something to prove....

[EITC]

i sincearly hope i dont offend anybody with this post, but just lately i seem to keep coming across guys on fixed speed bikes with something to prove..... I've been commuting from Romford to Islington for a couple of years now...first on my mountain bike and then on my genesis hybrid... i have no interest in racing other cyclists....i do the same ride every day...same speed (wind/traffic depending). over the last few months i keep coming across guys on fixed speeds determined to race me and prove a point, the storm off from the lights, keep looking back to see if im chasing (invariably not) and yesterday i even had a guy peddle his nuts off, then look round and wave me to catch up?!!! seriously... whats with this attitude? a good mate of mine rides a fixed wheel bike, with no such attitude.... i really dont get it????

 

[zimzum42]

No offence taken!

Some people just do this, fixed or not!

 

[Joe24]

Yes, they do it wrong, your ment to look like your not trying
I do have joy with passing geared bikes on my fixed, especially up hills when they have said"Oh, i'll tell you what its like to change gear when you go up a hill"

 

[Greenbank]

I often do a kind of interval training on my commute (on fixed):-

Sprint away from lights at 90% effort for 60 seconds.
Cruise at 60% effort for 2 minutes or until next lights.
Sprint at 90% effort for 60 seconds.

This averages out being slower than my normal commute speed and so I often get sarky comments from other riders overtaking, i.e. "Heh, you blew up pretty quickly.", "Can't hold it for long eh?", etc.

But I never try and race anyone. The closest I get is wheelsucking RLJers and then refusing to take a turn on the front.

 

[EITC]

i appreciate the benefits of interval training, but these guys are looking back at me!!! as soon as you get out of central london the fixed wheel 'racers' slowly disapear and you only get the odd tit trying to race you.... i take over many people on my bike, some idiots mistake that for racing...if someone goes past me while im riding at a fair lick i think 'fair play, you must be half decent on that thing'

 

[zimzum42]

Joe 24 has got the right point

you're supposed to fly past looking effortless!

It can be hard not to look back sometimes, but it's got to be done!

 

[EITC]

ha ha...thing is, most of these guys go 200 yards then disapear down a side turning...!!
look, my theory is, if you can peddle better than me, you will be faster than me, fixed or not... surely the other guy has to race you back to get any satisfaction out of it.....?!!

 

[numbnuts]

I’m so slow these days everyone passes me in fact the only thing that I pass are parked cars

 

[dudi]

I'm forever overtaking people on my fixie, particularly up hills.

I look back sometimes, but only to make sure the other person hasn't tried to keep up with me and check the road is clear for me to move back in to the side again.

I never race anyone, i just go a lot faster than them.

 

[GrahamG]

I lack any kind of competitive streak, regardless of what bike I'm on.

 

[RedBike]

i have no interest in racing other cyclists....i do the same ride every day...same speed (wind/traffic depending).

I wish I had the same attitude. I hate allowing another cyclist to come flying past.

 

[John the Monkey]

I overtake people if I want to go faster than them, generally - I don't really think about what they're riding. I do look over my shoulder before I move back in because I don't want my back wheel to hit their front...

 

[Joe24]

Well i got great pleasure today on the club ride beating all the carbon bikes up hills, on the flat while racing to the cafe and accelerating off.
Downhill they all got pleasure from saying "ooo i think i'll just change gear, oh hand on, whats this a free wheel" as i was spinning fast.
Always look before i move in, and i look behind to see where they have gone. I dont want to end up coming in and taking out someones front wheel.

 

[EITC]

question.....
irrelevent of how good you are at peddling....what is the quicker to ride a fair distance?...say 10mile+......if the answer is a geared road bike, then is the attitude just to say, look, im quicker than you with only one gear???
i used to pass loads of guys on race bikes on my mountain bike (shod with road tyres) never once thinking ha, im only on a mountain bike....??

 

[Joe24]

I dunno which is faster, would say that it depens. Sometimes a fixed would be faster, sometimes a geared would be faster.
But i have been told that the 25mile TT record was done on a fixed.
I think it is the fact you are going past someone with gears, and you only have one. Even better when you are spinning and the person on geared is grinding a big gear.