Crying for 6" less

[BentMikey]

.. I was last night with the 66" fixed ratio I'm riding. I had a coaching course on at Kingston College, so rode there and back. Some monster hills to deal with on fixed there, including Jewels Hill, Gravel Hill, and on the way back Downs Court Road and Stock Hill. I'm really chuffed I made it up the last two without walking, to me that's a huge achievement. Perhaps not to more hardcore fixed riders I'm sure!

Other notable incidents were me almost doing a Bollo, I'll try to dig out the video shortly, and riding dark country lanes thanks to my crazy GPS routing. That was exciting, I had two Cateye EL530s which are normally fine for this, but on one two batteries died, and the other wasn't the brightest.

 

[Maz]

.. I was last night with the 66" fixed ratio I'm riding...

So which part of the bike is 66" long? That's 5 and a half feet. Are we talking recumbents? I'm lost.

 

[magnatom]

Just be sure to post some video from the hills. I want to prove that other people heavy breath as well.

I saw some of the worst driving I have ever seen last night. However, I was popping to the local shops on the bike and I didn't have my camera on. I would have gone straight to the police if I had caught it.

Approaching some lights (these
View: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SL6Ul_kd6TA
). It was dark and wet at the time. I am going straight on so I take the primary position well in advance due to parked cars and the fact I am going into the right hand lane. (the closest car behind was well back)

I'm am nowabout 50m from the lights and the lights start turning amber. I hear a car start to rev behind me and start to overtake me very wide (at least he gave me room!). Whilst doing this he had his horn blaring (he was over 30mph in a 30mph zone by now). Now the lights are red and we are about 30m from the lights. He proceeds to swerve around me (still on the horn), and swerves into the left hand lane. With the lights now red for a good time and the lights beginning to change for other traffic, he slams on the brakes and continues through the lights and takes a sharp left.

Absolute nutter! It was all to fast, even for me to catch his reg (I am sure it was a blue clio!). I know it must have been bad as a white van pulls up next to me at the lights rolls down his window and starts chatting to me about how bad the driving was.

And this morning one taxi driver behind me threatened to knock me off the road with a hand gesture (stationary queue which I slotted in in front of him). i don't think I caught it on camera. Another car sits 20 cm from my back wheel and swears at me as he passes.

The lighter nights is having a bad effect on drivers. They seem to think they can drive more aggressively.

Anyway, sorry Mike for hijacking your thread. Normal service will now be resumed....

 

[BentMikey]

I know how you feel mate, I had a boy racer in a turbocharged hatchback overtake me at what looked like 60 on a 30 country lane last night.

 

[BentMikey]

So which part of the bike is 66" long? That's 5 and a half feet. Are we talking recumbents? I'm lost.

It refers to the gearing. 66" is already quite a low gear for a fixed wheel bike (mine's a wrongster), but I could have done with lower still on those hills. I *barely* made it up the last two, and my arms are almost more painful than my legs this morning. LOL!

 

[Crackle]

Magnatom I fear for you. I do wish you'd remember that most of the population have not read Cyclecraft (me included). Perhaps you should fling copies at the worst offenders - take it easy, you are not a one man crusader.

Bentmikey, it's good to give yourself a challenge like that now and again, just watch the knees.

 

[Tynan]

even I know that, you multiply out the gear ratios

or something

 

[PrettyboyTim]

So which part of the bike is 66" long? That's 5 and a half feet. Are we talking recumbents? I'm lost.

As far as I understand it means that for one complete turn of the pedals the bike will move 66" forwards.

You work it out with the following formula:

gear inches = (f / r) * c

where

f = teeth on front cog
r = teeth on back cog
c = circumference of rear wheel

 

[Maz]

Cheers PTB. Understood!

 

[domtyler]

Just be sure to post some video from the hills. I want to prove that other people heavy breath as well.

~~~~~~~

The lighter nights is having a bad effect on drivers. They seem to think they can drive more aggressively.

Anyway, sorry Mike for hijacking your thread. Normal service will now be resumed....

Cycling certainly can have it's low points can't it? I had a really bad few weeks a while back which made me start to question whether it was something I wanted to keep up. The past month has been so much better though. I have found the lighter nights to have improved things for me no end. Almost every journey is a sheer pleasure at the moment

We just have to endure the bad times cos the good ones are always waiting around the corner.

 

[BentMikey]

As far as I understand it means that for one complete turn of the pedals the bike will move 66" forwards.

You work it out with the following formula:

Not quite mate, it comes down to the equivalent diameter needed for the wheel of a penny farthing to have the same gear ratio. Something ridiculous like this could only be an English calculation!!!

You're thinking of development - see Sheldon Brown's website, may he RIP.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears/

 

[BentMikey]

Bentmikey, it's good to give yourself a challenge like that now and again, just watch the knees.

Cheers mate! In common with quite a few others, I've found that fixed is generally better for the knees than not-fixed. Weird huh?

 

[Crackle]

Cheers mate! In common with quite a few others, I've found that fixed is generally better for the knees than not-fixed. Weird huh?

Really! Until recently I used to generally pick a gear and stick with it, though I've never ridden a fixed. On long rides I used to have achy knees but since I switched to a higher cadence and got STI's my knees have not reacted the same. I kinda thought fixed was worse for the knees.

Mind you, we're opposites on Drl's, dayglow, lights and cycling position

 

[BentMikey]

I don't think the fixed vs knees is too controversial amongst fixed riders. Lots of people who ride gears seem to have a contrary opinion, especially when they have little or no fixed experience.

I suspect this is perhaps because the few who've tried fixed don't allow for two factors - one that it's a new bike with new setup which is the most common cause of knee problems, and two that riding fixed is upping your workload so you can't immediately do the same mileage and/or route and expect your body not to suffer more.

DRL is one thing, but I'm sure we're not different on using lights at night.

 

[Crackle]

Interesting. Good points.

I did briefly try a mates fixed. I found it quite weird to have to keep pedalling but I've never been tempted by one myself, especially where I live now. Way too many hills. I think a bent is my next bike should I get on with them when I eventually get around to trying them, which will be when I've got the dosh, which will be............