Anyone here train fixed for "leg speed"?

[Boeing]

Is there any real value to training with a fixed gear on the road?

How does it increase so called leg speed?


If so what gear rations are you running.

What intervals and how often?

Do you run shorter crank arms?

Brakeless?

 

[Oldman]

Is there any real value to training with a fixed gear on the road?

How does it increase so called leg speed?


If so what gear rations are you running.

What intervals and how often?

Do you run shorter crank arms?

Brakeless?

If you've never ridden a fixed gear it's worth the experience to acquaint you with a proper position. Track riding is the easiest way to do it if you have a facility because your mistakes and adjustments are easier to monitor. Most folks run shorter crank arms because of banking and the gear/inch demand is lower than the bigger road gears. It will help you find a good positional point of balance, saddle height, etc because to have flaws your ride will be rough and painful. Great for learning how to "float" a gear in a pack as well.
If you can't do it on a track at least get your road version set up in a quiet venue to make the same adjustments. You're not supposed to be concerned with out of the saddle power, climbing and that stuff right off the bat. You'll learn what gearing suits your environment. Have a front brake unless you really want to look like some doofy hipster bike messenger wannabe.
As for intervals-make them part of your usual program if you want although a road bike or indoor trainer is still better for serious power training.

 

[boris&co]

I built a fixie last winter to see what the hype is all about and rode 1000 miles on it before I demoted it to my bike for going down the shops on, so I have some sort of perspective.

1. Is there any real value to training with a fixed gear on the road?

Well maybe. As Oldman says, it really does sort out your position on the bike, and quickly. As for technique I'm not so sure. Round where I live there are plenty of small hills (50m-80m) and I found that I just developed really bad habits with regard to mashing the pedals on a climb, habits that took another 1000 miles to rid myself of.

2. How does it increase so called leg speed?

Spinning down hills on a 65 inch gear at 30 miles an hour is just plain annoying, and you'll be surprised how badly a bike handles when you're pedalling like billy-o.

3. If so what gear rations are you running?

Highest gear you can get round your chosen circuit with - 65ins in my case.

4. What intervals and how often?

It was cold and wet and November. After that it got worse. I just went out and rode and forget the intervals.

5. Do you run shorter crank arms?

Yes, 165mm and I can tell you I was gratefull for them on the descents.

6. Brakeless?

Absolutely not. 2 brakes and proud. Since I became a grown-up I worry much less about the opinions of hipsters.

So in summary, you should just try it. It's cheap. You'll learn something (although the stuff you learn may be no use). It is fun in some kind of way - I swear it has some kind of hypnotic effect pedalling all the time, and when you finish your ride you often just don't want to stop. When you've had enough you'll have a bike left over to go down the shops/pub on. And of course this time next year you get to say "been there done that".

Chris

 

[humboldtcomeback]

the main benefit is that it is harder because you can never stop pedaling.

you can go out for flat rides and get a better workout in less time, OR

take it out to the rollers and think of the climbing part as SFR - just take your time, and be smoothe, THEN on the other side you'll probably want to control your speed but, ALSO go as fast as you can spinning smoothly - letting the bike push you past your 'limit', and then backing off.

another bonus is that you aren't wearing out your good duraace groupo - you can use cheaper parts, tires, etc - make it for going out to battle the weather.

it will teach you to keep pedaling all the time on your road bike and when you get back on your regular bike you'll have weird reflexes that make you want to pedal all the time... i think this is good for you.

try it.

 

[Fieldsprint]

Fixed gear riding is great for your fixed gear riding.

 

[Elegant Degenerate]

... and fitting in with the other hipsters.

but seriously, I don't think there are any advantages here. Well, not for roadies, anyway.

Having to pedal while cornering sharply is bloody annoying, if you ask me (edit: add descending to that). Having to pedal is not an advantage?! and as for SFR, your road bike would provide much more flexibility.

It's ok if you want to be a hipster, but don't try and pass it off as (efficient) training.

 

[galaxy1]

it will teach you to keep pedaling all the time on your road bike

also possible by going out on a road bike and pedalling all the time.

 

[Tapeworm]

Is there any real value to training with a fixed gear on the road?

Sort of. I train mainly for the track, so getting some extra miles on the track bike is of benefit.

How does it increase so called leg speed?

On declines you have to be able pedal smooth... otherwise it gets real interesting real quick. It also acts in the same way as motorpacing - you are using the gradient to allow you to produce power at a higher cadence using the same gearing than you would normally be able to. This helps when you are trying to go real fast in "normal" conditions, its a neural thing... apparently

If so what gear rations are you running.

Usually nothing greater than 90' - (50x15)

What intervals and how often?

Well, its kilo work for me so, 30secON/30secOFF, standing starts, cadence drills etc.

Do you run shorter crank arms?

170mm

Brakeless?

Dear god no. Bit of experimentation and I find a rear brake to be worthless though with a bit of reverse pressure on the pedals, so I keep to one front Shimano 105 - stops sharpish.


All of this is very useful for the track, not sure if helps much for roadies though.

 

[bc_hills]

Is there any real value to training with a fixed gear on the road?

How does it increase so called leg speed?


If so what gear rations are you running.

What intervals and how often?

Do you run shorter crank arms?

Brakeless?

Apparently it used to be common for early season riding to be done on a fixed gear bike. It increases "suppleness", it's been said. In any case, riding a "fixie" isn't new.

I used a fixed gear bike for the first time this season and it was great. It makes your legs strong as you've got intervals built in if you try and maintain a chosen cadence and of course getting up to speed requires more effort. It increases your leg speed by training you to spin efficiently at higher rpms as you go downhill. I can now spin efficiently at a higher cadence than I was able to before the fixed gear experience. And the feel for constantly spinning seems to benefit me back on the road bike; it keeps the blood flowing even when I'm not pushing hard (I find my legs feel fresher when I constantly spin).

A fixed gear bike gives a different feel for riding. You don't have gears so momentum is a very simple physical experience; you keep your cadence up to maintain a target speed or you grind it out when you can't keep that cadence. It's hard to translate the feel for riding a fixed gear into words without sounding like a douche, so I'll just say that it's fun and satisfying. It feels great and for short early season rides I now prefer it.

It was great to have such a simple drivetrain to keep clean in the early season muck, and my road bike felt like a rocket when I got back on it.

If you live someplace without a relatively flat circuit, I'm not so sure it would be as great an experience.

As for the gear ratio, I think that would depend on where you ride and your own strength level. I'd probably shoot for something that let you target 95 or 100 rpm on the flat so that you have room to maintain a decent cadence going up hill as well as something that doesn't have you spinning out as soon as you hit a decline. Maybe 48 x 18 or 48 x 16 as a start? You'll figure it out pretty quickly.

As for intervals and such, if your circuits are anything other than dead flat, you'll have intervals built in as long as you target a speed/cadence. In general I don't ride for enjoyment enough, so on the fixed I try to keep it simple. Intervals on the road on a fixed are hard to figure out because not only does your gearing have to suit the terrain, but you need a gear that let's you hit your target interval while leaving room for recovery. This is probably easy to do on a track, but I know I couldn't sort that out where I live. I just pick a gear set-up for the terrain and enjoy it and the built-in intervals it necessarily provides.

I have 165's on my fixed and 172's on my road bike. It's easier to spin at a higher cadence on the 165's.

I use a brake because it lets me stop very safely and it helps keep the downhill under control. These two things are important to me. The front brake is essential and the rear brake is superfluous.

In short, my experience with a fixed gear bike for the early season has been entirely positive... although once the weather dried up and warmed up, the fixed was relegated to commuting service only.

 

[pedaling squares]

Yeah, what bc_hills said.

I ride 48x17 as a commuter bike. I don't know that fixed is harder as the bike does some of the work for you in the dead spots. But it is good for 'la souplesse' as they say. Fixed riding helps me spin smoother and faster simply by forcing me to keep up or slow down or get bucked off. I use F&R brakes because I just can't crank the 48x17 into a dead stop quickly and well, because brakes are smart. Besides, I don't have a tattoo on my calf so I don't qualify to run brakeless. I ride 175mm cranks simply because that's what my buddy had lying around but when I buy a set myself they'll be 165 because of the pedaling in corners thing. Don't really like that on 175s. I enjoy the ride but as part of a training program for road racing, I don't know that it would really help much. It's great for a mainly flat commute, it would be great in an urban environment with different gearing, and it is a nice winter bike. Maybe fieldsprint summed it up best.

 

[CoachFergie]

In the flatter regions on New Zealand it's a bit of a tradition to race on fixed gears on the road. Especially in the Junior Ranks although numbers are smaller so safety is not such an issue. They were very common in time trials up until last year when fixed gears were banned by the UCI for road racing. Not sure this would have any impact on leg speed.

Where you do find leg speed and many other benefits is racing track. Where else do you get to practice field sprints 4-10 x a night and learn where your strengths and weaknesses in terms of sprinting and bunch riding are at the pointy end of a race.

Only issue with track is that it makes road racing feel slow and can lead to over enthusiastic starts to long distance races which may end in tears.