West 5 Cycles
Cycling, fixed-gear bike building and life on two wheels onlyArchive for Training
Train fixed to improve road riding
Today I went out for the first time in a long time on my road bike again - I’ve been rather religiously riding my fixies, even on the rollers as I find the continuous pedalling more meditative than the constant tweaking and fiddling of shifting gears. In fact, I felt positively weird free-wheeling for the first time in months and actually struggled to get into a rhythm the way you just naturally fall into one on the fixie.
Heading for some hills I was grateful for the choice in gears and I also welcomed the presence of the shifters as additional places to grab hold of when honking the bike up while dancing on the pedals. Going up hills on fixies is not nearly as impossible as people will have you believe, but not always as graceful it has to be admitted. Key is to find a pace you can sustain and not think you have to be going at 900 miles an hour.
What was interesting though was my much improved ability to spin the gears, for extended periods of time. Whereas before I’d put effort in and always sooner or later take a breather by free-wheeling, what I have learned on the fixie is that you can rest your legs even as they are going round - you just ease the pressure on the pedals a little and the rotation keeps the legs moving and helps clear lactic acid. Also, not surprisingly - much stronger legs means you can pedal up bigger hills while seated than before - which often translates to a lower heart rate than being out of the saddle.
In retrospect I do feel I need to mix up my riding a little more, and not leave the roadbike unused for such extended periods - just because you lose the feel for the bike. Fixies are more like trains in that once they get going they are very stable and almost like trains in that they keep going no matter what. Racy roadbikes are light, lithe and almost nervous in comparison, flitting at your smallest flick of the wrist and without the stabilising force of constantly rotating pedals, the handling is more sensitive. And in any case, don’t just mix up the type of bike you ride - mix the rides too and go hunting for new routes whenever you have a chance. It keeps things exciting and fun!
When every mile is earned..
An unusually sunny weekend has greeted us here in London and I’m off on another long ride to unwind from a crazy week and to prepare myself for yet another next week.
Riding fixed is a very rewarding way of doing it - a 80 to a 100 km loop into the beautiful surroundings of Virginia Water on a fixie rather than a roadbike not only earns the respectful looks of passing roadies out on their club run, but when you cover distances like that - fixie riding goes from the annoying stop-start of town riding to a kind of meditation where you go for long periods of time without having to stop. Your legs turn rhytmically and your mind wanders off, you are relaxed, but alert like a cat and above all, every mile is earned. No coasting or resting, in fact you learn to rest your legs even when they are turning by virtue of the fixie momentum.
Winter is coming and what better way to start building that base fitness level than by dusting off your fixie and overcoming that mental barrier of thinking that you can only really cover long distances if you are on a road bike. If you are in doubt, you can always go for a reckie on the roadbike and design yourself a route with manageable hills and you’ll be surprised just how many hills you can cover on a fixie if you couple patience with technique and some core strength. In fact, battling your way methodically up a hill on a fixie is good training not only for your legs, but arms and core muscles too.
So I’m off - sunshine needs to be enjoyed while it lasts! (At least if you live in Britain!)
Tune into training fixed - music or no music?
Wanted to find out from you all - are you listening to tunes when you are training or do you prefer silent runnings? Me, I do both depending on mood and how familiar I am with the route I’m riding, unfamiliar routes mean I like to have my wits about me and listen out for early warning signs. On familiar rides, like laps around the park, they are only bearable after a while when listening to some good tunes.
So what tunes keep you going is my next question? I’m pretty much an omnivore when it comes to music, but when riding fixed I seem to have drifted into listening to electronica, most specifically Drum & Bass, which is the perfect accompaniment to rapid pedalling. 165 - 180 bpm tracks help you keep a pace of 90 -100 rpm pedalling I find.. I sound like an anorak I know so please someone tell me that you are listening to Jazz, choral music or something laid-back?
The Hospital Music podcast on iTunes is just getting better and better - and I will post some non-stop mixes here too soon, mixed and matched, stitched and stretched for your listening pleasure - provided you like Drum & Bass of course.. stay tuned! In the meantime - let’s hear your confessions about music you train to - go on..
