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If I understand the situation correctly what's being called fixed here is actually two differences from the usual gearing. The first that the ratio between peda

by pedrocr 12y ago

If I understand the situation correctly what's being called fixed here is actually two differences from the usual gearing. The first that the ratio between pedal and rear wheel is fixed (there is only one gear) and the second that the pedals and rear wheel are linked directly with no way for the pedals to stop while the wheel keeps going as is usual in a cyclist coasting. The benefits seem to be related to the second change so could we not build gearing like in a car where once the shift is done the link is direct?

analog31 12y ago
In cycling parlance, "fixed" refers to a bike where you can't coast. A bike that can coast is called "freewheel." A bike with only one ratio is referred to as "single speed." It's possible to have a fixed gear hub with more than one ratio -- Sturmey Archer makes one with three ratios. This hub is a rarity, and most fixed gear riders also prefer single speed. http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/s3x-silver http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/s3x-silver I'm not sure that I follow the article. It seems to suggest that on a freewheel bike, you pedal at a discontinuous rotational speed. If that were happening on my bike, I'd hear the freewheel mechanism engage and disengage with each stroke. Maybe this happens to elite cyclists, but I'm just not that strong.
- pedrocr 12y ago
  >In cycling parlance, "fixed" refers to a bike where you can't coast. A bike that can coast is called "freewheel." A bike with only one ratio is referred to as "single speed." Yeah, I assumed there would be proper names for both concepts but they do seem to go together usually and the article does discuss them without distinction. >I'm not sure that I follow the article. It seems to suggest that on a freewheel bike, you pedal at a discontinuous rotational speed. If that were happening on my bike, I'd hear the freewheel mechanism engage and disengage with each stroke. Maybe this happens to elite cyclists, but I'm just not that strong Yeah the reasoning does sound suspect. As long as your feet are attached to the pedals you should be able to power the rotation continuously and as you say never freewheel so you'd get no benefit over a fixed wheel. More importantly while in a track situation getting the power down might be a bottleneck in a road course surely the bottleneck is the rider actually being able to produce the power in the first place. As long as the drive system is efficient at transmitting power when it does exist there shouldn't be much more to gain from it.
  - analog31 12y ago
    As I understand it, there's a small amount of mechanical efficiency to be gained from ditching the derailleur, but the road cyclists need multiple gears in order to match their power output to the conditions: Terrain, wind, etc. With all of this said, I'm planning to build a fixed gear wheel for one of my bikes this summer, just to try it out. But I am not a competitive cyclist by any wild stretch of the imagination, and this is just for curiosity and fun.

by pedrocr 12y ago

analog31 12y ago

In cycling parlance, "fixed" refers to a bike where you can't coast. A bike that can coast is called "freewheel." A bike with only one ratio is referred to as "single speed." It's possible to have a fixed gear hub with more than one ratio -- Sturmey Archer makes one with three ratios. This hub is a rarity, and most fixed gear riders also prefer single speed. http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/s3x-silver http://www.sturmey-archer.com/en/products/detail/s3x-silver I'm not sure that I follow the article. It seems to suggest that on a freewheel bike, you pedal at a discontinuous rotational speed. If that were happening on my bike, I'd hear the freewheel mechanism engage and disengage with each stroke. Maybe this happens to elite cyclists, but I'm just not that strong.

pedrocr 12y ago
>In cycling parlance, "fixed" refers to a bike where you can't coast. A bike that can coast is called "freewheel." A bike with only one ratio is referred to as "single speed." Yeah, I assumed there would be proper names for both concepts but they do seem to go together usually and the article does discuss them without distinction. >I'm not sure that I follow the article. It seems to suggest that on a freewheel bike, you pedal at a discontinuous rotational speed. If that were happening on my bike, I'd hear the freewheel mechanism engage and disengage with each stroke. Maybe this happens to elite cyclists, but I'm just not that strong Yeah the reasoning does sound suspect. As long as your feet are attached to the pedals you should be able to power the rotation continuously and as you say never freewheel so you'd get no benefit over a fixed wheel. More importantly while in a track situation getting the power down might be a bottleneck in a road course surely the bottleneck is the rider actually being able to produce the power in the first place. As long as the drive system is efficient at transmitting power when it does exist there shouldn't be much more to gain from it.
- analog31 12y ago
  As I understand it, there's a small amount of mechanical efficiency to be gained from ditching the derailleur, but the road cyclists need multiple gears in order to match their power output to the conditions: Terrain, wind, etc. With all of this said, I'm planning to build a fixed gear wheel for one of my bikes this summer, just to try it out. But I am not a competitive cyclist by any wild stretch of the imagination, and this is just for curiosity and fun.