Fixed wheel bikes

[pimpdriver]

Anybody got a fixie?

I am just getting back into cycling and built a 531c fixie once, but sold it a few years ago.

I now fancy an On-One Il Pompino.

Anybody else 'ard enuff????????

[Emjay]

done a lot of cycling "back in the day" but never got round to a fixed wheel bike. You have some experience in this mode of cycling?? Prey tell good friend

[pimpdriver]

it is "different". You can't stop pedalling, and have to learn to "ride" the bike more, and you become more at one with it. Lighter, more direct power transmission (no freewheels to take up the slack in), and NOBODY will steal it. If they do you will find them in a pile in the road in 100 yards.

[Isimmo]

Mart...

I think this is Briggers' fixed wheel bike? He's left it in Southport.

[pimpdriver]

Well I have just cycled 22 miles to work on my audax bike (cross between touring and road bike), in 1h36m. Pretty impressed with that, saying I haven't ridden much over the past 4 years.

One hill did need 28/28 to get up it though, one of those hills that goes on. and on. and on. And when you think you are at the top, you crest another rise round a corner and it goes on for longer........

[istoo]

i am in the process of building up an old mountain bike as a singlespeed rather than fixed, but i was thinking of buying a flip flop hub to be able to do both. Fixed wheel offroad would be, well, entertaining!

Way more popular in the last few years, and definately improves fitness if you ride already

But locality matters for that, i will only use it in the woods/ forests. Most of my riding in in the hills, i stay on the edge of the grampians, so you really need two gears one small one large, a medium just doesn't cut it! Might get away with it on a road bike, which i am guessing it your arena?

[Alfashark]

Bloody good fun! I've been thinking lately about resurrecting one of mine to get to work on...
Haven't ridden in about 4yrs now, but until then it was roughly 50km a day on an MTB based hybrid.
About 6yrs ago I bought a bike that I'm not sure you would have seen up there in the UK
An Avanti Cruise-matic... Midsized commuter/light MTB frame, V-brake front end, roller-disc rear (tweaked the torque limiter to give consistent braking effect) and a Shimano Nexus 4D trans... Thats a 4 speed internal-hub gearset, shifted automatically at preset speeds by a small servo - or if you like you can flick the selector around to "M" and thumb your way up and down the ratios via the touch pads on the handlebar console

Very smooth and quiet to ride... quite un-nerving if you've only ridden conventional derailleur or single-speed bikes.
I'll post some pics up tomorrow if anyone is curious

[istoo]

I know them well, we get the nexus hub here too Shimano made one for the downhill scene but it never made production. But they make a variant for hybrid/ touring bikes, but the daddy is the rohloff. One of my pals has one of these...
http://www.nicolai.net/products/e-frames/e-nuc-tfr.html
and if you want a laugh, look at the FRAME ONLY price!

I have fancied one for years, but the weight over the back end of the bike is the issue... but the internals are nuts!



Not sure on the nexus but unlike deraulliers you can shift under full load on the rohloff, and most imprortant is the duplciation of gears with a 3x9 setup. the rohloff still has the same range with smaller increments. The negative bit is the price they are REALLY expensive. going to be £800 minimum.

And you should have a look at truativs Hammerschmidt plantery gear on the FRONT.
http://www.magicmechanics.com/home.p.../how_it_works/
popular for MTBs as it gives you the ground clearance

All wonderful but seriously expensive. Singlespeed is simplicity!

[Alfashark]

Sweeeet! I'd better start saving then...
This nexus unit I have is pretty good with full load shifts, even considering the longer cranks I put on the bike - the only times you will catch it out are when you are applying max torque at a very low speed and manually upshifting... usually this is also a result of it A: being freezing cold outside, and B: the battery for the control unit being on its last legs.
Never ridden one of the cable-shifted nexus units, so I cant say how they deal with loaded shifts.
Did try a Rohloff equipped touring bike for a week and fell in love with the way that worked, so maybe when I give up this expensive Audi habit I'll build a tourer up with a Rohloff

[pimpdriver]

Originally Posted by istoo

i am in the process of building up an old mountain bike as a singlespeed rather than fixed, but i was thinking of buying a flip flop hub to be able to do both. Fixed wheel offroad would be, well, entertaining!

Way more popular in the last few years, and definately improves fitness if you ride already

But locality matters for that, i will only use it in the woods/ forests. Most of my riding in in the hills, i stay on the edge of the grampians, so you really need two gears one small one large, a medium just doesn't cut it! Might get away with it on a road bike, which i am guessing it your arena?

At heart I am a mountainbiker. But a general cyclist who believes in the right bike for the job. Hence Audax bike for commuting (hybrids are so ghey), road bikes can't take mudguards and MTBs are too slow (yes, I have run my rigid Kona on 1.25 inch slicks).

I have a 1999 Thorn Brevet 531C with 105 triple groupset, a 1992 Kona Cinder Cone (fully rigid) currently on 1.25 inch slicks with mudguards, as general popping down the shops or pulling a trailer / trailerbike bike, and a 2003 Orange Sub 5 (which I don't ride enough).

After today's ride to work and back, and using my 32/28 bottom gear more than once, I think I'd either need to get fitter to get a fixed, or get less stupid!!!!!!!!!!!