Fixies - I just don't get it

[4F]

you're welcome

To add a form of balance. I don't wear tight jeans, I have no hair, I stop at red lights, normal drops, mine is a mismatch of colours given it was a homebuild, I don't own any Rapha clothing however I will conceed on the current point of no mudguards but I will put these back on September / October time. Midlife crisis LOL, I have been riding fixed for 5 years now and wish I had tried it earlier.

Have you ever tried riding fixed or just got an irrational hatred for it ?

 

[Rob3rt]

I’m so very envious of all those fixie riders. Their tight jeans. Their helmetless heads revealing their directional hairstyles. The way they sail through red lights with gay abandon. The way their teeny weeny chopped down handle bars look so very comfortable. The way the mudguardless wheels (AND LOOK: THEY’RE ORANGE/GREEN/DAYLGO!!!) spray muck up their Rapha-clad backs. It makes feel like trading in my oh-so-sensible and supremely functional tourer, and having a bit of a midlife crisis. Then again.

You ride a tourer, lmfao, loser!

 

[Dan B]

Riding over rough ground on a freewheel you can stand on the pedals and use your arms and legs to absorb the shocks. Cannot do this on a fixie at speed, the saddle just pummels yer gonads! Maybe it's just something you get use to!

I can stand on the pedals while pedalling and use my arms and legs to absorb the shocks. But I do have a fairly tall gear (78" or so) so I'm not spinning like a madman while doing it.

 

[fossyant]

I’m so very envious of all those fixie riders. Their tight jeans. Their helmetless heads revealing their directional hairstyles. The way they sail through red lights with gay abandon. The way their teeny weeny chopped down handle bars look so very comfortable. The way the mudguardless wheels (AND LOOK: THEY’RE ORANGE/GREEN/DAYLGO!!!) spray muck up their Rapha-clad backs. It makes feel like trading in my oh-so-sensible and supremely functional tourer, and having a bit of a midlife crisis. Then again.

Tight jeans - nope - bib tights
Helmet less - nope - Bell Sweep R
directional hairstyles - nope - short no 3
Sail through lights - nope - good interval training
chopped handle bars - nope - drops and Ritchey WCS tasty ones at that.
Mudguardless - nope - SKS Chromoplastics
Dayglo - nope - red and black
Rapha - nope - Aldi/B-Twin/Lusso etc.

Functional Tourer - I've got panniers too !! And I bet my fixed is faster than a tourer - 23mm Conti 4 Season tyres - the ultimate fast commuting tyres. !

Oh and you'd be hard pressed to tell mine was a fixie - looks like a tourer, with no gear mechs !

Silly fixies yes, they are silly, but proper fixed 'road bikes' then why not - just does what a tourer does, but lighter and faster !

Mine is the red one !

 

[fossyant]

I can stand on the pedals while pedalling and use my arms and legs to absorb the shocks. But I do have a fairly tall gear (78" or so) so I'm not spinning like a madman while doing it.

77" and no issue with the poor roads of Cheshire and Manchester and it isn't flat here !

 

[fossyant]

They aren't a faff to ride ! If I've got a hilly ride then I take out the road bikes, simple, as some are rather steep, but for commuting my fixed is ideal.

 

[procel]

I've got a question. The advice when using a road bike is to maintain cadence, even when that means switching down when going up hills because otherwise you'll eff up your knees. So how come not (because you can't) switching down on a fixie doesn't eff up your knees?

 

[fossyant]

I've got a question. The advice when using a road bike is to maintain cadence, even when that means switching down when going up hills because otherwise you'll eff up your knees. So how come not (because you can't) switching down on a fixie doesn't eff up your knees?

Cos we go up faster !!! You need a suitable gear though. In the majority of cases you'd pick a gear for the terrain. Been riding fixed for the last 4 years daily. The advantage of fixed is you actually pedal with a higher cadence in general, and that translates to your geared bikes. It also gives you greater efficiency over a bigger cadence range. I found my cadence went up from about 80 average over a hilly ride to 90 riding geared.

The advice about maintaining cadence is sound to beginners, but depends upon the rider and experience. On my geared bikes, I tend to grind a big gear up steep stuff, and sit somewhere about 70-80 on longer climbs - but that's more down to only having a 39 x 24 on the 'climbing bike' - any smaller and I will retire !

 

[Boris Bajic]

I've got a question. The advice when using a road bike is to maintain cadence, even when that means switching down when going up hills because otherwise you'll eff up your knees. So how come not (because you can't) switching down on a fixie doesn't eff up your knees?

This is an interesting point.

When climbing at low cadences (below 70rpm on a 5-11% incline and below 63rpm on steeper hills) the continual and rhythmic tensing and loosening of the quatrophetic limphonal tendon outer causes a slight enrichening of the photosynthetic muscular response neurone, with the obvious resulting necrophatic ancellulotic pause in the blood-flow polarity to the nerve trunk.

However, as most ascents (on a bicycle) are followed by a fast, high-cadence descent at or beyond the ability of the rider to remain in full control, this nerve-cortex lymph-enrichment process (never a positive change) is reversed and then reduced still further by the furious leg motion of the cyclist.

The danger comes (and will be well known to the professional) when the descent precedes the climb.

Like an exploding tin of Alphabetti Spaghetti, that could spell disaster.

I hope I have helped.

 

[BentMikey]

I've got a question. The advice when using a road bike is to maintain cadence, even when that means switching down when going up hills because otherwise you'll eff up your knees. So how come not (because you can't) switching down on a fixie doesn't eff up your knees?

There is a lot of bullsh1t advice around. Received wisdom from the experienced fixed riders is that fixed is slightly positive for your knees.

 

[4F]

[QUOTE 2509813, member: 1314"]I do about 4 or 5k a year on mine in all weathers. My knees have deffo got stronger.[/quote]


Do they still look crocked though ?

 

[4F]

[QUOTE 2509825, member: 1314"]This is what years of riding fixed does to your legs:

View attachment 24991 [/quote]


Bra's slack

 

[fossyant]

This is an interesting point.

When climbing at low cadences (below 70rpm on a 5-11% incline and below 63rpm on steeper hills) the continual and rhythmic tensing and loosening of the quatrophetic limphonal tendon outer causes a slight enrichening of the photosynthetic muscular response neurone, with the obvious resulting necrophatic ancellulotic pause in the blood-flow polarity to the nerve trunk.

However, as most ascents (on a bicycle) are followed by a fast, high-cadence descent at or beyond the ability of the rider to remain in full control, this nerve-cortex lymph-enrichment process (never a positive change) is reversed and then reduced still further by the furious leg motion of the cyclist.

The danger comes (and will be well known to the professional) when the descent precedes the climb.

Like an exploding tin of Alphabetti Spaghetti, that could spell disaster.

I hope I have helped.

What ever - mumbo jumbo ! Never broke my knees riding geared at those cadences and flat out down hills after a slow cadence climb. My knees and associated tendons are much stronger now from fixed riding !

 

[BentMikey]

Bra's slack

I don't think most people will get that reference, but I do.

 

[Venod]

There is a lot of bullsh1t advice around. Received wisdom from the experienced fixed riders is that fixed is slightly positive for your knees.

Well I am going to have to disagree, I have covered a lot of enjoyable miles on fixed and I decided one of the down sides was the hammer your knees take.