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Sharp turns and the other thing is riding over bumps like bridge joints, etc. You can of course do hops still but it took me some time to really get used to it.

Also make sure your drivetrain is tightened down correctly, etc. before you go faster. Nothing like mashing down and having a chain slide off – much worse than forgetting you’re on a fixed drivetrain.

Personally I also had some pre-association of fixed gear riding with leg braking being the primary brake, but I found it made more sense just to ride the bike as a bike that doesn’t coast and use the front brake as I normally would. Later on I got used to using legs to slow down more, and even skip stops – but for learning it was easier to just use a normal hand brake. On most descents, etc. I still use my front brake plenty.

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I actually don’t think it’s a terrible idea for those that actually want to wear rain pants regularly. I think I have two pairs of rain pants and have maybe worn each pair… once? I like the animated gif. Even advanced breathable fabrics just aren’t that breathable, in my experience (Gore rain jacket).

That said, I could see bikesnobnyc and outsideisfred having some fun with it.

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This weather is pretty good for “normal” clothes. I use padded liner shorts under commuting jeans, and then various combos of layers up top that can be easily changed. This morning I went with a thin Sockguy base under a short sleeve wool jersey and a Windstopper jacket for the first 30mins, given that I haven’t been riding in the mornings much lately. Switched to just base, jersey + arm warmers later on. For hands I used full finger MTB gloves (so, not insulated) which were perfect, and wool socks in my warm (but admittedly heavy) Chrome shoes.

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@Judd 147280 wrote:

Does a coaster brake on my first bike in 1985 count?

Yes, they all count! Coaster brakes, ~200rpm

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Also, while I was Googlin’… I have to take back what I said about bike companies not making interesting fixed gear bikes….

[ATTACH=CONFIG]12550[/ATTACH]

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@dcv 147224 wrote:

This link has an expiration date
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/bik/5806242322.html

Good deal!

@jrenaut 147225 wrote:

This is my Pinarello. Although mine was a bike shop floor model from a year or two before I got it, so I got a good deal on Ebay.

Nah the Catena is just straight classic, my Wabi is in the same vein, and many steel fixed gears look similar to that (though yeah not as shiny!)

I was thinking more of something like this, although actually it’s not as expensive as I thought it’d be
http://www.shinola.com/shop/bicycles/the-detroit-arrow.html

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+1 for build your own. Fixed gears are probably the easiest bikes to work on, just be careful of getting a finger (or anything really) in the chain when it’s spinning!

I am tempted to completely rebuild my Wabi but that would be kind of pointless. I already replaced the cranks/BB/chainring/cog/chain/handlebar from stock quite some time ago.

Most big bicycle manufacturers don’t spend a lot of time on making an interesting fixed gear model for their lineup, so there usually aren’t a lot of interesting fixed gear bikes in stock at bike shops, except for some the really expensive city shops (NYC, SF, etc.). And then because of the previous FG craze there’s still makes of fixed gear bikes made to look colorfully cool built on crappy heavy steel frames, and others that are made to look more classic and refined utilitarian cool but… similarly overpriced for what you get (unless you happen to really love a particular model’s look, of course).

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@rhfritz 147050 wrote:

In my view this response avoids my question because, while I understand the whole “ramps” issue, all the derailleur does is push the chain in a direction. And unless I’m mistaken, it has nothing that engages the chain like a ramp. But a 3rd party ring on a SRAM crank as also suggested might fit the “not as well” criteria which I understand might mean “noisy” or not as smooth shifting.

I’d assume they’re talking about shifting from the small to large chainring where the chain catches onto pins on the inside of the large chainring and sort of “slides” on ramps to get onto the big ring. Scroll down to “Ramped and Pinned” here http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ra-e.html

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@TwoWheelsDC 147086 wrote:

I’d rather see a path with solar and/or piezoelectric generators powering a low intensity lighting system.

Yup! Especially if they add in ice melting abilities.

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Bike part manufacturers will say 10/11-speed chains will need replacing after as little as 1000 miles. 2-3k is more reasonable imo, but it depends on riding conditions.

Chain ~$15-30, cassette $30-60 for non-fancy ones.

In terms of services, I mostly use LBS for advice and stuff like removing a stuck seatpost from seat tube, stuck BB from BB shell, stuck cassette from gouged freehub, stuck fixed cog on threaded hub, etc. and some other annoying/larger projects like cutting/installing a fork/headset, wheel builds, replacing internally routed cable bits, etc. Most bike maintenance is fairly simple and teaches you a lot about your bike. I do still need to learn how to service hydro disc brakes but other than that I’m good with all the routine stuff.

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@hozn 146934 wrote:

Rgr – yes, that sounds like a good setup. There’s also JTek Shiftmate for converting between the shifter mfrs/models – http://www.jtekengineering.com/shiftmate/ (but sounds like the Wolftooth will do what you need).

It took me a little while to get used to SRAM shifting, but I like it a lot (prefer it) now.
– I like pulling the shift lever to the bar with index finger for “sprint shifting” in the drops.
– I like being able to down shift while braking (maybe one can also do that w/ Shimano? I hadn’t discovered that when I was using Shimano)
– I like being able to up shift by just twisting my gripping hand clockwise (works best with gloves). Kinda hard to explain.
– I do *not* like that when you run out of low gears the shifter will drop you into the harder gear — i.e. since there was no ability to engage the second ratchet for shifting down, it engages the first one to shift up. (I think this varies a bit by model, since this does not seem to happen on my Force 10sp shifters but does happen on my S700 hydro 10sp shifter.)

Thanks for the info! I haven’t seen that shiftmate before but it looks more compact than the Wolftooth (should I choose to go down that route).

I mostly have trouble shifting down (to an easier gear), and figuring out how many gears I’m going when I do manage to shift down. But also the shift lever feels somewhat flimsy and I keep feeling like I’m going to break it, since it seems like it requires greater force to move (cf. Shimano) to begin with. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it eventually. Haven’t noticed the behaviour in the lowest gear, yet, but yeah still having trouble shifting down anyway!

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@LeprosyStudyGroup 146975 wrote:

If you don’t have the experience to know in detail why you want to buy and maintain an antique Italian racing bike to commute on, you should probably hold off on doing that.

This is a really good point. I still mix and match parts on two of my cheap bikes where I like to try out different things. I’ve spent more on various parts that have come and gone on these bikes than what I paid for them new! But hopefully, I can say I’ve learned a lot and enjoyed it too.

Coming from a heavy MTB (esp. with knobby tires), even something like a flat-bar 700c hybrid will be a lot more efficient for a commute, and flat-bar bikes are generally a fair bit cheaper than drop-bar bikes. e.g. http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1190307_-1_400319__400319

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is that it’s usually easier to size up on a frame that’s too small rather than size down on a frame that’s too big. You can get longer seatposts, and longer/angled stems without adversely affecting handling too much (especially for a commuter bike), but you can’t push in a seatpost any more than what the seat-tube can take, and less than a ~80mm stem often feels “twitchy” on a typical road bike geometry.

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I think I’d agree with hozn and just go with 52/36 instead of changing out a crankset just to be able to use 53/39.

But if you really want a 53, there’s at least one third party company that make SRAM compatible 110BCD chainrings in 53T, e.g.:
https://wickwerks.com/products/road-bike-ultra-wide-53-34/

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Fat-free milk :'(

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@GovernorSilver 146969 wrote:

I only say this because you said you’re new to road bikes. You might want to test ride a bunch of them before making a final decision. I test rode about 10 road bikes. By the time I got to the 5th bike, I was more comfortable with riding on road bikes and was thus better able to ascertain a good fit for myself. If you buy from a store, try to buy from one that will give you a basic fitting, just to have the saddle, handlebar, etc. set in places that are right for your body.

Very true. I found road bikes awkward at first too (about 5 years ago) coming from only flat-bar/MTB but referred to one of the online fit thingies where you enter your measurements and it recommends a few size options depending on how aggressive etc you want your fit to be. It was a size smaller than what the sales person suggested (at Performance Bike) but ended up working really well (I still ride that bike) – although honestly I never had it dialed quite right for about 3 years until I got a professional fit.

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