Rode about 70 miles including a 5,000 foot climb yesterday. Still experimenting/testing to see if a 508 fixed is doable.

When consulting with the sports doc, he emphasized that the knees are much stronger the straighter the legs are under load. So, I installed a longer stem and a dummy brake lever so that I could climb out of the saddle way forward and higher. Frequently I even found my face in front of the front tire. I had been standing with my hands in the drops. This worked pretty well. I really concentrated on keeping the legs straight as possible, particularly when the hills went over about 7-8%. This climb averages about 8, but ranges from about 4 to around 14% near the top. That last part was really, really tough. This pulls in the glutes for a lot of the load. Also, worked on pulling through (or "kicking") the top of the stroke, which took a lot of load off the downward force on the knees.

I wore blisters into the palms of both hands from pushing and pulling on the hoods so hard. Need to figure out a way around that.

Stood almost the entire way up, except for sitting to do necessary things like drink and wipe sweat out of the eyes (was 75 degrees). Even then, I moved way, way back on the saddle, again keeping knees straight as possible. This helped. Also made a point to flex the vastus medialis (inside front thigh, near knee) to help stabalize the knee, according to the doc, when pushing really hard.

I had raised the saddle, too, but this came back to bite me on the descents. It was a little too high, and I found that spinning over around 130 rpms I started to bounce. Hard to spin freely, I guess, when your crotch is bouncing off the saddle. Coincidentally, or because of this, my seatpost slipped down about 1/2 inch, and magically I was spinning at 160 rpms down the hills, still seated. Hmm, maybe a lesson here. Saddle high to climb, low to descend. Anyone else note this?

No knee soreness yesterday or today. This is a good sign. I think it shows that technique can be the key to climbing these huge hills fixed.

What gearing did you use? How was riding with the longer stem overall, not too stretched out compared to what you're used to? I'm new at this fixed stuff, still waiting on my track cog to turn my ss into a fixed. I plan on doing some 5000' + climbs this summer as well. Will definitely have to build up to it slowly.

So you don't have a rear brake? Tell me why again? What happens when you're descending, spinning 130+, and you have to stop suddenly? A rear brake doesn't add more stopping power to a fixed? Do you plan on instantaneously reversing your spin direction and skid to a stop? Please help the clueless!

hrv

What gearing did you use? How was riding with the longer stem overall, not too stretched out compared to what you're used to? I'm new at this fixed stuff, still waiting on my track cog to turn my ss into a fixed. I plan on doing some 5000' + climbs this summer as well. Will definitely have to build up to it slowly.

So you don't have a rear brake? Tell me why again? What happens when you're descending, spinning 130+, and you have to stop suddenly? A rear brake doesn't add more stopping power to a fixed? Do you plan on instantaneously reversing your spin direction and skid to a stop? Please help the clueless!

hrv
I'm using 41x17 now, around 64 gear inches (105 rpms @ 20 mph; 131 @ 25; 157 @ 30).

The longer stem felt fine; I started using the tops more for descending and tail-wind aided cruising, rather than staying in the drops all the time like I used to.

Yes, I think building up slowly is key. I haven't been on a derailleur bike in a few months, now, so my legs are really getting used to both spinning and mashing.

A rear brake doesn't appear to be necessary. In a panic stop, the front does all the work, anyway, as the rear tire has very little traction. The Pista has no rear brake mount, too. As an experiment, after descending 2500 feet yesterday and riding the front brake nearly the whole way, I braked to a quick stop and checked my front rim temperature. Expecting to burn my hand, I found that it was barely even warm (Mavic Open Pro). Wow. My theory is that brakes/rims are just not than challenged by constant drag braking; it's the panic slowing down fast switchbacks where you're going 50 then 20 for a turn, repeated, that challenges the brakes. Nonetheless, my "ultra racing fixed" bike I'm building will have both brakes, if for no other reason it gives a backup of the front tire blows out, and so that I'll never need to use the legs for braking, which would be stupid if you are racing (wasted energy).

For more info on fixed braking, check out Sheldon Brown's site: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixedb.html

Climbing:
When I'm standing & mashing out a big climb at 20 rpms (& we don't have 5,000 footers near me) I get way out on my cowhorn bars and pull up w/my arms while rocking the bike to the side. It's like doing arm curls.

Descending:
Commuting home for the 1st time this year from NYC on my fixie (48x16) last Wed, I was REALLY suffering & developed a cramp in my right calf. If I kept the rpms under 60 (love that front brake) I could deal, above that was excruciating. I remember thinking: how the frig is Doug gonna do the FC508 fixed?

More power to ya. Me? I'm just trying to get ready for MB1's spring century (my 18t cog arrived on Sat).

- Chris

Doing a fine job of keeping our reach beyond our grasp! just as i want to settle in

with the new lineup of mid-season TV replacements and consume handfulls of

bon-bons, --actually, it's homemade Nestle Tollhouse cookies (made with margerine,

not butter)--how do i know? Oh, i know..

Anyway, i find myself doing all this and thinking smugly, 'hey, i'm Superguy, i rode

for a **couple a hours** --so it's ok...

Then i remember that Doug Sloan guy who's talking about riding that that ...508!

on a fixed.. Ohhh k. Now i'm thinking that, until i ride some equivalent, and it ain't

gonna be anytime soon, perhaps i should return to the broccoli and let the wooden

spoon dry out for awhile. Just awhile.. 508? Man. you go. And thank you for taking

us along. :)

Doing a fine job of keeping our reach beyond our grasp! just as i want to settle in with the new lineup of mid-season TV replacements and consume handfulls of
bon-bons, --actually, it's homemade Nestle Tollhouse cookies (made with margerine,
not butter)--how do i know? Oh, i know..

Anyway, i find myself doing all this and thinking smugly, 'hey, i'm Superguy, i rode for a **couple a hours** --so it's ok...

Then i remember that Doug Sloan guy who's talking about riding that that ...508! on a fixed.. Ohhh k. Now i'm thinking that, until i ride some equivalent, and it ain't gonna be anytime soon, perhaps i should return to the broccoli and let the wooden spoon dry out for awhile. Just awhile.. 508? Man. you go. And thank you for taking us along. :)
Looks like I'll have competition. An ultra guy named Sam Beal just did the Death Valley Double on a fixed gear, in a 42x15 no less. Not quite the same hills, but still some biggies. He'll kick my butt if he's there.

There's always a bigger fish.

A double - Hmmf.

Just finishing the 508 is admirable. Doing it fixed makes you some kind of fixie folk hero - like Paul Bunyon or sumthin.

Just for laughs, on the a.m. of the 508, cover any exposed skin with temporary tattoos (REALLY covered - like sleeves) and I'll send you a cycling jersey that says: "Mid City Gym - New York City". Get a pair of SPD Vans to complete the ensemble.

I'm sure Sam Beal is a fine fellow, but you'll win the style contest hands down.

- Chris (as a matter of fact I AM bored today)

A double - Hmmf.

Just finishing the 508 is admirable. Doing it fixed makes you some kind of fixie folk hero - like Paul Bunyon or sumthin.

Just for laughs, on the a.m. of the 508, cover any exposed skin with temporary tattoos (REALLY covered - like sleeves) and I'll send you a cycling jersey that says: "Mid City Gym - New York City". Get a pair of SPD Vans to complete the ensemble.

I'm sure Sam Beal is a fine fellow, but you'll win the style contest hands down.

- Chris (as a matter of fact I AM bored today)
Sam is going to be some good competition. He did the DVD in 12:41, not bad for fixed and some good sized hills, plus he's over 50 (which isn't necessarily bad for ultra riding). That's good, though, because I think most people do better with competition.

Folk hero status, though, might be seriously diminished if 50 people do it fixed. You never know how this might catch on. Good business for knee doctors, I guess.

Do the tattoos stay on after sweating your butt off for two days? Good idea, but I think better than a cycling jersey would be a ragged gray sweatshirt with frayed cut-off sleeves. I already have the SPD Vans (to style with my Milano). Would be fun to show up that way, or at least get into costume about 10 miles from the finish for the finish photos.

Thanks -- need all the motivation I can muster. I know it's a bore, but talking about it here keeps me psyched.

Oh, got my ENO offset fixed hub yesterday and laced my wheel last night. It's a good looking hub, very nicely done. The eccentric feature is so simple it's amazing no one thought of it long ago. Should have the "racing" fixie built in a week or so.

...Do the tattoos stay on after sweating your butt off for two days? Good idea, but I think better than a cycling jersey would be a ragged gray sweatshirt with frayed cut-off sleeves. I already have the SPD Vans (to style with my Milano). Would be fun to show up that way, or at least get into costume about 10 miles from the finish for the finish photos.

Thanks -- need all the motivation I can muster. I know it's a bore, but talking about it here keeps me psyched.

Oh, got my ENO offset fixed hub yesterday and laced my wheel last night. It's a good looking hub, very nicely done. The eccentric feature is so simple it's amazing no one thought of it long ago. Should have the "racing" fixie built in a week or so.


I'm no expert on temporary tattoos, but even after a bath they are still visible on my 3 1/2 year old. I'd be more concerned that they might impede the flow of sweat somehow. I like the finish line pic idea.

The grey t-shirt idea is another good one because it saves me ~$70. Still, I'm game if you are (let me know your size & go on record saying you'll post the pics). Why not go whole-hog w/some cutoff baggy jean shorts & a chain-link belt?

The ENO sounds like a quality piece - I'm eyeing that up for someday when I build myself a mid to high-end fixie.

Lastly, I don't think you're boring us (Joe Friday summed it up well). Speaking for myself, vicarious living is one of the few guiltless pleasures I have left.

- Chris

Your climbing position is very similar to what I use on my fixie. I'm not sure that I could have described it as well. Your gearing is close to mine too (mine is 44/18 - just about 1% higher than your gearing).

I pull much, much harder on the bars when I climb fixie than when I climb with a multi-gear bike. I suspect/hope that the Bianchi stock bar on my bike is a thick heavy thing so that it will take all that extra work better than a svelte ultralight bar. A couple seasons of that hard tugging on a light bar and I'd start to get nervous. I find that at reasonable grades it's not bad staying out of the saddle for extended periods. At unreasonable grades it's just hard work.

Congrats. Glad the knees are staying happy.