Cornering - Fixed vs Singlespeed

+1 to badtmy's point - he is exactly right.

Crank length + BB height is all important. If you have long cranks and a low BB then you may have to slow through corners.

Does anyone on here have to slow in corners on fixed?

Only if I wear clips and straps. That's with 165 cranks on an old conversion. Hence I ride clipless almost invariably.

Chris, all offence intended, but you come off your bike more than anyone else I know. Including myself ;]

Does anyone on here have to slow in corners on fixed?

Not really, although I am kind of aware of the pedals getting closer to the floor.

If you're going to be apprehensive about switching to fixed, be more worried about striking a pedal on the kerb than on the ground.

Another technique is to briefly straighten out in the apex of the corner which brings the bike up a little - useful for off camber roads where you are more likely to strike a pedal. I used to use 165s and now use 170s on my bikes and have only had one pedal strike in four years of riding fixed. That was when I turned into a road that also had a speed bump in it so went over the bump while leaned over. Just scraped the pedal a little and scared me a bit! Mind you all my bikes have pretty high BBs as they are either track or cyclo cross frames.

As everyone has said you need a frame with a reasonably high BB and shorter cranks than with a freewheeled bike (which also helps you spin at higher cadences). Pedal choice makes a difference too - that's why track cage pedals don't have a cage over the end, unlike similar road pedals. Most clipless pedals will give slightly better clearance than traditional pedals.

back in the sixties, my dad to taught me to "inch" around the corners.....

My Harry hall has a pretty low BB, I get pedal strike going over speed bumps with 165 cranks and SPDs if I time it right/wrong. I've had 2 cornering pedal strike instances both on bad roads. I don;t tend to crank over when cornering too much, I try to lean my body more and keep the bike upright.

Somehow this just never seems to be a problem. I thought it would when I went fixed... but it just never happens.

erm...just corner a teeny bit more slowly. It'll make shag all difference to your journey time.

FWIW I've got 170 cranks + clipless & have only ever had one pedal strike cornering on a turn with a raised pedestrian crossing. Gives you a nice adrenalin hit!

I'm intrigued, how does one "inch" around a corner.
My dad never taught me that

badtmy with the knowledge.

For some real cornering look at Dirt magazine this month and you'll see a full page photo of some downhill ripper with his bike literally flat on the floor. Granted he's on a cassette with massive tires but it is immense.

this one?

No dude I'm talking fucking flat. Like barends in the shit, knee down, fully balls out.

I'll try and find it, or buy it and scan it in, I couldn't believe it myself

get the bike,(not on it) with a pedal down and see how far you actually have to lean it for the pedal to touch the floor.

+1 - you're unlikely to need these kind of cornering angles unless you're racing crits :O

You could even do the above on the bike, whilst getting a willing partner to hold/suspend you...

I zen it though corners.

This is laying it down Brian Foster style.

No dude I'm talking fucking flat. Like barends in the shit, knee down, fully balls out.

I'll try and find it, or buy it and scan it in, I couldn't believe it myself

That's called crashing...

i have been cornering faster and more aggressive recently and have had pedal strike twice in as many days,
not badly though,
i need me some shorter cranks.
but its just the tip of my toe cause i must be pointing ballet style,

such a pretty boy, should have been a dancer

Either he hit that tree on the left or I'm thinking Photoshop was involved...

downhill guy in Dirt is flatter than the Blue Falcon, fuck it I might go buy the mag tonight just for that photo, unreal

I zen it though corners.

This is laying it down Brian Foster style.

If you look at his front wheel hes turning away from the turn/corner which suggests that he was loosing the rear. From my own experience of BMX and MTB I would say that the low bike angle was also part of his technique to keep the bike on the track......and avoid stacking it. I reckon if his back didn't go he wouldn't have had the bike that low to the ground.

skid, or resist the pedal motion to get them set up for the corner.

Can't be a that big turn, if your crank don't take at least one revolution.. 69" isn't that much... :)

Short cranks are nice, and clipless pedals also gives good clearance typically..

Not really, although I am kind of aware of the pedals getting closer to the floor.

If you're going to be apprehensive about switching to fixed, be more worried about striking a pedal on the kerb than on the ground.

Agree - that's all you gotta look out for when squeezing through gaps near the kerb if moving to fixed

The downhill guy is also on a banked bend. Someone should set that up for fixed gear riders... Oh wait thats a track!

Can't be a that big turn, if your crank don't take at least one revolution.. 69" isn't that much... :)

Second time I've seen this today.. Gear Inches aren't the distance you move per revolution, they're the the notional diameter of the wheel you'd be running on a penny-farthing-style bike with a 1:1 gear ratio.

Since Circumference=pi x Diameter, you move about 3 times this far per revolution.
3.14 x 69 = 217" == 5.5m

I think this is what Sheldon B calls 'metres development' on his gear calculator.

[ / ped-ant]

Somehow this just never seems to be a problem. I thought it would when I went fixed... but it just never happens.

indeed. it's just not an issue.

i did the thing where i clipped my show onto my pedal, then leaned the bike over until the outer edge of the shoe hit the floor - the angle was ridiculous. no one ever leans over that much, iMO.

Second time I've seen this today.. Gear Inches aren't the distance you move per revolution, they're the the notional diameter of the wheel you'd be running on a penny-farthing-style bike with a 1:1 gear ratio.

Since Circumference=pi x Diameter, you move about 3 times this far per revolution.
3.14 x 69 = 217" == 5.5m

I think this is what Sheldon B calls 'metres development' on his gear calculator.

[ / ped-ant]

Well spotted. I prefer the term rollout, but thats just me.

I find it hard to accept that one can line up the peddles in such away for the entry of a corner at speed. slow down and you can take a smaller/shorter line through the corner but then you don't need to lean as much anyway so its then not an issue.