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My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 10:41
by Hung
Just wanted to share
got my fixie yesterday
and all i can say is this it not as fun as I would thought
feels sooo wierd having to pedal all the time
big thumbs up to all the fasties i see who ride waterfall on there's - RESPECT
I know this sounds stupid but the hardest part is getting on and off the bike
but as with all things a few more weeks im sure I will get use to it
btw
I wheels which came with the bike are only so so
can anyone suggest a lighter/stiffer upgrade
cheers
Hung
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 10:51
by Karzie
Hahaha, try doing a bunny hop!
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 12:00
by weiyun
You have succumbed! Enjoy!
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 12:03
by kiwiames
Just get used to riding the bike first before you do any upgrades.
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 12:48
by Lizanne
the best part of a fixie is your fitness goes up soooooo quickly!
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 12:55
by mikesbytes
Welcome to the dark side
Velocity Deep V's from Al, but don't worry for now, use the wheels it came with until you trash them
What gearing r u running?
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 13:22
by Hung
the back wheel is
Track: 15T x 1/2"" pitch x 3/32"" = 15T
front chain ring is
FSA Vero Single, 130mm B.C.D., 39T x 3/32 = 39T
39T and 15T = what ever that means
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 13:24
by Hung
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 13:29
by mikesbytes
Micks bike is a good one
70.2 inch a good starting point
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 21:56
by jbcow
Crafty has the byline 'if it's not fixed, it's broken'. With reason. Starting / stopping and spinning at any speed will be second nature any time soon.
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 14 Jan 2011, 22:34
by timyone
the hardest part is getting on and off the bike? come for a ride with me down a hill or two
ill race you
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 17 Jan 2011, 07:48
by Lizanne
hey tim i'll race you up a hill or two
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 17 Jan 2011, 18:36
by timyone
name the time and place liz
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 18 Jan 2011, 09:24
by patn
yeah show down!
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 19 Jan 2011, 08:28
by Lizanne
sounds good, i think there may be a hilly north shore adventure ride, i'll race you up one of the hills in that.
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 19 Jan 2011, 11:25
by timyone
cool, well ive started training for this already liz, if your free in the day, we have been doing 160km hill rides, and are doing mac pass which will be 260 on friday
assumadly fasties pace
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 19 Jan 2011, 11:27
by Lizanne
i work monday to friday
...and i don't think i'm a fastie yet
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 19 Jan 2011, 13:16
by Danny
I'm hoping my new fixie will be ready for pick up by the end of the week....
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 19 Jan 2011, 13:38
by Hung
I'm hoping my new fixie will be ready for pick up by the end of the week....
sweeet
another one drawn to the dark side
what gearing is on yours danny ?
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 21 Jan 2011, 16:46
by timyone
this isnt the dark side, its a much brighter happier place to be, i really love riding around the place on my fixie, just for the fun of it.
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 21 Jan 2011, 16:56
by Peter T
Looks like there is a Fixie Waterfall coming up.
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 21 Jan 2011, 17:04
by christian
There are people on fixies most weeks in the fast bunch.
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 21 Jan 2011, 17:34
by Hung
this isnt the dark side, its a much brighter happier place to be, i really love riding around the place on my fixie, just for the fun of it.
I just need to remind myself to not stand up and try to free wheel when going over a speed hump
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 22 Jan 2011, 14:19
by timyone
fixie waterfall is most weeks that i turn up!
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 22 Jan 2011, 14:19
by timyone
I just need to remind myself to not stand up and try to free wheel when going over a speed hump
hmmnn in that case, maybe not fixie waterfall for you..
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 22 Jan 2011, 14:41
by Danny
sweeet
another one drawn to the dark side
what gearing is on yours danny ?
Picked it up earlier today and so far so good.
According to that chart, it's a 82.8
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 22 Jan 2011, 16:17
by christian
According to that chart, it's a 82.8
That is a pretty big gear for the road, there are some guys that ride 81" on the waterfall ride but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are quite strong. I ride 76" when I'm doing Waterfall fixed with the fasties, otherwise my fixie runs a 72" gear.
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 23 Jan 2011, 10:53
by timyone
were you two out for waterfall today? i was looking out for you, i didnt realise there was an actual fixie ride so i was just with the fasties
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 24 Jan 2011, 08:10
by Lizanne
That is a pretty big gear for the road, there are some guys that ride 81" on the waterfall ride but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are quite strong. I ride 76" when I'm doing Waterfall fixed with the fasties, otherwise my fixie runs a 72" gear.
and girls!
i run 81 fine in the city, i suck at spinning so it suits me
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 24 Jan 2011, 10:01
by Hung
Danny will be fine
he has legs like sparticus
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 25 Jan 2011, 21:47
by timyone
and girls!
i run 81 fine in the city, i suck at spinning so it suits me
you should probably go down a lot too liz, and start learning to spin.
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 27 Jan 2011, 08:03
by Lizanne
grrrrrr
but i don't wanna spin
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 27 Jan 2011, 10:39
by Toff
You have to learn to spin. Spinning teaches the correct technique for riding a bike. Once you have clipless pedals you can and should learn the correct technique. Anyone can stomp on the pedals, but that is neither efficient nor effective at transferring power. If you sit at the DHBC meeting spot at Centennial Park, you can see the people who aren't spinning as they climb the hill. Usually, their bike is swinging, and their shoulders bounce with each pedal stroke.
Spinning imparts a rotational force to the cranks rather than an up/down force. It's not a natural thing for humans to do, so it needs to be learned. It only becomes "second nature" after lots of practice. If you don't practice it until it becomes second nature, you will forget to do it right when you need it most, like when the effort gets hard going up hills. I recall a friend of mine whose coach made him ride in just the small chainring for 6 months. He was clocking up nearly 800km a week without the big ring. He not only became super efficient, he started winning big races too. There is a reason why juniors have gear restrictions too, and it's not always what you might think.
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 27 Jan 2011, 10:51
by Lizanne
but...
it's soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo hard
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 27 Jan 2011, 12:14
by Hung
I'm not so sure about this fixie thing
incident 1)
almost threw myself off the bike as I stood up to go over a speed hump
incident 2)
almost threw myself off the bike again along president ave brigthon as I had to slammed on the brakes cos a person drove out of there driveway and didn't see me but i forgot to keep spinning
incident 3)
thank god for flipflop hub's changed it to a single speed with a 65.8 gearing
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 27 Jan 2011, 19:24
by mikesbytes
Hung, put it back on fixed.
For the meantime;
- Don't stand up when you go over speed humps
- Apply reverse pedal when braking and that will help teach you to keep spinning when you do an emergency stop
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 28 Jan 2011, 14:55
by Toff
Screaming down the big hill into Watson's Bay on Australia Day (74 inches, about 70km/h ~That's about 204rpm!!!), I was hard on the front and back brakes, and the back wheel lifted right off the ground. My cadence dropped to about 150 and my back wheel skipped along the ground until my bike speed slowed to my wheel speed.
Riding fixed gear gives you so much more environmental feedback than riding with a freewheel. You need to learn to harness this information to control your bike rather than have it control you. I was effectively using 3 brakes to slow, not just 2. Hence the greater control... Yes, it takes practice, but I'd suggest that you've probably already taught yourself the big lesson that you can't stop turning your legs. If you do it again, your body will begin to instinctively know what to do. It's guaranteed that you will forget you are riding fixed every now and then, but it will only take a moment before your body remembers, your legs automatically turn, and you roll forward again, without any risk of crashing.
Re: My New FIXIE
Posted: 28 Jan 2011, 17:14
by AlexD
I'll put another vote in for riding fixed on the road. I've left my road bike back in Tamworth and only ride fixed around Sydney - now when I go home coasting feels really weird.
I use 76" for longer rides like RNP etc, 69" on my city bike, 73" the rest of the time, and 51" for my polo bike. Makes 92" at the track feel a bit tough, but that's probably a good thing.
A low ratio, fixed, is obviously good training for leg speed, but riding hills fixed also means teaching your legs to function at a wider range of cadences than otherwise. Grinding up a climb is always balanced out by a spin, so it means a wider range of leg muscles, which I think feels better after a while on the bike that sitting on 95 rpm for hours.
Also, there's never that temptation to pick a too-easy gear and ease up on the climbs - which I think is a trap a lot of new riders fall into.
I'm looking forward to doing more club rides on Sunday, if I can somehow manage some earlier Saturday nights.