no. hub gears yes, fixie no. not even Singlespeed (unless you count the first bike i had as a kid which ofcourse was singlespeed). if i have to save this much money id just walk. bikes with gears arent that expensive to give all that up.
Suggestion from a long time fixed gear rider: ride a ratio with which you can accelerate quickly at lights and get up easy on your local hills. For the flats you just have to spin, the best cadence training there is. Picking a too high gear ratio is a thing many "beginners" do, because they want to ride as fast as possible on the flats. But it's all about the cadence on a fixed gear
@@samuelleestokes my city is quite hilly and lot's of stop and go. I ride in the range of 48x17 to 48x18. A new cog is pretty cheap and worth trying, just try it out
I commute over 50 km every single day on São Paulo-Brazil to go to work and back to home at the end of the day... the happiest moment of my daylife!!
Рік тому+86
I ride fixed for almost 15 years now, with some breaks in between but also did some fixed gear crits and other races. I actually spoke with one physiotherapist once and he told me he's riding fixed as well, because the lack of dead point in pedaling actually decreases risk of knee injury!
Love a fixie. I've had a fixed gear bike in my rotation for over 30 years. I use brakes on the road, because dogs, children and cars can exceed my non-Jedi reflexes. No brakes on the velodrome, obviously. Smaller gears on road than track, 72" is my go-to road gear. In my humble opinion, those who ride fixed gears tend to be smooth on geared bikes, as they don't stop pedaling to stand, sit, shift gears, or corner, so they're easier to draft closely. P.S.-Future video Connor should try a "tracklecross" fixed gear off road race- a niche sport where the "spirit of gravel" may or may not live.
I agree with 72 for shoes and pedals, but with flats-straps for the downtown core I go down to 67. Seemed too spinny for not much acceleration gain at first but I got used to it cuz the 19t is fucking stuck now/ 19t with shoes is a riot, can spin a way higher top speed than straps [close to 20% higher for me] and rip up hills like a pirate on crack.
Should GCN try to persuade Connor to go for the fixed gear record at the 3 Peaks Cyclocross? Yes it is something that exists (having been done a couple of times), and yes, the idea is terrifying!
I used to ride 67 or so on the road when my reflexes were younger, 63 in winter when air was thick and riding in heavy clothes. Or maybe the real reason I stick to 72 for low is I don't have to swap chain rings or add links when going from track to road gearing (i.e. lazy) @@Disrtict6
@@gcntracklocross (brakeless) is some of the most fun on a bike ive had, makes xc stuff feel like proper techy downhill. it’s super sketchy but it wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t!
big thumbs up for this content. As a fixed gear rider, i enjoyed very much to see you talking about fixed gear bikes. GCN should create more fixed gear related videos. Bring Mannon back with her super track bike ⚙🔥A Bike Vault Special with only fixed gear builds, would be awesome, right?
Fixed riding part of my training/fitness regime for years. It has made me a better cyclist overall by teaching me to spin more efficiently and anticipate changes. Back on a geared bike you immediately realize how much you coast. But please,install a break! Be safe out there.
@@rob-c. I believe it was. In the UK it is a legal requirement for fixed gear bikes to have a front brake for rising on the road, but in other countries there is no rule. A lot of American Fixie riders I have seen are brakeless.
@@matt_acton-varian In France, a set of 2 brakes is compulsory. I'm always scared in large cities like London, Paris or Montpellier where I live, when guys ride a fixie with a single front brake or none at all. Imagine I crash into one of these blokes: his being a candidate for suicide doesn't make me a candidate for murder, or have I missed something?
I ride my Bianchi superpista 45:15 for more than 20000km. I like the tough, durable and lightweight (less than 7.5kg with all aluminum component) of the fixie. The smooth commute in big city on flat road is so amazing. I tried to ride it on climbing for elevation of 1000m. It was super hrad to maintain the pace. And the descending was nightmare...
I live in a very flat area so riding a fixie makes good sense. I wouldn't enjoy climbing on one and I certainly would have far different gears than I have now. I recommend a flip flop hub w/ a single speed freewheel on the other side (bailout option). A strong QR works fine on the rear...don't have to bolt through.
Love GCN fixie content. I’ve been commuting on one for 7 years and recently did 3 fixed centuries. I get Connor’s hesitations about climbing and descending, but honestly it’s just a different experience that you have to adapt to. In fact I’d say it’s helped me become a pretty strong climber. Also I’m on team brakes. Using your legs to control the bike is fun and helps with handling skills, but brakes are handy on a descent or for avoiding an emergency crash
Rode my fixie for a good few years, did three century rides on it and rode the London to Paris ride on it much to the disbelief of the full roadies that I went with. But I ended up in the lead group because with a fixie you have to attack the uphills and hold your pace so you end up getting away from everyone but they then catch you on the downhills. Loved it and still love having a cruise/blast on it.
It's not. Whether you use a 40-20 or a 52-14 it's all high rep low resistance training. The only thing that increases strength of muscles differently is weight training.
Riding brakeless fixed gear bike with steep track geometry and waxed chain is one of life's simple pleasures :) Truly immersive experience. I got into road cycling via riding fixed gear around town, then doing longer road rides, climbing hills and later installing front brake to tackle more technical descents before buying my first road bike. I actually did a 180km/2000m brevet Rapha Prestige Bohemia on my Standert Umlaufbahn and the organizers in the finnish were amazed and told me I was crazy doing it on a fixed gear :D
And thank goodness brakeless fixie riding is BANNED in my country. Your immersive experience shouldn’t come at the cost of safety to others, with an inability to stop at a dime.
@@87togabitook boomer. Riding brakeless is illegal pretty much everywhere in the world. difference is only countries such as UK where the front brake is sufficient for "road legal" status vs both front and rear in most of the world.
Surprised you didn't elaborate more around climbing - I've been riding fixed a lot more recently mostly because i wanted to work out different parts of my body more - the fixed gear forces me to interact with the bike differently, getting out the saddle, swinging the bike under me and using my arms and torso more dynamically. Geared, i tend to slam it into an efficient gear and blitz the power out in one position - might as well be on a turbo! As for risk of injuring knees, i suppose you do have to be careful, though i'd say that goes just as much for standing starts - mate constantly did himself a mischief riding fixed in traffic cause he'd constantly want to sprint off the line - at least when you're climbing, you're more often already warmed up. Oh i almost forgot - one other major benefit is that it knocks me out my habit of wanting to go as fast as possible, all the time (I think Si has spoken about this habit in the past). It's like a little slap in the face telling me to just chill out and enjoy the ride - great for the mental.
Thanks for the comment! You make some great points, riding fixed certainly makes you work the full body 🥵 Conor can back from his ride with a 6 pack. You make an interesting point about chilling out on the bike - slowing down isn't always a bad thing 👀
At 72 I now ride my fixie exclusively. Raced (road, Mt. bike, gravel & tandem) for 25+ years. Came to the fixie late in my cycling but fell in love. It is so much more “in the moment” than any other cycling I’ve done (except maybe criterium racing on a tandem).
Refreshing to see you guys testing this ! Where i come from it is very flat and very bike friendly to ride. As a mechanic and daylie fixed gear commuter this is a very easy to maintain machine + there are alot of good bike brands out there that make some very tough fixed gear parts. You can even get away with using steel parts when u dont use gears and it is still very light. And yes you really are getting used to the ride. Fixed gear made me loose almost 30kg of weight back then. Not only as a commuter with low maintain its a great way to train yourself. Looking forward for more track content ! Cheers from Germany ! :) 🚴
I ride a fixed gear track bike on ~90% of my rides. Here in Chicagoland, USA the roads are quite flat so I use a 52 x 17 ratio and it works beautifully. I’m in my 40’s and have no knee pain. Also, in the USA we ride fixed gear without brakes and that helps develop different muscle groups. Nothing beats fixed gear riding.
I have ridden a fixie on and off for the last 50 years (I'm 70 now). You have to choose your route and you might want a bag of cogs and chainrings to pick the right gear for your area. In my view, riding a fixie will make you a smoother rider and will help you ride outside your normal cadence. Love 'em but they don't mix all that well with old knees
I want to see Connor get back on a freewheel after a month on a Fixie. He'll feel like he's only got one leg! The video has inspired me to get my FGSS out though, so props for that. 😊
It makes you a better, smoother "pedalist". I even used it for several years for winter group rides riding with guys with normal bikes. Sometimes, my cadence was way over 100. I can say I was in the center of attention when my cadence reached 120 rpm and more. Not doing it any more, but it was fun and definitely helped me to learn to spin (not saying it's the only method). I loved the simplicity of having one gear.
Been watching GCN for a while and have only had a fixie this whole time. Working my way up to 40+ mile rides. I want a geared bike, but absolutely love my fixie!
A big advantage of fixed gear bikes is the control you get at slow speeds, as you can pedal forward and apply pressure backward to modulate your speed without tipping over. This is very useful to get around tight spaces, e.g. traffic, people, tight corners, etc. This can't be done as effectively with brakes.
@ Conor - I think you may be slightly over-geared if this is your 1st fixed gear training experience. Try to aim for around 72" - you're over 79" at the moment on your 44/15 gearing. You'll have a better experience on the hills and rollers. There's still nowhere to hide on the hills but it won't bust your knees so much! 😎 I've spent years training on fixed gear and they are fun for hard training sessions - not so much in the stop-start of suburban environments - but a joy in rolling countryside.
The best tip for climbing and descending on a fixie is to pull up in the pedal stroke (assuming your riding clipless). On a climb, it saves your knees because your using your calves and quads to pull up and not your knees to push down. Since it's fixed the opposite pedal will natural be forced down. On an incline, pulling up on the pedal stroke will force your butt into the sit and keep you from bouncing around, especially when you really start flying!
I love riding fixed wheel. I use one sometimes for a fairly hilly commute through the Forest of Dean as well as an occasional longer ride. Fixies feel alive in a way geared bikes just don't; the closest thing to running on wheels.
Thanks for raising all these questions. Now in my 60s, my joints are not in a condition to stand the cadence dowhill nor the muscular effort uphill, for sure, and my fixie memories from my racing days in the youth categories 50 years ago in the Paris region are more awful than awesome ;) I rode a 42x17 for 3 weeks between seasons, and though I benefitted from the very specific handling of the fixie (but on track, I also did...), I was scared of most steep climbs. Not of long ones, as I was very light and a bit of a climber. I felt danger in descents in urban contexts (stop and go, as you suggest), crazy corners, opening car doors, etc...) though not on open roads, as there were fewer surprise events; I used my brakes if it really got scary. I also use my track skills to slow down my pedalling, but it was pretty painful: honestly, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone 1/ in their right senses, 2/ with even minor knee problems: in that case, use your brakes, for the Lord's sake, guys! My conclusion: the minuses beat the pluses by a pretty wide margin. But if you're young and super fit, go for it. But always remember NEVER to stop pedalling :D
Just ride a 40/18 and a freewheel and use your bodyweight at slow speeds standing and don't press down. If you can ride a normal bike you can ride a 40/18.
nobody ever talks about how good riding fixed gear feels - the rewarding connection to the bike and and the heightened feedback you get from it - plus the sense of accomplishment you get from riding a bike that most other 'cyclists' are too scared to even try. I have all the bikes from dirt to fancy carbon roadies - and nothing compares to the feel and fun of fixed gear. try it out - it's definitely not for everyone , you gotta have the proper strength and awareness but once you get it riding fixed is unlike anything else. and yes it really helps with your pedalling. side bonus if you ride a genuine track bike down the local busy bike lane you can take funny photos of all the sneering raphaloompas waving their hands in disbelief and disgust ;) and take those damn brakes off and do it for real !
I rock a 53:16, I ride mostly flat with mine, but I do love a good descent. Mad enough to enjoy the higher speeds, feels more rewarding to me. I've found its helped me for hills when I forgot to change gear but can still power through them rather than changing gear at a near standstill.
Yup, I have a similar set up. Pretty much all flat where I’m at and I too love the high speed. I have a front 180mm disc in the front. Hopefully save my knees even a little bit from decelerating. Running 56/15.
I just recently hit my PB on my fixie on a 100km loop around my city at 2h52 running a 49/15 ratio. I haven't tried the same loop on a road bike for comparison.
The key to enjoyable and efficient fixed gear riding, is finding the proper gear ratio for your terrain. Not just your legs, but it will really help build up your core strength. There's nothing better feeling than the the way a fixed gear makes you feel connected to the bike. The machine becomes a part of you. You must tame the bull.
Love my fixed gear bike for commuting and winter training. Mainly have it for its robust simplicity. There is very little to go wrong, and the chains last 3x the miles of my geared bikes. It’s fun to ride too….hard to explain why, but those who ride them will know.
My go-to mechanic is a fixie aficionado and he helped me to get into this type of riding a couple of years ago. Now that I've accumulated some practice time and carefully tweaked my saddle set-up, I'm having a blast with fixed-gear riding, mainly just for short fitness circuits or urban errands. I constantly mix things up by switching between my fixie and my trusty old hybrid. Even with the freehub, I've stopped coasting and I really notice how my overall pedalling motion has become smoother, more consistent, and I believe more efficient.
been riding fixed for years now currently one of the best freestyle riders in the uk although i don’t do the stuf you guys do i still aprechate the fixed love
I love my steel fixed gear bike. It's worth mentioning that fixed gear bikes tend to be lighter with no shifters/derailleurs, narrower hubs, and usually rim breaks (my steel fixed gear is about 18 lbs), and you always have a perfect chainline. That somewhat offsets the climbing disadvantage compared to a geared bike.
Never gone fixed but have always rode single speed road and MTB love them a underated bike the simplicity is just great your never in the wrong gear you just get on with it
We just bought a fixie 2 days ago. It's my son's. He's 12. It's his first bike. For me, it's also my first time on a fixie and I can already feel more better things about it compared to road bikes and mountain bikes. We ride urban streets, barely any elevation changes and just the usual black tarmac, rough cement, etc. My son said he does not want complicated shifters and I myself don't want to do complicated setup and settings, repairs and maintenance. I am a bigbike rider (motorcycle above 400cc) and I can appreciate the continous pedalling on a fixie like it's maintenance throttle on a motorcycle and smoothly slowing down on a fixie feels like engine braking on my bigbike. I love the fixie on corners. Mind you, I have ridden road bikes and mountain bikes and I have had my share of fast sprints, uphills and downhills. It is more difficult to do those things on a fixie but like I said, we barely ride fast, up, and down, where we are located so a fixie is a really practical choice for a bike. My son's fixie is a Celt V1. I am planning to buy the Celt V2 next.
Love my fixie. Cycling in its purest form without any gadget crap. Smooth, light, reliable and fast, I can remember leaving a road bike rider behind after a standing start and hearing him change up through his gears 4 times before he finally passed me, and only because I was spinning out.
I love riding fixed gear. I started in 2012 after an infection in my leg put me out of action for months. I lost kilos of weight, lots of it muscle, and I am certain that riding the fixie helped me get back to full strength much faster - I even went on to timetrial (I'm in the UK) on a fixed gear bike too!
I've been riding fixed gears for 6 years now and absolutely love it. Plenty of 100, 150, 200km rides in the UK and cant recommend it enough. I've got a road and gravel bike now, which are okay in their own right, but nothing will ever be as fun to me as fixed
yes, I built up a fixie (sport touring frame) with a good front brake, a double-sided fixed hub with stepped threading on both sides, and double chain rings. On the hub is a 15 and a 18. Up front is a 43 and a 46. Feeling good use the high range. Headwind on the way home? Open the QR, flip the wheel and take it easy. (by using a "matched set" of gears" - the chain is always the same "length") Its a lot of fun for random rides, etc. . I would not recommend a "track" frame, for a few reasons. 1. Designed for smooth track, it will beat you up. 2. Higher BB for the track. That is high 3. Steep geometry (for track racing - no fun & cramped. 4. No braze ons. 5. Limited tire clearance. Find a used steel racing or sport touring frame.
Rode a fixie in my younger years, I credit it with training me on keeping a steady cadence and keeping my legs moving. Tried riding one again a few years ago and realized how much I like having gears and being able to actually get up hills.
I ride fixed in that very city and it was fun to see you struggle up some of my daily climbs 😜 fixed gear has pushed my fitness and cycling ability for sure. Dont ride anything else now. Great video 👍
I love riding my Fixie throughout the winter, it keeps my track season going strong. Although going up a 12% gradient climb on the way home is tough. Cycling at its purest.
When I raced I rode a fixie for most of the off season. It helps a lot with pedal stroke. Now that I'm long since retired I only ride a fixie. It's impractical, but the feel is more zen. I feel more connected. If you want to get there faster, take the bus. It's amusing because the disdain I get from the new spandex crowd is palpable. Like I'm a 58 year old wannabe hipster.
When road bikes got more complicated and I was left out of my depth with e-shifting bike with hydraulic brakes maintenance, I turned to my old, trusty Nagasawa used keirin bike. Now, it's all I ride. I change the rear sprocket from time to time, but I think my adaptation was accelerated by losing the brakes (no holes on the Nag). The downside is that I really have to control my speed downhill, and that is the upside too. I get an entirely different leg workout trying to keep it slow. No, I don't get the same kinds of workouts that I used to on my old Campy 10 based Merckx, but then again, I was never a TdF contender either. I have a NOS Colnago Master Pista, an old Bianchi Pista Concept from 2005, a Serotta "Big Dig" from 1998 - with nitto dove bar beach cruiser bars, and my trusty Nagasawa. Great fun.
Cornering can be scary at speed, since you can't stop pedaling. I rode a fixie for years and loved it, mostly flat roads where I lived. I find it really helped in developing and maintaining a high cadence. Having a bunch of extra cogs and chainrings is nice for dialing in your ride. I moved to a town in the mountains and sold the fixie, I still miss it from time to time.
@@DavidMartin-tk4fs a solution my club had found, was using track pedals, that were narrower, or shorten those road pedals of yore, designed for toe-clips, that had a semi-circular extension on the external end. You cut it off, and gained about 2.5cm (1"), which allowed for sharper cornering.
Some fixed or singlespeed bikes have a slightly higher bottom bracket to give a bit more clearance. My Charge Plug is more of a messenger style bike than a track bike and it has the higher bottom bracket so I can keep pedalling all the time on my rides. Just have to remember not to do that when I’m on my other bike…
Yeah, I rode a 44x17 on my road bike one winter as a teenager. It was what people did back then. In hilly California, it was a challenge. I do remember beating everyone else in my bike club up a local climb of about 1300ft at ~9% by like 5 minutes, because I had no choice. The joy of being 140 lb... The scary part was actually the descent on the other side.
Stephen Roche apparently spent his winters training on fixed gear. Many road pros have had lots of track experience, as you note. I switched my commuter last Autumn to fixed, after getting fed up with the maintenance overheads and breakages you get running a modern groupset through a Celtic Isles winter. There's no shifter to wear out or jam with muck from the road. The chain on a fixed gear is much thicker and harder-wearing, last much longer. The sprocket and chainrings can have thicker teeth - and they're cheaper. The bottom bracket and crankset are tried-and-tested threaded and square-taper - no squeaking! I didn';t realise a bike could be _that_ quiet! Strength wise I've noticed a difference. My commute is mostly flat, with about a quarter of it at a ~1% incline - which is downhill with the prevailing wind for my commute in in the morning. I've got the bike geared to be fast / on the gear for that morning commute with a 50:16. Which means, more often than not, I get a strength work-out on the commute home going up the 1%, and against the wind nearly all the way home. It basically turns my flat commute home into something more like a 40 minute alpine climb effort - 80 rpm or lower efforts for tens of minutes. On the worst days, down into the low 70s, and 60s in spots. I've noticed I've developed new groups of muscle on the inside and inside back of my legs, which never got developed before in years of cycling. There is a little punchy stretch of a sprinty climb - maybe 2.5% to 3% for 600 metres - and I've become much faster on it with my fixed gear than ever before. Maybe in part cause I've no choice but to attack that semi-climb - going too slow and grinding feels worse! :) So... Definitely it has helped. It's also given me "range" on my cadence. My legs are now _much_ more comfortable over a very wide range of RPM. My legs will both happily spin away, and also torque over the cranks at 70 rpm (well, maybe not happily in the latter case, but happier than before). My legs are more versatile. It helps with cornering too. You learn to be smoother. Though, the short cranks on track inspired fixed gears helps here, as does the high BB on street-orientated fixed gear bikes. That's another thing: I've discovered that short cranks are _really_ good. I used to go for 172.5 or 175mm cranks before, but...165mm is /so/ nice. It's actually a really nice pedal stroke. And I don't have little short legs. (Plus, better cornering wrt reduced pedal strike risk). tl;dr: I really recommend getting a fixed gear for commuting and training.
Climbing shallow gradients can be easier or faster on a Fixie, as your momentum carries you through the dead spot of your pedal stroke. On the flip side it does feel sketchy going in the other direction, especially if you don't know how to pedal brake properly - I prefer to run brakes on both wheels for that reason. I took part in a Fixie TT at the start of this season and just after the start there was a very short sharp descent, I hit a max cadence of 160rpm and was around that speed for a good ten to fifteen seconds afterwards. I almost wished I had a pair of AG2R bibshorts on at the time.
@@blaze1148 A fixed gear has inertia and a thick chain. You can maintain either a high cadence of 130 rpm or climb hills while standing for a very long time.
I love riding fixed. I rode organized metrics in Tennessee on one and people thought I was nuts. It really wasn’t too bad since that’s all I rode. I had 48x18 which is great on climbs but descending can be a little spinny. It’s easier to stop brakeless as well. I love my road and gravel bikes, but fixed gear keeps it simple and opens up a whole other world of cycling culture.
I don't think there is any good argument to riding one of these archaic bikes. The only decent argument I've heard is becasue it's extreme. Fair enough but all of the other arguments are just silly to me.
you should do an interview with someone who rides fixed constantly. I.e. someone well involved in the fixed gear world and the community as it is massive. From the messengers to the commuters. Only they will be able to show why we love fixed gear so much and how to effectively handle a fixed gear bike with 1 break or even completely brakeless.
Riding fixed, especially in the winter, is something that I've seen around where I live for decades. This was popular well before it became mainstream and was accepted as a normal part of training. I use fixed at times when I feel I want to increase my strength endurance or sometimes just for a change. Both geared and fixed cycling are just as enjoyable to me.
My college commuter is a brakeless Fixie, and it’s fantastic. It’s made me way better at keeping track of my surroundings because I can’t stop very fast, which has really translated to my pack riding ability
Love my fixed gear bike. Bought it as a pub and commute bike, but now I've started training on it both indoors (rollers) and outside. Just love the simplicity of it. As a fixed gear rider, I get plenty of Kudos from the passing cyclists on the hills.
Riding fixed in traffic is just so much smoother. You’re not on and off the brakes to moderate your speed- just using your cadence to tweak your speed in the flow! Also I learned to track stand properly riding a fixie. Plymouth is hilly though. 😱
I boughtmyself a Pinarello Psta frame as a birthday present for myself a few menoths ago.I had never ridden a fixie before, but I was super-eager to try it. When all the necessary parts have arrived and I finally managed to assemble it and went for a test ride, I was scared for my life and I kept thinking I'm going back home and I'm selling this. I asked for advice about gearing and pedals to be used, which proved to be so helpful that the next ride was some of the best I've ever taken. I wouldn't have imagined, but I've become a complete fixie convert and I'm assembling a second, "pub-bike" for everyday use.
Yes GCN! I've been asking for a fixed gear video for ages! I love riding fixed. I don't agree with the hills thing - I think riding a road bike uphill, it feels floppy, disconnected and really de-motivating. I'd rather be on a fixie uphill any day! I live near bath - I'd love to show your guys how/where I ride my fixed locally. Yeah, some of the hills in the city are probably a bit big but you can't beat a fixed for a 60-90 second KOM uphill sprint :)
It’s fun to read training programs from the 70s advising a few months of fixie riding at the beginning of the season and long low intensity riding at very high cadence to “re-develop leg capillaries” and to lose weight, plus riding on rollers. This is because it seems in the program I read they assume you take the winter off from most intense exercise. The program did advise hiking in winter and particularly climbing hills for leg strength.
several years ago, when it was a huge fad, I knew several people who got them. It didn't last long. It was only a few months and they stopped talking about them and stopped riding them. On another note, when my son lived in a fairly flat area, I bought him one and he loved it. He preferred it for commuting. Then he moved to a place there are more than a few fairly steep hills.
Brakeless fixie, track bike geometry, never been in a velodrome. I ride through my neighborhood. It makes me focus on all movement all the time. I get one of these rides in when i find myself looking to close to my front wheel on my mtb. ✌
I ride a fixie as a commuter bike on weekdays and a downhill bike on the weekends on the trails. I use it as stamina training and it worked wonders for me.
Most bikes have a freewheel, not a freegear. That is why in England we always referred to bikes without a freewheel as "fixed wheel", not "fixed gear". "Fixie" came in to refer to the hipster fashion for riding fixed wheel bikes with bright colours, short straight bars, and so on. I ride a *fixed wheel bike*. I have a 20 speed road bike, a gravel bike, and a fixed, and the fixed gets ridden far more than the others. I have chosen a fairly easy ratio so I can get up most local hills, and I am not struggling to pull out of T junctions into the traffic. The penalty I pay is on the downhills. It is part of the game not to touch the brakes on a ride, but they are there if needed. I'm not persuaded there are any genuine advantages to riding fixed, but I just find it more fun.
Commute on fixed and smash your road rides! Great way to maximize your workout on a half hour commute. Not the hills you showed, but on my otherwise flat commute we have a trail bridge over a major road and you just want to sprint up it to keep your cadence in that 90-100 range. Obligatory workout. On the downhill then just unclip and put your feet on your downtube as the cranks spin like mad. Then be good at sync’ing your feet to your pedals and off you go again! I once sheared a crank arm off an old bike but because it was fixed I could ride home one-legged. That was nice too!
I've always used a fixie to train in Flat Miami when I need to train hills. Because every small hill feels larger when you can't shift down, or every start up gains raw stregth. Fixie riding is excellent to train when you have no other choice for a gear! Great! And next time out, do a race in a fixed-gear Alley Cat. That will really improve the bike handling!
I only have a fixie at the moment, but managed to do a 160km tour with around 2000m of vertical some days ago with it. It works but it's a battle with your body and descents are even worse than going up. I'm riding 48:17 which in my opinion is the best gear, you can still climb hills up to 10-12% and it's good on the flat.
I ride a fixie I have two hand built by my self set fixed sometimes single speed I’m 56 years old rode bmx in the 80s so just carried on love the fun and the climbing
I built up a single speed bike about 8 years ago as a low maintenance, winter training bike. However, it became my go-to bike and century-busting choice because of the gearing I chose. 48:18 on 32mm tyres was just perfect for East Anglian roads but, if the gradients ever got too much, I always had the option of 24 gear inches - that’s two feet and I walked. No shame in that! Unfortunately, I was knocked off it a month or so ago when a van came out of a side road without stopping. I suffered a couple of broken bones and dislocations, but the bike was written off. I will heal. A new bike is on order and should be delivered next weekend. Single speed, of course :-) Keep well and ride safe.
I started riding on a fixed gear bike. Before I had an MTB, I used to get to school and stuff, but I never did any fun-rides with it. First, I got my fixie as a work horse, but then I started to ride it in my spare time and I love it! Climbing is fun, but accidentally clipping out at a downhill is really scary and makes you glad to have both brakes still on :'D Recently, I changed to a smaller gear ratio. That makes climbing more fun and skidding a lot easier, but it also makes going down hill even scarier.
Hi Connor I suggest you swap out that 15 cog and put on a 17 and try it again. You are using a really big gear which means that climbs will be harder and descents as well because you can’t do the leg braking which also makes riding in traffic safer and more enjoyable. You will also find getting started at the lights surprisingly fast. In the first few rides don’t try to go fast just try to relax and before you know it you will be riding around all day with a stupid grin on your face.
I would consider a 30x34 gravel fixie. When i park and ride. GCN Tech: please make a video on how to measure/break and use a quick link to do an emergency repair to convert a bike into a fixie to get out of a deeply remote place in the event of a broken deraileur hanger or rear deraileur/ etc. I wiped out 19 km deep in a fire road ( no closer junctions/hiking trails out that that) late last month. Luckily no damage more than a scraped elbow. Spare deraileur hanger went into my repair kit that week!
Riding a fixie gives different emotions like I had experienced when I was a kid. Even though I have a fixie, I don't ride it too often, but my ebike was stolen today, but since I don't have money to buy a new one I will use a fixie for unknown period of time. I was in Walmart for 20 minutes while someone stole it.
I ride an easier gear, 42x16, makes starts and climbing easier. Downhills can definitely be scary, that's why I run a rear brake (most fixies don't) to slow my decent. I have always loved the clean look of fixies, I fell in love with Italian steel track bikes as a kid because they look so sleek. The main benefit other than strength training for me is definitely the cadence, it forces you to keep smooth cadence. Admittedly I don't always run my bike fixie, I often flip the back wheel and run single speed with a freewheel but both can be lots of fun.
I stopped riding geared bikes and even regular singlespeeds completely. Fixed gear is just more fun for me. The biggest way my fgb made me a better rider is that it made me more aware and alert. I pay attention to my surroundings way more, seeing as braking is tougher (when I ride the one with no brakes), my pedals can easily strike the ground if I turn sharp enough, and losing the pedals at a high cadence can be scary. So, any obstacles there are, I notice quicker. I plan "escape routes"- if you've ever seen Premium Rush, it really feels like that. And these are things I could take over to a geared bike, if I ever wanted to do so.
In all honesty the only time I've ever riden "fixed gear" was when the freewheel on my BMX seized, and I rode it that way for a month till I could afford a replacement. The training aspect... I could care less, I haven't raced since 1985. But single speed & fixed gear especially, goes against what I think is the most beautiful part of cycling, efficiency. Almost had a stroke when Conor said it was efficient. I think of the famous talk of Steve Jobs when he was quoting a study comparing the most efficient animals in nature (movement while buring the least calories), with the Condor being on top and man barley making the top 100, but if that same man gets on a bicycle, he easily becomes number 1. Also, most fixed gear bikes I see on the road , unlike Conor's, don't have a front brake, which is another slap in the face of efficiency, as the front brakes do the vast majority of the braking (if done properly),. The main purpose of the rear brake is to keep the bike straight during hard braking. Fine, if someone wants to use one as a training tool, go far it, but then it becomes just a tool like a barbell. Lasty, you can go as fast as you want downhill on a fix gear, just take your feet off the pedals, provided yours has real brakes.
Yes, if your bike is properly equipped. Crank length and saddle position is different for track bikes versus road bikes. From what little I know the position is similar to correct TT bike positioning too. If I ride on the road, it is only on flat country roads, with hand brakes for safety. Track bike gearing is a science and for training choose your ratio according to what you are trying to accomplish.
Been riding fixed and nothing fixed for nearly 20 years now, basically half my life. I love the simplicity of it, and it just plain makes riding fun. Really, I’m having as much fun on my bike now as I was as a kid. Whether or not it’s beneficial to a cyclist who otherwise doesn’t ride fixed, I have no idea. I do know, however, that I’m stronger than I feel like I should be, given my fitness level otherwise.
I tend to use 45/16 for moderate hills it’s still decent utility as you can still spin up to about 45kph on the flat. Love fixed gear riding don’t love idiots that give me a bad name riding no brakes in traffic. They’re always the first to blame the other road users instead of accepting responsibility for their own choices.
Have you ever ridden a fixie? 🚲
every single day!
Fixie is my first real bike and this is really where I started to love cycling
no. hub gears yes, fixie no. not even Singlespeed (unless you count the first bike i had as a kid which ofcourse was singlespeed). if i have to save this much money id just walk. bikes with gears arent that expensive to give all that up.
i even have both chain ring and cog same as shown here. 2.98 ratio is the best for me :)
No, but id like to try
Suggestion from a long time fixed gear rider: ride a ratio with which you can accelerate quickly at lights and get up easy on your local hills.
For the flats you just have to spin, the best cadence training there is. Picking a too high gear ratio is a thing many "beginners" do, because they want to ride as fast as possible on the flats. But it's all about the cadence on a fixed gear
What do you suggest? I ride 48:15 but I’m exclusively riding in a flat city.
@@samuelleestokes my city is quite hilly and lot's of stop and go. I ride in the range of 48x17 to 48x18.
A new cog is pretty cheap and worth trying, just try it out
@@samuelleestokesI ride 52 to 11 - but only downhills! 😂
46-16 is my jam
@@mendonchurros779 46:16 is my favorite. i can get up some steep ass hills and still rip the flats its great. bit too heavy for fgfs but i make do
I commute over 50 km every single day on São Paulo-Brazil to go to work and back to home at the end of the day... the happiest moment of my daylife!!
I ride fixed for almost 15 years now, with some breaks in between but also did some fixed gear crits and other races. I actually spoke with one physiotherapist once and he told me he's riding fixed as well, because the lack of dead point in pedaling actually decreases risk of knee injury!
What do you mean
Lack of deadpoint
Is it when I switch gears and there is a sudden loss of resistance due to the gear changing? Maybe just a thought.
@@suren123a the rotation of the cranks is constant and there are no 'dead' areas in the pedal stroke. its what not pedaling 'in squares' means
Interesting!
What about sharp corners? I like to this in the city, but seems too dangerous because of the padel coming down on the inside of the corner
Love a fixie. I've had a fixed gear bike in my rotation for over 30 years. I use brakes on the road, because dogs, children and cars can exceed my non-Jedi reflexes. No brakes on the velodrome, obviously. Smaller gears on road than track, 72" is my go-to road gear. In my humble opinion, those who ride fixed gears tend to be smooth on geared bikes, as they don't stop pedaling to stand, sit, shift gears, or corner, so they're easier to draft closely.
P.S.-Future video Connor should try a "tracklecross" fixed gear off road race- a niche sport where the "spirit of gravel" may or may not live.
Super cool to hear that you have been using a fixie for a while 🙌 Tracklocross would be epic! Have you ever given it a try?
I agree with 72 for shoes and pedals, but with flats-straps for the downtown core I go down to 67. Seemed too spinny for not much acceleration gain at first but I got used to it cuz the 19t is fucking stuck now/ 19t with shoes is a riot, can spin a way higher top speed than straps [close to 20% higher for me] and rip up hills like a pirate on crack.
Should GCN try to persuade Connor to go for the fixed gear record at the 3 Peaks Cyclocross? Yes it is something that exists (having been done a couple of times), and yes, the idea is terrifying!
I used to ride 67 or so on the road when my reflexes were younger, 63 in winter when air was thick and riding in heavy clothes. Or maybe the real reason I stick to 72 for low is I don't have to swap chain rings or add links when going from track to road gearing (i.e. lazy) @@Disrtict6
@@gcntracklocross (brakeless) is some of the most fun on a bike ive had, makes xc stuff feel like proper techy downhill. it’s super sketchy but it wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t!
big thumbs up for this content. As a fixed gear rider, i enjoyed very much to see you talking about fixed gear bikes. GCN should create more fixed gear related videos. Bring Mannon back with her super track bike ⚙🔥A Bike Vault Special with only fixed gear builds, would be awesome, right?
They keep trying to make gravel a thing there on thee olde mud island, I’d love to see them on traclocross mid-fats in full partypace flannel & denim.
I like this.
the bikes arent expensive enough for them
@@Nostalgiaforinfi Indeed
Fixed riding part of my training/fitness regime for years. It has made me a better cyclist overall by teaching me to spin more efficiently and anticipate changes. Back on a geared bike you immediately realize how much you coast. But please,install a break! Be safe out there.
We agree, it really makes you think when back on gears 👀
I assume your brake suggestion is a general rule seeing as he has a front and rear brake already 😅
Are you thinking of the movie Premium Rush?…
@@rob-c. I believe it was. In the UK it is a legal requirement for fixed gear bikes to have a front brake for rising on the road, but in other countries there is no rule. A lot of American Fixie riders I have seen are brakeless.
@@matt_acton-varian In France, a set of 2 brakes is compulsory. I'm always scared in large cities like London, Paris or Montpellier where I live, when guys ride a fixie with a single front brake or none at all. Imagine I crash into one of these blokes: his being a candidate for suicide doesn't make me a candidate for murder, or have I missed something?
I ride my Bianchi superpista 45:15 for more than 20000km. I like the tough, durable and lightweight (less than 7.5kg with all aluminum component) of the fixie. The smooth commute in big city on flat road is so amazing. I tried to ride it on climbing for elevation of 1000m. It was super hrad to maintain the pace. And the descending was nightmare...
You only have 1 skid patch for that
I live in a very flat area so riding a fixie makes good sense. I wouldn't enjoy climbing on one and I certainly would have far different gears than I have now. I recommend a flip flop hub w/ a single speed freewheel on the other side (bailout option). A strong QR works fine on the rear...don't have to bolt through.
Love GCN fixie content. I’ve been commuting on one for 7 years and recently did 3 fixed centuries. I get Connor’s hesitations about climbing and descending, but honestly it’s just a different experience that you have to adapt to. In fact I’d say it’s helped me become a pretty strong climber.
Also I’m on team brakes. Using your legs to control the bike is fun and helps with handling skills, but brakes are handy on a descent or for avoiding an emergency crash
Rode my fixie for a good few years, did three century rides on it and rode the London to Paris ride on it much to the disbelief of the full roadies that I went with. But I ended up in the lead group because with a fixie you have to attack the uphills and hold your pace so you end up getting away from everyone but they then catch you on the downhills. Loved it and still love having a cruise/blast on it.
Suggestion: Ride it for a whole month. Only that bike and nothing else, even during GCN videos. That will show weather it realy is beneficial or not.
thats defenatly true
It's not. Whether you use a 40-20 or a 52-14 it's all high rep low resistance training. The only thing that increases strength of muscles differently is weight training.
The heartrate will going up and down like crazy. Maintain a certain speed on a fixie is hard ...
@@jimsonjohnson3761riding a fixie is like going to the gym.
It is not infact. It's like riding a bike. There is no difference
Riding brakeless fixed gear bike with steep track geometry and waxed chain is one of life's simple pleasures :) Truly immersive experience. I got into road cycling via riding fixed gear around town, then doing longer road rides, climbing hills and later installing front brake to tackle more technical descents before buying my first road bike. I actually did a 180km/2000m brevet Rapha Prestige Bohemia on my Standert Umlaufbahn and the organizers in the finnish were amazed and told me I was crazy doing it on a fixed gear :D
this is the kind of comment i come to gcn to find. people ride fixies because its cool. THATS IT
And thank goodness brakeless fixie riding is BANNED in my country.
Your immersive experience shouldn’t come at the cost of safety to others, with an inability to stop at a dime.
@@87togabitook boomer. Riding brakeless is illegal pretty much everywhere in the world. difference is only countries such as UK where the front brake is sufficient for "road legal" status vs both front and rear in most of the world.
Surprised you didn't elaborate more around climbing - I've been riding fixed a lot more recently mostly because i wanted to work out different parts of my body more - the fixed gear forces me to interact with the bike differently, getting out the saddle, swinging the bike under me and using my arms and torso more dynamically. Geared, i tend to slam it into an efficient gear and blitz the power out in one position - might as well be on a turbo!
As for risk of injuring knees, i suppose you do have to be careful, though i'd say that goes just as much for standing starts - mate constantly did himself a mischief riding fixed in traffic cause he'd constantly want to sprint off the line - at least when you're climbing, you're more often already warmed up.
Oh i almost forgot - one other major benefit is that it knocks me out my habit of wanting to go as fast as possible, all the time (I think Si has spoken about this habit in the past). It's like a little slap in the face telling me to just chill out and enjoy the ride - great for the mental.
Thanks for the comment! You make some great points, riding fixed certainly makes you work the full body 🥵 Conor can back from his ride with a 6 pack. You make an interesting point about chilling out on the bike - slowing down isn't always a bad thing 👀
Don’t know if it makes you faster, but it certainly makes you cooler
100%
Um
😉😎
You do realize the average person just sees “bike” and nothing more. Lol
@@neoneherefrom5836ikr
At 72 I now ride my fixie exclusively. Raced (road, Mt. bike, gravel & tandem) for 25+ years. Came to the fixie late in my cycling but fell in love. It is so much more “in the moment” than any other cycling I’ve done (except maybe criterium racing on a tandem).
Refreshing to see you guys testing this ! Where i come from it is very flat and very bike friendly to ride. As a mechanic and daylie fixed gear commuter this is a very easy to maintain machine + there are alot of good bike brands out there that make some very tough fixed gear parts.
You can even get away with using steel parts when u dont use gears and it is still very light.
And yes you really are getting used to the ride.
Fixed gear made me loose almost 30kg of weight back then.
Not only as a commuter with low maintain its a great way to train yourself. Looking forward for more track content !
Cheers from Germany ! :) 🚴
I ride a fixed gear track bike on ~90% of my rides. Here in Chicagoland, USA the roads are quite flat so I use a 52 x 17 ratio and it works beautifully. I’m in my 40’s and have no knee pain. Also, in the USA we ride fixed gear without brakes and that helps develop different muscle groups. Nothing beats fixed gear riding.
I have ridden a fixie on and off for the last 50 years (I'm 70 now). You have to choose your route and you might want a bag of cogs and chainrings to pick the right gear for your area. In my view, riding a fixie will make you a smoother rider and will help you ride outside your normal cadence. Love 'em but they don't mix all that well with old knees
I want to see Connor get back on a freewheel after a month on a Fixie. He'll feel like he's only got one leg!
The video has inspired me to get my FGSS out though, so props for that. 😊
It makes you a better, smoother "pedalist". I even used it for several years for winter group rides riding with guys with normal bikes. Sometimes, my cadence was way over 100. I can say I was in the center of attention when my cadence reached 120 rpm and more. Not doing it any more, but it was fun and definitely helped me to learn to spin (not saying it's the only method). I loved the simplicity of having one gear.
Been watching GCN for a while and have only had a fixie this whole time. Working my way up to 40+ mile rides. I want a geared bike, but absolutely love my fixie!
A big advantage of fixed gear bikes is the control you get at slow speeds, as you can pedal forward and apply pressure backward to modulate your speed without tipping over. This is very useful to get around tight spaces, e.g. traffic, people, tight corners, etc. This can't be done as effectively with brakes.
Track stands feel great too 👌
I sort of agree, but... the impact on your knees, esp. patella and meniscus, is pretty bad.
This is why fixed gear is the only way when riding a tall bike
@@lucborot2219 As long as you're not overgeared and not using the fixed gear to brake, it's shouldn't really be much worse on your knees.
TallBike!!!!@@thesimplecooks
@ Conor - I think you may be slightly over-geared if this is your 1st fixed gear training experience. Try to aim for around 72" - you're over 79" at the moment on your 44/15 gearing. You'll have a better experience on the hills and rollers. There's still nowhere to hide on the hills but it won't bust your knees so much! 😎
I've spent years training on fixed gear and they are fun for hard training sessions - not so much in the stop-start of suburban environments - but a joy in rolling countryside.
The best tip for climbing and descending on a fixie is to pull up in the pedal stroke (assuming your riding clipless). On a climb, it saves your knees because your using your calves and quads to pull up and not your knees to push down. Since it's fixed the opposite pedal will natural be forced down. On an incline, pulling up on the pedal stroke will force your butt into the sit and keep you from bouncing around, especially when you really start flying!
My commute bike is a fixed gear bike & I love the simplicity & feel of riding it.
I love riding fixed wheel. I use one sometimes for a fairly hilly commute through the Forest of Dean as well as an occasional longer ride. Fixies feel alive in a way geared bikes just don't; the closest thing to running on wheels.
So true you feel like one fast creature...totally one with the bike
Agree with this completely. I adore riding fixed (until I hit a headwind)
You do feel a close connection with the road! Great to hear you are doing the bike commute 🙌
Thanks for raising all these questions. Now in my 60s, my joints are not in a condition to stand the cadence dowhill nor the muscular effort uphill, for sure, and my fixie memories from my racing days in the youth categories 50 years ago in the Paris region are more awful than awesome ;)
I rode a 42x17 for 3 weeks between seasons, and though I benefitted from the very specific handling of the fixie (but on track, I also did...), I was scared of most steep climbs. Not of long ones, as I was very light and a bit of a climber. I felt danger in descents in urban contexts (stop and go, as you suggest), crazy corners, opening car doors, etc...) though not on open roads, as there were fewer surprise events; I used my brakes if it really got scary. I also use my track skills to slow down my pedalling, but it was pretty painful: honestly, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone 1/ in their right senses, 2/ with even minor knee problems: in that case, use your brakes, for the Lord's sake, guys!
My conclusion: the minuses beat the pluses by a pretty wide margin. But if you're young and super fit, go for it. But always remember NEVER to stop pedalling :D
Just ride a 40/18 and a freewheel and use your bodyweight at slow speeds standing and don't press down. If you can ride a normal bike you can ride a 40/18.
i've been on my fixie for over 4 years now. i just love it!
Single speed with freewheel is nice...
Usually the new fixies have the dual hub with free wheel they’re great
Got my 1st fixie in late 2021, totally change my view of riding a bike
nobody ever talks about how good riding fixed gear feels - the rewarding connection to the bike and and the heightened feedback you get from it - plus the sense of accomplishment you get from riding a bike that most other 'cyclists' are too scared to even try. I have all the bikes from dirt to fancy carbon roadies - and nothing compares to the feel and fun of fixed gear. try it out - it's definitely not for everyone , you gotta have the proper strength and awareness but once you get it riding fixed is unlike anything else. and yes it really helps with your pedalling. side bonus if you ride a genuine track bike down the local busy bike lane you can take funny photos of all the sneering raphaloompas waving their hands in disbelief and disgust ;) and take those damn brakes off and do it for real !
I rock a 53:16, I ride mostly flat with mine, but I do love a good descent. Mad enough to enjoy the higher speeds, feels more rewarding to me. I've found its helped me for hills when I forgot to change gear but can still power through them rather than changing gear at a near standstill.
Yup, I have a similar set up. Pretty much all flat where I’m at and I too love the high speed. I have a front 180mm disc in the front. Hopefully save my knees even a little bit from decelerating. Running 56/15.
Fixies make the bike feel like an extension of your body. This synchronicity of human and machine is intoxicating and joyous.
I just recently hit my PB on my fixie on a 100km loop around my city at 2h52 running a 49/15 ratio.
I haven't tried the same loop on a road bike for comparison.
The key to enjoyable and efficient fixed gear riding, is finding the proper gear ratio for your terrain. Not just your legs, but it will really help build up your core strength. There's nothing better feeling than the the way a fixed gear makes you feel connected to the bike. The machine becomes a part of you. You must tame the bull.
Love my fixed gear bike for commuting and winter training. Mainly have it for its robust simplicity. There is very little to go wrong, and the chains last 3x the miles of my geared bikes.
It’s fun to ride too….hard to explain why, but those who ride them will know.
My go-to mechanic is a fixie aficionado and he helped me to get into this type of riding a couple of years ago. Now that I've accumulated some practice time and carefully tweaked my saddle set-up, I'm having a blast with fixed-gear riding, mainly just for short fitness circuits or urban errands. I constantly mix things up by switching between my fixie and my trusty old hybrid. Even with the freehub, I've stopped coasting and I really notice how my overall pedalling motion has become smoother, more consistent, and I believe more efficient.
been riding fixed for years now currently one of the best freestyle riders in the uk although i don’t do the stuf you guys do i still aprechate the fixed love
I love my steel fixed gear bike. It's worth mentioning that fixed gear bikes tend to be lighter with no shifters/derailleurs, narrower hubs, and usually rim breaks (my steel fixed gear is about 18 lbs), and you always have a perfect chainline. That somewhat offsets the climbing disadvantage compared to a geared bike.
Never gone fixed but have always rode single speed road and MTB love them a underated bike the simplicity is just great your never in the wrong gear you just get on with it
We just bought a fixie 2 days ago. It's my son's. He's 12. It's his first bike. For me, it's also my first time on a fixie and I can already feel more better things about it compared to road bikes and mountain bikes. We ride urban streets, barely any elevation changes and just the usual black tarmac, rough cement, etc. My son said he does not want complicated shifters and I myself don't want to do complicated setup and settings, repairs and maintenance. I am a bigbike rider (motorcycle above 400cc) and I can appreciate the continous pedalling on a fixie like it's maintenance throttle on a motorcycle and smoothly slowing down on a fixie feels like engine braking on my bigbike. I love the fixie on corners. Mind you, I have ridden road bikes and mountain bikes and I have had my share of fast sprints, uphills and downhills. It is more difficult to do those things on a fixie but like I said, we barely ride fast, up, and down, where we are located so a fixie is a really practical choice for a bike. My son's fixie is a Celt V1. I am planning to buy the Celt V2 next.
Love my fixie. Cycling in its purest form without any gadget crap. Smooth, light, reliable and fast, I can remember leaving a road bike rider behind after a standing start and hearing him change up through his gears 4 times before he finally passed me, and only because I was spinning out.
Gadgets such as gears, you mean?
“Only because I was spinning out” - you mean gears were an advantage in exactly the situation that gears were designed to help with? 😂
Got two fixies Langster Steel and Condor Classic Fixed. Great commute bikes and real workhorses. Really connects you to the road. Love them.
I love riding fixed gear. I started in 2012 after an infection in my leg put me out of action for months. I lost kilos of weight, lots of it muscle, and I am certain that riding the fixie helped me get back to full strength much faster - I even went on to timetrial (I'm in the UK) on a fixed gear bike too!
Fixed gear, every day ❤
I've been riding fixed gears for 6 years now and absolutely love it. Plenty of 100, 150, 200km rides in the UK and cant recommend it enough. I've got a road and gravel bike now, which are okay in their own right, but nothing will ever be as fun to me as fixed
I love single speed, fixie not so much.
What is it about fixed that you don't get on with?
@@gcn That I have to pedal all the time. At the velodrome sure, why not, but commuting, well... nope :)
No downhill scare. You can coast, position your legs for lean, and brake rather easily.
yes, I built up a fixie (sport touring frame) with a good front brake, a double-sided fixed hub with stepped threading on both sides, and double chain rings. On the hub is a 15 and a 18. Up front is a 43 and a 46. Feeling good use the high range. Headwind on the way home? Open the QR, flip the wheel and take it easy. (by using a "matched set" of gears" - the chain is always the same "length") Its a lot of fun for random rides, etc. .
I would not recommend a "track" frame, for a few reasons. 1. Designed for smooth track, it will beat you up. 2. Higher BB for the track. That is high 3. Steep geometry (for track racing - no fun & cramped. 4. No braze ons. 5. Limited tire clearance. Find a used steel racing or sport touring frame.
Larger ratio + riding up hill = TRAINING!!
Rode a fixie in my younger years, I credit it with training me on keeping a steady cadence and keeping my legs moving. Tried riding one again a few years ago and realized how much I like having gears and being able to actually get up hills.
I ride fixed in that very city and it was fun to see you struggle up some of my daily climbs 😜 fixed gear has pushed my fitness and cycling ability for sure. Dont ride anything else now. Great video 👍
been riding my fixie ten years i love it univega steel road conversion velocity deep v front gold 650 back 700 white no brakes supercustom cranks
Went from Bmx to road to fixed geared. Fixed geared for me is my favorite and I plan to stay that way.
I love riding my Fixie throughout the winter, it keeps my track season going strong. Although going up a 12% gradient climb on the way home is tough. Cycling at its purest.
When I raced I rode a fixie for most of the off season. It helps a lot with pedal stroke. Now that I'm long since retired I only ride a fixie. It's impractical, but the feel is more zen. I feel more connected. If you want to get there faster, take the bus. It's amusing because the disdain I get from the new spandex crowd is palpable. Like I'm a 58 year old wannabe hipster.
Hell yeah. 50 and got back on a fixie. Solid reliable bike. The simplicity and sensation of constant movement is unmatched.
When road bikes got more complicated and I was left out of my depth with e-shifting bike with hydraulic brakes maintenance, I turned to my old, trusty Nagasawa used keirin bike. Now, it's all I ride. I change the rear sprocket from time to time, but I think my adaptation was accelerated by losing the brakes (no holes on the Nag). The downside is that I really have to control my speed downhill, and that is the upside too. I get an entirely different leg workout trying to keep it slow. No, I don't get the same kinds of workouts that I used to on my old Campy 10 based Merckx, but then again, I was never a TdF contender either. I have a NOS Colnago Master Pista, an old Bianchi Pista Concept from 2005, a Serotta "Big Dig" from 1998 - with nitto dove bar beach cruiser bars, and my trusty Nagasawa. Great fun.
Cornering can be scary at speed, since you can't stop pedaling. I rode a fixie for years and loved it, mostly flat roads where I lived. I find it really helped in developing and maintaining a high cadence. Having a bunch of extra cogs and chainrings is nice for dialing in your ride. I moved to a town in the mountains and sold the fixie, I still miss it from time to time.
I think I’ve had my crank hit the road while turning on a fixie once, that was scary
Me too. Pulling a pedal out can be a bit interesting too!
@@DavidMartin-tk4fs a solution my club had found, was using track pedals, that were narrower, or shorten those road pedals of yore, designed for toe-clips, that had a semi-circular extension on the external end. You cut it off, and gained about 2.5cm (1"), which allowed for sharper cornering.
Some fixed or singlespeed bikes have a slightly higher bottom bracket to give a bit more clearance. My Charge Plug is more of a messenger style bike than a track bike and it has the higher bottom bracket so I can keep pedalling all the time on my rides. Just have to remember not to do that when I’m on my other bike…
Yeah, I rode a 44x17 on my road bike one winter as a teenager. It was what people did back then. In hilly California, it was a challenge. I do remember beating everyone else in my bike club up a local climb of about 1300ft at ~9% by like 5 minutes, because I had no choice. The joy of being 140 lb... The scary part was actually the descent on the other side.
There's a large segment of fixie riders that don't have brakes on their bikes as well.
i saw one, he didnt even had a saddle
onebig. They are just stupid.
these comments are so heartwarming. most roadies in my area seem to hate or find ppl who ride fixed annoying.
Stephen Roche apparently spent his winters training on fixed gear. Many road pros have had lots of track experience, as you note.
I switched my commuter last Autumn to fixed, after getting fed up with the maintenance overheads and breakages you get running a modern groupset through a Celtic Isles winter. There's no shifter to wear out or jam with muck from the road. The chain on a fixed gear is much thicker and harder-wearing, last much longer. The sprocket and chainrings can have thicker teeth - and they're cheaper. The bottom bracket and crankset are tried-and-tested threaded and square-taper - no squeaking! I didn';t realise a bike could be _that_ quiet!
Strength wise I've noticed a difference. My commute is mostly flat, with about a quarter of it at a ~1% incline - which is downhill with the prevailing wind for my commute in in the morning. I've got the bike geared to be fast / on the gear for that morning commute with a 50:16. Which means, more often than not, I get a strength work-out on the commute home going up the 1%, and against the wind nearly all the way home. It basically turns my flat commute home into something more like a 40 minute alpine climb effort - 80 rpm or lower efforts for tens of minutes. On the worst days, down into the low 70s, and 60s in spots.
I've noticed I've developed new groups of muscle on the inside and inside back of my legs, which never got developed before in years of cycling. There is a little punchy stretch of a sprinty climb - maybe 2.5% to 3% for 600 metres - and I've become much faster on it with my fixed gear than ever before. Maybe in part cause I've no choice but to attack that semi-climb - going too slow and grinding feels worse! :) So... Definitely it has helped.
It's also given me "range" on my cadence. My legs are now _much_ more comfortable over a very wide range of RPM. My legs will both happily spin away, and also torque over the cranks at 70 rpm (well, maybe not happily in the latter case, but happier than before). My legs are more versatile.
It helps with cornering too. You learn to be smoother. Though, the short cranks on track inspired fixed gears helps here, as does the high BB on street-orientated fixed gear bikes. That's another thing: I've discovered that short cranks are _really_ good. I used to go for 172.5 or 175mm cranks before, but...165mm is /so/ nice. It's actually a really nice pedal stroke. And I don't have little short legs. (Plus, better cornering wrt reduced pedal strike risk).
tl;dr: I really recommend getting a fixed gear for commuting and training.
Climbing shallow gradients can be easier or faster on a Fixie, as your momentum carries you through the dead spot of your pedal stroke. On the flip side it does feel sketchy going in the other direction, especially if you don't know how to pedal brake properly - I prefer to run brakes on both wheels for that reason. I took part in a Fixie TT at the start of this season and just after the start there was a very short sharp descent, I hit a max cadence of 160rpm and was around that speed for a good ten to fifteen seconds afterwards. I almost wished I had a pair of AG2R bibshorts on at the time.
Using the pedals to brake is basically useless - just fix brakes, far more efficient.
Don't have to buy a _fixy_ - just don't change gear.
it doesn't work that way
@@youtuli4Explain please....
@@blaze1148 A fixed gear has inertia and a thick chain. You can maintain either a high cadence of 130 rpm or climb hills while standing for a very long time.
@@youtuli4Sounds dangerous if you cannot keep up with the cadence downhill.
I love riding fixed. I rode organized metrics in Tennessee on one and people thought I was nuts. It really wasn’t too bad since that’s all I rode. I had 48x18 which is great on climbs but descending can be a little spinny. It’s easier to stop brakeless as well. I love my road and gravel bikes, but fixed gear keeps it simple and opens up a whole other world of cycling culture.
I don't think there is any good argument to riding one of these archaic bikes. The only decent argument I've heard is becasue it's extreme. Fair enough but all of the other arguments are just silly to me.
Beside beeing totally in Controller once you learned it
@@SLAYS863dude pulled out the manual car argument for fixies
Track/velodrome cyclist would hard disagree with you.
Fixies are a lot of fun. You merely ride a geared bike, but you wear a fixie.
I don't mean to shit on them. If you like riding one, have at it.
you should do an interview with someone who rides fixed constantly. I.e. someone well involved in the fixed gear world and the community as it is massive. From the messengers to the commuters. Only they will be able to show why we love fixed gear so much and how to effectively handle a fixed gear bike with 1 break or even completely brakeless.
Riding fixed, especially in the winter, is something that I've seen around where I live for decades. This was popular well before it became mainstream and was accepted as a normal part of training. I use fixed at times when I feel I want to increase my strength endurance or sometimes just for a change. Both geared and fixed cycling are just as enjoyable to me.
My college commuter is a brakeless Fixie, and it’s fantastic. It’s made me way better at keeping track of my surroundings because I can’t stop very fast, which has really translated to my pack riding ability
Love my fixed gear bike. Bought it as a pub and commute bike, but now I've started training on it both indoors (rollers) and outside. Just love the simplicity of it. As a fixed gear rider, I get plenty of Kudos from the passing cyclists on the hills.
Riding fixed in traffic is just so much smoother. You’re not on and off the brakes to moderate your speed- just using your cadence to tweak your speed in the flow!
Also I learned to track stand properly riding a fixie.
Plymouth is hilly though. 😱
I boughtmyself a Pinarello Psta frame as a birthday present for myself a few menoths ago.I had never ridden a fixie before, but I was super-eager to try it. When all the necessary parts have arrived and I finally managed to assemble it and went for a test ride, I was scared for my life and I kept thinking I'm going back home and I'm selling this. I asked for advice about gearing and pedals to be used, which proved to be so helpful that the next ride was some of the best I've ever taken. I wouldn't have imagined, but I've become a complete fixie convert and I'm assembling a second, "pub-bike" for everyday use.
Yes GCN! I've been asking for a fixed gear video for ages! I love riding fixed. I don't agree with the hills thing - I think riding a road bike uphill, it feels floppy, disconnected and really de-motivating. I'd rather be on a fixie uphill any day! I live near bath - I'd love to show your guys how/where I ride my fixed locally. Yeah, some of the hills in the city are probably a bit big but you can't beat a fixed for a 60-90 second KOM uphill sprint :)
It’s fun to read training programs from the 70s advising a few months of fixie riding at the beginning of the season and long low intensity riding at very high cadence to “re-develop leg capillaries” and to lose weight, plus riding on rollers. This is because it seems in the program I read they assume you take the winter off from most intense exercise. The program did advise hiking in winter and particularly climbing hills for leg strength.
several years ago, when it was a huge fad, I knew several people who got them. It didn't last long. It was only a few months and they stopped talking about them and stopped riding them. On another note, when my son lived in a fairly flat area, I bought him one and he loved it. He preferred it for commuting. Then he moved to a place there are more than a few fairly steep hills.
Brakeless fixie, track bike geometry, never been in a velodrome. I ride through my neighborhood. It makes me focus on all movement all the time. I get one of these rides in when i find myself looking to close to my front wheel on my mtb. ✌
I ride a fixie as a commuter bike on weekdays and a downhill bike on the weekends on the trails. I use it as stamina training and it worked wonders for me.
Most bikes have a freewheel, not a freegear. That is why in England we always referred to bikes without a freewheel as "fixed wheel", not "fixed gear". "Fixie" came in to refer to the hipster fashion for riding fixed wheel bikes with bright colours, short straight bars, and so on. I ride a *fixed wheel bike*. I have a 20 speed road bike, a gravel bike, and a fixed, and the fixed gets ridden far more than the others. I have chosen a fairly easy ratio so I can get up most local hills, and I am not struggling to pull out of T junctions into the traffic. The penalty I pay is on the downhills. It is part of the game not to touch the brakes on a ride, but they are there if needed. I'm not persuaded there are any genuine advantages to riding fixed, but I just find it more fun.
Commute on fixed and smash your road rides! Great way to maximize your workout on a half hour commute. Not the hills you showed, but on my otherwise flat commute we have a trail bridge over a major road and you just want to sprint up it to keep your cadence in that 90-100 range. Obligatory workout. On the downhill then just unclip and put your feet on your downtube as the cranks spin like mad. Then be good at sync’ing your feet to your pedals and off you go again!
I once sheared a crank arm off an old bike but because it was fixed I could ride home one-legged. That was nice too!
Loved my fixie when i lived in London but she rarely gets a run out now I'm living in Sheffield!
I only ride fixed. Its the best way to enjoy cycling for me. You have such an amazing connection with the bike and then atmosphere because of it.
I've always used a fixie to train in Flat Miami when I need to train hills. Because every small hill feels larger when you can't shift down, or every start up gains raw stregth. Fixie riding is excellent to train when you have no other choice for a gear! Great!
And next time out, do a race in a fixed-gear Alley Cat. That will really improve the bike handling!
Nice to see some fixie and SingelSpeed action on GCN! I now only ride SS both gravel and road. No longer ride fixed down to safety
My only roadbike is a fixed gear (48-16). No brakes though. Live in Holland so incline is not really an issue.
I currently work with food delivery with a 38x20 steel frame mtb with coaster brakes and 700x32 tyres.
I love my little monster
I only have a fixie at the moment, but managed to do a 160km tour with around 2000m of vertical some days ago with it. It works but it's a battle with your body and descents are even worse than going up. I'm riding 48:17 which in my opinion is the best gear, you can still climb hills up to 10-12% and it's good on the flat.
I own the fixed gear 2 seasons - it gives you more flow control and keep the speed with no tension
I ride a fixie I have two hand built by my self set fixed sometimes single speed I’m 56 years old rode bmx in the 80s so just carried on love the fun and the climbing
I built up a single speed bike about 8 years ago as a low maintenance, winter training bike. However, it became my go-to bike and century-busting choice because of the gearing I chose. 48:18 on 32mm tyres was just perfect for East Anglian roads but, if the gradients ever got too much, I always had the option of 24 gear inches - that’s two feet and I walked. No shame in that!
Unfortunately, I was knocked off it a month or so ago when a van came out of a side road without stopping. I suffered a couple of broken bones and dislocations, but the bike was written off.
I will heal. A new bike is on order and should be delivered next weekend. Single speed, of course :-)
Keep well and ride safe.
I started riding on a fixed gear bike. Before I had an MTB, I used to get to school and stuff, but I never did any fun-rides with it. First, I got my fixie as a work horse, but then I started to ride it in my spare time and I love it!
Climbing is fun, but accidentally clipping out at a downhill is really scary and makes you glad to have both brakes still on :'D
Recently, I changed to a smaller gear ratio. That makes climbing more fun and skidding a lot easier, but it also makes going down hill even scarier.
Hi Connor I suggest you swap out that 15 cog and put on a 17 and try it again. You are using a really big gear which means that climbs will be harder and descents as well because you can’t do the leg braking which also makes riding in traffic safer and more enjoyable. You will also find getting started at the lights surprisingly fast. In the first few rides don’t try to go fast just try to relax and before you know it you will be riding around all day with a stupid grin on your face.
I would consider a 30x34 gravel fixie. When i park and ride.
GCN Tech: please make a video on how to measure/break and use a quick link to do an emergency repair to convert a bike into a fixie to get out of a deeply remote place in the event of a broken deraileur hanger or rear deraileur/ etc. I wiped out 19 km deep in a fire road ( no closer junctions/hiking trails out that that) late last month. Luckily no damage more than a scraped elbow. Spare deraileur hanger went into my repair kit that week!
Riding a fixie gives different emotions like I had experienced when I was a kid. Even though I have a fixie, I don't ride it too often, but my ebike was stolen today, but since I don't have money to buy a new one I will use a fixie for unknown period of time. I was in Walmart for 20 minutes while someone stole it.
I ride an easier gear, 42x16, makes starts and climbing easier. Downhills can definitely be scary, that's why I run a rear brake (most fixies don't) to slow my decent. I have always loved the clean look of fixies, I fell in love with Italian steel track bikes as a kid because they look so sleek. The main benefit other than strength training for me is definitely the cadence, it forces you to keep smooth cadence. Admittedly I don't always run my bike fixie, I often flip the back wheel and run single speed with a freewheel but both can be lots of fun.
I stopped riding geared bikes and even regular singlespeeds completely. Fixed gear is just more fun for me.
The biggest way my fgb made me a better rider is that it made me more aware and alert. I pay attention to my surroundings way more, seeing as braking is tougher (when I ride the one with no brakes), my pedals can easily strike the ground if I turn sharp enough, and losing the pedals at a high cadence can be scary. So, any obstacles there are, I notice quicker. I plan "escape routes"- if you've ever seen Premium Rush, it really feels like that. And these are things I could take over to a geared bike, if I ever wanted to do so.
In all honesty the only time I've ever riden "fixed gear" was when the freewheel on my BMX seized, and I rode it that way for a month till I could afford a replacement. The training aspect... I could care less, I haven't raced since 1985. But single speed & fixed gear especially, goes against what I think is the most beautiful part of cycling, efficiency. Almost had a stroke when Conor said it was efficient. I think of the famous talk of Steve Jobs when he was quoting a study comparing the most efficient animals in nature (movement while buring the least calories), with the Condor being on top and man barley making the top 100, but if that same man gets on a bicycle, he easily becomes number 1. Also, most fixed gear bikes I see on the road , unlike Conor's, don't have a front brake, which is another slap in the face of efficiency, as the front brakes do the vast majority of the braking (if done properly),. The main purpose of the rear brake is to keep the bike straight during hard braking. Fine, if someone wants to use one as a training tool, go far it, but then it becomes just a tool like a barbell. Lasty, you can go as fast as you want downhill on a fix gear, just take your feet off the pedals, provided yours has real brakes.
Yes, if your bike is properly equipped. Crank length and saddle position is different for track bikes versus road bikes. From what little I know the position is similar to correct TT bike positioning too. If I ride on the road, it is only on flat country roads, with hand brakes for safety. Track bike gearing is a science and for training choose your ratio according to what you are trying to accomplish.
Been riding fixed and nothing fixed for nearly 20 years now, basically half my life. I love the simplicity of it, and it just plain makes riding fun. Really, I’m having as much fun on my bike now as I was as a kid.
Whether or not it’s beneficial to a cyclist who otherwise doesn’t ride fixed, I have no idea. I do know, however, that I’m stronger than I feel like I should be, given my fitness level otherwise.
I tend to use 45/16 for moderate hills it’s still decent utility as you can still spin up to about 45kph on the flat. Love fixed gear riding don’t love idiots that give me a bad name riding no brakes in traffic. They’re always the first to blame the other road users instead of accepting responsibility for their own choices.
I ride fixed gear bike for 2 years and I love it… Uphills and downhills are pain, but it’s okay 👌🏻