents apart from a short 1:10 in Cramond

Its perfect for that and you can get a decent work out on the 15mi ride etc when you don't have time.

 

[Smurfy]

Now, stopping and dismounting... that had me toiling! While one leg was unclipped the other one is still turning! Is there a knack to it? Or is it a case of working out your own way of unclipping and stopping?

Don't unclip until you're stationary, or almost stationary. You won't fall over instantly, there's plenty of time to release from the pedals. Unclip your left foot, and put that foot down. That will result in you leaning away from the traffic, and you'll be less likely to get your foot run over if someone passes too close.

For those who don't want to dismount their bicycle in the normal manner, fixed-wheel offers the totally cool option of going from riding to walking in one fluid motion, by using the fixed wheel and momentum to push you upwards and backwards off the bike.

 

[colly]

For those who don't want to dismount their bicycle in the normal manner, fixed-wheel offers the totally cool option of going from riding to walking in one fluid motion, by using the fixed wheel and momentum to push you upwards and backwards off the bike.

Looking forward to your instruction video to show us the way.

 

[Smurfy]

Looking forward to your instruction video to show us the way.

I only started riding fixed-wheel last year, so after decades of riding bicycles with freewheels, I usually forget there's another way to dismount. As Sheldon says, it's probably easier with flat pedals rather than clipless. If you've got clipless pedals you have to position your foot quite carefully, or you'll end up clipping in again when you're using the fixed-wheel to push you upwards and backwards. When I do it, I unclip with both feet and pedal with the toe of my shoes for a few yards. It's nowhere near as difficult as it sounds, I managed it the first time I tried.

 

[jim55]

this is like me staggering about lol

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sCnT_SzYko

and this one is very cool but not much use if ure clipped in

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjVUc_UWldw