Is pedal strike a reality?

[jim55]

im building a fixed but it can run a freewheel so think il use that as I'm just scared about pedal strike on kerbs and stuff , any comments / reassuring ( or not ) lol

Go on give me your fixed mishaps

 

[buggi]

Go around corners slower

 

[Hugh Manatee]

Your typo makes the surveyor in me chuckle! Never hit a pedal myself. Far more likely is the forgetting you have to keep pedalling on roundabouts. That leads to the boot up your bum. How long are the cranks?

 

[andyfraser]

I have, when going way too fast round a tight corner and pedalling. I came straight off. It's not happened on a fixed gear yet though.

 

[Hugh Manatee]

Ooh you've gone and edited it now. How silly do I feel?

 

[Dan B]

I did it the other week taking a tight turn rather fast, but it wasn't really a big deal. It felt like it wasn't even the pedal that struck, it was the side or the sole of my show that scuffed the road.

Never had a problem with kerbs, but I try not to get so close to the kerb that my pedal is over it anyway

 

[jim55]

170 mm crank arms , and Iv rode fixed but it's gen on the velodrome , it's out in real world with bollards pavements corners and slow speed control that I'm thinking about

 

[jim55]

Yeah but Iv been squeezed into kerb before Ba cars and stuff and had to freewheel and " lift " the pedal over the kerb ( obv on fixed it would have struck kerb and a whole world of trouble

 

[Hugh Manatee]

I only ride my fixed in open country. But then again the spindly pipe cleaners that pass as my legs means I have the sort of stopping distance usually associated with shipping.

Why not get a flip flop hub? You could cover anything then.

 

[dave r]

My fixed has been my commuter and winter bike for years and I've not found it a problem myself. Though I did have a touch the other weekend, but I was exploring the handling limit's of my new Genesis Flyer on a fast twisty country lane at the time.

 

[Ian H]

I have had the odd pedal strike, a couple of times on fixed and once that I can remember on gears. Never come off because of it, just a bit of a hop and skip on the bend.

 

[phantasmagoriana]

I only had it a couple of times when using an old road (not fixed-specific) frame with a low bottom bracket (designed for 27" wheels and running 700c). Never had it on my current bike - I try to avoid going up/down kerbs but it's not a problem if I have to.

 

[HLaB]

I used to commute on a fixie in Peterborough City and never ever had a problem with pedal strike. I guess ultimately it just a case of how you handle the bike.

 

[redfalo]

I think @mcshroom can make a valuable contribution here...

 

[rb58]

Never experienced it myself - and I'm a regular London commuter.