Is fixed faster

[bonker]

Yes.

My rigorous scientific study shows that my commute took and average of 45mins on my geared bike. After breaking the frame on a pothole in Epsom ( sobs) I have had to revert to the fixed.

Average time over a five day period so far 42 mins.

Isn't science great.

 

[tyred]

What's a good recipe to cook a can of worms?

A lot depends on the terrain. If your fixed gear ratio is pretty much spot on for the area you ride and you have no huge hills, then it probably is faster.

 

[McrJ64]

I rode for years on gears with my local club, then changed to fixed. I am still riding with the same group and and certainly no slower than before, no matter what the terrain. The only exception is really hilly rides in the Peak District, where I go ahead

 

[McrJ64]

I rode for years on gears with my local club, then changed to fixed. I am still riding with the same group and and certainly no slower than before, no matter what the terrain. The only exception is really hilly rides in the Peak District, where I go ahead

Sorry, I got interrupted by work and confusedly sent that reply before finishing it.

I rode for years on gears with my local club, then changed to fixed. I am still riding with the same group and and certainly no slower than before, no matter what the terrain. The only exception is really hilly rides in the Peak District, where I go ahead on the moderate hills but get caught on the really bad ones, then overtaken on the descents. I always catch up again and don't intend changing back to gears. I think the light weight and efficiency help a lot.

 

[fossyant]

Sorry, I got interrupted by work and confusedly sent that reply before finishing it.

I rode for years on gears with my local club, then changed to fixed. I am still riding with the same group and and certainly no slower than before, no matter what the terrain. The only exception is really hilly rides in the Peak District, where I go ahead on the moderate hills but get caught on the really bad ones, then overtaken on the descents. I always catch up again and don't intend changing back to gears. I think the light weight and efficiency help a lot.

Good on you. What gear are you running ?

I went fixed two years ago for commuting. really surprised myself how you can actually climb on one. Been up the Wizzard with a 74" - flaming hard work but was following a guy on 63" SS (just so happened to bump into him near home and we were both doing a similar 30 mile route), and we've also done a Cycle Chat fixed ride, that I took them up higher Poynton round the back of Lyme Park...by mistake.....ish...

Just jumped to 78" recently mainly for the long run in's to Manchester - gives me a little more top end. Down side it's a bugger to get back home, and is more so as I've just have 7 weeks 'forced' off commuting....hard work, but no pain no gain.

 

[Zoiders]

I think the fact you can't freewheel tends to make it that bit faster in certain situations.

 

[Bicycle]

Over various 1-hour routes I am invariably slower on a 69" fixed-wheel than on a normal road bike with standard 10-speed cassette and 39/50 rings.

In some cases I'm a great deal slower.

I ride in the rolling hills of Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Worcs and East Wales, so maybe the ups and downs are my undoing.

And.... of course there are some routes where comparison is impossible, as the fixed-wheel won't go up the Malvern Hills.

I take my hat off to anyone who can make a fixed-gear bicycle move quickly for any distance.

I'm intoxicated by the sheer insanity of fixed-wheel, but if I'm in a hurry it's drop bars and ergo shifters for me.

 

[3narf]

Don't know about fixed, but since I built my singlespeed Falcon I've done 750 miles commuting and NOT ONE cyclist has overtaken me.

 

[numbnuts]

I saw a guy the other day on a fixie and he was not very quick as he was walking up a steep hill

 

[Dan B]

Last summer I was putting my fixed gear bike together and in the hope of working out a suitable gear ratio I started a thread asking fixed riders to quantity the efficiency difference between fixed and singlespeed. I got lots of advice - some of it quite useful - about the ratios that other riders were using, but (as far as I recall) nobody willing to take a stab at the question actually posed.

 

[zigzag]

with the right gearing - yes, but there is no right gearing for all conditions

 

[tyred]

TBH, I don't fully believe a fixed gear is any easier on a tough hill than a SS freewheel with the same gear ratio. Up to a point maybe, but once the cadence drops of, climbing becomes a leg press exercise. I do ride both.

 

[Ibbots]

not at all scientific test this weekend: -

Method

Ride the same 47 mile loop in similar conditions. Firstly on On-One Pompino running 69" fixed, then geared road bike - other than gears the road bike has 5lbs advantage. Each ride done after resting for a day.

Results


Splits:
First 20 miles, overall downhill couple of steep descents
Fixed: 1:05
Geared: 0:59

20-30, flat
Fixed: 0:33
Geared: 0:29

Last 17 miles, uphill overall including 3 mile climb to finish
Fixed: 1:05
Geared: 0:58

total average speed
Fixed: 17.3
Geared: 19.3

Average/Max HR
Fixed: 139/174 - legs aching
Geared: 144/169 - felt fine

conclusions:

So probably, in this case, fixed was not faster. But then, although I have done a lot of single speed riding in the last couple of years, this was my 5th road ride on fixed and I feel overall time was hampered by difficulty in maintaining speed downhill and legs felt heavy before about 2 hours. I know I can do all the climbs on this route at least as fast/similar effort on single speed as my geared bike. With a few more fixed miles under my belt and riding my lighter fixed bike with a bigger gear then I think there would be less difference.

Summary:


Dunno, bit of one, half dozen of the other.

Thoroughly enjoyed both rides however. That was one of my faster geared rides (at that level of effort anyway) and I have noticed that by mixing between fixed, single speed (on and off road) and geared bikes I seem to be improving my riding when for the last few years of riding just geared bikes performance had been pretty static. I suspect that there's nothing earth shattering in that conclusion.