Riding fixed

[Marco]

I was born in Lichfield and I only hope that stretch of the A38 was not as busy as it is now nor had as many 60mph artics flying along it. You must have had nerves of steel!

It was a long time ago and it was less busy than today, although still busy. Critically, vehicles were narrower and it was possible for a car to pass me without going into the outer lane.

My only clear memory from then was riding north past Fradley on Friday the 13th, in quite heavy rain, and looking behind to see I was about to be overtaken by an artic, that was being overtaken by another artic! Those of you who have driven this stretch will know it is a narrow 1960s built dual carriageway. I pulled as far left as I could, got low on the drops, and the lorry's wing mirror went over my head

Tonight's journey home was ok. A total of 100m ascent in just over 8k but most of the climb was in a 2k window. The gear ratio felt fine although I did find myself wondering about the finer points of riding fixed - pedalling through corners, stopping before unclipping etc. Plenty of opportunity to perfect my track stand though!

As far as I can remember, you haven't mentioned if you have any previous experience of riding fixed. It is different, and requires different technique and tactics. There are a few further things to consider.

My 1980s riding on fixed was all done with toeclips and straps (not always tightened). When I was re-acquainted with it last year I measured the lean angle with toeclips and straps v Shimano SPD-SL pedals. I drew a scale drawing and found I'd ground the pedal at 35 degrees with the old-style pedals and 40 degrees with SPD-SL pedals. I do remember, back in the 1980s, when riding fixed in an urban setting with tight bends, hanging off the inside of the bike, like the MotoGP riders do, to keep the bike more upright.

I have put 28mm tyres on my fixed bike. I don't particularly like 28mm tyres, as I find them a bit heavy and sluggish, but they do raise the bottom bracket and help to avoid grounding the pedals. Whilst grounding the pedals on corners is something you want to avoid, grounding a pedal on a kerb is far worse. I've only done it once, (on the A38 at Alrewas), and I consider it a miracle I got away with it. I was thrown clear over the 'bars, did a forward somersault and landed flat on my back on the grass verge to the side of the A38. In the dark.