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Apologies for the weather but glad that you enjoyed it nonetheless. I am sorry that I did not see any other "fixed" riders on the way round but it is always a real pleasure to see so many other cyclists on the roads we cycle every day. Friends who were manning the checkpoints said that the number of "fixed" riders were way down this year so hoping for more next year (and better weather)!

There are no really steep or long hills on the Randonee route but like the waves on the beach, they just keep on coming at you. It is eminently doable fixed but you may want to take it steadily because the relentless short sharp hills can sap the stamina. Also, most of the hills on the Island have a bit of a kick near the summit. If you are reasonably fit 70 gear inches is good as it enables a reasonable (fixed) downhill speed and should not trouble you uphill. If you are really fit a lower gear will ensure you have no relaxation on the downhills.

If you want to hit some of the harder hills and get closer to the sea it is worth making a bit of a diversion down to Ventnor seafront which will give you a short 25% section climbing back up from the sea. You then take the Undercliff Road and can rejoin the Whitwell Road via St Lawrence Shute which again has a good 25% section. If you want to try (and probably fail) on a couple of dead end roads on the route with spectacular views there is (a) an unnamed lane on the right off Rew Lane (on the way out of Wroxall), just after the first sharp left hand bend, leading up to Stenbury Down which kicks up to over 25% about 2/3 up the hill; and (b) just a bit further on after coming off Rew Lane and climbing up the hill through the houses and shops before descending towards Ventnor there is a left turn (Down Lane) which leads up to St Boniface Down, the highest point on the Island,and again has a 25% section. I have mapped the options on MapMyRide and the link is below:
http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/73577664/?new_route=1

I really like the Time Ataks, the drawbacks being that the springs squeak a bit which can be annoying at first, they are a bit heavy and there is a tiny amount of rotating resistance but not enough to ever notice when pedalling. The float is excellent and you know when you are clipped in because there is a satisfying clunk and I have never pulled out of the clips involuntarily. I have Speedplay zeros on one of my geared bikes and they are great with the best float but have downsides: hard to tell if you are clipped in initially and the shoes need "cafe covers" to protect the plates even for short distances.
As for shoes, I think mountain bike shoes suit fixies best as you are tending to use a fixie for general purpose riding which involves more on and off the bike.

This was probably me :P

Sorry, missed the quote - Not you unless you have stubble on your chin and a grubby chain.

Not unless you had a bit of a scrubby beard and a grubby chain....

Fantastic day out but only saw one fixed (being pushed up the Blackgang hill) and one single speed freewheeling past me downhill on the way to the Wootton checkpoint. My Gazzetta was great up all the hills but twitchy as usual down all the hills. Bit windy on the South side of the Island but at least it meant that I did not need to work to slow myself down the back of the Freshwater hill for a change. I had some friends down from the High Peaks from Wills Wheels Cycle Club going geared; first time on the Island and they loved it. Great to see over 2000 cyclists spinning a small island!

44/18 for hilly country up to 10% ish.

Parrafin. I keep it in a glass jar and brush chain with it, in situ, for quick clean after a ride and for thorough clean I remove chain and soak in clean parrafin. Parrafin cleans and also provides some measure of lubrication and moisture protection. After cleaning I re-grease/oil chain and remove excess with a dry cloth.

The Randonee route has no hills greater than 10% and that only for short sections so should be possible on reasonably high geared fixed. Wind will usually be behind for the long S Coast section when going anti-clockwise. If you want the bigger hills you will need to go off-route - can be challenging. Having done the route a few times on geared bikes I will try it tomorrow on a 44/18 fixed. See you 1st May.