Should I buy a fix-geared bike or a road bike?
Do you have any experience with riding a bicycle? e.g., would this be a 'getting back into cycling' bike; or would this be your first bike?Single speeds are nice for commuting and for getting a really good workout if you want to go play in the hills with the roadies. I actually have both single speeds and geared bikes so I can switch them up.Fixed gear bikes are fun; however, there is a definite learning curve and you will immediately be lumped into the hipster dufas category by most serious cyclists - Unless of course you take that fixed to a velodrome - this is my track bike and she is not fun to ride in city terrain and no matter how much skidding prowess one has, there will inevitably be that time when the skid goes awry - I have too long left to live and ride to let that be an option. :D Geared bike are wonderful; however, they come with there own issues - derailieurs and brifters can get out of whack fairly easily and they can be a pain to get re-indexed properly without taking to a shop - at least until you can learn to adjust everything by yourself. There are also more moving parts; which means more things to wear out and break - Single Speeds and Fixed Gears on the other hand are pretty bullet proof.To answer the specific question; which one? The answer lies in what your long term cycling plans are. If you want to take up cycling for the fun of going out on long rides (+50-miles) and through varied terrains (e.g., hills) as a regular part of your life, get a geared bike. Single Speeds and Fixed Gears are both capable in the hills; but it's a work out and I have found that after 45- 50-miles on my SS's, I am fairly whooped.But; if you live in the flats and are using the bike to commute to work or around the neighborhood, I would get a single speed - coasting is nice sometimes - and on flats, in a city environment, an SS with a 46/16 - 48/16 gearing, and a front brake does the trick very nicely. This is my main steed, built from the frame up, and she is fast, light, and super nimble - I can easily outpace most of the carbon fiber geared bikes through town on it - you don't need gears to be fast and agile - it's mainly technique.However, my suggestion, get both a SS/Fixed and a Geared bike if you can swing it - they both have their pluses and minuses.
Replace the gears on a road bike?
I just got what I assume to be a road or commuter bike, and I was wondering if its possible to replace the gears. I want to add more gears if thats possible as well update the hardware in general. As the bike is right now I think it's a 10 speed (it has 2 chain rings on the pedals and 5 on the back wheel). Is there a kit I can buy? How do I go about doing this?
If you had equal free access to a top of the line 27 gear road bike, 27 gear mountain bike, and a fixie bike on any given day you choose to ride, under what conditions would you favor a fixie?
Just like what everyone else already said. Top tier road bikes have 22 speed. 27s or triple cranks are reserved for the noobs these days. Campagnolo recently came out with a 12 speed system so now it’s 24 speed. Shimano and SRAM will most likely follow after.Modern mountain bikes now run 1 x 12s so that’s a 12 speed. You will rarely see 27 speed mountain bikes now just like how 26″ tires are considered extinct.I would ride a fixie if I was riding in a Velodrome or casually cruising around town and did not want to get either my road or mountain bike stolen.Another occasion would be when it’s a social ride and you will be surrounded by casual riders and children alike. There is no real desire nor need to have Shimano Duraace level, SRAM red, Campagnolo Super Record, Shimano XTR, or SRAM X01 groupsets during these social gatherings. Here in Los Angeles, we have Ciclavia. It is a social ride around LA county in various locations. Fixies would be the appropriate vehicle of choice since the participants are riding around regular cotton shirts and shorts sans the Rapha outfits or Troy Lee Designs jerseys.Most of all, if you can only afford a fixie don’t let the curmudgeons ruin your day. I’ve met fixie riders and BMX riders who can go head-to-head against tenured roadies or skilled mountain bikers.And if I had free access to a top-tier fixie, I would choose the Pinarello MAAT pictured below. $8500 for the frame alone.
What is a fixed-gear road bike?
Hey, fixed gear bike is not appropriate word actually. It will be single speed road bike. The single speed road bike means they have no gear. This is simply good bike for commuting. It is best for beginner rider. Some people thinks this type bike is not speedy. But single speed bike get similar like 14-16 speed drivetrains. I used one year single speed bike. You'll get more info from http://www.roadbikereviewed.com/Thanks!
Is a Fixed Gear Bike and a Road Bike Different?
A fixed gear bike may or may not be a road bike. Traditionally, most of them are, but fixed gear mtn bikes and cyclo-cross type bikes have recently become more popular and are probably more common. Fixed gear bikes were originally mainly designed for velodrome racing where braking is not as important and allowed for trackstands to be done, etc. They have now spread to the other branches of cycling. Cyclists sometimes use fixed gear bikes as an alternative method of training. The cost is usually less, but they are generally harder to find. Your selection will be less with a fixed gear. The difference between the two is that on a fixed gear bike, the pedals rotate at all times, even when "coasting". To brake, one puts reverse pressure on the pedal stroke. It is possible to install normal hand-brakes as well, though most don't come this way originally. Fixed gear track frames normally are not set up to accomodate hand brakes and don't have the brake mounting bosses on the frame and fork.. Note that this is different than a single-speed or "coaster" type bike, that does allow you to stop pedalling, but only has one gear. Of course, with a fixed gear bike one has only one choice of gear, so hills can be a problem.
Is 14 gears enough for a racing bike?
Number of gears isn't the whole story. A new bike with 14 gears is very likely a lesser quality bike with inferior components. A 15 year old bike, in good condition, with 14 speeds could be a very nice machine. Then it depends on what you intend to do with it. General use or touring is a lot different than fast training rides and actual racing. Also, how well does the range of ratios suite the terrain where you'll be riding? Here in the flatlands of the Chicago suburbs, a close ratio 7 cog cluster is adequate, a wide ratio would leave me with some uncomfortable gaps. Of course you can change clusters/cassettes, but hey, you asked.......
Why is my road bike so slow?
I have a 6 speed Schwinn road bike that just doesn't seem to go very fast even when I turn my legs quickly and put the bearings on the fastest combination. Going uphill is such a pain cause it takes a lot out of me as the weight pushes down, but I'm an athletic person so I don't know what the problem is. It's been bothering me for quite a while and the tune up didn't help. My back wheel isn't too tight either. Help =(
Why don't road bicycles have gear indicators?
I think entry level groups tend to have indicators because beginners like to know without looking down at the cassette or the chainset. As for road bikes, they usually come equipped with two front rings, not three, like MTBs. Crossing over the chain, going from the large sprocket in front to the large one at the rear, is much worse in a triple group (three front chain rings) than is in a double (two front chain rings). Doubles usually allow you to use the whole cassette in any of the two front rings.Mountainbikes have recently started going with one-by groups in all classes with the advent of wide-range, 11 speed cassettes. Crossing over is not a problem any more, so you don't really need indicators. If you want to know where you are, you just look at the cassette. So it's the same for both the road and mountain bikes in this regard.I would though sometimes like to know what gear I'm in when going down the hill on my MTB, where i don't pedal for quite some time. I tend to forget and I'm surprised by either a too light or a too hard gear (I'm running a 1x11 system). An XTR style tube indicator would be awesome for those times, since it's hard to look down at the cassette when flying down the hill between roots and rocks. It's much less dangerous or hard to do that on a road bike, so that's why they don't have indicators i suppose. Adding indicators also requires some more mechanism, which increases complexity, weight and uses up useful space in some cases for a marginal effect.In the case of electronic groups, Shimano has the brains of the system equipped with a display that shows the battery status and it also displays the current gear. They are just using something that's already there.
How much slower are hybrid bikes than road bikes?
I have the same problem, I just don't like dropped bars, so I went for a hybrid or city cycle. I bought a Giant CRS, and I must admit it was the top of the range when I bought it, so it does have quality wheels and gears, which do go a long way to narrow the gap between hybrid and road cycles. As others have mentioned the main difference when the cycles are of similar quality is the riding position and wind resistance. I got round this by replacing the original slightly raised bars with flat, narrow, bars, and adding a set of aero bars. This gives multiple options, and I have the ability to sit up to improve visibility when riding through traffic, and the option to get down out of the wind when on the open road. As for your suggestion about the brake levers, my last cycle with dropped bars had extensions on the brake levers so that they could be operated when the hands were on the flat part of the bars. I'm sure someone must still make those, so you should be able to find some. They didn't have the same leverage as the main part of the brake lever, but were adequate for slowing down, or checking speed just before a bend. EDIT:- Sorry, didn't really answer the question, did I? Judging by the number of guys on road cycles that I pass on my hybrid, it's probably more down to the rider than the cycle, but I do find that I usually average 1 MPH more on my 'sports hybrid' than I do on my other cycle, which is am MTB based hybrid, with 26 inch wheels, fitted with road tyres. Top speed is certainly higher on my faster cycle, but overall it doesn't make much difference when I time myself over the same route. I think a quality road cycle might give me a slight advantage, but it's not enough to justify the upgrade.