My only real concern with switching to fixed is .......

[Matty]

..........cornering. Doesn't seem to mentioned often - how do you people cope?

On a routine attempted maintenance this weekend it was noted that my 18+ yr old Kona Cinder Cone - now masquerading as a 'hybrid', is at the beyond economical repair stage of its life.

Really quite fancy a fixed, like the idea of simple, light, quiet and quick - although I've not a gearing realted issue for the past 5500+ miles. I've worked out, the best reason to get one is fitness - gears make you lazy. Been riding simulated fixed this week - no gear changing allowed, and it's fine, no problem with hills, starting and stopping. But, I notice I tend to chuck the bike at quite an angle cornering and this is when I freewheel. Is there a technique or is it the boring answer .............. slow down?

Thanks,

Matt

 

[D4VOW]

I've had no problems with cornering although I am still a little weary and do slow down more than I need to. It also depends on the bike you're riding though. I'm riding a proper track frame with a high bottom bracket and 165 cranks and you'd be surprised how far it can be leant over without the pedals striking. If you plan on converting a road frame and use 175 cranks then it will be more of an issue but I'll leave that for someone who rides one to comment.

 

[dan_bo]

i've never had a pedal strike on fixed.

 

[4F]

Not had a problem with pedal strike but if it was an issue then 165 cranks should sort it out.

 

[zimzum42]

The only pedal strike i have had is from a kerb

cornering is not a problem, especially with a track frame with the higher BB and some shorter cranks....

 

[rustychisel]

2 ideas suggest themselves.

1 - learn to 'hook turn', leaning your body into the turn (like a motorcycle sidecar rider) whilst keeping the bike more upright. It doesn't have to be extreme, but is effective.

2 - like everything else, learn the limits of lean on your bike. If you jam it into the corners you will get pedal strike. If you lean easily into corners you may brush the underside of the pedal on the ground but that's no big deal; you've learned a lesson on how much you can lean. The danger comes in the pedal digging in, lifting the rear wheel and pivoting the bike around the axis of the front wheel. That can be scary, but I've never lost control or crashed as a result.

Also, as the others said, combine the right length cranks with correct frame geometry

 

[Matty]

Thanks all - sounds like a perceived problem rather than an issue!

 

[colinr]

I'd never even considered it, though looking at them, the cranks on my Bowery do look quite long... My commute is going to be full of terrifying corners now!

 

[PapaZita]

I was also concerned about this being a problem, but asked around and was assured that it wouldn't be. And it hasn't been.

In addition to BB height and crank length, I think the width of the pedals is another factor in how far one can lean, and modern clipless pedals give a good amount of clearance. I found it reassuring to set a crank to 6 o'clock and lean the bike over in the garage to see how far over it would go before the pedal touched the floor. I don't think I'm ever likely to lean over that far.

Bear in mind though, that kerbs, cambers, etc., can affect the amount of clearance that you have. The only scary pedal strike that I've managed recently was on my geared bike, when I hit the raised white lump in the middle of a mini-roundabout.

PZ.