Any Fixed Single Speed Riders here ?

[LEGION 12]

I'm a long time bike rider got my first single speed coming tomorrow actually my first bike I have bought new in a long time. Most of the previous bikes ive owned were rebuilts or hand me downs anybody have any advice or pictures of yours ? Thanks Heres the one I decided on not my first choice but all I can afford right now will definitely be upgrading some components as I can.

 

[tiguy7]

Check your gear number. It should be around 70 inches. This is the diameter of the theoretical wheel that makes one turn each time the crank arms complete a revolution. To determine the gear number, divide the number of teeth in the chain ring by the number of teeth in the rear gog and multiply by the diameter of the rear wheel in inches. 70 inches is a good middle gear. High gears range to over 100". Low gears can get down to the 30" range.
If you pedal 70 cranks per minute in a 70" gear, you will be going about 15 MPH.

 

[Iron City]

Very cool. Did you go the fixie route or a single speed with a free wheel? I built up a single speed Santa Cruz Chameleon and chicken out and went with a free wheel.

 

[LEGION 12]

Very cool. Did you go the fixie route or a single speed with a free wheel? I built up a single speed Santa Cruz Chameleon and chicken out and went with a free wheel.

With this setup I can go fixed or free wheel just turn the wheel around I'll be using the free wheel don't want to kill myself.

 

[mwerner]

Good thinking....There is a perfectly good reason they invented the freewheel.

Just this morning, on NPR's Morning Edition, they had a segment on the burgeoning fixed-gear fad in China. China has long been known for it's huge numbers of bicycles... But the increasingly-affluent population is now able to afford bikes above the typical weighty Chinese commuter jobs.
As one person has already been killed riding a fixie, the over-reactive government is already considering a ban...

To me... Old and creaky and with bad knees, the idea of a fixed gear is simply insane. Tulio Campagnolo is my hero. (he invented the modern parallelogram derailleur) The more gears the better, thanks.
I just bought a new roadster with a 9-speed rear end, and now 10 is becoming standard. If you get a triple crank, you can have 30 gear choices to play with.

 

[LEGION 12]

Good thinking....There is a perfectly good reason they invented the freewheel.

Just this morning, on NPR's Morning Edition, they had a segment on the burgeoning fixed-gear fad in China. China has long been known for it's huge numbers of bicycles... But the increasingly-affluent population is now able to afford bikes above the typical weighty Chinese commuter jobs.
As one person has already been killed riding a fixie, the over-reactive government is already considering a ban...

To me... Old and creaky and with bad knees, the idea of a fixed gear is simply insane. Tulio Campagnolo is my hero. (he invented the modern parallelogram derailleur) The more gears the better, thanks.
I just bought a new roadster with a 9-speed rear end, and now 10 is becoming standard. If you get a triple crank, you can have 30 gear choices to play with.

Were I live its relatively flat even with my geared bikes I find I dont shift much anyway this is going to be mostly a commuting bike only one hill the whole way just going to push my way up have a old Wheeler for off road and hill riding.

 

[Piso Mojado]

If you don't have hills, you don't really need more than one gear. If I had the bread, I would buy one of these.

Talking about the bikes.

My last fixie had three wheels. I was glad to move up to freewheel and a coaster brake, and I never looked back.

 

[jstn]

I'm an avid cyclist as well. Lots of mountain biking and some road as well. Never had a fixed, but a couple of guys I ride with do and love them because they are light and easily maintained. I live in Illinois as well. Are you in the northern or southern part?

 

[LEGION 12]

I'm an avid cyclist as well. Lots of mountain biking and some road as well. Never had a fixed, but a couple of guys I ride with do and love them because they are light and easily maintained. I live in Illinois as well. Are you in the northern or southern part?

Chicago my friend rode it home from work yesterday very comfortable bike this model has a few issues first put it together the rear inertube was split on a seam no big deal. The brake pads wore out in 1 10 mile ride already replaced them. Took the pedal cages off never a big fan for city riding. The tires aren't gonna last can tell and the seats gotta go so looks like I will be putting a few more bucks into it. Get what you pay for.

 

[macdo]

used to ride fixed when i was young and competitive. fun but knees and reflexes too old now for it. Having said that, my day to day road bike has hub gears (love em) and for most of my rides i stay in one most of the time. trouble is it is good to have a very low gear as well.

Questiona bout the bike the OP did buy. Why is the brake at the rear? If I was only going to have one brake I would have it on the front wheel, much more effective for stopping.

 

[Outsoul]

I have one FG, A SS 29er (whoa momma, I love you) and several other multi speed bikes too. Bikes are good cheap fun. All but the 29er and one XC bike are rats.

 

[LEGION 12]

Im riding on the freewheel side of the rim so the back brake is the only brake there is there is a hole drilled for a front brake which in the future I might add.

 

[mwerner]

In my rather long experience with bikes.... (I've been riding "seriously" since the early 70s... I maintain the department's fleet of 30 or so police bikes and rebuild and resell bikes for fun and profit..)
People are terrified of using front brakes.
Often I will take in a bike to find that the rears are worn to a nub and the fronts untouched... Or actually disconnected.

Untrained folks are just convinced that applying the front brake will catapult them over the bars. Many, of course, grew up on bikes that had only a rear brake anyway... Usually the "coaster" brakes fitted to many old cruisers.
A couple of our police bikes have the silly little "anti-lock" device on the front brake cable that Shimano thought up a few years ago.
A simple spring device to prevent too much pressure being applied..... Fortunately short-lived.

 

[fast14riot]

I'm an avid cyclist, once I learnd how to ride I never stopped. I have had 5 knee surgeries and ride fixed frequently. Getting a proper gear for your terrain and riding aware is all you need to be safe and comfortable riding fixed. I ride 46/15 on my '86 Miyata Pista, and my home-built Marin SS MTB I ride 34/16. I have managed a couple bike shops, used to collect high end vintage race bikes and have built more bikes than I care to remember.

Knee pain and riding fixed do not go hand-in-hand. If you are having knee pain, first thing to check is your pedals, often you are not aligned properly. Second, you might have too tall of gearing. If you ride stop and go city traffic, lower your gearing. For flat city riding, consider a 44/16 or 42/16. I don't worry about gear inches, just know what gearing you use. I don't have to worry too much about stopping on my dail commute, and I tend to stay off busy roads, so 46/15 works well for me.

To the OP, with your new bike be sure you set it up for proper riding position. To low of a seat and to tall of a handle bar combined with tall gearing will wreak havok on your joints. Leg extension should be about 20* from straight at the bottom of the stroke. Another factor to consider is crank arm length. I ride 165mm cranks on my fixed, makes a huge difference when trying to decelerate or when out of the saddle.

Also, clipless or toe cages should always be used when riding fixed. This allows you to apply back pressure on both pedals evenly, rather than just on the up stroke. Having a short Q-factor seems more comfortable as well.

Ride safe and keep the rubber side down! Btw, I recommend Vredestein Fortezza Tri-Comp tires, good wear resistance, high pressure rated and super grippy without much rolling resistance. I love 'em, been riding them for 5+ years! They come in colors too!

My Miyata Pista...

-Xander

 

[LEGION 12]

I also have over 30 years of riding but this is my first single speed since I was very young so all advice is very much appreciated. I will definitely be adding a front brakes soon and on all my geared bikes I have no problem using them I try to use both brakes evenly. I do have a question about saddles what kind would you guys suggest I know leather is the best but because I ride in all kinds weather and really don't want to spend that kind of money was considering a slotted synthetic saddle? That Miyata is sweet my friend.

 

[fast14riot]

Saddle choice is one of the three contact points that nobody can tell you what is comfortable. Only you know how your butt is shaped, how you ride and what feels comfortable. Find a good saddle and put I on all your bikes. A properly shaped saddle honestly needs no padding. I like the Tioga Spider saddle a lot, and this Selle Italia SLR on the Miyata is very similarly shaped, just with a split center.

Find a good bike shop that has a good return policy, buy a saddle and ride it for as long as you can before returning. Don't feel guilty about returning 5 or 6 saddes, or even more.

One thing I can tell you though, with those riser bars, your going to be a bit more upright and have more pressure on your spine. Maybe consider some of the nicer MTB saddles with a bit more padding but not excessive amounts. I like WTB saddles for my race MTB's. Also, don't be afraid of trying womens saddles, you never know which one will fit your sit bones the best.

Leather (aka Brooks and others) needs time to form to you, this is why they are popular. I never really liked leather saddes myself. With proper maintenance they can last generations. Waterproof once or twice a year, keep them clean and enjoy the looks!


-Xander

 

[flatblackcapo]

Congrats Legion! Getting a new bike is always fun.I ride fixed and evrvey other type of bike. I 2nd what fastriot said about the womens saddle.For a bike that has more of a upright position they can be vey comfortable. Have fun on your new bike!Here is a pic of my Cannondale track bike.

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[plumberroy]

I ride a single speed freewheel. Surly steamroller I run the stock 48 tooth front chainring and 20 tooth rear give me a little climbing and is fast enough to suit me . If I need to get there faster I'll drive
I do have a surly long haul trucker for times I need geared bike
Roy

 

[jstn]

Legion 12, I am the very southern portion of Illinois so we may as well be in different states lol. I hear there are a lot of excellent places to ride up around Chicago though. Some sweet looking bikes guys, makes me want a fixie!

Fast14Riot, you seem like a wealth of knowledge on bike setup. I may need to pick your brain sometime. I'm 7 surgeries in and hoping to avoid more before I turn 30.

 

[fast14riot]

Legion 12, I am the very southern portion of Illinois so we may as well be in different states lol. I hear there are a lot of excellent places to ride up around Chicago though. Some sweet looking bikes guys, makes me want a fixie!

Fast14Riot, you seem like a wealth of knowledge on bike setup. I may need to pick your brain sometime. I'm 7 surgeries in and hoping to avoid more before I turn 30.

Jstn, I had all 5 knee surgeries before I was 18, just turned 30 this year. I do have some cartiledge left, and not 100% ROM either. So it can be done! I walk or ride to work every day. None of my surgeries were caused by usual injury, it was all congenital issues that caused all sorts of injury and then needed to fix the issues. I did come within hours of losing my left leg after surgery #4, though.

Drop me a line, I can try to help you out.


-Xander