Is there any reason I should not buy this bike?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@jrenaut 96159 wrote:

What’s the going rate for forum members helping other forum members do that?

No charge…paying it forward. I’ve got most of the necessary tools, assuming the BB is a standard square taper and not some exotic Italian job.

[jrenaut]

I didn’t hurt myself!

[peterw_diy]

@jrenaut 96196 wrote:

I didn’t hurt myself!

Now try without those sissy brakes.

(No, I didn’t try a fixie exactly once and give up after the first time I lifted the rear wheel. Nope, not me.)

[jrenaut]

I plan to take the rear brake off, but I’m probably going to wait until I get new bar tape (which means I have to decide what kind of bars I want). I also probably need a shorter stem.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@jrenaut 96205 wrote:

I plan to take the rear brake off, but I’m probably going to wait until I get new bar tape (which means I have to decide what kind of bars I want). I also probably need a shorter stem.

What gearing did it come with?

[jrenaut]

@TwoWheelsDC 96207 wrote:

What gearing did it come with?

Listed online as 46/18 but I haven’t verified. Felt pretty good when I was riding, but I was only doing pretty gentle uphill and downhill.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@jrenaut 96215 wrote:

Listed online as 46/18 but I haven’t verified. Felt pretty good when I was riding, but I was only doing pretty gentle uphill and downhill.

That’s a nice ratio for the city. It’s what I’m running on my State for school commuting and what I ran for 50 States. Not so good for spirited rides around HP or flatter roads/trails, but that’s something you’ll get the feel for in short order.

[jrenaut]

Yeah, I figure I’ll ride it as-is for a while and then see how it feels. Need to get more comfortable controlling my speed before I go very fast. I’ve always been a push-harder-rather-than-spin-faster type, but dragging the kids on the Xtracycle has made me rethink that a bit.

[jrenaut]

I’ve now put 78 miles on the bike, including my 40 mile ride on Monday. Sunday I put on a shorter stem (thanks vvill) and I’m much more comfortable.

I love this bike. I love riding fixed. I’m not going to give you some hooey about how it’s more pure or something like that. And I still love my geared bikes. But, man, this thing is awesome to ride. And I still don’t even have the fit quite dialed in yet.

I can’t really put into words what it is that I like. There’s something about the constant motion that is just different than a geared bike. And I really do like braking with my legs (though I do use the front brake – my knees are in pretty good shape and I’d like them to stay that way).

Anyway, I highly recommend trying out a fixed gear to anyone who has ever thought about it. And thanks to all of you who helped me get this bike in one way or another.

[vvill]

@jrenaut 97114 wrote:

I’ve now put 78 miles on the bike, including my 40 mile ride on Monday. Sunday I put on a shorter stem (thanks vvill) and I’m much more comfortable.

I love this bike. I love riding fixed. I’m not going to give you some hooey about how it’s more pure or something like that. And I still love my geared bikes. But, man, this thing is awesome to ride. And I still don’t even have the fit quite dialed in yet.

I can’t really put into words what it is that I like. There’s something about the constant motion that is just different than a geared bike. And I really do like braking with my legs (though I do use the front brake – my knees are in pretty good shape and I’d like them to stay that way).

Anyway, I highly recommend trying out a fixed gear to anyone who has ever thought about it. And thanks to all of you who helped me get this bike in one way or another.

Awesome to hear. It took me much longer to get used to riding fixed with the same confidence as my freewheeling bikes, but now I have the hang of it, FG is one of my preferred commuter bikes! After a while it feels completely normal to pedal in sync the wheels, and going back to coasting on another bike almost feels like you’re on a runaway bike (which you then have to slow down with those clumsy things that grind on the rims).

I feel SS or FG is faster up (short) hills – imo FG actually feels a little faster than SS. The constant motion and the fact there’s no dumping your chain down a cassette to lose momentum keeps things going. There’s also some drive train efficiency gains, perhaps (no sources cited here for their claims): http://hizokucycles.bigcartel.com/single-speed-benefits

I also wonder if FG is better for solo endurance riding although I haven’t tested this out – I’m aiming to try a fixed century next year, esp since my FG was bought on the premise of being a comfortable classic steel ride (and my converted aluminum hybrid can do commuter duties or shorter shop rides just fine).

The main [positive] thing I didn’t anticipate was that it improves your balance, since you tend to clip-in/out at specific crank angles and spend more time balancing at low speeds. The main negative was the impact on your saddle especially if you are doing a lot of faster downhills – I ended up switching to a more padded saddle than on my main geared bikes.

[DismalScientist]

I have never heard such unadulterated horseshit in all my years. I only ride fixed to pick up chicks.:rolleyes:

[peterw_diy]

Has anybody tried this Problem Solvers fixed gear rig: http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=61152&category=40 ?

One of my commuter wheelsets has 6-bolt disc brake hubs even tho I ride with cantis; looks like for $20 I could convert to 3/32″ fixed by bolting on one of these cogs & flipping my rear wheel over…

[TwoWheelsDC]

@peterw_diy 97123 wrote:

Has anybody tried this Problem Solvers fixed gear rig: http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=61152&category=40 ?

One of my commuter wheelsets has 6-bolt disc brake hubs even tho I ride with cantis; looks like for $20 I could convert to 3/32″ fixed by bolting on one of these cogs & flipping my rear wheel over…

I think the biggest issue with this type of setup would be getting your chain tension right, since presumably you’d be running this setup on a bike with vertical dropouts. It’s not impossible, but it does limit your gearing options, and you have no way to compensate when your chain stretches. If you’re running SS, you can use a bolt-on tensioner, but running a tensioner with a fixed gear is not a particularly good idea. You can also get an eccentric bottom bracket, but then you’re running up the price tag and complexity of the build quite a bit.

[dbb]

@DismalScientist 97122 wrote:

I have never heard such unadulterated horseshit in all my years. I only ride fixed to pick up chicks.:rolleyes:

Actually, Dismal began riding before the invention of the derailleur and is a bit resistant to change :rolleyes:

[jrenaut]

@DismalScientist 97122 wrote:

I have never heard such unadulterated horseshit in all my years. I only ride fixed to pick up chicks.:rolleyes:

I thought it was so you could use a chain guard and not get grease on your khakis.

[Author]

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