Well put. As for climbing on fixed gears, it is hard, but it has made hills enjoyable for the most part rather than a chore as I found it (note: I am speaking only of my own reactions) with derailleurs. In fact, as long as I keep the climbing reasonable -- steep but no more than 1 mile, longer but more gradual -- I find it the most fun part of cycling fixed. It is the challenge (doing more with less), the feel (that inertial feel), and pacing oneself (knowing how and when to back off, when to stand and when to sit).
Now, I repeat that I ride only short distances: 30 miles is a long ride (as I told Grant years ago when I commissioned my first custom in 1994 -- his response was, "It *is* a long ride") and a normal ride is a 22 m round trip riding between my house and my mother's (I often work from her house to keep her company) with flats, hills and wind. I know Eric has done PBP on a Quickbeam, but that is another dimension altogether. But for this sort of distance and conditions, fixed is perfect and light fixies are fun! On Wed, Feb 16, 2011 at 1:13 AM, CycloFiend <cyclofi...@earthlink.net> wrote: > The only thing that I'll add to the discussion is that we're talking about > pounds here. Which is healthy. I've been part of discussions when folks > were arguing grams. Non-ironically. Y'know...mocking folks who still ran > 150g mtb handlebars when you caould shave 35-40 grams by throwing another > hundred bucks at it. > > I don't think that anyone can argue that weight doesn't make a difference on > a climb. The important thing is whether that difference matters. I don't > have it at ready reference, but I recall in a catalog (mighta been a Reader) > GP writing about the original Banana Bag - a seatbag which was gloriously > larger than most anything you could find at the time. He wrote about how a > saddlebag that let you carry something more than a spare tube and an energy > gel was a much more sensible thing. How you'd be a lot more comfortable on > the way down the mountain if you had real food and another layer stowed > along. It was a pretty radical position at the time. > > There are plenty of Riv owners and riders who go plenty fast. If someone has > the means and interest to do so, they certainly shouldn't be scoffed at for > choosing safe, light parts, (As Keith Bontrager once wrote, "Cheap. Light. > Strong. Pick two.") just as we don't mock someone who wants to run fully > fendered, racked and bagged all the time. Me? I'm kinda always banging > back and forth between those ideals, which, once again, is why Grant's > designs work so well - they allow you do continually tinker, hone and rerig > in the manner that works for you right now. > > There are times when it's fun to see who is fastest, or if you can nick some > seconds off of a personal best time. There are times when it's tremendous > to roll along among new and old friends. Whatever causes the most smiles > per miles. I like to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am. I've been > paying attention at the dog park, and notice that they lay about, loaf > around, go flat-out-bat-outta-hell, carve crazy turns, get dirty, get out of > breath and do it all over again. Which seems an appropriate goal for any > bike ride. > > The other thing that Patrick touches upon has to do with climbing on > fixed-gear bicycles. It rocks. Utterly and completely. It hurts. Thoroughly > and deeply. This last week, I've been switching back and forth between the > Hilsen - a multi-geared and coastable setup - and the Quickbeam - which I > run fixed most of the time. There's really no comparison. I can move up my > regular climbs at a decent clip on the Hilsen, but it always feels like > flyng (well, until you utterly, crushingly bonk) on the Quickbeam. The > momentum of fixed gear systems is palpable. > > all righty then... didn't mean to warble on at quite that length. > > - Jim > > -- > Jim Edgar > cyclofi...@earthlink.net > > ³Velvet pillows, safari parks, sunglasses: people have become woolly mice. > They still have bodies that can walk for five days and four nights through a > desert of snow, without food, but they accept praise for having taken a > one-hour bicycle ride.² - Tim Krabbe, "The Rider" > > Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com > Current Classics - Cross Bikes > Singlespeed - Working Bikes > > Send In Your Photos! - Here's how: http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > -- Patrick Moore Albuquerque, NM For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW at resumespecialt...@gmail.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
