First Fixed Ride

correct

Meh, that's ratio of the clowns.

So. To sum up....

48/17 - Ratio of the gods
48/19 - Ratio of the clowns
50/14 - Legends only

B&d, Scoble, lost your 18 sprocket?

Aroogah; 50/14 ratio of choice of legends, Fenlanders and knee surgeons!

I've just started this week riding fixed. After 3 months using the freewheel I thought it was time to give it a shot. Instead of learning on a quiet day I just took the plunge and rode to work (Mile End to Soho) and it was ok! Remembering to pedal is the main thing but only got caught out a couple of times but no real drama. I'm still using both brakes until I get completely used to it.

The hardest part is when coming to a stop and making sure I have the pedals in the right place to head off again and not pushing backwards into whatever is behind me haha At the moment i'm using cheap shitty plastic pedals (Aventon Mataro) so next step is cleats and shoes. I'm not to keen on straps.

I have noticed that its alot harder to pedal. It almost feels like there is drag on the wheel. I just serviced the bike and lubed the chain etc so maybe its just the added force of it being a fixed gear and I need to get used to it?

48/17 - Ratio of the gods
48/19 - Ratio of the clowns
50/14 - Legends only

That's pretty much it. 48/19's too spinney.

I got up Swaine's on 48/17 even if I did nearly barf up a lung.

Your chain may be too tight, look for 1-2cm of vertical movement in the chain, tighter will probs be too tight.
Your fixed sprocket could also be smaller than your freewheel meaning you're on a higher gear?

That's comforting to hear. I'm on 46x17 on FW now which I'm really comfortable on, and my fixed cog is only 18 so not much of a step up. Maybe I'll just jump in like you did! Need straps though, I've no retention whatsover.

When I swamped the wheel round I marked the frame so it went back to the same place as on the free-wheel so i'll check them out when i get home! thanks

A workmate that rides fixed thought I was a bit crazy for trying it out on the ride through the city but a bit of danger keeps me alert! (i think)

I've got no retention either at the moment just till I get comfortable as id rather be able to ditch the bike why I'm still getting the hang of things than have a full blown moment

De-ja-vu :)

Speed 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0 Speed Gear
42x16 24 48 72 96 120 144 168 192 42x16
42x17 25 51 76 102 127 153 178 204 42x17
42x18 27 54 81 108 135 162 189 216 42x18
42x19 28 57 85 114 142 171 199 228 42x19
42x20 30 60 90 120 150 180 210 240 42x20
48x16 21 42 63 84 105 126 147 168 48x16
48x17 22 45 67 89 112 134 156 179 48x17
48x18 24 47 71 94 118 141 165 189 48x18
48x19 25 50 75 100 124 149 174 199 48x19
48x20 26 52 79 105 131 157 184 210 48x20

The muscle memory of coasting while looking over my shoulder bit me.
Forgot to pedal and got badly bounced by pedal kickback. Nearly wrapped the bike around a lampost.
Swapping out the pedals last night for the largest plastic toeclips i have and straps was a good move.
It's getting smoother, but it's little things like naturally trying to coast for kerb hopping or looking over shoulder or slow tight turns that get you pedal kick.

This thread. Super! I feel you...

Aw. hugs

It will come. Once you've been riding fixed for a while the surreal feeling comes back when you get onto a freewheel bike and the pedals no longer report through your legs. It really is bizzare. I tend to stick to one bike for any period of time and the feeling of freewheeling just struck me as strangely squishy, I felt like I'd lost a lot of control!

skid patches innit?!

i recommend http://www.surplace.fr/ffgc/ for ratios, skid patches, gain etc. easy and good.

what matteroftaste says, its a matter of habituality. just pedal on, you learn from the mistakes.

my personal technique to get the crank in the good position for takeoff at the lights is get right foot out, squeeze front brake |(you do have one dont you?) lightly while pushing handlebar, this generates some vertical rear wheel clearance from the road, rotate crank to the right position.

its now a second nature, i dont even think anymore while doing it

Yeah you do still think about it, you want the crank return motion to be fluid and almost imperceptible for moar cool.

Wish someone told me this on day 1, I figured this out after a couple of days of seat lifting, but still a top tip.
If I find that I am in the wrong crank position and need to go again quickly, I push forward off the rd and lunge with my body to generate forward movement. It's enough to get going and get my feet back on the pedals.

Rodolfo, thats a neat tip i will try that in the morning. Space allowing i have hopped back or forwards to get a good pedal position, or done a saddle lift.
Speed humps, no problem.
Done some kerb drops, no problem.
Did a bit of gentle hack and slash through traffic (filtering).

My freewheel rattles a bit on bumps and rough tarmac, on smooth good tarmac the silence is unerving, so used to slight rattles and squeaks, in SS mode the bike is quiet when the drive is under load but it's spooky quiet fixed.
Must find a bell.
Will remove freewheel over the weekend when i swap back to the Gold frame as missed the full mudguards in the rain last night.
Knees seem to be coping as as hoped less ache today.
:)

Had a "Forgot to pedal moment" again today.

Managed to derail the chain and get a foot bounced out of the toe clip.
Rode it out safely.
On the ride home the toe clip detached itself, must have pulled through on the bolts when i forgot to pedal.
Steel clips on the list as well.

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A couple of washers would save you buying steel toeclips. You'll want clipless foot retention soon anyway!

Some useful tips in this thread, thanks. Front brake crank reset at lights tip is definitely going to help!

I finished putting together a fixed bike recently, rode it a little and found it dead weird/scary. I used it to cycle in to town and back for a stag do, chickened out and stuck a freewheel on it. I'd been using it with the freewheel for a while and then decided I was being a wuss, so flipped it round again and have been doing some half hour to an hour rides fixed. I seem to have now got over the initial steep curve of leg bouncing and general panic when needing to stop, signal etc.

Strangely, I've noticed myself doing faster times on cycle path routes I've previously used my geared bike on. Don't know if that's just me going for it as I'm having more fun or what. I've definitely noticed myself going faster uphill, but then I'm out of the saddle, knowing I need to keep up momentum as I've got no spinner gear to fall back on.

Anyway, I consider myself a convert. Bike needs a few tweaks and I think I'll be able to spin a bit faster - downhill is still a bit scary but I'm definitely getting the hang of using my legs to control speed. Using brakes less and less. Muscles I didn't know I owned are complaining, which is all good.

Here's my bike. Reasonably light and fun to accelerate on. Both brakes present as I have a wife and child i'd be leaving behind. Horrible levers need changing for something less ugly though.

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Had my first go riding fixed this morning, but only down a side road. Felt relatively comfortable though obviously not tried it on the road yet. Gonna get some pedal straps on payday and put the fixed cog on my hub.

Lucky you didn't ship that inboard or get it wedged/tangled.