Fixed gear mud and ice bike

Right. I have a day to myself, and I am tinkering.

Something I have fancied trying for a long while now is a fixed gear bike with gnarly tyres for really, really muddy offroad and ice riding. Partly, this is just as an experiment, and because I have the bits; but it will get muddy and icy on the mooring soon, so you never know, maybe I'll end up using it all the time.

What do you think I should I aim for with gearing? I was thinking 34:17, same as most of my singlespeed builds, but I'm not sure. Perhaps I should aim lower? Any advice gratefully recieved.

studded tires

I tried my singlespeed in snow last winter and 32-17 was definitely too high! In those conditions you seem to need a starting gear and a 'moving along' one - are you set on a fixie? I'd go with a triplespeed or similar using a front double or triple.

Torque is your friend when its deep mud and theres a chance of sliding .

I use a semi slick in the winter because it doesn't clog and it never slips in a straight line as i control it with torque .

It's amusing watching a guy with too low a gear apply too much force and spin . Gear higher than you would expect and muscle your way around . If the conditions are bad enough to justify it you wont be going much more than a brisk walking speed . I woudn't go fixed , i like being able to kick the gear too much to risk getting stuck in the dead spot at 6oclock .

Kicking is where you stamp a quarter turn , bring the pedal back up and repeat as necessary . It's used a lot by bmxers who want to slide a rail that has little to no run up so no chance of gaining speed with full crank revolutions , or worse , a half that leaves you having to hop wrong foot forward . It's a technique that is very useful for starting on a steep hill with too high a gear , just kick it until theres enough momentum to do a full revolution .

Have you got a flip flop hub? do both?

Interesting project too big tyres/ studded/semislick? 26"?

Perry, that's an interesting description. I quite fancy dipping my toe with fixed gear though.

Kaiser, I have a fixed/free hub sitting around, so it might be, but initially I'm just going to redish/respace a freewheel-type wheel.

Cheese, studded tyres will be making an appearance, watch this space.

Wear padding and bring elastoplasts :shock:

fixed in snow and ice :shock: madness


We'll chisel "wanted to give it a go" on your headstone

Not specifically ice and snow, just something solid and reassuring for bad weather. I have the parts, so why not?

My inbuilt cowardice protects me from many cycling related injuries.