Every time I talk about using fixed gear track bikes for training purposes (and why it’s pointless,) I am met with more and more arguments why you should use a fixed gear for training. Which means I have more and more myths to dispel!

But before I get deep into specifics, let me mention a very important training principle for all cyclists. That would be specificity. The gist of this principle is that your training conditions need to mirror your racing conditions (as closely as possible.)

For example, if you are a mountain bike racer, it would be good to spend lots of time on your mountain bike, and do lots of hill intervals. If you’re a time trial specialist, you should be spending time in the tucked position on your TT bike, at a steady race pace. And if you race on the track, you should do the majority of your training on a fixed gear, on the track.

(If you don’t believe me about specificity, just ask Joe Friel, author of The Cyclist’s Training Bible.)

But for one reason or another, many advocate using a fixed gear for road training.

I already debunked the myth about fixed gear bikes improving pedal stroke, but everyone still thinks they are better for cadence and power development. Why? Because on the downhills, you have to pedal at a fast cadence. And on the climbs, you have to use lots of power to turn the gear.

So I will go ahead and play along with this argument. I do agree to the facts – that you usually have to power up hills at a low cadence and spin down hills at a high cadence.

But here’s the thing. With the fixed gear, you need a fairly steep hill to challenge yourself into using more power. Same with the downhill – it has to be a real downhill that’s steep enough to get you spinning extra fast.

Well guess what – common sense says that if you’re on a geared bike, you can always get into a gear like that, no matter how flat or steep the terrain. You just have to shift differently than usual – into a bigger gear for climbs, and a smaller gear for descents.

So I can go ride a regular road bike and just shift into a bigger gear than I’d normally use for the hill in question. And I can keep the gear fairly low for the downhill, requiring me to spin the pedals at 140rpm.

Why buy a fixed gear when you can train like that on a geared bike? I don’t know.

The only thing left is that fixed gear forces you to pedal while geared bikes let you coast. But that is simply a replacement for motivation. If you’re motivated to train, you don’t need a fixed gear to force yourself to pedal.

If you don’t have the motivation to pedal your bicycle, then you need to rethink your racing goals. You have bigger problems than the type of bike you’re riding!

Now that that’s over, let’s go back to specificity. Let’s say you’re a road racer. You need to be highly skilled at riding your road bike at whatever cadence and pace the race course and other racers dictate. Chances are, the front racers won’t be doing 40rpm up the climbs and 140rpm on the descents. They also won’t be pedaling through the sharp bends on the downhills. So why would you purposefully do something completely different in training?

I really don’t care if you want to have some fun riding a singlespeed to reduce boredom. Sure, by all means, ride one. Or if you want to ride a fixed gear for your road training, I don’t mind. But if you think you are somehow getting better training than if you rode the geared bike you race on, I urge you to re-evaluate what you are doing.

While there are a variety of cross-training activities and off-season training methods for cyclists, one popular approach is to spend some time on a single speed or fixed gear bicycle.

There is some debate about doing your off-season training using a single speed or fixed gear road bike because reasons vary, but the most common one is “to improve pedal stroke.” I’ll discuss this idea and others as I explain off-season training on single speed bicycles…

What is a single speed?

A “single speed” is a bike with a single gear. It has one one chainring and a single cog or freewheel, and no derailleurs.

That means there’s no shifting. If you have to climb a hill, you muscle up it. On the downhill, you have to spin a fast cadence or coast.

What is a fixed gear?

A “fixed gear” bike is similar to a single speed because it only has one gear, but it goes one step further: the whole drivetrain is “fixed” together. As in, if the wheels move forward, the pedals move forward. If the wheels move backward, the pedals move backward.

Sometimes these are referred to as track bikes, because track racers do use fixed gear bikes. But there are fixed gears for general road use, if you wish.

(All track bikes are fixed gear bikes, but not all fixed gear bikes are track bikes. All fixed gear bikes are single speed bikes, but not all single speed bikes are fixed gear bikes.)

Two Reasons To Ride a Single Speed

Here are the two reasons to use one of these single speed bikes for off-season riding:

1. Easier to maintain through bad weather.

Maintaining any bicycle is tough when you ride in wet, nasty weather. But the most time-consuming task is dealing with the drivetrain.

With just one gear, a single speed’s drivetrain is simplified. There are no derailleurs or shifters, and no cables. There is just one ring, one cog, and the chain.

You will no longer have to deal with gunk on the cables, frozen derailleurs, grit between cassette cogs, etc.

(That’s my favorite reason for riding a single speed!)

2. It’s a fun way to switch things up and avoid boredom.

If you’re like me, you probably get bored riding the same bike all the time. So ride a different one!

Like riding your usual routes in reverse, having only one gear presents new challenges. You can’t just spin up steep hills like usual, you have to stand and mash the pedals.

Going downhill, spinning faster is the only way to go faster.

Riding a single speed will force you to learn more about momentum and use various cadences. In general, it’s lots of fun.

No special training plans are required, either – just go out and ride like normal. The only difference is the bike.

* Both those benefits come from either a singlespeed or fixed gear, so either one is fine. I’d recommend a singlespeed though. They’re more versatile, easier to use, and safer for inexperienced riders.

But what about improving your pedal stroke?

You might have been expecting a reason #3 to be “improved pedal stroke.”

Sorry to disappoint you, but neither a singlespeed nor fixed gear bike will improve your pedal stroke. That is simply a myth, based on flawed logic.

Click here for my explanation of why fixed gear bikes do not improve pedal stroke.

Getting your first single speed.

Want a cheap singlespeed to try it out?

The first option is to ride your regular road bike, but don’t shift! Pick a gear like 39×14 or 39×15, whatever fits your terrain. (If there are hills, use the biggest gear that you can push on the climbs, or the rest of the ride will be too slow.)

You don’t get the “ease of maintenance” or durability benefits, but trying that once or twice before buying a singlespeed is a good idea.

But if you want to take the plunge, singlespeeds are relatively inexpensive. You could probably find an older one on Craigslist, but if not, they’re only $300-400 brand new from places like BikesDirect.com.

So grab a single speed and have some fun this off-season!

Photo credits: erokCom | erokCom

Riding a fixed gear bicycle has long been touted as a way to improve your pedal stroke. Some coaches believe this and numerous riders echo the sentiment every time they discuss off-season training.

But I do not see any proof (or even logic) to support the notion that a fixed gear setup will improve your pedal stroke. If anything, it makes your pedal stroke worse!

Yes, it’s time to dispel the fixed gear myth…

In case you are not familiar with this type of bicycle, a “fixed gear” bike is one in which the whole drivetrain is “fixed” together. As in, if the wheels move forward, the pedals move forward.

So, if the bike is moving forward, you absolutely have to pedal the entire time. If you take your feet off the pedals, the pedals will continue to spin as long as the wheel is moving.

The myth came about because of how one has a circular pedal stroke when riding a fixed gear. That’s the true part. But the problem is the flawed logic and analysis. The bike is doing all the work, not the rider. The rider’s feet are just along for the ride, so to speak.

So anyone that hops onto a fixed gear is going to have a perfect pedal stroke. But the question is, how good will their pedal stroke be once they go back to a regular bike?

In most cases, their pedal stroke will be worse!

See, the fixed gear is like a crutch helping you along. As soon as you go back to a regular bike, you won’t have that help, and your pedal stroke will be the same as it was before, or worse.

Why does it actually make your pedal stroke worse?

Since the fixed gear did the work for you, you didn’t have to concentrate on pulling through the bottom or top of the stroke, or pulling up. With skills like this, it’s “use it or lose it.” So, by not practicing your circular pedal stroke, you effectively “lose it.”

Let’s look at an example to explain this further…

Imagine you switch to a fancy electric toothbrush. Due to some advanced technology, it will clean your teeth better than you did manually.

But after using it for a month, you switch back to your regular toothbrush. Are you going to be better at cleaning your teeth? No, because it was the toothbrush doing all the work.

Sounds absurd, right? I mean, the toothbrush cleans your teeth but it doesn’t teach you anything. Who would think it did?

Well, riding a fixed gear is the same principal. The pedals move in circles, but it doesn’t teach you a darn thing about making your feet move the pedals in circles.

Don’t believe me? Take it from Greg Lemond.

You may not like Lemond in a political sense, but the man won three Tours de France, so he knows a thing or two about training!

I got some advice from him about training methods, and when asked about riding a fixed gear, his opinion was, “what’s the point?”

Exactly!

The only thing a fixed gear could teach you is something basic like not to apply backwards pressure in the pedal stroke. If you were to do something like that on a regular bike, letting your feet lag, you could get away with it. But if you try it on a fixed gear, you’re going to blow out your knee or catapult yourself off the bike.

But backpedaling can be useful when riding and racing, if used properly. So not only would that lesson be less than worthless, it would be very dangerous if inadvertently learned on a fixed gear!

There’s no point in hurting yourself over something basic that you could learn on your regular bicycle. So don’t fall prey to the fixed gear myths!

Want to improve your pedal stroke, for real? Do single-leg pedaling drills. That will perfect your stroke!

Want to get in the habit of pedaling constantly? Ride rollers. You have to keep spinning the pedals or you’ll fall over.

You can get a set of rollers for less than it costs to get a fixed gear bike, and you can do your one-leg pedaling drills while riding rollers. That’s the best “bang for your buck” way to improve your pedal stroke, in my opinion.

Photo credit: newbie-foto