Will riding a fixed wheel bike make you a faster cyclist?
http://www.cycling-inform.com/articles/355/1/Will-riding-a-fixed-wheel-bike-make-you-a-faster-cyclist/Page1.html
David Heatley
David Heatley has
medalled at national and regional cycling events in By David Heatley
Published on 17-Dec-08
In this article I discuss the merits of fixed wheel riding.
In this article I discuss the merits of fixed wheel riding.
First what is it? Fixed wheel bikes are the only drive chain of the track bike. They consist of a cog, not a freewheel (like a BMX or single speed), that is wound directly onto the wheel. The result is a drive chain that doesn't coast. When you move forward the pedals move forward. Move back and the pedals move back. The combination of the ratio of the font chain ring and rear cog produces the gear that you ride in... everywhere. There are no gear changes or coasting on a fixed wheel bike.
Recently there has been a resurgence on fixed wheel bikes around the world. They are great for commuting to work when the terrain is relatively flat. And, as there are less parts on a fixed bike they are easier to maintain. This is ideal for the winter commute.
But do they improve your performance? There is currently mixed debates about their merits in improving your performance.
Before I start let me say that I'm a keen advocate of fixed and single speed bikes for off season, commuting and recovery riding.
The current argument against fixed wheel bikes is that because they are fixed the pedals carry your stroke through the dead spots. The theory goes that this means the bike is pedalling for you. I can understand the argument but personally believe that there are many benefits to out weight this.
Marco Pantani, when he broke his leg, spent quite a bit of his time on a fixed wheel bike. The theory was that by doing so he built his strength back up in a balanced way. Pantani is not alone. Lance Armstrong is also an advocate of using fixed wheel bikes in his pre season build up as well.
So here are some of my reasons why I think it's a great idea:
Firstly, fixed wheel riding, once mastered is fun. I enjoy riding my fixie and this means that I get out more. It breaks up my training with something a little different.
When you ride there is no freewheeling. This means that you pedal every stroke of the ride. Ride 50km, pedal 50 km. As mentioned before, as the bike is kind of helping you pedal, you naturally ride in a balanced way so if you have a dominant right or left leg a fixie bike will help sort this out.
When you ride downhill you are forced to over-rev. This is a great training technique that I coach on normal geared bikes. With the fixie you have no option but do this training every time you go down hill. it's not uncommon to hit cadences of 130+. This is great for building leg speed and smoothing out your pedal stroke. It also makes you more efficient.
The reverse is true for up hills. Can't change down a gear or two on a fixie so you are forced to do big gear hill repeats. This is another great training technique that we incorporate into our coaching programs. Riding on big gears up hill helps build "on the bike strength" that helps you climb and ride faster.
By riding a low gear fast you can improve your cardiovascular system. If you pick a gear of around a 70" gear (48 chainring & 18 rear cog) you'll be riding at around 100 rpm when travelling at 30km/h. Lower the gear to 66" (44 chainring & 18 rear cog) and you'll be forced to rev higher. The higher you rev the more you rely on your aerobic fitness. And, this improves your overall fitness every time you jump on a fixie with a low gear.
It's great for recovery as well. If you need to ride recovery rides as part of your training plan the fixed bike with a low gear forces you to stick to your program. Can't change up to a big gear and hammer it out on those recovery days.
The fixie drive chain is slightly more efficient than a geared drive chain. This is because there are no derailleurs causing drag on the chain. You could actually ride faster on a fixed bike than a geared bike. Some people compete on fixed gear bikes in road time trials for this reason (and a few others).
Note: To calculate the gear inches do the following: Take the number of teeth of the front chaining ring and divide it by the number of teeth on the rear cog. Then times that figure by 27. Example 51 / 17 x 27 = 81.0"
First what is it? Fixed wheel bikes are the only drive chain of the track bike. They consist of a cog, not a freewheel (like a BMX or single speed), that is wound directly onto the wheel. The result is a drive chain that doesn't coast. When you move forward the pedals move forward. Move back and the pedals move back. The combination of the ratio of the font chain ring and rear cog produces the gear that you ride in... everywhere. There are no gear changes or coasting on a fixed wheel bike.
Recently there has been a resurgence on fixed wheel bikes around the world. They are great for commuting to work when the terrain is relatively flat. And, as there are less parts on a fixed bike they are easier to maintain. This is ideal for the winter commute.
But do they improve your performance? There is currently mixed debates about their merits in improving your performance.
Before I start let me say that I'm a keen advocate of fixed and single speed bikes for off season, commuting and recovery riding.
The current argument against fixed wheel bikes is that because they are fixed the pedals carry your stroke through the dead spots. The theory goes that this means the bike is pedalling for you. I can understand the argument but personally believe that there are many benefits to out weight this.
Marco Pantani, when he broke his leg, spent quite a bit of his time on a fixed wheel bike. The theory was that by doing so he built his strength back up in a balanced way. Pantani is not alone. Lance Armstrong is also an advocate of using fixed wheel bikes in his pre season build up as well.
So here are some of my reasons why I think it's a great idea:
Firstly, fixed wheel riding, once mastered is fun. I enjoy riding my fixie and this means that I get out more. It breaks up my training with something a little different.
When you ride there is no freewheeling. This means that you pedal every stroke of the ride. Ride 50km, pedal 50 km. As mentioned before, as the bike is kind of helping you pedal, you naturally ride in a balanced way so if you have a dominant right or left leg a fixie bike will help sort this out.
When you ride downhill you are forced to over-rev. This is a great training technique that I coach on normal geared bikes. With the fixie you have no option but do this training every time you go down hill. it's not uncommon to hit cadences of 130+. This is great for building leg speed and smoothing out your pedal stroke. It also makes you more efficient.
The reverse is true for up hills. Can't change down a gear or two on a fixie so you are forced to do big gear hill repeats. This is another great training technique that we incorporate into our coaching programs. Riding on big gears up hill helps build "on the bike strength" that helps you climb and ride faster.
By riding a low gear fast you can improve your cardiovascular system. If you pick a gear of around a 70" gear (48 chainring & 18 rear cog) you'll be riding at around 100 rpm when travelling at 30km/h. Lower the gear to 66" (44 chainring & 18 rear cog) and you'll be forced to rev higher. The higher you rev the more you rely on your aerobic fitness. And, this improves your overall fitness every time you jump on a fixie with a low gear.
It's great for recovery as well. If you need to ride recovery rides as part of your training plan the fixed bike with a low gear forces you to stick to your program. Can't change up to a big gear and hammer it out on those recovery days.
The fixie drive chain is slightly more efficient than a geared drive chain. This is because there are no derailleurs causing drag on the chain. You could actually ride faster on a fixed bike than a geared bike. Some people compete on fixed gear bikes in road time trials for this reason (and a few others).
Note: To calculate the gear inches do the following: Take the number of teeth of the front chaining ring and divide it by the number of teeth on the rear cog. Then times that figure by 27. Example 51 / 17 x 27 = 81.0"