Should I make my bike a fixed gear?
- Thread starter BashMore
- Start date
I'd say no.
For a seasoned rider, fixed gears can help with pedalling technique and strength, by forcing the rider to pedal outside their normal comfort zone regarding effort and speed. It can be kinda fun too.
But for someone fairly new to the game, they also offer the possibility of pedal strike when cornering, awkwards starts from stationary at intersections and lights, and the outright scary feeling when the pedals start to outrun you on a descent.
The easy way to practice pedalling technique is to get a cyclocomputer with a cadence counter.
For a seasoned rider, fixed gears can help with pedalling technique and strength, by forcing the rider to pedal outside their normal comfort zone regarding effort and speed. It can be kinda fun too.
But for someone fairly new to the game, they also offer the possibility of pedal strike when cornering, awkwards starts from stationary at intersections and lights, and the outright scary feeling when the pedals start to outrun you on a descent.
The easy way to practice pedalling technique is to get a cyclocomputer with a cadence counter.
FWIW. As dabac has indicated, a "fixed gear" is probably not such a good idea ... at least, IMO, too ... but, I am presuming that you are riding on roadways vs. a bike path ...
IF you find that you NEVER shift because you ride in a relatively FLAT area with minimal elevation change (vs. not knowing when to shift), then a "Single Speed" which is capable of Freewheeling ("coasting") may indeed be a better option ... at least, initially ...
For an efficient Single Speed, you will probably want to determine the most efficient gearing for YOU (or, the training which you may be doing at the moment) rather than simply opt for the common 42x16 gearing which you will find on most ready-to-ride Single Speed bikes OR which will possibly be recommended to you ...
BTW. Let me reenforce what dabac mentioned that going down hills where the coasting speed might exceed 20mph can be troublesome on a "fixed gear" bike.
IF you find that you NEVER shift because you ride in a relatively FLAT area with minimal elevation change (vs. not knowing when to shift), then a "Single Speed" which is capable of Freewheeling ("coasting") may indeed be a better option ... at least, initially ...
For an efficient Single Speed, you will probably want to determine the most efficient gearing for YOU (or, the training which you may be doing at the moment) rather than simply opt for the common 42x16 gearing which you will find on most ready-to-ride Single Speed bikes OR which will possibly be recommended to you ...
- try several different chainring/cog combinations on your current bike where you ride ...
- ultimately, with a Single Speed, the gearing you choose will be a compromise
BTW. Let me reenforce what dabac mentioned that going down hills where the coasting speed might exceed 20mph can be troublesome on a "fixed gear" bike.
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