Fixed Gear Climbing

[Cycling Badger]

I was watching a GCN video yesterday where the presenters were doing an “experiment” on climbing.
In the video Dan was explaining why weight and gravity have such impact when going uphill.
He stated that at the dead points in the crank rotation forward momentum is reduced and gravity drags the bike back.
My thought was it therefore must be quicker to climb seated and with concerted effort to circle the feet, not stamp of the pedals.

I then read a comment in this forum (and I think I’ve read similar others)

Fixies get uphill in a most astounding fashion

@rogerzilla from thread

To the point of the post …

I hypothesise that fixed gear bikes encourage a smother more continual power delivery, reducing the span of the dead points in the crank revolutions.
This has the consequence of reducing the yo-yo effect of gravity and forward propulsion.

Just a thought exercise, interested in views of others in the forum?
Does anyone have any experimental evidence to support or refute the hypothesis?

 

[rogerzilla]

Fixie riders call it the flywheel effect, although it's your own momentum rather than a true flywheel.

If you ride fixed all winter and then get back on a bike with a freewheel, you'll probably find you've forgotten to pedal in circles, evidenced by clanking freehub pawls when you get out of the saddle up hills.

 

[ColinJ]

I have ridden with forum members who used fixed up 20% climbs!

In one case, including a track stand on the steepest ramp so as to enjoy the views!!

I can definitely vouch for the opposite - singlespeed grinding to a halt above 10%. The only thing that I found to help was to adopt a ridiculous pedal stroke to get over the deadspots - bum way back, arms outstretched, and forcing the cranks round from behind rather than trying to do it from above.

 

[Dogtrousers]

There's something going on with climbing on fixed, but I can't fully explain it. It's it's more doable than I expected it, but at the same time it's hard work. My little fixed gear outings have something of the feeling of going for a run, rather than just a ride.

I think it's a combination of a) the mechanics of it and the "flywheel effect" that @rogerzilla mentions and b) the fact that it "keeps you honest", you can't be lazy and just knock it down a few gears and engage trundle mode.

I wouldn't agree that they go up in an "astounding fashion" but it's definitely something quite different to climbing with gears. I personally have a gradient limit of about 9 or 10% where I just grind to a halt @ColinJ stylee.

 

[ivegotabike]

The Monsal Hill Climb record, that has stood since 1981, was set on a fixed gear bike

Here is a photo of from the Monsal Hill Climb website "Malcolm Elliott during his record breaking ride in 1981 – 1:14.2!!"

https://www.monsalhillclimb.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/malcolm_elliot_1981.jpg

 

[fossyant]

I could get up most climbs on my fixed, not always pretty, but they do climb well.