fixed speed - Page 2 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

01-14-2007, 09:11 PM

In article <0n1foe.uce.ln@bud.garden.local>,
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] (Tom Keats) writes:
> In article <JtDqh.8824$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].prodigy.net> ,
> "Mike Kruger" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:

>> These bikes are often converted -- old 10-speeds are
>> popular in some quarters because they have a more horizontal rear dropout.
>> on the frame.

N.B: horizontal dropouts facilitate tensioning the chain
by moving the rear wheel back & forth in the dropouts.

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

01-15-2007, 06:14 AM

Tom Keats wrote:
> In article <zYBqh.655722$1T2.599973@pd7urf2no>,
> "nash" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> writes:
> >
> > "nash" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> > news:ilxqh.653943$1T2.97271@pd7urf2no...
> >> How do you go up hills on a single fixed or is it downhill you cannot
> >> adjust?
> >>
> >> Wondering because for $300 a Windsor looks darn cheap.
> >
> > Are the fixed speeds used in velodrome racing or training?
>
> Heh.
>
> My smile is wider than my face can handle :-)
>
> No, I'm not mocking you or doing or thinking anything
> derogatory towards ya. Perish the thought.
>
> It's just that track racing gets so little publicity,
> yet it's such a valid venue for competitive cycling.
> But the road races hog all the glory and public exposure,
> while track racing goes so largely unnoticed.

Sure, but ya know, need a velodrome first...those are the things in
short supply. 'They' have been saying one woud be around here for
decades. Track racing is so much better to watch than road racing, gear
cheaper, lots of fun.
>
> If only I were 35 or so years younger ...
>
> Anyways, yes -- track bikes are fixed-gear. And track
> handlebars are different-looking than road handlebars.
> And when you stand and look at the banked curves of
> a wooden track, you'll be awe-struck. When you're
> sitting in the stands and feel the rush of air as the
> riders zoom past ... well, it just gets under your skin.
>
>
> cheers,
> Tom
>
> --
> Nothing is safe from me.
> Above address is just a spam midden.
> I'm really at: tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

01-15-2007, 11:34 AM

On 2007-01-14, nash <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> How do you go up hills on a single fixed

The same way you do on any other bike, except you don't change gears.

> or is it downhill you cannot adjust?

You can't *coast* on a fixed gear, which takes some of the joy of
downhills away. You'll want a brake of some sort so you can keep your
speed down to a point where your legs can handle it.

--

John ([Only registered and activated users can see links. ].org)

01-15-2007, 11:46 AM

On 2007-01-15, Skip <Skip@nospam.invalid> wrote:

> The classic "Jack's Footer" video clip
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

So, what was the piece that came off just before he crashed?

--

John ([Only registered and activated users can see links. ].org)

01-15-2007, 12:41 PM

On Mon, 15 Jan 2007 13:34:30 -0600, John Thompson
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].org> wrote:

>You can't *coast* on a fixed gear, which takes some of the joy of
>downhills away. You'll want a brake of some sort so you can keep your
>speed down to a point where your legs can handle it.

Long ago, they would coast on a fixie - but you better have good tread
for when you put your shoe against the tire when you needed to slow
down. The coasting was done a lot like a penny farthing - put out your
legs and worry about making contact with the pedals later. Doubt it is
the way preferred by your friends and local health provider.

The fun part of a fixed gear was the first week each year, getting the
second foot into the cage (mine was presnap-in) while in traffic.
Always got easier, but at least once I would look like a complete
idiot, pedalling one-legged for a block or so. That would also be the
week when I would hit the brake coming to a stop and forget I was on
the fixed gear, backpedal my feet to coast and go over the handle
bars. Had a routine, picking up the bike like it was its fault...

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

01-15-2007, 01:22 PM

John Thompson writes:

>> The classic "Jack's Footer" video clip:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

> So, what was the piece that came off just before he crashed?

If you look carefully, you'll see that the tire bulges off the rim
ahead of the road contact, not being attached by glue or anchor
screws. This causes flexing and together with the shimmy caused by
pedal imbalance, apparent throughout the run, broke the tire at its
joint. The noise heard is the bare rim scraping on the pavement.

I don't know the background of this bicycle but it appears to be a
replica, the shiny spokes not being available in the days of such
bicycles. The pedals are also "modern". Too bad he didn't research
the project enough to know that retaining a solid tire is a serious
problem. Inflated, clinchers and tubulars take care of retention by
constriction of their bias ply casing. However, tubulars crept around
the wheel from heavy braking on hills by melting rim glue that became
a lubricant, ultimately bursting the tire at the valve stem.

What you saw coming off was the solid tire after it separated at its
butt joint where it failed from the flexing tire bulge.

Jobst Brandt

01-15-2007, 05:15 PM

nash wrote:
> How do you go up hills on a single fixed or is it downhill you cannot
> adjust?

With your legs. On the bicycle.

And the Law is that you will not make up on the
down-hill what you lost on the uphill, Mr. Multi-speed.

> Wondering because for $300 a Windsor looks darn cheap.

And probably worth what you pay. A decent track
crank and wheelset will set you back well over twice
that.

It all depends on what you want.

01-15-2007, 06:44 PM

<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:1168910126.180541.160740@38g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
> nash wrote:
>> How do you go up hills on a single fixed or is it downhill you cannot
>> adjust?
>
> With your legs. On the bicycle.
>
> And the Law is that you will not make up on the
> down-hill what you lost on the uphill, Mr. Multi-speed.
>
>> Wondering because for $300 a Windsor looks darn cheap.
>
> And probably worth what you pay. A decent track
> crank and wheelset will set you back well over twice
> that.
>
> It all depends on what you want.

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

does that answer question on quality. If they shipped to Canada I would get
it because it is cheaper than making your own from an old 10 speed. Would
not know how anyways. The dollars are low, not the value as far as I can
tell.
>

01-15-2007, 08:18 PM

In article <c_Wqh.665987$5R2.295855@pd7urf3no>,
"nash" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
> news:1168910126.180541.160740@38g2000cwa.googlegro ups.com...
> > nash wrote:
> >> How do you go up hills on a single fixed or is it downhill you cannot
> >> adjust?
> >
> > With your legs. On the bicycle.
> >
> > And the Law is that you will not make up on the
> > down-hill what you lost on the uphill, Mr. Multi-speed.
> >
> >> Wondering because for $300 a Windsor looks darn cheap.
> >
> > And probably worth what you pay. A decent track
> > crank and wheelset will set you back well over twice
> > that.
> >
> > It all depends on what you want.
>
> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> does that answer question on quality. If they shipped to Canada I would get
> it because it is cheaper than making your own from an old 10 speed. Would
> not know how anyways. The dollars are low, not the value as far as I can
> tell.

Nash:

Sports Junkies has KHS track bikes for C$500.

The preferred method for shipping stuff to Canada is to get them to ship
to The Letter Carrier in Point Roberts, WA. The receiving fee that TLC
charges is minimal, and I am a happy repeat customer.

thelettercarrier.com

--
Ryan Cousineau [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
"I don't want kids who are thinking about going into mathematics
to think that they have to take drugs to succeed." -Paul Erdos

01-15-2007, 11:01 PM

Sports Junkies has KHS track bikes for C$500.
<<<<<

Sounds like it must be used. The Windsor is 60% off.
Though I have often wondered about Pt. Roberts delivery, thank-you.

SN
Thanks for everyones help.
I think track bikes should stay inside on the track. Speed just seems to
get me into alot of trouble. Especially when it is my right of way.
Might think about it again when I need another bike.