Forgot how much harder riding fixed is

[Smurfy]

Quite a few research papers show that stretching actually causes more injuries than stretching prevents, however, warming up properly is shown to prevent injuries.
A few month back I started getting cramps a lot despite stretching out before rides. Since reading the research I started walking up the silly gradient 300 yard lane onto the main road which is almost straight from my drive end. Since I started walking that short stretch I've not had a cramp - I'm hoping it's not coincidence and that heaving up the hill with cold muscles is what was causing the cramps.

My stretching is done at odd moments during the day, rather than immediately prior to riding. I've been doing it for so long that I can stretch my calves quite well just by using the opposing muscles.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Ahhhh, OK. Going chain just destroys the advantage and convenience of not having to oil/clean the belt. If it was mine I'd ride as is for a good while to get some use and enjoyment, then convert to center-track fixed after a year or two.

My commuter is center-track single-speed belt, and it's perfect for my requirements. No matter how much rain or muck on the road, I just sling it in the hallway when I get home without needing to do anything to the 'chain' to keep it running sweet. Every few months I wipe the bike down with baby-wipes, but there's no oily mess on the chainstay or rear rim to deal with. It's perfect!

Exactly my thoughts, soooo, I've just splashed out and spoilt myself by clicking buy on...some quoc Pham shoes and a brooks cadmium saddle...yaaaay.

I've only done about 80 miles on the belt so far but I do like the idea of it, so hopefully it'll give me the 10,000 km the internet suggests it should. Once the current train drive is trashed I'll convert then.

 

[Smurfy]

Exactly my thoughts, soooo, I've just splashed out and spoilt myself by clicking buy on...some quoc Pham shoes and a brooks cadmium saddle...yaaaay.

I've only done about 80 miles on the belt so far but I do like the idea of it, so hopefully it'll give me the 10,000 km the internet suggests it should. Once the current train drive is trashed I'll convert then.

Is there a source for this? I've done about 1500-2000 miles on center-track belt so far, and it's been a maintenance-free dream. I'm hoping there will be some signs of wear and strain before the belt finally snaps.

Another good thing is that you don't have to keep adjusting the belt tension for wear like with a chain, mine hasn't been touched and it's still right.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Here's just one example but a quick google search fetches up loads....

Off the Chain! A Conversation with British cyclist James Bowthorpe, who used a Gates Carbon Drive-equipped Santos to set a new record for fastest around-the- world ride

(Oct. 28, 2009) James Bowthorpe is recuperating in London after his record-setting 174- day, 18,000-mile bike ride around the world, a trip that averaged more than 100 miles per day and smashed the previous record for pedaling the globe by 20 days. We rang up the 32-year-old furniture maker, who finished on Sept. 19, to chat about his custom Santos bike, the Gates Carbon Drive that powered his chain-free journey, eating mystery meat in Asia and experiencing the fright of his life in Iran.

Q: What did you think of the Gates Carbon Drive?

JB: When Santos approached me about using one of their bikes, they asked if Iíd like to try the Gates belt drive. I said ëyesí and Iím really glad I did. I didnít have to lubricate it or do any maintenance. I didnít alter the tension on the belt for the whole 18,000 miles.

 

[joro]

I admire the refreshing honesty of the subject line. What happened to all the claims of greater efficiency due to straight chainline, "flywheel effect", lower weight ...?

It isn't really a yes/no black/white issue is it? The question is how big are the benefits of fixed and are they enough to counteract the downsides? Straight chainline is more efficient although that applies to both fixed and SS. The flywheel effect is real enough but I'm not sure how much difference it really makes compared with a well developed pedalling technique on a freewheel bike. The weight saving argument is a bit marginal too compared with SS, but more significant compared with gears. Much better control at low speeds is a big positive benefit of fixed. Showing off by trackstanding obviously massages some egos.

The downsides of fixed are literally on the downsides, and mostly covered upthread. Cramping up is potentially bloody dangerous. You need to take more careful lines through corners with less margin for error. And the swoopy joy of freewheeling is unavailable.

I alternate between fixed and freewheel on my Day One according to mood really and enjoy both.

Can I ask the belt drive users what they do following a p*%$@ure? I believe belts need much higher tension than chains - can you achieve this on the road, at night, in the pouring rain?

 

[joro]

Cleaned my touring bike and my fixed wheel bike this afternoon and remembered another big advantage of fixed wheel ... much less time needed to keep it clean. I spent less than half the time and achieved a much more thorough result on the fixed than on the 3 x 9 derailleur geared tourer.

Sorry if that's a bit OT, it isn't exactly about riding fixed is it?

Riding fixed means you save on brake block and wheel rim wear, and cleaning off the associated cruddy gunge which means riding fixed is easier in the sense of saving your maintenance time.

I've hardly touched my brakes for ages on the Day One. I know what I'll be riding until the road skog diminishes.

 

[Dan B]

The downsides of fixed are literally on the downsides

I think there's a bit more to it than that. In order to accept that riding fixed is "bloody good training" (does anyone disagree with that?) you have to accept that it's overall more effort than riding with many gears/a free wheel. It can't be better training and be more efficient overall. Can it?

 

[tyred]

I think there's a bit more to it than that. In order to accept that riding fixed is "bloody good training" (does anyone disagree with that?) you have to accept that it's overall more effort than riding with many gears/a free wheel. It can't be better training and be more efficient overall. Can it?

It does force you to have a smooth pedal stroke and to be able to ride efficiently at a wide range of cadences.

 

[Smurfy]

Can I ask the belt drive users what they do following a p*%$@ure? I believe belts need much higher tension than chains - can you achieve this on the road, at night, in the pouring rain?

There's an app for that. It works like a guitar tuner to set the belt tension.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/carbon-drive-bicycle-calculator/id438346486?mt=8

But I don't use the app. I just calculated the load required to cause a given deflection of the belt at mid-span, then used a fishing balance and a ruler. If I had a puncture I'd just fix it up quickly to get home, then check it properly later.

Oh, and you don't need much tension. For maximum belt life I believe you are supposed to use the minimum tension required to avoid slippage of the belt over the teeth (which would damage the belt). The required belt tension varies according to gearing and rider weight/strength (Gates have a lookup table). I have mine set up for a light rider on single-speed/fixed, and it's never slipped once in 1500-2000 miles, or needed adjusting.

Belt is definitely the way forward!

 

[anothersam]

Fixed is too hard for me.

I have half a dozen bikes, all singlespeed freewheel. They're all different – but not so different that I need to alter my entire mindset when I go riding one or the other. Most often when I'm out, at least part of the time I'll be thinking about something, which requires a degree of auto-pilot. Changing just one of my bikes to fixed (or geared, for that matter, though the effect is less pronounced) would make that difficult, if not impossible; it would throw me off-balance, which is not always a bad thing, except maybe on a bike.

For me, freewheeling is the most fun that can be had on two wheels. However, as a big fan of fun, I can only approve of anything that causes more of it for you.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

It isn't really a yes/no black/white issue is it? The question is how big are the benefits of fixed and are they enough to counteract the downsides? Straight chainline is more efficient although that applies to both fixed and SS. The flywheel effect is real enough but I'm not sure how much difference it really makes compared with a well developed pedalling technique on a freewheel bike. The weight saving argument is a bit marginal too compared with SS, but more significant compared with gears. Much better control at low speeds is a big positive benefit of fixed. Showing off by trackstanding obviously massages some egos.

The downsides of fixed are literally on the downsides, and mostly covered upthread. Cramping up is potentially bloody dangerous. You need to take more careful lines through corners with less margin for error. And the swoopy joy of freewheeling is unavailable.

I alternate between fixed and freewheel on my Day One according to mood really and enjoy both.

Can I ask the belt drive users what they do following a p*%$@ure? I believe belts need much higher tension than chains - can you achieve this on the road, at night, in the pouring rain?

On my bike, although I've not punctured I've tensioned the belt as it was slipping, its really easy as I have Trek's version of Paul components dropouts with bolts that push the sliders so I can't see it being anything but a heap easier than my Brompton!

 

[joro]

@YellowTim, @bromptonfb Thank you both for the user experiences - I'm interested in belt drive as n+1 although concerned about the tensioning issue. Your replies are very useful.