Is a fixed-gear bike more efficient than a freewheel bike?
Thread started by
hybrid rida at 08.7.09 - 9:19 pm
In other words does a fixed gear push you further with less energy expended?
Discuss..
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I'm sure the difference is minimal. fixed gear is cooler.
mmaceda08.7.09 - 9:27 pm
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he was talking in reference to a single speed free wheel i believe
i don't think that the difference is enough for anyone to notice
snowcone responding to a
comment by trickmilla
08.7.09 - 10:01 pm
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there is the so called "flywheel effect" that fixies are supposed to have, but other than that all the advantages of shorter chain, less chain resistance, and lowered weight, all apply to free-wheel single speed to some degree.
trickmilla responding to a
comment by snowcone
08.7.09 - 10:05 pm
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There is a trade off with a fixie. I feel like it has more power accelerating and climbing than a freewheel. But coasting is a huge energy saver that likely eclipses any advantages that the fixie might gain from the
"fly wheel effect"> (Which if I understand it correctly, is the idea that the inertia of a fixie's drive-train is self perpetuating and recycles a certain amount of energy.)
trickmilla responding to a
comment by snowcone
08.7.09 - 10:25 pm
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"In other words does a fixed gear push you further with less energy expended? "
No.
Your legs are ALWAYS moving on a fixed gear, so you're inherently expending MORE energy. This is why fixies are great if you're looking for a bike to get in shape on without pedaling enormous distances, but you definitely expend more energy when you don't have gears and a freewheel to let you coast and go uphill more easily.
JB08.7.09 - 10:28 pm
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yeah, i was thinking the same thing, the fixie is better as long as you are accelerating but then the energy you save is wasted when you could be coasting instead
snowcone responding to a
comment by trickmilla
08.7.09 - 10:28 pm
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Thanks all for your responses. I feel like I got a bit more understanding of this now. The flywheel effect is what I was referring to (without knowing the name) in relation to how it feels like it's easier to go fast and to accelerate easier on a fixie.
hybrid rida responding to a
comment by trickmilla
08.7.09 - 10:49 pm
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well im replying to this cuz im board and can't sleep... But to answer the question "does a fixed gear push you further with less energy expended" , and like the others said, the answer is no. It is the same as a freewheel.
I did want to comment more on control.
When I first hopped on a fixie I thought my legs were going to snap off, LOL. The first few times I rode it (even with a break) I felt I could not control it as well as a freewheel, but as time went on I became accustom to it and used the break less and less . As a mater of fact I rode a single speed freewheel bike a couple weeks ago and felt like I had no control if it, LOL.
Anyway to make my pointless story longer, it is all about your terrain. If you some small hills or a little grade here and there where you ride, a freewheel might suit you better, or better yet get a rear wheel with a flip flop hub and run both! Don't let the hipsteers talk you out of a front break! It has saved my ass more than once, especially when starting out on a fixed.
2zRescue08.8.09 - 1:06 am
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control of what with fixed vs. freewheel?
Gav responding to a
comment by 2zRescue
08.8.09 - 1:34 am
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In the end, no. If you take any solid rider on a fixed gear bike and tested his times on, say a few laps around an oval track, and then time that same rider on a similarly weighted multi-speed road bike, it's likely that if the rider knows how to use gears efficiently, he'll make better time than he did on a fixed gear.
Coasting is only good for long distance cycling because it doesn't wear you out as much and you can essentially rest, while still remaining on the bike. I find that I can't really rest on a fixie, as my inertia is only kept up by how much effort I'm putting into keeping my cadence high. Downhills are far slower than on a freewheeled bicycle, unless you are booking it, which can be maddening after a while, with or without brakes.
Fixed Gear Riding does give you solid form, however, as in order to keep such constant and consistent pressure on the pedals, your body conforms to the rhythms of the gears. The intimate feeling of the connection to the chain-line gives the rider a keen insight into the traction of the rear wheel, and that skill transfers over to freewheel riding. Though after fixed gear riding for a while, freewheel bicycles feel more dangerous because, while coasting, one is balancing on two wheels, rather than applying pressure in nuanced back and forth motions on the pedals and clips in order to slow down or speed up. This constant pedaling causes the fixed gear rider to be more accustomed to consistently using pressure on the pedals to balance the bike.
When coasting, it's almost as if you become a touch more like a passenger on the bike rather than it's navigator. Regardless of that, knowing when it is more efficient to coast than to pedal is essential to anyone interested in any discipline of bicycle racing except for Track racing.
infiniteawesome08.8.09 - 2:21 am
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Now I want to do one of those desert centuries.
I think on flat ground with few stops, the fixie wins hands down.
trickmilla08.8.09 - 2:33 am
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Control as not being able to stop.
That is how I felt when I first rode a Fixed Gear, and funny enough lack of control over stopping is how I ironically felt when hopping back on a freewheel.
Oh and TY snowcone, yea she is a beauty :)
2zRescue responding to a
comment by Gav
08.8.09 - 7:10 am
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A fixed gear is only in the correct gear over a small range of speeds and inclines. A geared bicycle spends much more time in an optimal gear for the terrain and speed you are currently riding. Over any kind of varied terrain, the geared bicycle is going to be more efficient, assuming the gears are used correctly, of course. If you never have to accelerate or go downhill, then a fixie that is geared correctly can be more efficient, since it will be in the correct gear and have lighter weight, shorter and straighter chain, less rotating mass, etc.
ideasculptor08.8.09 - 10:29 am
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Fixed gear requires you to wear your younger brother's/sister's pants (a bit too short, a bit too tight).
Other than that, probably about the same efficiency, really.
turrican08.8.09 - 11:33 am
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Oh yeah, don't forget the little cycling hat (looks like a baseball hat left in the dryer too long)
turrican08.8.09 - 11:44 am
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Coasting is possible on a fixie.
Just stick your feets on the downtube and let the pedals spin.
If you tuck in and put your head down on a downhill you can easily pass other fixie riders that are pedaling cause the weight of their feets tend to backpedal the drivetrain slightly, unless they have perfect form.
stillline08.8.09 - 2:04 pm
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On the subject of fixed and S/S, I finally found this Surly "urban" model being sold at another LBS up here.
It had a standard flip-flop hub with a standard S/S gear already equipped, riser bars and all the works for $350.
The guy there's a dick, but at least he brought his prices down to compensate for that.
bentstrider08.8.09 - 3:03 pm
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are you actually fast or is it all talk? you seem to be very confident with your skillz
snowcone responding to a
comment by ruinedbyidiots
08.9.09 - 1:18 am
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