is a Fixie possiable?

toyota-wish@hotmail.com · Member

is a Fixie possiable?

Psycho Mike · Guru

I'm pretty sure you could do the ride on any bike, but having done a long rides (100 miles+) on both a mountain bike with slicks and a single speed road bike, I'm going to give you an opinion based on my experience.

The Paddy Wagon is, in fact, a fixie and a freewheeling bike...it has a flip-flop hub. This means that there is no freewheel on one side (no coasting) and on the other there is. Riding a fixie is not easy...I've tried one and went back to a SS with a freehub. If you want to use the Paddy Wagon, use the freewheel side of the hub so you can coast.

Having done a Century on a mtb with slicks and on a SS roadie, I can tell you that the experience is pretty much equally painful, depending on what you're running. I found myself spinning out the SS on the highway (I didn't have the gearing for going faster, so my legs were cranking really fast). In some ways, it was a bit easier due to the low rolling resistance of the thinner tires, but the gearing became an issue in the long haul. I did the same ride on a mtb with 26x1.6" tires that only went up to 60 psi and found that it got the job done in about the same time and about the same overall effort. What it lost in more rolling resistance, it made up for with having gears.

Last year I found a good set of slicks for a mountain bike....they are 26x1.4" that go up to 90 psi. Assuming your rims will take such high pressure, it may be a cheaper option to get tires like that and do the Ride on the MTB. With the higher pressure, thinner tires, I did a longer ride (205km) on the mtb and my legs weren't nearly as dead as when I did the Centuries on the SS or other mtb slicks.

If you're set on the Paddy Wagon, use it with the freewheel side....it's going to be tough to start from a stop and you may end up spinning the cranks pretty quick, but it will get the job done. If your mtb rims will take higher pressure slicks, it may be worth while (and far cheaper) to go that route, especially if you're comfortable for the long haul on your mtb already.

toyota-wish@hotmail.com · Member

Thank you very much for the advice, I just ordered the bike today and it will be here on Friday .
I am going to be using the free wheel side for sure and probably taking the rear brake off to loose a bit of weight.

I'm thinking what is the perfect gear ratio for this ride on a SS ?
i guess it really depends on the altetude change on the course ..
does anyone know?

Morrisjo · Veteran Member

Check out this link as I mapped out a portion of the ride and it shows you the elevation changes.

http://www.mapmyride.com:80/ride/canada/ab/calgary/149124036737755974

Enjoy
John

Psycho Mike · Guru

I'd leave the rear brake if you're running freewheel...yes, it adds a little weight, but in the grand scheme of things, it's minor. If you were running fixie, sure, lose the rear brake...

The 42:16 it comes with is pretty decent....it won't be the fastest bike out there, but as long as the grade is reasonable (

toyota-wish@hotmail.com · Member

Thank you John and Mike.

according to the link it looks like it's going to be a pretty hilly ride.

-- Edited by toyota-wish@hotmail.com on Monday 18th of May 2009 07:11:28 AM

Psycho Mike · Guru

Take a look at the color scale that is provided...the red / "worst" is +3% grade (couple km's worth), some 2% grades (say 7-10 km worth) and the rest is less than that. It shouldn't be that bad...heck, around Edmonton you get 1-2% on a regular basis.

The main difference is that this will be a lot more constant and for a lot longer than what we see around Edmonton.

Toyota, if you get riding that SS around on a regular basis, you'll likely find you'll be able to handle the lesser grades just fine. The bigger grades will need some work, but that's the price of a SS bike. If you dropped the gearing to 42:18, it'd make the climbs easier, but on the low grade stuff you'd lose a lot of your top end speed... Whether you're climbing hard or spinning hard, you'd better make sure you eat and drink on the ride or you'll run out of gas.

toyota-wish@hotmail.com · Member

Thank you , good thing the bike has room for two water bottles.

Psycho Mike · Guru

So, Toyota, did you get the Paddy Wagon?

toyota-wish@hotmail.com · Member

no , Kona didn't have any in stock , they said they are making a new frame for it as the 09 model. heard that it will be in lime Green color.

So i ended up canceling the order and started fixing up my MTB.

Psycho Mike · Guru

Good luck with the mtb, Toyota. I'd recommend a good set of slicks :)

toyota-wish@hotmail.com · Member

Thank you ! I'm planning to get a set of Speacialized Fat boy 26X 1.25 slicks. should be good. But I'm kinda in between of getting grooved tires or just Slick ones..

Psycho Mike · Guru

Hmmm.... A pure slick (no grooves at all) could be a bit of a hand full if there is any rain. Even the "slick" road tires usually have at least a bit of a tread to them. Just some food for thought.