I have been commuting by single speed for about 2 years now - over 30 mile round trip with starting with a big drop hitting 35mph just freewheeling on the steep bit (Chorley Old Road from top of Horwich into Bolton - at least one of you knows it!) and obviously climb the same hill on the way home. At present I run 47:18 ratio on a converted road bike which I find can do the climb reasonably quickly in ideal conditions and can make it when battling the usual headwind. I push along at 19-20mph on the flat at a reasonable cadence.
Now I'm toying with the idea of going fixed for my nice weather commuter. I have ridden fixed but only at Manchester Velodrome where I did the SQT's for about 18 months and not sure that really compares to the road experience.
So...
1. Should I really bother, I've got a nice bike I like riding and doesn't have any of the inherent/perceived problems of riding fixed, particularly in heavy traffic with a lot of lights, etc?
2. I am not worried about the climb but the morning descent might be a bit of a challenge, do any of you have to deal with steep descents, is it going to be possible on the ratio I need to get back up again without ripping my knees apart?
3. Assuming the answer to 1. and 2. is yes, stop being a sissy, what frame and rear wheel/wheelset can you recommend? Current bike is a Kinesis KiC2 road frame, Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork with Kysrium ES wheels and is fantasic to ride, fast and responsive. If I go ahead I plan to transfer all the kit, forks and front wheel to the new frame, at least in the short term, and want to achive a similar quality ride and a good looking bike if possible.
4. Back brake, yes or no? Obviously limits the frame choice but I think a back brake might be handy to help me control descent speed.
5. Would I be better off just buying a ready made bike like a Langster instead (assuming I can find room for bike no 6 as I'll likely be sleeping in the bike shed too)?
Cheers
Now I'm toying with the idea of going fixed for my nice weather commuter. I have ridden fixed but only at Manchester Velodrome where I did the SQT's for about 18 months and not sure that really compares to the road experience.
So...
1. Should I really bother, I've got a nice bike I like riding and doesn't have any of the inherent/perceived problems of riding fixed, particularly in heavy traffic with a lot of lights, etc?
2. I am not worried about the climb but the morning descent might be a bit of a challenge, do any of you have to deal with steep descents, is it going to be possible on the ratio I need to get back up again without ripping my knees apart?
3. Assuming the answer to 1. and 2. is yes, stop being a sissy, what frame and rear wheel/wheelset can you recommend? Current bike is a Kinesis KiC2 road frame, Reynolds Ouzo Pro fork with Kysrium ES wheels and is fantasic to ride, fast and responsive. If I go ahead I plan to transfer all the kit, forks and front wheel to the new frame, at least in the short term, and want to achive a similar quality ride and a good looking bike if possible.
4. Back brake, yes or no? Obviously limits the frame choice but I think a back brake might be handy to help me control descent speed.
5. Would I be better off just buying a ready made bike like a Langster instead (assuming I can find room for bike no 6 as I'll likely be sleeping in the bike shed too)?
Cheers