fixed

EoinC

After re-reading this, I should clarify - I meant that it "hits" my leg strength in climbing hills.

teammiyata

What do you mean by "hits"?

EoinC

Diminishes, depletes, decimates, destroys & generally makes my climbing pathetic. The 165's feel like they have no leverage on the hills. They are liveable (since I don't want to throw any more money at the bike), but not ideal. 172.5's or 175's would be much better for me.

teammiyata

I know a couple of guys that run 175's but they're like 6'5" or taller. You really want to be careful using long cranks on a fix. It's not the downstroke that gives you problem, it's the crank coming back at you. If the crank is too long it will constantly "slap" your leg and can cause leg and knee problems. I'd go for the 172.5's unless you are real tall or have long legs. Remember, your trying to spin up the hill. On a fix this skill can take a while to develop.

EoinC

I'm not actually intending changing - I've been riding this fixie on the road for the last 6 years or so with 165's. I have no problem with spinning and keeping up with traffic, but the 165's are a bit short for leverage going over the hills around here. Liveable, but not perfect.

teammiyata

I don't think the fix was really intended for climbing. The few times I've taken mine into 'real' hills, climbing has always been tough. 165's definitely don't help. On the other hand, I think they are a much more aclimated to riding in traffic. They just have a predictability that matches the movement of cars. So long as you don't get hit.

EoinC

Agreed. I find the fixie great in traffic - better control than a freewheel and you tend to ride in a more "aware" state. I've gone up some big hills (Genting in Kuala Lumpur) and they're a total grind using a 77" on 165's. They're also fairly tiring coming back down, although I tend to ride sitting up / no hands on the long descents, using the pedalling and wind resistance to control speed - you just don't get the rest that everyone else does.

dumbell

About 20 years ago I had a road/track frame built by Cliff Shrubb a brilliant frame builder here in the UK. It duplicated my track bike measurments but made a small allowence to take the shallowest brakes then available (as I had crashed many times out training on the roads due to motorists who just dont seem to see cyclists) and I did not want to risk a bike with no brakes.
I lent the bike to a friends son in South Africa who had shown an interest in track racing.I recently got the bike back after 18 years!! It is a bit scruffey but no major damage. So I bought a pair of Shimano Dura Ace double sided fixed L/Flange track hubs, and had a pair of wheels made up. So I have a nice easy spinning gear one side 66.8 and a good sprint training gear on the other 88. You need to use a half link in the chain and the whole length of the track ends but it can be done. It is great to ride it again.

EoinC

Modolo's? It's great riding a fixed-wheel on the road (except for the hills).

dumbell

You know I was not sure which brakes they were ,so I have just gone and checked and they are Universal CX's. The frame is a mixture of various Columbus tubing mostly track tubing set with tandam chainstays for extra rigidity. Plus Cinelli cast bottom bracket, fork crown and lug set.