Fixed Gear Bicycle Setup
Setup and training with a fixed gear bicycle
The benefits of training on a fixed gear bicycle
- Helps to develop a 360-degree pedal stroke
- Keeps you warm during cold weather riding
- Teaches better bike handling control as you can brake with your legs as well as the calipers
- Training is hard with limited gearing to emphasize force and velocity outputs
- Allows focus to be on cadence and fundamentals of riding form
Fixed Gear Bicycle Setup
Setting up a fixed gear bike should be easy and fun. Look to find an older steel road frame or track frame with horizontal rear dropouts and holes to mount brake calipers.
The setup of a fixed gear bike is to mirror image your road bicycle including: saddle height and set-back, reach and drop to the handlebars, brake leveler hoods setup the same as your road bike and have water bottle placement on the frame. This bike is a training tool, not a race bike so light weight and performance parts are not needed.
Gearing Setup
Fixed gear riding should start on flat roads and with a small or easy gear to allow for high cadences. Make sure the rear wheel is setup with a track “fixed” cog. This means that the bike cannot coast or stop the pedals from moving. You must continually pedal while riding a fixed gear bicycle.
Gearing:
Start with 39-42 front chain ring & 17-21 rear cog (~55 inches: 42×21)
Increase to 48-50 front chain ring & 16-18 rear cog (~72 inches: 48×18)