@jrenaut 104392 wrote:
As I live in Columbia Heights, it may come as no surprise that my house is on a hill. I’m a bit worried about getting home after, say, 40 miles on the W&OD. But if i can do the hill on the Xtracycle with two kids, I must be able to do it at 46/16, right? We’ll see this weekend.
As a north Arlington resident, I scoff at your hill! Seriously though, you’ll get used to it. My hardest finish was the Tour of Richmond, which was 100 miles (on 48×17), with a pretty mean headwind for the last 20 miles and a couple good hills right at the end. Definitely was slow going, but standing and grinding it out is almost like a skill you learn. And for me, the grade of the hill is really the most important factor…above about 10-12% I struggle no matter how fresh I am. Below that I can usually get up it now matter how tired I am and even if it’s really long.
I have three fixed gear bikes now…running 46×18 on my State, 46×17 on my Nashbar, and 48×17 on my Cinelli. They’re all geared just about right for what I use them for, although I might swap the the cogs on the State and the Nashbar, since the Nashbar is like 6lbs heavier. This spring/summer, I may try a 48×16 on my Cinelli, but that’s a pretty hefty gear. I guess I have to go with Fixed Gear Rule 10: It never gets any easier, you just go with a smaller cog.
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