You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I think I started a thread about this years ago when I first started playing about with it. It didn't get much of a response other than 'why?' which I can understand.
I've just build up a new fixie 29er to help with lockdown boredom and whilst it's obviously not going to be everyone's cup of tea I find it an absolute hoot. By 'hoot' I mean genuine, ear to ear, laugh out loud fun.
So I thought I'd try again and see if anyone else is messing about with fixed wheel mountain biking.
What's a good 135mm spaced rear hub for fixie mtb ?
Have been doing it for last 18 years (well riding off road fixed rather than specifically on an MTB). I hope you are not running brakes as it is more fun/challenging without them.
Closest thing to an actual MTB was my All City Drop Out with 43c tyres
I think I remember Kerley mentioning riding off road on a fixie once. 🤔
I'm in the 'why' camp afraid. Singlespeed, brilliant, bring it on as well as fixed on road, but smashing your pedals into stuff or not being able to weight distribute off road would get boring pretty quickly for me I reckon.
edit - crossed posts, like a tramp on chips. 🤣
edit 2 -
What’s a good 135mm spaced rear hub for fixie mtb ?
Surly Ultra New hubs have most combos of width, brake type and screw on thread covered. Not sure about about the exact combination for fixed, with the lock ring thread, but I find you don't need the lock ring with 2 proper brakes, (4 years of fixed riding on a Day One disc)
I used to run my 26" inbred round Glentress red as my blue and green fixed wheel death machine.
Hard on your knees going downhill though. i ran a front brake just in case, pretty good fun,
Once my wee man is off his Yepp mini i may build it up again.
Jamie
What’s a good 135mm spaced rear hub for fixie mtb ?
I used a fixed trails disc hub when I messed about with this years ago.
I couldn't ride offroad without a rear brake.
https://www.tartybikes.co.uk/135mm_fixed_hubs/c21.html
edit – crossed posts, like a tramp on chips.
Well he did ask, what did you expect. Thanks for the contribution anyway...
I'm glad to hear I'm not alone.
I'm running a front brake because I've been doing relatively technical stuff on it and it helps me keep up with others and scrub the speed in an emergency.
I find the pedal strikes and weight distribution thing an interesting challenge rather than a frustration.
I've got a Halo track hub with spacer kit which takes it to 130mm. Perhaps not ideal but a steel frame easily copes with the 5mm difference.
I’m in the ‘why’ camp afraid.
Fun on boring terrain. I did a bit both on a rigid MTB and my old steel fixed gear commuter / tourer. It was more like "gravel biking" with the odd wooded diversion thrown in.
I have also ridden similar routes while fully loaded touring or with a toddler on the back. They would be easy on single speed rigid but the fixed gear / fully loaded / toddler makes it a challenge. You have to make sure you technique / balance is spot on! Most fun out of all three was fixed as the bike was still light and agile.
A bit philosophical but it's like single speed but more so in that it's not about the bike. You can have the shittest bike. The bike obsession is the worst part of mtb IMO.
As for hubs I used a bolt on rear cog when I used a MTB frame. I could of added a v brake but didn't. V brake plush back pressure more than enough.
That velosolo was the cog I used.
http://www.63xc.com//blockquote >
I think this died a number of years ago. Seem to remember they sold stuff for a while as well as running articles.
Does sound bobbins for mountain biking - if you're talking about riding trails with even the bare minimum of technical level. I've yet to meet a mountain biker who hates descents but I'm sure there's a few out there.
It's a great way to roll, though, so if you're talking more off-road, gravel type bridle-bashing that does sound fun. I ride fixed most days under normal circumstances but the wheel incompatibilities mean I've never ran a proper off-road set-up.
Does sound bobbins for mountain biking – if you’re talking about riding trails with even the bare minimum of technical level.
It's not for everyone and it depends what you want to get out of your riding. I find it great fun on technical trails.
A coupe of folk I used to ride in the peaks with ride/rode fixed.
The first time I rode behind them was a nightmare as they had no brakes or back wheel full lock.
I let someone else ride behind them after that, or left a huge gap.
It didn’t slow them much, and they seemed to relive the challenge
Waves at Chris and Simon if you are out there : )
Done it on my SSCX a few times, trying not to use the brakes is fun, but really its quicker and a lot safer with them.
Went back to SS. Almost as difficult, with less psychopathic tendancy to try and kill you when something technical comes up just as you run out of cadence downhill.
Does sound bobbins for mountain biking – if you’re talking about riding trails with even the bare minimum of technical level. I’ve yet to meet a mountain biker who hates descents but I’m sure there’s a few out there.
Descending just becomes even harder.
Only a fixed road bike, but that's on ebay now as I've not used it for 4 years.
It is totally insane but I know couple of guys doing it successfully and both are bloody good riders. I'd recommend having a front brake anyway, I was casual observer when one lad had problem in downhill when his chain got loose (might have been issue with EBB) and he lost all the braking ability. Luckily the downhill ended in hayfield and there were no injuries.
Kerley your garden is reet lush. Bike's quite pretty too. Did you get rid of it?
It's not for me but I kind of get it, sort of like how single speed changes how you ride your usual trails. I'd imagine that fixed is a whole different level of 'changes how you ride' though 🤣
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/4018/4354665286_1fee59128c_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/4018/4354665286_1fee59128c_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/7CNNgY ]P2135595[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/29214358@N08/ ]james74747474[/url], on Flickr
Not me, but on one of Pooks peaks pootles ten years ago. An iced up Jacobs ladder on rigid fixed 26" with one brake ..
Even with all the bells and whistles I scare myself a little too regularly for my liking.
Riding a fixed would terrify me. It makes me clench up just thinking about it.😐
There seem to be quite a few equating fixed wheel with no brakes. Most people would runs front brake, especially on anything with much up and down.
Kerley your garden is reet lush. Bike’s quite pretty too. Did you get rid of it?
Yeah I sold it 2 years ago. The garden is my wife's hobby and she does a very good job at it.
Still riding an All City but a Big Block now
There seem to be quite a few equating fixed wheel with no brakes. Most people would runs front brake
Yes they would, just as they do on road. I prefer not having one as it just adds to the technical difficulty in needing to control speed with only legs.
Can't really explain why I enjoy it and I would definitely be faster on a geared bike in pretty much all places but I just get bored of geared/freewheel bikes. I would also fall off a lot less as still have quite a few (very slow speed) falls when I get caught out by an obstacle and feet are in wrong place, foot hits front wheel etc,.
I used to ride off road with my surly crosscheck and an on one pompino and I used the velo solo disc converter up above , I've actually got a cog or two new somewhere so might try it again sometime, the beauty of the crosscheck and pomp was as they had canti brakes I could run both brakes and still have it fixed gear
Is this the mtb equivalent of the flat earth society?
I think this died a number of years ago. Seem to remember they sold stuff for a while as well as running articles.
That site was run by a guy called Will. I wrote about his other outlet - Hubjub for road.cc - https://road.cc/content/feature/53405-starting-fixed-point-view-%E2%80%93-story-hubjubcouk
Used to meet up with him for beers on an infrequent basis but lost touch with him a few years back. 🙁
Is this the mtb equivalent of the flat earth society?
Not quite- I don't think anybody's claimed freehubs are a government conspiracy (although some of SRAM's stuff is pretty close... 😆 )
I've got a vague recollection of WCA turning upto one of Phil's Sexy Parties on a fixed MTB?
Is this the mtb equivalent of the flat earth society?
Clearly not as no one is saying gears and freewheels don't exist. I even went as far as saying gears and freewheels would be faster for the vast majority of my ride. Fixed gear bikes are for a tiny minority of cyclists and most cyclists will never get them but nobody is denying anything.
A lot more people tried to get them 10 years ago but ultimately moved back to freewheel/gears in same way as a lot of people seemed to get singlespeed MTBs 15 years ago.
Yeah I sold it 2 years ago. The garden is my wife’s hobby and she does a very good job at it.
Still riding an All City but a Big Block now
Nice. I have that exact Big Block 5th anniversary frame under my bed awaiting a build. Got Red CK headset, red Phil Wood hubs on H Son rims and a DA NJS chainset. Thomson collar and cuffs like yours. Just need some time.
Are those 32mm tyres? Wondering what I can squeeze in there.
I'll be having a crack, as mentioned in another thread I inherited my Dad's Cinelli MASH Works. Will stick the biggest knobblies on which will fit, and lower the gearing to give it a new life ragging around Basque fireroads (avoiding anything rutted).
I have a Love/Hate frame with EBB which is probably more suitable, but needs too much stuff buying for what would just be a bit of a laugh every now and then.
Apologies for the blurry pic. As is evident from the water running horizontally round the drainpipe, I wasn't going to take another...
kerley
I would also fall off a lot less as still have quite a few (very slow speed) falls when I get caught out by an obstacle and feet are in wrong place, foot hits front wheel etc,.
I'm somewhat intrigued by this, having never ridden a fixie.
I'm guessing when it gets too steep/technical to pedal on the way down you're forced to "lock" your feet in position to ride down technical/steep stuff, equivalent to a geared rider locking their back wheel using the brake on a descent? How do you transition from pedalling to locking without going out the front door, or is it a case of having to keep speed low when approaching anything steep?
As well as the 63xc.com website, there's some good stuff on Matt Chester's old blogposts* - http://mattchester.blogspot.com/ and http://5metresofdevelopment.blogspot.com/.
I've done some longer road rides fixed and a bit of local off-road too. As others have said, it ups the technical challenge of otherwise relatively tame trails.
My 26" Inbred was great fun fixed with 700c wheels and 40mm tyres. I might go fixed again for local winter riding, but with bigger tyres.
*still waiting for my 700see 'zine
I’ll be having a crack, as mentioned in another thread I inherited my Dad’s Cinelli MASH Works.
Your dad has (had? 🙁 ) nice taste in bikes!
or is it a case of having to keep speed low when approaching anything steep?
Pretty much. With low off road gears locking up is easier than on the road. You can then adjust the braking effect by leaning back/forwards, the further you lean back the more you slow down.
But yea, basically you have to ride anything remotely technical at the slowest pace you can because if you clip a pedal or have a mid corner wobble when your legs forget to spin and it's game over!
Your dad has (had? 🙁 ) nice taste in bikes!
He did, but I really was puzzled by this one! I think he basically saw it in Evans' window in Kendal and bought it on the spot. Definitely a keeper, 48t is a bit long but I think the Miche cranks are the same BCD as Record cranks, so I've got all sizes down to 44t, plus a box of cogs. Might treat it to a nice canti brake (Paul?!) or just leave as is.
thisisnotaspoon
Pretty much. With low off road gears locking up is easier than on the road. You can then adjust the braking effect by leaning back/forwards, the further you lean back the more you slow down.
But yea, basically you have to ride anything remotely technical at the slowest pace you can because if you clip a pedal or have a mid corner wobble when your legs forget to spin and it’s game over!
Didn't think about the gearing, yeah. Have seen those youtube vids of people on fixies who stop pedalling at speed and just flip in the air, but with lower speeds and gearing it starts to sound possible.
I’m guessing when it gets too steep/technical to pedal on the way down you’re forced to “lock” your feet in position to ride down technical/steep stuff,
I find that as things get steeper and you need to move your weight further back it starts to get more difficult to control the speed and steering whilst keeping your pedals moving so you reach a point where locking up is the only option. This can lead to a loss of control and a feeling of guilt at ripping up the trail! The other thing that becomes difficult is any steep / rocky terrain that you would just 'roll through' then reduce speed after.