Getting Fixed, Part 2

The dis-oriented author is a fixed gear newbie. I got my first fixed gear bike from my wife as an early Christmas present a few weeks ago. I got a Redline 925 with drop bars. By eventual goal is to get S&S couplings put on the bike so I can travel with it. I also wanted the extra fitness benefits of a bike that forces me to pedal continuously and attack hills aggressively the way I did as a youngster.

For now, I am working on learning how to ride it.

When I looked for a fixie I considered almost all of the commercially available models. I knew I wanted a steel frame so I could get it refit with S&S couplings. I especially liked the Scwhinn Madison's classic looks. The problem was that the Madison frame does not have a long enough top tube for my short legs and long arms. The 925 has a sloping top tube so I was able to get a frame I could standover that was long enough for me to ride comfortably.

When I test rode the bike, I asked the shop to switch the bike from fixed to free so I could ride it with the freewheel. I told the guys in the shop that I didn't want to learn to ride fixed on their bike. The bike was quick and responsive. Before I took the bike home, I asked the shop to flip the rear wheel and return it to fixed.

The 925 comes with aluminum road pedals and half to clips without straps. When I got the bike home, I took it out of the car and set it up for my first fixed ride. I have two pairs of cycling shoes, Shimano road shoes with Look cleats and Specialized mountain shoes with Ritchey cleats, neither one was going to be a good fit with the 925's half-clips. I ended up doing my first ride in my sandals (Nike's not Shimano SPDs).

The first thing that happened was that I hit my calf with the pedal. I had forgotten that not only can you not glide on a fixie — when you push it, the pedals turn. Next, I had to figure out how to get on the bike. I had to turn the pedals to a starting position and I put my left foot in the toe clip. I put my right foot on the bottom of the pedal and started out down my driveway. As I turned into the street I flipped the right pedal over and inserted my foot. Of course, when I did it, I tried to glide. Well, no matter, the pedals kept on turning and lifted me up out of the seat. On the next rotation I got my foot in and started down the hill in front of my house.

The bike has both front an rear brakes but it still seemed a bit scary to charge down the hill and turn the corner with the cranks spinning. The bike has a pretty high bottom bracket and 165mm crank arms so bottoming a pedal was not an issue.

I made a short circuit of about 1.5 miles with a long sloping hill down and then up. I had hardly gone 3 blocks before I found myself tiring from the constant pedaling. When I got to my block I had to stand up and attack the hill.

The ride went without incident but I learned a few things:

1. You cannot glide on a fixie no matter how hard you try
2. It's hard to pull up your shorts when you can't glide
3. You have to re-learn how to transition form sitting to standing

Later I replaced the stock tires with a set of Avocet FasGrip K20 32mm slicks. I have always liked the Avocets and the 32s fit the Redline frame. I also took Sheldon Brown's advice on pedals and borrowed the Look clipless from my road bike. Brown said that a new fixie rider should use the pedal system they are most familiar with. I have used Look pedals almost since they were introduced and I also like the stiffer road shoes so I gave it a shot.

The second ride got off to an inauspicious start. I got on my bike in my driveway, I clipped into my left pedal and then my right. Unfortunately at that point, I did not have enough momentum to stay on the bike. I unclipped my right pedal and promptly fell to my left. There I was lying on the ground, I hope none of my neighbors were looking out their windows.

On this ride I could tell the difference using the Look pedals and the road shoes. The difference in power transfer was significant. I did the same circuit and added a longer route it felt great. The issues I had with the toe clips were exacerbated by the cleats. I found it harder to transition to standing, I found it harder to figure out how to put a foot down at a stop sign.

Since then I have ridden several more times with the clipless pedals. I am so sure that I'll keep using the Looks that I ordered a red pair on Ebay.