Fixie or singlespeed.

[Tnega]

oops. i must admit i was very very drunk.

 

[kaiser]

oops. i must admit i was very very drunk.

hope you never logged on to ebay

 

[MJN]

oops. i must admit i was very very drunk.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

If you think of it as simulating an interval session then why not go out and do a proper interval session and actually use gears big enough to be of any use,

You don't know what gear I ride, and you don't know the hills I ride with it.

I know that I often climb faster in a bigger gear and work correspondingly harder when I'm riding a fixed gear than when I'm on a derailleur bike. I could choose to stay in a higher gear on the geared bike and muscle it up the same climbs, but I don't - that's not what the gears are there for.

just read a decent training manual for tips on how to train properly

I'm not really interested in interval training or training manuals. I'm not training for anything. When I rode a lot I was as fit as anyone I rode with, and now I don't have as much time to ride, it's important to me that my riding time gives me pleasure. Riding a fixed gear makes me work harder and gets me fitter - and can be a buzz - without applying tedious "training" regimes. No heart monitor, no creatine monohydrate, no repetitious intervals. If I want to know how fast I was going, I figure out how far I went and divide it by how long it took me.

and as for creating bad technique I guess this could happen if you rode fixed a majority of the time

That's the context I was describing. Getting back on a freewheel bike it felt as though my foot was stalling at the top of each stroke. I realised I'd got lazy and was letting the rising pedal push my foot over the top.

If you spin correctly though you don't push through top dead centre,you pull

Read what I wrote.

I guess it comes down to this. I think a fixed gear makes me fitter because it forces me out of my comfort zone in ways that a derailleur/freewheel bike doesn't. You say "myth" and "rubbish" because you use different methods to force yourself out of your comfort zone. Your style suits you, and mine suits me. Yours might be more effective - I don't know - but you haven't even tried riding a fixed gear on the road, if I understand correctly.

 

[PurpleFrog]

oops. seems like a hijack. sorry.

You know, you CAN make posts containing more than one <return>...

I'm quite interested in ATP and mitochondria myself and I've always preferred interval training.

 

[PurpleFrog]

I guess it comes down to this. I think a fixed gear makes me fitter because it forces me out of my comfort zone in ways that a derailleur/freewheel bike doesn't. You say "myth" and "rubbish" because you use different methods to force yourself out of your comfort zone. Your style suits you, and mine suits me. Yours might be more effective - I don't know - but you haven't even tried riding a fixed gear on the road, if I understand correctly.

I think that's it. At least for an SS, and a fixie should be more so.

 

[MJN]

I guess it comes down to this. I think a fixed gear makes me fitter because it forces me out of my comfort zone in ways that a derailleur/freewheel bike doesn't. You say "myth" and "rubbish" because you use different methods to force yourself out of your comfort zone. Your style suits you, and mine suits me. Yours might be more effective - I don't know - but you haven't even tried riding a fixed gear on the road, if I understand correctly.

I think that's it. At least for an SS, and a fixie should be more so.

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree,I do mostly ride off-road on a singlespeed but this is just fun,I compete on the road and have a few wins whist also training with elite level racers,if you're happy with what you do though thats fine and I guess variety stops boredom setting in,you never know I may even start doing long rides on a fixed,though I'll wait until its out of fashion and maybe fit some brakes as riding to the track,only about 5 miles, is pretty interesting .At the end of the day any riding is better than none,I just get a little over competetive at times

 

[PurpleFrog]

I may even start doing long rides on a fixed,though I'll wait until its out of fashion

I thought it was??? It has to be on its way out again anyway...

 

[PurpleFrog]

fixed gear is played . cyclocross is where its at now .

Damnit. I am *so* easily influenced!

 

[hamster]

I think that SS only makes you fitter in that it stops you being lazy on hills.

But I agree that there is nothing inherent in riding SS that imparts fitness.