Fixed gear bike packing

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Patrick Moore

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May 14, 2019, 4:43:18 PM5/14/19
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Dn Patrick: I read this, snorted, and thought of you.

See, it used to be that everyone was using gearing that was way too big, and that was annoying enough.  Now, however, it seems that everybody's running gears that are too small in order to prove what rugged terrain they ride and how much crap they carry.  As far as I can tell, with GRX you can run something like a 31 in the front and a 34 in the back, and yet I keep seeing commentary along the lines of, "This GRX gearing is not low enough!  I have three WolfTooth adapters on my long-cage derailleur so I can run a modified 53-tooth front chainring as my lowest gear in the rear, and I've got a 13-tooth rear cog bolted onto the spider of my front crank, which is what you really for the climbs around here--especially when you're carrying a pour-over coffee maker in the pocket of your Rapha gravel shorts."
At this rate the low-gearing backlash is all but assured, and when that happens I've got two words for you: "fixie bikepacking."

From BSNYC, of course, commenting scientifically on Shimano's new gravel groupo.
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Deacon Patrick

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May 14, 2019, 7:04:42 PM5/14/19
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If fixed gear taught me one thing it's that the gear selection doesn't matter. They're out riding and that does matter. Grin.

With abandon,
Patrick

Eric Norris

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May 14, 2019, 7:08:08 PM5/14/19
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A friend was talking to Sheldon Brown a few years back about a ride he was putting together to cross the USA on fixed gear bikes. Sheldon’s response was classic:

“In the old days, that’s how they all did it."

--Eric Norris
campyo...@me.com
@CampyOnlyguy (Twitter/Instagram)

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Nick Payne

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May 15, 2019, 5:26:05 AM5/15/19
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In about 1978, when I was living in Western Australia, a group of us who were a bit over just training and racing organised a nine day 1400km cycle camping tour. Two of the riders did it on fixed wheel - somewhere around a 65" gear as I recall. Luckily WA is not a particularly mountainous part of the world, and as far as I can remember they managed the hills OK.

Nick

Patrick Moore

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May 15, 2019, 1:02:32 PM5/15/19
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Craig Montgomery, sometimes of this list (I think; he's on the boblist) used to regularly tour loaded in the AZ desert (water) on fixed gears; I think that now he's moderated and uses hub or even (gasp!) derailleur gears.

Craig?

On Wed, May 15, 2019 at 2:26 AM Nick Payne <njh...@gmail.com> wrote:
In about 1978, when I was living in Western Australia, a group of us who were a bit over just training and racing organised a nine day 1400km cycle camping tour. Two of the riders did it on fixed wheel - somewhere around a 65" gear as I recall. Luckily WA is not a particularly mountainous part of the world, and as far as I can remember they managed the hills OK.

Nick

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Craig Montgomery

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May 16, 2019, 1:48:19 AM5/16/19
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Yep. Fixed gear, hub gear, derailleur gear (no shame-common sense). The condition of the road, the body, and the state of mind.determine where I go and how. 

The 25th Infantry, on their tour from Montana to St. Louis in the mid-1890's had 65" gears and they carried a lot. I like a 65" gear for touring fixed.  

Got this photo from the latest edition of the Rough Stuff Journal. Put it up on the iBooB. Didn't impress many over there but these amazing guys, Englishmen of course, crossed Iceland from south to north on their fully loaded fixed gear custom Viking touring machines in 1958. 14 days of food and fuel. Ropes, small river raft. No real roads. Wow. 

Iceland Expedition Team 1958.jpg

Craig "Rule Britannia" in Tucson


On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 10:02:32 AM UTC-7, Patrick Moore wrote:
Craig Montgomery, sometimes of this list (I think; he's on the boblist) used to regularly tour loaded in the AZ desert (water) on fixed gears; I think that now he's moderated and uses hub or even (gasp!) derailleur gears.

Craig?

On Wed, May 15, 2019 at 2:26 AM Nick Payne <njh...@gmail.com> wrote:
In about 1978, when I was living in Western Australia, a group of us who were a bit over just training and racing organised a nine day 1400km cycle camping tour. Two of the riders did it on fixed wheel - somewhere around a 65" gear as I recall. Luckily WA is not a particularly mountainous part of the world, and as far as I can remember they managed the hills OK.

Nick

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Daniel M

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May 16, 2019, 12:55:35 PM5/16/19
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Thank you for that photo.

Wide tires, wide rims, drop bars at a reasonable height, and a balanced load. It seems to get forgotten and rediscovered over time.

I will stick with my Rohloff for touring and more upright bars if the going gets rough enough, however, and keep my fixie riding around town for the time being...

Daniel M
Berkeley, CA

Daniel M

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May 16, 2019, 1:06:38 PM5/16/19
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The moment I saw "fixie bikepacking" written as a joke by Bikesnob (whose writing I love), my first thought was: "You city people have got to get more imaginative than THAT! Out West we HAVE fixie-bikepacking. In the snow. One a Rivendell converted to horizontal dropouts. Wearing boiled wool and cotton fishnet." Truth is wilder and more interesting than fiction in almost every case.

I must admit that the Deacon's posts here were part of the nudge that motivated me to build a 26" fixed wheel for an unused Troll frame / front wheel / most parts I had lying around and assembled into something I'd be comfortable locking up anywhere. It's been really great riding fixed from time to time after briefly dabbling about 10 years ago.

Daniel M
Berkeley, CA

RichS

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May 16, 2019, 6:58:59 PM5/16/19
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Craig, I am most impressed with the “Rough Stuff” riders.
Thanks for giving them a mention here. Pretty amazing terrain they had to pedal over and with hefty loads too. Those were some tough blokes!

Cheers mate!
Rich in ATL

Craig Montgomery

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May 17, 2019, 12:59:32 AM5/17/19
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You'll love this. The expedition team 50 years later with one of their custom Vikings.  Ian Hibell had a similar style integrated touring rack built into his Argus tourer sometime in the 70's. Note the seat tube angle on this fixed specific bike. Looks to be pretty shallow. 70/71 degrees. Typically English for this time. Shallower angles allow your legs to hit the power stroke earlier in the rotation of the crank, before 12 o'clock. Keeps you in the saddle longer which helps climbing especially long climbs.  

Iceland Expedition Team.jpg

Craig in Tucson, about to embark on a backroads S24O on his '99 Jack Taylor (71.5 seat tube angle)

John G

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May 17, 2019, 1:32:53 PM5/17/19
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Here's an interesting Youtube on the 25th Infantry.

John G
Union Bridge, MD


Craig Montgomery

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May 17, 2019, 10:49:10 PM5/17/19
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That was a great little documentary but mine stopped halfway thru.  Still, goes to show you what can be done on a single speed loaded for bear. Thanks.

Craig in Tucson

Elton Lance

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May 19, 2019, 8:08:16 AM5/19/19
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That would be The Big Fix 2006!

And classic Sheldon, indeed.

Elton P. Lance
Vero Beach, FL



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