Fixed-wheel racing bikes (Fixed Wheel - General Tips & Comments)

Member Name: dhawkins

Product:	Fixed Wheel - General Tips & Comments
Date:	27/10/00 (4081 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Speed, agility, simplicity!

Disadvantages: "A potential deathtrap!"

For those who may not know, a fixed-wheel racing bicycle is a bicycle which has no freewheel which means that whilst the back wheel is going round, the pedals have to go round as well. This also means that the bike cannot have any gears as it would be very difficult to change gear smoothly.

"What is the use of that?" you might be thinking, "Surely it is nothing but a potential deathtrap!". Well, to a certain extent that might be the case but once the initial unfamiliarity is out of the way, the benefits are immediately apparent.

For starters, the bike is very simple. There are no front or rear mechs, gear levers, gear cables or a built up back wheel and maybe even no back brake to weigh the bike down or need maintaining.

As the back wheel is in effect directly connected to the pedals, this helps to push the pedals along which is beneficial in headwinds, on hills (especially short, steep ones) and when starting off. The acceleration on a fixed-wheel bike is greatly enhanced, making it extremely effective in busy traffic conditions.

There can be some disadvantage in having no gears or fixed wheel. There are no benefits of downhill on a fixed wheel bike as the rider must carry on pedalling anyway and they can only go as fast as they can pedal. For some riders, there may be a need for a lower gear on the uphill as well. However, both these problems are largely overcome by rider fitness. Whilst it should be understood that the rider requires high stamina to get anywhere on a fixed-wheel bike, the bike itself will prove as an excellent way of improving fitness and will enhance performance on a standard bike.

A couple of years ago, I built my own fixed-wheel bike. I started with the rear hub. This is far more simple than a standard hub although it is still a specialised item which may need a bit of searching out. The one I used is a Miche Primato hub which comes with a 15-tooth and a 17-tooth sprocket which
can be swapped around if necessary. The back wheel was then made up around the hub.

The other main specialised component is the frame. The main differences between a fixed-wheel frame and a standard frame is that the rear dropouts should be horizontal (pointing backwards), there should be no braze-ons for gear levers and maybe no rear brake arch. In essence, this is the same as a track frame. Frames like this might need to be ordered specially if bought new although I opted for a second-hand 531 track frame (£110 - through a newspaper advert). I chose to have a rear brake arch fitted (for increased road safety) and the frame resprayed (£130).

For the chainset, a single-ring chainset is required. I got a Miche Primato track chainset (£70) and removed the 48-tooth ring and fitted a 42-tooth ring. I used the 17-tooth sprocket on the back giving a ratio similar to a an almost top-gear on a mountain or touring bike although near bottom gear on a racing bike. This is fine for getting up most hills (even in my home town of Bristol) although sometimes this does feel a bit low on the downhill which leads to some excessive pedalling!

The rest of the components on the bike were pretty much as standard. I fitted STD clipless pedals on the bike. This does increase the risk factor somewhat and I have to be very careful although it helps with the overall lightness and I believe it essential to have some connection with the pedals especially when climbing. I have only had a couple of incidents as a result of being clipped in, both of which were standing topples!

All in all, the bike cost about £700 (as referred to in the price section) to build which is a reasonable price considering that pre-built brand-new fixed wheel bikes are almost impossible to come by.

Since building the bike, I have taken it out on a few long rides which have proven to be very successful. It does take a little while to warm up and build up the stamina on the bi
ke, so during a long ride the effect can be really appreciated. I have also commuted on it for a few weeks whilst my other bike was being repaired. Although fairly precarious in heavy traffic conditions, it is really great for getting away from traffic lights quickly.

I would recommend a fixed-wheel bike to anyone is a keen cyclist and willing to try something different. Admittedly, it is a bit of a luxury item as I wouldn't want to use it everyday but when I do use it, I certainly enjoy it.

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