Fixed/gearS (...The history of rollers and roller racing)

David Feldman

2002-06-18

Another thing about riding fixed gear once in awhile,

this is useful for non-racers as well--if you ride a

tandem, the most annoying thing for your partner is to

suddenly decide to coast, and a fixed will break you

of the coast-at-will habit in one big hurry.

David Feldman

--- David Auker <Dav-@Hevanet.Com> wrote:

 Re: [OBRA Chat] The history of rollers and roller

raci>The fixed gear *pushes* your legs around as you

ride.



Sounds like perpetual motion. GearS bikes and fixed

gear bikes each have their own strengths and

weaknesses in the training department. One problem

I see in fixed, is the lack of ability to "up the

gear" when you reach spining rpm, the lack of abilty

to engage more resistance than a spin allow (that's

why fixed need to be ridden in the hills). On the

other hand, never, ever coasting does have a

conditioning effect. I'm not sure about the braking

effect of the legs' back pressure on the pedals

(which is completely missing from gearS), but I'd

like to think the work translates to fitness (at

least: fun!).



The main thing is TO RIDE! If the apple of your eye

is ten cogs, or one, or a new bell, whatever gets

you out on the road is...



                                                

...GOOD!



Ride on, David

   ----- Original Message -----

   From: Jerald M Powell

   To: sd-@concentric.net

   Cc: Dav-@hevanet.com ; obra

   Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 10:28 AM

   Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] The history of rollers

and roller racing





   WOW, You might have something there... Think about

all those sprinters out there who've been getting a

free ride all this time! Hey... Maybe we could

offer fixed gear as an option for the fours at Delta

Park so that they'd have a leg up on catching the

123 pro event... It'd be an inverse handicap! A

little *push* should be a good thing... Right?





   I wonder... if Gil's logic holds, then the bigger

the gear, the bigger the *push*, ok so far? Then...

the bigger the gear the easier it is! I think we

have a whole new physics here... David, you sly old

fox... you've been fooling us all this time. Son of

a gun.





   Jerry      ;-)









   At 9:47 AM -0700 6/18/02, Gil Ormerod wrote:



     David Auker wrote:



       ---An observational side note on a fixed gear

efficiency: I used to have a roller workout on fixed

gear (the gear was of track size, somewhere in the

mid-80's, for whatever that's worth...). Tried the

workout on a gearS bike (using the same sized gear),

and really could not get through the hardest part of

the specified rpm/time duration.



     Exactly! The fixed gear *pushes* your legs

around as you ride. You don't have that advantage

on a non-fixed bike.



     This is the exact reason why it is complete

nonsense for people to say that riding 50 miles on a

fixed gear bike is equivalent to riding 75 miles (or

whatever multiple they might use) on a geared bike.

You might spend some time coasting on your geared

bike, but on your fixed you are spending time with

your legs being simply pushed in circles by the

momentum.



     Thanks for the excellent empirical evidence,

David!



     Gil "50 miles is 50 miles" Ormerod





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David Auker

2002-06-18

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Re: [OBRA Chat] The history of rollers and roller raci>The fixed gear *pushes* your legs around as you ride.



Sounds like perpetual motion. GearS bikes and fixed gear bikes each have their own strengths and weaknesses in the training department. One problem I see in fixed, is the lack of ability to "up the gear" when you reach spining rpm, the lack of abilty to engage more resistance than a spin allow (that's why fixed need to be ridden in the hills). On the other hand, never, ever coasting does have a conditioning effect. I'm not sure about the braking effect of the legs' back pressure on the pedals (which is completely missing from gearS), but I'd like to think the work translates to fitness (at least: fun!).



The main thing is TO RIDE! If the apple of your eye is ten cogs, or one, or a new bell, whatever gets you out on the road is...



                                                ...GOOD!



Ride on, David

----- Original Message -----

From: Jerald M Powell

To: sd-@concentric.net

Cc: Dav-@hevanet.com ; obra

Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2002 10:28 AM

Subject: Re: [OBRA Chat] The history of rollers and roller racing





WOW, You might have something there... Think about all those sprinters out there who've been getting a free ride all this time! Hey... Maybe we could offer fixed gear as an option for the fours at Delta Park so that they'd have a leg up on catching the 123 pro event... It'd be an inverse handicap! A little *push* should be a good thing... Right?





I wonder... if Gil's logic holds, then the bigger the gear, the bigger the *push*, ok so far? Then... the bigger the gear the easier it is! I think we have a whole new physics here... David, you sly old fox... you've been fooling us all this time. Son of a gun.





Jerry      ;-)









At 9:47 AM -0700 6/18/02, Gil Ormerod wrote:



    David Auker wrote:



      ---An observational side note on a fixed gear efficiency: I used to have a roller workout on fixed gear (the gear was of track size, somewhere in the mid-80's, for whatever that's worth...). Tried the workout on a gearS bike (using the same sized gear), and really could not get through the hardest part of the specified rpm/time duration.



    Exactly! The fixed gear *pushes* your legs around as you ride. You don't have that advantage on a non-fixed bike.



    This is the exact reason why it is complete nonsense for people to say that riding 50 miles on a fixed gear bike is equivalent to riding 75 miles (or whatever multiple they might use) on a geared bike. You might spend some time coasting on your geared bike, but on your fixed you are spending time with your legs being simply pushed in circles by the momentum.



    Thanks for the excellent empirical evidence, David!



    Gil "50 miles is 50 miles" Ormerod





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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>>The fixed gear *pushes* your legs around as you

ride.  </FONT></DIV>

<DIV> </DIV>

<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sounds like perpetual motion. GearS bikes and

fixed gear bikes each have their own strengths and weaknesses in the training

department.  One problem I see in fixed, is the lack of ability to "up the

gear" when you reach spining rpm, the lack of abilty to engage more resistance

than a spin allow (that's why fixed need to be ridden in the hills).  On

the other hand, never, ever coasting does have a conditioning effect.  I'm

not sure about the braking effect of the legs' back pressure on the pedals

(which is completely missing from gearS), but I'd like to think the work

translates to fitness (at least: fun!).</FONT></DIV>

<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>

<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The main thing is TO RIDE!  If the apple of

your eye is ten cogs, or one, or a <FONT color=#ff0000><STRONG>new

bell</STRONG></FONT>, whatever gets you out on the road is...</FONT></DIV>

<DIV> </DIV>

<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>       

               

               

        ...GOOD!</FONT></DIV>

<DIV> </DIV>

<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ride on, David</FONT></DIV>

<BLOCKQUOTE

style="BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">

<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>

<DIV

style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>

<A href="mailto:psu0-@pdx.edu" title=p-@pdx.edu>Jerald M Powell</A>

</DIV>

<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A href="mailto:sd-@concentric.net"

title-@concentric.net>sd-@concentric.net</A> </DIV>

<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A href="mailto:Dav-@hevanet.com"

title=-@hevanet.com>Dav-@hevanet.com</A> ; <A

href="mailto:ob-@topica.com" title-@topica.com>obra</A> </DIV>

<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, June 18, 2002 10:28

AM</DIV>

<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [OBRA Chat] The history of

rollers and roller racing</DIV>

<DIV><BR></DIV>

<DIV>WOW, You might have something there... Think about all those sprinters

out there who've been getting a free ride all this time!  Hey... Maybe we

could offer fixed gear as an option for the fours at Delta Park so that they'd

have a leg up on catching the 123 pro event... It'd be an inverse

handicap!  A little *push* should be a good thing... Right?</DIV>

<DIV><BR></DIV>

<DIV>I wonder... if Gil's logic holds, then the bigger the gear, the bigger

the *push*, ok so far?  Then... the bigger the gear the easier it

is!  I think we have a whole new physics here... David, you sly old

fox... you've been fooling us all this time.  Son of a gun.</DIV>

<DIV><BR></DIV>

<DIV>Jerry      ;-)</DIV>

<DIV><BR></DIV>

<DIV><BR></DIV>

<DIV>At 9:47 AM -0700 6/18/02, Gil Ormerod wrote:</DIV>

<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite"> </BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite">David Auker wrote:<BR>

    <BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite"><FONT face=Arial size=-1>---An observational

      side note on a fixed gear efficiency: I used to have a roller workout on

      fixed gear (the gear was of track size, somewhere in the mid-80's, for

      whatever that's worth...).  Tried the workout on a gearS bike (using

      the same sized gear), and really could not get through the hardest part of

      the specified rpm/time duration.</FONT><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite">Exactly!  The fixed gear *pushes* your

    legs around as you ride.  You don't have that advantage on a non-fixed

    bike.<BR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite">This is the exact reason why it is complete

    nonsense for people to say that riding 50 miles on a fixed gear bike is

    equivalent to riding 75 miles (or whatever multiple they might use) on a

    geared bike.  You might spend some time coasting on your geared bike,

    but on your fixed you are spending time with your legs being simply pushed

    in circles by the momentum.<BR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite">Thanks for the excellent empirical evidence,

    David!<BR></BLOCKQUOTE>

<BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite">Gil "50 miles is 50 miles" Ormerod</BLOCKQUOTE>

<DIV><BR></DIV><X-SIGSEP><PRE>--

</PRE></X-SIGSEP>

<DIV><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>





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