Single speed / fixie gears

[tzijlstra]

Apparently so. You also get bad spelling as well

 

Never! Just liked the combination of wine, fixies, beards and girls, or grills as the internet-set of lonely teenage boys call them these days

[buck]

Just get a bike with a Sturmey Archer.

Oh the quiet tick tick of a Sturmey Archer on a big green Raleigh. Enough to cure insomnia.

[Becky B]

TimmyR, you could always try this on the downhills for extra speed...

[TimmyR]

TimmyR, you could always try this on the downhills for extra speed...

 

Thats a good trick indeed.

 

re sturmey archer, I'm looking at hub gears as it happens. Same low maintenance but you don't have to ride in the wrong gear the whole time.

[Eater Sundae]

Thats a good trick indeed.

 

re sturmey archer, I'm looking at hub gears as it happens. Same low maintenance but you don't have to ride in the wrong gear the whole time.

 

But big steps between each ratio on the 3 speed, which can seem odd if you're more used to close ratios on a multi-speeder derailleur. When I've run a 3 speeder in Sheffield, I've gone for the biggest sprocket I could find to give ratios something like 36"/48"/64", which was OK for the steepest of hills, but I finished up having to freewheel downhill. Fitter people than me would be able to run a smaller sprocket.

 

Edit. But I think there is a noticeable difference between fixed and any freewheel, whether it's a Sturmey Archer type, or just using a single speed freewheel. There is a sort of smoothness to riding fixed, which lets you ride at a wide range of cadences, which is much harder when riding a freewheel bike. So it's possible (through necessity) to spin smoothly at one extreme, and still manage at a lower speed.

Edited September 1, 2016 by Eater Sundae

[TimmyR]

But big steps between each ratio on the 3 speed, which can seem odd if you're more used to close ratios on a multi-speeder derailleur. When I've run a 3 speeder in Sheffield, I've gone for the biggest sprocket I could find to give ratios something like 36"/48"/64", which was OK for the steepest of hills, but I finished up having to freewheel downhill. Fitter people than me would be able to run a smaller sprocket.

 

Edit. But I think there is a noticeable difference between fixed and any freewheel, whether it's a Sturmey Archer type, or just using a single speed freewheel. There is a sort of smoothness to riding fixed, which lets you ride at a wide range of cadences, which is much harder when riding a freewheel bike. So it's possible (through necessity) to spin smoothly at one extreme, and still manage at a lower speed.

 

I was looking at 7 speeds but to be honest I'll probably just stick with good old derailleur.

Re fixies you may be able to ride at a range of cadences but you're still limited. You won't be able to ride fast down a hill (30mph+) whilst still being able to get back up the hill after. They're designed for tracks where speed is fairly constant not hilly sheffield riding.