Comments on: Fixed

By: Unknown

Unknown — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 17:26:04 +0000

My son does ride a uni, but he hasn’t ridden it to school yet or in the Inglewood area. Nice to know there’s another uni rider on the plateau…perhaps I’ll run into him. I’m not big on Inglewood because of the traffic, but it’s a great climb. When I’m just looking for hill workout, sometimes I’ll go back and forth on the "Big Dip" on SE 8th just east of 228th in Sammamish. It’s good for uni climbs because there’s a separate sidewalk. I also discovered the "Klahanie to Fall City and Back" route. Gotta go scope out the Zoo climb (by car) this weekend. I might not have the stuff for that…

By: Fat Cyclist

Fat Cyclist — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 15:47:18 +0000

tom – i’d say i was ‘teasing,’ not ‘taunting,’ given that any fun i poked at unicycles was in the context of saying that i wanted to learn to ride one. i’ve got a question for you, given that you’ve mentioned that your son rides a unicycle, and that you ride up inglewood hill: does your son sometimes ride a unicycle to get to inglewood jr. high? if so, i think i see him as i go in the opposite direction on my commute.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Tue, 04 Oct 2005 07:29:40 +0000

It’s great to hear you’ve added a fixie to your collection. Given your previous taunting of unicycles, hopefully now you can relate a little more to the extra workout you get riding both uphill AND down, and riding the uphill w/o the benefit of granny. I bet you’ll find now that when riding your geared bike, you’ll start picking a harder gear for climbs than you used to do. From there, the logical next step is to lose the training wheel and go full time "direct drive".Sorry I didn’t get a chance to say hi at the MS-150, but perhaps I’ll see you on the Inglewood climb one of these days. I saw in one of your write-ups that you were with Novell. We should probably know each other, as I served time there as well, 92-00.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 05:51:51 +0000

Congrats on the fixie! I converted over about a year ago, and it’s wonderful. For lack of a better word, it’s the most pure ride I’ve ever had. You just go.Regarding track stands and stop lights: while a track stand is neat, and a decent skill at stop signs, trying to hold one for the two minutes that one sticky red light lasts (there’s always one) is silly. So how not to fumble around with the pedals? Simple – clip out of one pedal, and dismount straddling the top tube. Lock your front brake and take the weight off the back wheel by pushing forward on the handlebars a little. Using the leg that’s still clipped on, move the cranks to whatever position you like.Now you’re ready to sprint off when you get the green, provided you’re good at clipping in on the fly. ;-)A more important fixie tip is this, though: for anything longer than 15 minutes, be extra sure to stretch your quads well, both before and after. This will prevent your knees from hurting like hell, especially if they’re shattered bits of jerky like mine.And don’t worry about being slow – in time, you’ll get your cadence right, at which point you develop this weird momentum, and you tend to zip by the more complacent cyclists, partly because as a fixed gear rider you’re like a shark – stop moving and you’re dead; keep moving and you’re lethal.Happy riding!

By: BIg Mike In Oz

BIg Mike In Oz — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 05:02:58 +0000

Take it easy Craig, you’ll confuse the author. 48/16 is a satisfactory gear for a 12 year old at a track meeting, but an adult will get spun off the back in a D grade race long before the hectic finish running 48/16. You should be thinking at least a 48/15 or even 14(power or torque, your call). Or better still get a 15 and 4 or 5 rings for micro adjustment. With chainrings running at $40 and sprockets at $10 you decide. Many trackies have 3-5 rings in the toolbox plus a range of sprockets.have funBIG Mike (skinny on the inside)

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 04:22:44 +0000

re: climbing with the fixie.Yes, but you already don’t suck climbing so that makes sense.The rest of us though still suck at climbing :)

By: Unknown

Unknown — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 18:34:53 +0000

Forgot to ask… how much does it weigh??? I’m guessing 14-15lbs.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 18:33:24 +0000

Whoohoo! Glad you’re enjoying your new bike already! I couldn’t handle no freewheeling though – weird! How do you coast to set up for bunnyhops or jumping off curbs? Hehe. It’s fun to freak out roadies on grouprides when I do mnt bike antics on my CF roadbike – LOL!p.s. Isn’t it weird how some extremes are getting increasingly popular e.g. Shimano 10speed vs fixed gear/single speeds, 5"-travel mtn bikes as normal vs hardtails, etc.

By: Unknown

Unknown — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 13:01:56 +0000

I would agree with big mike. That gearing is fine for the track but probably a bit steep for street/hill riding. Maybe get a spare chain and cog. One for the track and one for street use.I run a 46/17 on my fix and it is great for street riding. Ans it sounds like it is a hell of alot hillier where you are than where I am. I can’t convert it into gear inches or a gain ratio for you becuase I am not that bright.

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 29 Sep 2005 11:23:03 +0000

Nice bike! Hey wouldn’t some disc wheels be a good addition before track season. :)