Fixed vs busted BB's........?

[fossyant]

Oh 'err....

Just one week riding a fixed..OK in traffic...taking it easy.....

Get on uber nice best bike..... oh flip.... BB's busted...what's this clamping effect........ .....

Goodness......... WTF..... doesn't a 'normal' bike feel well weird after a week of riding fixed.......OMG.... I really thought my best bike was busted................. - took a good couple of miles to settle back in......argh..

Now, jumping on to a Fixed from normal bikes wasn't an issue....'take it easy'... no-one told me getting back on a proper bike was so hard......

 

[rustychisel]

It shouldn't be. After a while you should be able to swap from one t'other easily, taking a couple of minutes to recall the sensations. Don't let people convince you there's more to it than that; both are as easy as riding a bike.

 

[Tel]

I'm with ya fossyant. I've been riding fixed for about 8 weeks and Sunday just gone I put the pedals back on my geared, best bike and my starting off was all over the place, it felt so strange freewheeling whilst I was putting my foot in the toestrap! And freewheeling downhills, etc, etc. I also caught myself freewheeling for a rest going uphill thus losing my momentum, I'm starting to think that I actually prefer fixed!!!

On the other hand I did feel that my geared riding technique had improved, smoother and less inclined to freewheel.

 

[MajorMantra]

This is totally normal, though I have found the alarming effects of switching back and forth between fixed and freewheel have diminished over time. Try riding both on the same day - it'll stop seeming so unnatural after a while, though you'll probably still forget to pedal on the fixed occasionally.

Matthew