Advertisement
hi.
okay, so i just decided to (try to) learn to (try to) ride fixed. (i've only really even been riding since i moved here a couple months ago. i'm not exaggerating when i say i know nothing about bikes. but i'm learning. and i'm excited. and i love riding....)
anyway, i built a surly steamroller and it's all pretty and perfect and ready to be ridden. i went with clipless pedals and took him out once and realised that clipless was so not the way to go cuz on top of everything else that i was trying to learn and remember, the last thing i needed was to realise at the last second--as i was falling over, after i finally stopped (yay!)-- that my feet were fucking stuck to the pedals.
anyway... so i'm switching to clips & straps, while i'm learning anyway.
not that you all care about any of this probably. i'm just all excited about my new bike and stuff. i was just wondering if any of you might have any pointers/ advice.
maybe? please? before i die?
thanks.
~k
okay, so i just decided to (try to) learn to (try to) ride fixed. (i've only really even been riding since i moved here a couple months ago. i'm not exaggerating when i say i know nothing about bikes. but i'm learning. and i'm excited. and i love riding....)
anyway, i built a surly steamroller and it's all pretty and perfect and ready to be ridden. i went with clipless pedals and took him out once and realised that clipless was so not the way to go cuz on top of everything else that i was trying to learn and remember, the last thing i needed was to realise at the last second--as i was falling over, after i finally stopped (yay!)-- that my feet were fucking stuck to the pedals.
anyway... so i'm switching to clips & straps, while i'm learning anyway.
not that you all care about any of this probably. i'm just all excited about my new bike and stuff. i was just wondering if any of you might have any pointers/ advice.
maybe? please? before i die?
thanks.
~k
Advertisement
Advertisement
-
Unsu...
Re: help...?
Tue, November 8, 2005 - 6:59 AMMay get some platforms (BMX type) pedals to start. Just so you get used to what it is to ride fixed. Then move to clipless. Once you master those then try the clip and straps. Each style has it's benefits. Platforms are the easiest to remove your feet on and you can use <b><em>ANY</em></b> shoe. Next easiest to use is clipless, but then you're limited to cycling shoes. Clips and straps are the hardest to get out of, but can be the most secure, and most convient as you can use any shoe tht will fit in the cages.
Hope this helps.
-
Re: help...?
Tue, November 8, 2005 - 9:19 AMI'm firmly in the camp of 'Holy shit! Don't you dare ride clipless pedals on a fixie on the street!' I carry a fear of flying along and coming unclipped just in time to zip into a busy intersection, and get crushed.
Go with the toe-clips, forget the platforms. The platforms will make it easier to put your feet up and let the pedals spin, this won't help you to get your steed under control. You might fall over once or twice, but I have too, no big deal, the blow to the pride isn't that bad.
Make sure you're rolling a front brake too! Don't listen to anyone telling you you should drop the brake, this is new to you and you should make every effort to put safety first. The front brake is happy land, and you only have to use it when you want, ya know.
Now get out there and ride! Oh yeah, get together with a cute fixie veteren, (of your choice) and learn how to skid confidently. Skidding on the fixie is a real joy, and I personally can't stop smiling when I do it.
Cheers!
Matt -
-
Re: help...?
Tue, November 8, 2005 - 12:42 PM"Now get out there and ride! Oh yeah, get together with a cute fixie veteren, (of your choice) and learn how to skid confidently"
Matt are you talking about me ? you sly devil you !!! -
-
Re: help...?
Tue, November 8, 2005 - 1:53 PMI don't know, you live in Dallas, I'm in Seattle, Karen's in Portland. Those who know me know I'd never speak so highly of myself......or would I?
-
-
Re: help...?
Wed, November 9, 2005 - 10:01 PMand oh yeah i put a front brake on. i considered for a minute not but then i realised that i wanted to live. you're right.
-
-
Re: help...?
Tue, November 8, 2005 - 2:09 PMGet used to the clipless before the fixed gear. -
-
Re: help...?
Wed, November 9, 2005 - 10:06 PMyeah, ten minutes in my studio apartment, one foot planted firmly on my mattress-on-the-floor, the other clicking in and out got me comfortable enough with the clipless.
another ten minutes, clipped in, pedalling/rolling back and forth while holding onto a wall for balance was enough to convince me that i wasn't ready to try to master trackstands yet.
i'm sure the tenants below me were wondering what the hell was going on in my apartment (i toppled over two or three times). -
-
-
Re: help...?
Sun, November 13, 2005 - 12:05 AMI ride clipless no brakes and im not crazy(shut up matt!). i would reccomend the front brake though if yer just starting out. if you have a good set of pedals and cleats you should be fine ( i reccomend a TIME MTB setup) just take it easy and itll come. bike love. e -
-
Re: help...?
Sun, November 13, 2005 - 12:15 AMshimano. spd. okay, well now there's a dissenting vote.
it was easy when it was unanimous. we'll see how it goes. i'll let you guys know. -
-
Re: help...?
Sun, November 13, 2005 - 12:30 AMHere's a dissenting vote for ya: I prefer the Wellgos that look like spd535s. With an spd cleat there's no float. And I skid quite a bit. I do deceleration hops and alternate the forward foot to wear the tire more evenly. -
-
Re: help...?
Sun, November 13, 2005 - 2:26 PMAnother dissenting vote here.
I'm not necessarily a fixed veteran, but I've got over 5000 miles fixed, over the past couple years, all on clipless.
Never had an issue with clipping out, with either the SPDs I ran to begin with, or the eggbeaters I'm running now. Actually, I think I might have popped out of the old SPDs once, but after I cranked up the spring tension it was no longer an issue.
I was thinking about putting clips and straps on my new beater townie so I could wear any shoes on that bike. I decided against it 'cause I figured sooner or later I'd blow a trackstand and end up splayed across the intersection all 'cause I couldn't get out of my clips and cinched-down straps in time.
I rarely have to put a foot down, but it's nice to know that if I do it's easy to do so. That's not the case if you're running clips and straps cinched down tight enough to skid.
-Trevor
-
-
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: help...?
Mon, November 14, 2005 - 10:40 AMjust a slightly different perspective here....
i love riding my fixie, and my other bikes for that matter with spds...the power in your pedal stroke is awsome! the smoothness of form, balance is better....and if you don't have to pull your feet out of your pedals often, well then they probably won't loosen up...and and you won't be walking around on your cleats wearing them down...you'll just be riding...then by all means...go clipless! if you are a messenger...clicking out and walking around...save your cleats, save your shoes, save your back, clips and loose straps with big toe shoes that fill them up....you can skid to stop and get out when you need too...same goes if you are just riding around town.....and if you love your bikes and are riding them everywhere...then you will be riding them when you go out....and like i have said before...they don't make spd heels....but the truth is you gotta ride like you do....make your own mind up! -
-
Re: help...?
Tue, November 15, 2005 - 11:52 PMthank you. again. for having help that actually helps and doesn't jump lightyears ahead to the whole skidding-around-corners crap.
yeah, i love the clipless for the whole power and smoothness and everything it gives you, but i'm still clicking out too much--i'm riding in the city yet and i can't track yet at the lights--so i'm afraid i'm gonna wear them out so i'm probably gonna be best to go with clips and loose straps for now.
i don't know.
but thanks.
i'm doing much much better than i'd hoped i would with this though and i'm having the fucking time of my life. -
-
Re: help...?
Wed, January 4, 2006 - 4:44 AMI'd have to say... learn one or the other first.. either get a flip/flop hub that you can run single-speed (with coasting) while you're learning to ride the clip-less or the other way around with flat pedals.
My personal rides sport Crank Bros. pedals which I adore!
To me, clips and straps are about the scariest things known to mankind.
If you're already getting the hang of track standing you're light years ahead of a lot of people. Great job.
You can't clip out "Too" much. That's the point. If you feel that you need to, do it... at least you can with clipless. Just make sure that your shoe will stay on the pedal and not slip off. That can lead to serious problems.
Great job! -
-
Re: help...?
Fri, January 6, 2006 - 1:09 PMi've got a flip-flop hub actually. i've just never bothered to flip it.
...thanks but don't congratulate me yet. i still haven't quite gotten the hang of track-standing. i've only really mastered crawling up to a light and trying to wait it out, but as soon as i'm at 0mph, i lose it pretty quickly.
i know, patience. and practice.
but i'm riding clips and straps now. i prefer them.
thanks for the advice; that's good to know about the clipless. -
-
Unsu...
Re: help...?
Sat, January 7, 2006 - 9:41 AMi've been riding spds ona fixie for 3 years the only time i've had trouble with clipping out accidentally is when i'm accelerating all crazy like and *click* oh crap....*click* there we go...and it's fine.
-
Re: help...?
Sat, January 7, 2006 - 11:35 AMHell. Keep in mind... you're extremely new to this whole thing. I know people who've been riding bikes for years and can't track stand more than a few seconds.
Great job and keep up the enthusiasm, it's obviously working.
-
Re: help...?
Sun, December 10, 2006 - 6:43 PMI figured out track stands by trying to do it between 2 cars (my parents) that are parked just far enough apart to allow you to turn your front wheel. That way if you start to fall over you don't have too far to go before there's something to stop you. just make sure you're not going to ding up any strangers cars.
After you start to feel more confident you can move into an open space.
A few days after trying this I managed to track stand an entire light, probably one of the most exciting bike moments of my summer.
Dead horse = kicked.
-
-
-
-
Re: help...?
Sat, November 24, 2007 - 1:42 PMHear, hear! Clips with straps give me the versatility I need as a dedicated commuter. Skidding poses no problem and I can wear whatever shoes come to hand as I'm running out the door, generally late for something. Then ZOOM!
-
-
-
-
-
clipless=love
Tue, May 29, 2007 - 3:37 AMI've gotta go with the clipless on this one, tried a number of basket/shoe combos, then one magical day bought my shimanos. after falling over twice, i was hooked. [sic]
I've not come unclipped unpurposefully yet (just crank down those tensioners) and the power difference in both starting and stopping is immense. the total connection to bike is the best bit, makes all those little bunnyhops and whatnots much more fun. not to mention the skids. my riding style did need some adjustment, but now, yay. -
-
Re: clipless=love
Sat, June 9, 2007 - 9:10 AMI gotsta back up the clipless. I'll never understand the idea that clipless is somehow *harder* to get out of than clips/straps. A properly cinched strap typically takes more effort to get out of than a clipless pedal. And the ride is simply fantastic. The big downside to clipless is the shoes, which suck once you're off the bike and make you look like an astronaut/disco freak. Mountain shoes somewhat solve the walking problem for me, but they're still not super-comfy to walk in, and damn are they ugly. Then again, if I'm going for aesthetics, shoes are probably the least of my problems...
-
-
-
-
-
Unsu...
Re: help...?
Mon, December 10, 2007 - 7:45 AMClips and straps work best for me.
I'm quite an aggressive commuter and sometimes need to be released NOW!!!
I also agree that one can wear whatever shoes one likes if they have toe clips and straps. When riding, I like having a choice of foot wear and not need to carry a pair of extra street shoes in a back pack. On a hot summer day, it is fun to ride to meet friends for a casual ride while wearing sandals and a sun dress.
Bottom line, the best foot gear is whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
Congrats on going to fixed gear.
-
Re: help...?
Tue, December 11, 2007 - 6:47 AMYou're in Philly? What part? My fiancee and I both ride fixed, and we live in Fishtown. Come ride with us!
Alex
