Disappointed by my single speed, hills r brutal

[Hacienda71]

@Sportmonkey came on a hilly ride with us on his SS he got up this fine but then tried this. My comment would be looney but hey he had a go. We were so certain he would not get up the second of these climbs he was offered a CAAD 9 by one of the riders for getting to the top without walking. @400bhp is still riding a CAAD 9

 

[derrick]

Err... won't the 15 tooth make it even harder! You need more teeth to make it easier

I want it harder

 

[SportMonkey]

@Sportmonkey came on a hilly ride with us on his SS he got up this fine but then tried this. My comment would be looney but hey he had a go. We were so certain he would not get up the second of these climbs he was offered a CAAD 9 by one of the riders for getting to the top without walking. @400bhp is still riding a CAAD 9

I've moved up 69" to 76" with the bike I bought out here, will get home in a couple of weeks.

 

[MarkF]

Blackburn? Just like West Yorks, I would imagine it'll remain pretty much fixie free (for sound reasons), I never see then apart from in Leeds City centre.

 

[Archie_tect]

63" gear should be no probs and make it a fixed not freewheel then you could easily go bigger. Uphill is much easier with a fixed wheel than free.

...but downhill's a killer...[stand by launch control]

 

[tyred]

...but downhill's a killer...[stand by launch control]

It's how I taught myself to spin.

 

[Archie_tect]

...the survive or kill yourself technique.

 

[totallyfixed]

There is method in the madness that dictates that many of the top hill climbers in this country compete and train on fixed.

 

[SpareSprocket]

Just man up and keep pushing.

Er, shouldn't that be: Just get off and push !?

 

[Smurfy]

Give yourself some time to get used to it, you can also change the gearing to suit your legs. When I came back to fixed the bike came with a 70 inch gear and 170 cranks, it was fine for commuting but a bit high for what I was doing on a Sunday, after a bit of experimenting I settled on a 65 inch gear and 165 cranks, suites me and what I do, I did todays forum ride on the fixed and had an excellent day.

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/sun-18th-nov.116164/page-5

Pretty much the same here. I run a 65" fixed-gear (42x17 with 700x25 tyres). My cranks are a bit longer than yours at 172.5mm, but I am 6 feet tall with 34" inside leg, and it feels ok to me. With that setup I'm good for about 65 miles at around 75 feet per mile ascent/descent. I find hills marked as single chevron are ok if they're not too long, and if they're at the easier end of the range of gradients covered by a single chevron marking*. Double chevron hills are for walking!

* According to my OS map, Double chevron = gradient steeper than 1 in 5 (20%), Single chevron = gradient between 1 in 7 and 1 in 5 (15 to 20%)

 

[Smurfy]

Blackburn? Just like West Yorks, I would imagine it'll remain pretty much fixie free (for sound reasons), I never see then apart from in Leeds City centre.

*Cough* I live in Leeds, and I've ventured as far as Greenhow Hill on my 65" fixed wheel.

 

[MarkF]

*Cough* I live in Leeds, and I've ventured as far as Greenhow Hill on my 65" fixed wheel.

Really? I didn't realise people actually rode them, just wheeled them around Leeds centre like a fashion accessory.

 

[Cycleops]

Come along guys, chipmonster will never feel comfortable riding a SS in a hilly area. I don't care what ratio he's using. Unless you're Lance Armstrong on a cocktail of superdrugs and blood transfusions it's never going to work for him. I suspect that's why we see so many SS bikes on ebay and the like simply because people have never ridden one before.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Pretty much the same here. I run a 65" fixed-gear (42x17 with 700x25 tyres). My cranks are a bit longer than yours at 172.5mm, but I am 6 feet tall with 34" inside leg, and it feels ok to me. With that setup I'm good for about 65 miles at around 75 feet per mile ascent/descent. I find hills marked as single chevron are ok if they're not too long, and if they're at the easier end of the range of gradients covered by a single chevron marking*. Double chevron hills are for walking!

* According to my OS map, Double chevron = gradient steeper than 1 in 5 (20%), Single chevron = gradient between 1 in 7 and 1 in 5 (15 to 20%)

I'm 5'6" with a 29" inside leg, the 165 cranks suit my leg length, my longest fixed ride was 77 miles.