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Passed A Dude On A SS Last Evening


Razors Edge

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...and he was doing the whole salmon dance crossed with the paperboy zigzag.  Just struggling.  I had to step on the pedals to safely and quickly get around that obstacle! 

Of course, I threw in a "Might want to take off the training wheels and learn to ride like a man!" as I went by.

Sure, I'm a dick, but that sort of nonsense - almost always by the SS crowd - is best done elsewhere. Find a field or something, and stay out of my way :angry:

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8 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

His saddle was too low, as was his cadence! Going nowhere fast slow.

I did a century some years ago that is relatively flat but there is one long downhill stretch.

I was just starting down the hill when a guy on a fixed gear passed me but he couldn’t maintain the cadence as he gained speed and as he tried to unclip was skipping his rear wheel all over the place!  I thought he was gonna biff but fortunately he dropped his chain & corrected himself.  

So as he was free wheeling down the hill dragging his chain I passed a guy on a SS too! 

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Just now, ChrisL said:

I did a century some years ago that is relatively flat but there is one long downhill stretch.

I was just starting down the hill when a guy on a fixed gear passed me but he couldn’t maintain the cadence as he gained speed and as he tried to unclip was skipping his rear wheel all over the place!  I thought he was gonna biff but fortunately he dropped his chain & corrected himself.  

So as he was free wheeling down the hill dragging his chain I passed a guy on a SS too! 

HA! Fixie! Woot woot!

I wouldn't wish that on my dude, though.  He wasn't wearing a helmet and no way he had the skills to recover from that sort of skipping rear wheel!

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Ha ha ha! I have met 2 guys on fixies that are animals. But they are animals on any bike. One guy who rode with a forum group ride a few years back is George Vargas. Did the Furnace Creek 508 on a fixie. I remember a gal from the Love forum that did it too on a fixie but never met her. Another guy from a SoCal forum called himself Fixer. I think his name was George as well. Really cool guy. Fixer did a 72 mile ride with us a few years back and did very well on his fixie. Even took the front a few times if I remember correctly. These guys were good.

But the fading ss guy made me laugh. I have had several forum members claim that riding a ss made them stronger and faster than the geared bike rider.  I find that hard to believe. I say yes, apples to apples, the fixie will make a rider stronger all things being equal. But because one rides a fixie, doesn't mean he is stronger than a geared rider.

I've read too much of his online. No doubt it can be fun and many enjoy it. But being stronger than a geared rider just because they are on a ss? Nope!

After reading all the claims on various forums, we had a chance to ride with quite a few riders who claimed to be stronger than geared riders because of their ss rides. We have had the chance to ride with  7 of these guys that are local. Other than the 2 I mentioned earlier.

I have to laugh because out of the 7, not one kept up with Gina ha ha ha!  Matter of fact, one of the biggest talkers, rode with us and did well the first 20 out of 40 miles. I think he was trying to show off then entire 20 keeping the pace high every time he took the front. Then he just popped! He was riding a geared bike as we were. It got so bad that I stayed back with him to make sure he was OK while Gina shot on up ahead to a minimart to get him something to eat. She went to the mart, picked up some goodies then rode back meeting us half way, a mile. :D That was funny. 

As far as ss riders on the trail, I never see them on the local roads around here in the foothills. We pass them all the time just holding a pace. Not sure why but they almost always, 95 out of 100, are going to jump on the back for a few seconds then sprint around. It's almost like they always are trying to prove something. 93 out of those 95 are going to fade and fall back.

I don't think I have ever just been flat out passed by a ss rider coming from behind. And that is riding with my wife Gina. :D

Not sure why those guys always want to prove something, it's comical.

Again, there are some bad ass riders who ride them but they are bad ass no matter what they ride. The average ss riders we see out on the trail are hilarious.

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11 minutes ago, Mr Beanz said:

Ha ha ha! I have met 2 guys on fixies that are animals. But they are animals on any bike. One guy who rode with a forum group ride a few years back is George Vargas. Did the Furnace Creek 508 on a fixie. I remember a gal from the Love forum that did it too on a fixie but never met her. Another guy from a SoCal forum called himself Fixer. I think his name was George as well. Really cool guy. Fixer did a 72 mile ride with us a few years back and did very well on his fixie. Even took the front a few times if I remember correctly. These guys were good.

But the fading ss guy made me laugh. I have had several forum members claim that riding a ss made them stronger and faster than the geared bike rider.  I find that hard to believe. I say yes, apples to apples, the fixie will make a rider stronger all things being equal. But because one rides a fixie, doesn't mean he is stronger than a geared rider.

I've read too much of his online. No doubt it can be fun and many enjoy it. But being stronger than a geared rider just because they are on a ss? Nope!

After reading all the claims on various forums, we had a chance to ride with quite a few riders who claimed to be stronger than geared riders because of their ss rides. We have had the chance to ride with  7 of these guys that are local. Other than the 2 I mentioned earlier.

I have to laugh because out of the 7, not one kept up with Gina ha ha ha!  Matter of fact, one of the biggest talkers, rode with us and did well the first 20 out of 40 miles. I think he was trying to show off then entire 20 keeping the pace high every time he took the front. Then he just popped! He was riding a geared bike as we were. It got so bad that I stayed back with him to make sure he was OK while Gina shot on up ahead to a minimart to get him something to eat. She went to the mart, picked up some goodies then rode back meeting us half way, a mile. :D That was funny. 

As far as ss riders on the trail, I never see them on the local roads around here in the foothills. We pass them all the time just holding a pace. Not sure why but they almost always, 95 out of 100, are going to jump on the back for a few seconds then sprint around. It's almost like they always are trying to prove something. 93 out of those 95 are going to fade and fall back.

I don't think I have ever just been flat out passed by a ss rider coming from behind. And that is riding with my wife Gina. :D

Not sure why those guys always want to prove something, it's comical.

Again, there are some bad ass riders who ride them but they are bad ass no matter what they ride. The average ss riders we see out on the trail are hilarious.

In the 70’s & early 80’s many racers & serious riders rode fixed geared bikes (well track bikes)  to improve their pedaling efficiency & cadence.  Never heard that it made one stronger tho. 

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Just now, Mr Beanz said:

It's in the video as well posted the other day, near the end. ;)

 

 

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Right… I just watched that video to! 😂

What I meant was back in the day.  No old timer said ride a track bike it will make you stronger.  They recommended it for pedaling & cadence. 

There was a cool shop owner in HB in the early 80’s who would help us young racer kids out. He cut us deals on gear and we did errands to work off the balance.  He had a beater track bike with a front brake & let us kids spend time on it. I never really liked riding it tho. 

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12 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

In the 70’s & early 80’s many racers & serious riders rode fixed geared bikes (well track bikes)  to improve their pedaling efficiency & cadence.  Never heard that it made one stronger tho. 

I have no doubt doing multiple disciplines of cycling compliment one another and make a rider stronger all around. I do agree with some things that are benefits of ss but I believe it is more than that. 

Years ago, I trained on my roadie for Ride Around the Bear( timed event, 100 miles with 10,000 ft of climbing). Some guy at work found out that I rode roadies inviting me to ride with them on their mtb ride with his club. Their big climb was 2.5 miles with about 1.000 ft of gain. I hadn't been on my mtb in about 6 months. But we did his group ride and I waited at the top for about 10 minutes. Yes, riding my roadie to on a regular basis to Mt Baldy really made a stronger rider. :D Gears and all!

Heck on the other hand, I rode mtb to improve my downhill skills on the roadie as well. If you can do 30 down a dirt trail then 30 down a mountain road is easy. I have read comments from guys on forums who get scared descending once the speed hits 30. I have sat up and rode no hands on GMR at 30 MPH.  If I ride my roadie up and do more descending, or ride my mtb more, then hitting 40 on the roadie feels like 20.

I think they all compliment one another as well as the time in the saddle and experience.

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One of my sons when he was little passed us up on a family ride going down a big hill. His feet were flying on the pedals. We thought he was showing off. He was riding an old hand me down single speed kids bike with a coaster brake. When we caught up to him on the next uphill his mom started telling him he needed to slow down he was going to get hurt. He said he can’t slow down, the brakes don’t work and somehow his bike had turned itself into a fixie. That’s why he had flying feet going down that big hill. He said his bike had been like that all year. I like kids that don’t complain much. Time to replace that bike with a bigger one with gears and hand brakes.

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2 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

One of my sons when he was little passed us up on a family ride going down a big hill. His feet were flying on the pedals. We thought he was showing off. He was riding an old hand me down single speed kids bike with a coaster brake. When we caught up to him on the next uphill his mom started telling him he needed to slow down he was going to get hurt. He said he can’t slow down, the brakes don’t work and somehow his bike had turned itself into a fixie. That’s why he had flying feet going down that big hill. He said his bike had been like that all year. I like kids that don’t complain much. Time to replace that bike with a bigger one with gears and hand brakes.

I had that happen on my old 20" bike as a kid. If I remember, we disassembled the BB and re-greased it. It always worked after that. I was a kid. I don't remember much more. 

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2 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

One of my sons when he was little passed us up on a family ride going down a big hill. His feet were flying on the pedals. We thought he was showing off. He was riding an old hand me down single speed kids bike with a coaster brake. When we caught up to him on the next uphill his mom started telling him he needed to slow down he was going to get hurt. He said he can’t slow down, the brakes don’t work and somehow his bike had turned itself into a fixie. That’s why he had flying feet going down that big hill. He said his bike had been like that all year. I like kids that don’t complain much. Time to replace that bike with a bigger one with gears and hand brakes.

Reminds me when I bought my son a BMX bike with a freewheel & hand brakes.  I reminded him you have to use the hand brakes to stop. OK dad…. And off he went. 

A few moments later he crashed into a wall but the scream & feet going 120 RPM’s backward pre impact was freaking hilarious.

He was OK but damn it was freaking hard not to laugh. 

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One of our friends rides a ss on the trail. Taller and thinner than Gina so I would think he would be in better physical condition. He says he rides the ss for efficiency. 

He keeps up with us on the flat section but 5 miles in, we hit a somewhat steep ramp about 50 yards long. We don't even have to pedal on the way down to hit 25 and he can't keep up. But once we get a gap on him of15 yards, no way is he going to catch up.

I don't understand why he limits himself that way. Efficiency for what? He never keeps up after that point. His friend on a geared bike always does. So he always ends up riding the rest of the ride alone. Doesn't sound like fun to me. :D

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I've been told several times by friends that I should try ss as I am a constant pedaling type of rider. They say it would suit me well and it would improve my cadence as well.

Improve to what? I pedal about 100 rpm and on the trail, I never leave my 39 gear as I am spinning a high cadence over the 40+ miles. If I improve from 102 to 103, big deal. Not worth the expense of buying another bike. :D

 

I will add, in the early 2000's, I did drills and intervals on a trainer for about 6 months, Keeping the cadence over 100 trying not to bounce and time trial hard interval efforts. Now that made a huge difference in my pedaling style.

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1 minute ago, Mr Beanz said:

I've been told several times by friends that I should try ss as I am a constant pedaling type of rider. They say it would suit me well and it would improve my cadence as well.

Improve to what? I pedal about 100 rpm and on the trail, I never leave my 39 gear as I am spinning a high cadence over the 40+ miles. If I improve from 102 to 103, big deal. Not worth the expense of buying another bike. :D

I get razzed a lot about riding in the small ring as often as I do. I used the big ring on downhills and tailwinds. Average cadence is around 90. Still faster than most. I can spin faster if I want or need. 

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9 minutes ago, groupw said:

I get razzed a lot about riding in the small ring as often as I do. I used the big ring on downhills and tailwinds. Average cadence is around 90. Still faster than most. I can spin faster if I want or need. 

I have had other riders and friends come up to me and say, honestly, "WTF! You have a really high cadence!". Then they ask what gear I am spinning. Usually at the front of our little group dong 19-20 in a 39/14 gear combo. I can do 21 at best in my 39/14 which is 96 rpm before having to change to the big ring 53 because I don't like to cross chain.  But I get plenty of compliments on my cadence. Couple of guys have told me that I set the example for them and they have improved. :D

I mentioned earlier 102 because I have counted and been counted by others at 100 at times,.

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3 minutes ago, Square Wheels said:

Why not?  The manufacturers put the gears there for me to use, I'm gonna use them.

Because some of the gears are repeats and I'd rather hold a straight chain line if I am going to be holding the same speed for a length of time. Plus it runs less risk of dragging on the derailleur. 

I am running a 53/19 - 12/25 standard crank gear set up. I  don't know if the more modern compact cranks and drive trains are set up differently or use wider front derailleur cages. I know some hold bigger cogs into the 30's so maybe mine is different from what you run.

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3 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

It supposedly wears down the drivetrain faster due to the angle of the chain on the chainring & cassette.  

Yes, I forgot to mention that as well. Smoother running without the angle,. 

Not to mention, two or three cogs in are your transitions cogs. If you happen to switch to the big ring being all the way out, you run more of a risk of dropping the chain. Smooth shifting is more efficient when using those cogs. Though they should switch fine if properly adjusted, the transition is smoother to the big ring if not all the way out and vice versa, I have read. And I use every tip to enhance my cycling possible. :D

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1 minute ago, Mr Beanz said:

Because some of the gears are repeats and I'd rather hold a straight chain line if I am going to be holding the same speed for a length of time. Plus it runs less risk of dragging on the derailleur. 

I am running a 53/19 - 12/25 gear set up. I  don't know if the more modern compact cranks and drive trains are set up differently or use wider front derailleur cages.

Many newer bikes have a compact 50/34 crank. The 34 is about useless for anything but hills so many with compact cranks will keep it in the 50 and cross chain. I did it too as my Bianchi has a compact.

I had my Ritchey built with a 46/36 and I like the 36 better as you don’t spin it out on flats.  Back in the day we rode 52/42 and yeah we used that 42 a lot more than just climbing.

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7 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

Many newer bikes have a compact 50/34 crank. The 34 is about useless for anything but hills so many with compact cranks will keep it in the 50 and cross chain. I did it too as my Bianchi has a compact.

I had my Ritchey built with a 46/36 and I like the 36 better as you don’t spin it out on flats.  Back in the day we rode 52/42 and yeah we used that 42 a lot more than just climbing.

I remember the 42's. My friend had one when we were climbing Mt Baldy rd. Got stuck trying to switch gears then went down.  42/21. I think that was his only attempt on Baldy riding those gears.  Got a new bike with new gears.

Heck, I got my roadie with a 53/39 12/25 and have used it to train on GMR and Baldy Rd for years. If I can make it up Baldy with that set up, I can ride up just about anything. 

I did Ride Around the Bear 4 times and Breathless Agony on the standard crank 53/39 -12/25. Not much else around here that I can't do on the crank so why switch? 

100 miles 10,000 ft gain and 114 miles with 12,000 ft gain. Don't need a shtinking compact. :lol:

Gina has an old steel Bianchi she rode up GMR many times. 52/36 - 12/28 crank set up. :party:

 

 

 

 

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1 minute ago, Mr Beanz said:

I remember the 42's. My friend had one when we were climbing Mt Baldy rd. Got stuck trying to switch gears then went down.  42/23. I think that was his only attempt on Baldy riding those gears.  Got a new bike with new gears.

Heck, I got my roadie with a 53/39 12/25 and have used it to train on GMR and Baldy Rd for years. If I can make it up Baldy with that set up, I can ride up just about anything. 

I did Ride Around the Bear 4 times and Breathless Agony on the standard crank 53/39 -12/25. Not much else around here that I can't do on the crank so why switch? 

100 miles 10,000 ft gain and 114 miles with 12,000 ft gain. Don't need a shtinking compact. :lol:

 

 

 

 

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Yeah I’m familiar with both. Gnarly rides, I haven’t done either.  I climbed Ortega Hwy back several times back in the early 80’s on the 42/23 set up but that’s several thousand feet less climbing.  One time I lost all momentum climbing live oak (shoots off Santiago canyon by cooks corner) and with my clips & straps couldn’t get my feet out & toppled over! 
 

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2 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

Yeah I’m familiar with both. Gnarly rides, I haven’t done either.  I climbed Ortega Hwy back several times back in the early 80’s on the 42/23 set up but that’s several thousand feet less climbing.  One time I lost all momentum climbing live oak (shoots off Santiago canyon by cooks corner) and with my clips & straps couldn’t get my feet out & toppled over! 
 

I'm glad they invented the clipless systems. :D

 

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This was almost done with the 10,000 ft of gain right after Onyx Summit/Big Bear. The standard crank. I prepare hard for that day, my training rides were 7,000 ft rides over 6 months. I set out to break my record of 7:10 for the 100 miles. But lost about 20 minutes because it rained for the first 20 miles that year. Cold and fog heading up to Big Bear, Now that sucked. :D

 

 

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But I didn't need no shtinkin singel speed. Some of my training was climbing a 6% grade up GMR with a camera in one hand and recorder in the other. :lol:

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2 minutes ago, Longjohn said:

Me too

Riding since 1992, hybrids. then roadies in 1996.

The only time I fell of my bike was in 1993. Gina and I were riding our bikes up along Cajon Pass, deserted type road with junk yards. Gina was a bit ahead of me when a German Shepard ran out of one of the yards chasing Gina. She picked it up and started yelling. I raced after her to try to stop or redirect the dog. I got there and jumped off my bike but didn't clear the toeclip. So trying to hop off the bike, I caught my toe and fell flat on my back. The dog walked up, sniffed me then turned trotting home. :lol:

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13 hours ago, Mr Beanz said:

Riding since 1992, hybrids. then roadies in 1996.

The only time I fell of my bike was in 1993. Gina and I were riding our bikes up along Cajon Pass, deserted type road with junk yards. Gina was a bit ahead of me when a German Shepard ran out of one of the yards chasing Gina. She picked it up and started yelling. I raced after her to try to stop or redirect the dog. I got there and jumped off my bike but didn't clear the toeclip. So trying to hop off the bike, I caught my toe and fell flat on my back. The dog walked up, sniffed me then turned trotting home. :lol:

What's funny is, on the ride above with the little kid, I came closest to falling over as I have in a long time, due to clipless & laziness.  I was rolling up to a stop at a road crossing, unclipped but rested my foot on the pedal, and was creeping forward balancing but also looking at the bike of the rider in front of me.  Sort of checking it out and then I realized I either needed to stop completely or get moving again. I decided to stop, but my cleat was ever so slightly reattached. As I went to put my foot down, I just did the "I'm still attached and gonna tip over" move  instead, but I was just able to get my foot down in time.  Close! But not a fall.

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