Will riding a singlespeed improve technique?

+1 for fixed. I ride mine all year and am planning a century on it next month (although I might wimp out and ride something else)

Sorry, was away for a while.

Thanks for the tips Farrell and Gepin. Excellent. May see what I can find on flea-bay

CycleLuddite wrote:

I can't afford another bike, so fixie bike is out of the question.

farrell wrote:

As mentioned, try and pick up a cheap old bike, whip the gears off and adjust the chain. A good old steel frame would be my first choice but that's my personal preference, anything would do.

This is what I did.... It's going to get covered in road salt and have to deal with the being ridden through the winter so who cares if its not carbon or running flash wheels. All in mine cost me £20 for a rear track wheel of flea-bay.
Fixed wheel running a gear of 74.3 inches by way of a 44 chainring and a 16 tooth rear sprocket.

Please forgive my luddite question.

Is it possible to get the same kind of benefit by just sticking to single gear on my road bike? I have compact 11-28, so wonder which gear would most closely approximate that of single-speed bike. I can't afford another bike, so fixie bike is out of the question.

Recently, I have been trying to increase cadence at the lower (harder) gears so on my morning commutes to work (which is slightly hilly), I've stuck to limiting myself to four sequential gears (do they even have a numbering system?). The ultimate aim is to get to work one day in one gear. It's crazy perhaps but it's a personal challenge.

It sort of works for endurance but perhaps I am approaching it incorrectly.

@farrell @cycle_jim @geppin @giff77 +1 to all you guys.

Totally with you Gepin. Getting my baby ready for the winter right now.

I have been riding fixed through the winter for the last 3 years. I use it for fun, training and commuting. The frame is an old 1960's Italian TT effort, everything else was just what I had lying around.
For the first 8 weeks I hated it but on one cold but sunny commute home after a night shift it all fell into place the near silent progress and simplicity of the machine.
So today I dragged the old girl out for its MOT after laying at the back of the shed all summer.
Has it made me a better rider, stronger, given me Chris Hoy's thighs? Dunno and don't care! It's been a great summer but taking the old Olmo around the block reminds me that though its going to get cold and dark, the trails will be under water and the roads will be covered in salt, I will be astride my Fixie grinning like a loon.
I ride a 44 x 16 in lumpy Monmouthshire and Mid Glamorgan.

BBB- What about riding for fun? Thats what I ride for.

I like to go to the shops and try trousers on to find out the thighs are too big for them. Mostly in my spare time or on a lunch break.

daddyELVIS wrote:

Sounds like you're looking for a reason to buy a new bike, or justification to give to your significant other

Within just a couple of weeks of switching to singlespeed my Mrs happily noticed that my thigh muscles were bigger and more defined. How's that for a justification?

(Or as BBB would put it, another "typical roadie anecdote".)

Sounds like you're looking for a reason to buy a new bike, or justification to give to your significant other

Cycling is an endurance sport and how fast you can cycle is determined by power (force x speed) NOT by max. force you can apply to the pedals (determined by strength).

If you're able to climb up steep hills and walk up the stairs, you have enough strength to ride a bike and the available training time will be better spent improving threshold power at your optimal cadence.

There's no evidence (only typical roadie anecdotes) to suggest that riding any bike without gears will improve your cycling speed and pedalling technique any more than a geared bike.

What's the deal with "improving strength"?
Do you guys need to push your bikes up the hill because your legs aren't strong enough?

Isn't pedalling at high cadence on a geared bike good enough for "improving technique"?

I've just (yesterday) picked up my spesh Langster to use for commuting, keeping the geared bike for longer rides.

I got it, apart from the fact it's n+1, to improve strength and technique. It's a 48 17 which seems OK so far, but will report back next weekend after I've ridden in to work all week.

I was really worried about stopping, but front brake and a bit of "back-peddling" and it's fine. Haven't had to do an emergency stop yet though...

As others have said go fixed!! You won't look back! It will take a little getting used to at first but it starts coming to you very naturally. Although the sensation of coasting is very un-nerving when you do go back to the roadie!

I ride 46-16

Go for it, if nothing else it's a heck of a lot of fun riding fixed and a lot easier to maintain. I bought a fixed last year and have never enjoyed riding so much. Try a flip flop hub so you can alternate between spinning and mashing too. Both should be comfortable gears but one increases strength the other leg speed.

If going single for the winter go fixed. It will defo sort out your cadence and technique. I tend to use fixed all the year for commutes keeping the road bike for longer trips. It really sorts out your leg strength as well. I notice the difference when I get back on the road bike. Other cyclists have also commented on style and strength whenever I buddy up with them.

Tips. Choose gear carefully. I use a 48:16. Cat one I see uses a 48:18. Either of these is a pretty decent gear.
Get spd's. easier to clip into whe moving off from lights. Also means feet aren't thrown off pedals when picking up speed.
Keep an eye on your chain to make sure it doesn't get too slack. I forgot once, chain got thrown when I hit a bump and wheel locked.
If you have converted a MTB get a chain tensioner. Otherwise invest in a bike with horizontal dropouts. These make it easier to tension the chain.

You will find as well when the winter kicks in, the fixed wheel is much easier to control on snow and ice. I also find when on shared use or pedestrian precincts where I am allowed to ride the fixed wheel is easier to handle round pedestrians as you are in better control of the bike. Track stands are also easier!

And you are guaranteed to have fun!

Go fixie. There will be times on every ride that you regret it, but next Spring you'll be riding better than ever. You should be able to figure out your best ratio from the riding you're currently doing. A single speed is a good option, but it won't improve your technique and discipline in the same way a fixed gear will.

I'd say that riding singlespeed will make you stronger, and fixed will also improve your pedalling. One thing I have from riding fixed is a smooth application of power from standing on the pedals to sitting back in the saddle.

As mentioned above, fixed is great uphill, as it feels like the bike is helping you. I find that downhill is much more challenging. I start bouncing on the saddle at 130 rpm. I once slightly pulled a calf muscle spinning downhill, so my technique could definitely still improve. I think I need to pull up a little at the back of the stroke.

I ride a 72 inch gear ie: 48 x 18 (or 42 x 16) on 700c wheels, which is about 20 mph at 100 rpm.

I ride singlespeed on my commute in Manchester quite a lot on a 53x15.

It's definitely improved my thigh strength due to not being able to make it easy for yourself when pulling away from lights and digging in on hills etc, it's definitely well worth looking into if you can convert an old frame or a cheap bike.

I don't ride fixed so couldn't say on that front but other people suggest that it is better for cadence etc, but then I find many of those that ride fixed do talk a load of bollocks too.