Fixing, month 2

souter

Still can't track stand and using the brakes as much as ever, but today it all came together when I totally blazed past my cycling nemesis (a subscriber? c. 8:30 am Collins Ave,I used to have the old brown claude butler?).
Ok, a tailwind and a surprise attack drafting behind a lorry helped in todays race, but the fixie is just so scarily fast.

Good news for any other middle age farts toying with fixing, not quite so good for the cool fixers - just do it.

unionman

souter wrote: »

Good news for any other middle age farts toying with fixing

Speaking as one of these, couldn't agree more!:D

tunney

Emmmm ever wonder if maybe the other person isn't racing?

TinyExplosions

tunney wrote: »

Emmmm ever wonder if maybe the other person isn't racing?

On a commute, everyone is racing

unionman

TinyExplosions wrote: »

On a commute, everyone is racing

True Dat*.

*With apologies to Omar;)

souter

Oh yes, we race. And the other guy invariably wins (or won, now that tricross + 25c gatorskins have entered the equation).
Must try a bit more conversation than pant..pant..nice..pant...bike..pant

cmyk

souter wrote: »

Still can't track stand and using the brakes as much as ever

I still can't trackstand or leg brake to be honest, have just got a decent gearing too, but still haven't had the balls to put my balls on the stem for fear of:
1. Extreme pain
2. Extreme embarrasment

I have however been really enjoying just cycling it. Must practice the above in a quiet location at the weekends.

jwwie

souter wrote: »

Still can't track stand and using the brakes as much as ever, but today it all came together when I totally blazed past my cycling nemesis (a subscriber? c. 8:30 am Collins Ave,I used to have the old brown claude butler?).
Ok, a tailwind and a surprise attack drafting behind a lorry helped in todays race, but the fixie is just so scarily fast.

Good news for any other middle age farts toying with fixing, not quite so good for the cool fixers - just do it.

it took me a few months to proper trackstand during commutes but its great when it all just clicks.

aburke

jwwie wrote: »

it took me a few months to proper trackstand during commutes but its great when it all just clicks.

How much easier is it on a fixie?
I can 'kind of' trackstand on a regular road bike or mountain bike.
It probably closer to cycling really slowly, but if there is a small incline, I can keep it still for a few seconds.

Chips Lovell

I can kind of track stand too on my road bike, but for the life of me can't do it on my track bike. Having said that, I've only just started using it, so may acquire that skill in time.

DavyD_83

tunney wrote: »

Emmmm ever wonder if maybe the other person isn't racing?

Not racing is just another term for losing.

tunney

DavyD_83 wrote: »

Not racing is just another term for losing.

Ahh the commuting competitor.

I used to do similar until I realised that it was impacting the quality of my training.

jwwie

aburke wrote: »

How much easier is it on a fixie?
I can 'kind of' trackstand on a regular road bike or mountain bike.
It probably closer to cycling really slowly, but if there is a small incline, I can keep it still for a few seconds.

its a lot easier than you might think. i can do it on both but im better on the fixie because i ran pedal back and forth (key here is back) to maintain balance. a small incline on a road bike is like being able to pedal backwards on a fixie, just let go of the brakes a bit and roll backwards. when i was first learning, i was trying too hard with hard quick movements and i ended up bailing out of the top clips. once you get used to it the motion is much smoother and you can stay balanced longer.

in those cases, that is (in my opinion) the appeal of the fixed chain. you are absolutely connected to everything. there is a sort of zen like balance between telling the bike what to do and having the bike tell you what to do. you are the motor and the brakes at the same time. i almost prefer the fixed in some cases, especially for commuting when there is a lot of stop and go. hope this helps, cheers.

blorg

Commute racing is a bit of fun although by god some people take it far too seriously!

petethedrummer

jwwie wrote: »

a small incline on a road bike is like being able to pedal backwards on a fixie, just let go of the brakes a bit and roll backwards.

yeah I can do it on a road bike, never been on a fixie. You just need the gentlest of slopes. and even if the road appears flat there is usually a very slight slope to the centre lines that you can use. Or a pot hole.

my only problem is i can only do it properly with the front wheel turned to the right, I need to practise more to the left.

rp

blorg wrote: »

Commute racing is a bit of fun although by god some people take it far too seriously!

It's a great way to keep the pace up, there's a fella I often meet on the way home, around Heuston, who stops me goofing off, doesn't matter who gets there first (in this case, the Leixlip turn-off, before the N4 becomes the M4).

blorg

tunney wrote: »

Ahh the commuting competitor.

I used to do similar until I realised that it was impacting the quality of my training.

We all have our excuses I was commute-racing a guy on a MTB home from Dundrum having done my shopping (didn't mean to start out that way, but I overtook him and then the race was on ;-) Just about staying ahead until he yells after me that my shopping was about to fall off the back. He wasn't lying either (after all it would be a churlish and unsporting way to win a commute race, and is against the unwritten code.) Shopping included 6 2-litre bottles of Coke, all of which exploded spectacularly when they hit the road! +1 Mr MTB guy, -1 Blorg.

Bicyclegadabout

Enjoying your kidney stones?

Itsfixed

jwwie wrote: »

in those cases, that is (in my opinion) the appeal of the fixed chain. you are absolutely connected to everything. there is a sort of zen like balance between telling the bike what to do and having the bike tell you what to do. you are the motor and the brakes at the same time. .

This describes very well the appeal of a fixie - finding the balance between you controlling the bike and the bike controlling you.

Must remember that.