how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

mercalia · Post by **mercalia** » 20 Jul 2015, 9:13pm

I just spent a few days camping at the YHA at Truleigh Hill on the South Downs behind Shoreham By The Sea west of Brighton. Is by the South Downs Way. There was a "cyclist" who stayed a few days in the hostel who was riding the downs on, wait for it, A Fixie 700c wheeled bike. He said he was an ex race cyclist and it was common for racers to do as he was doing. Mad Man says I, any one who knows the South Downs would surley agree? He wasnt too young either maybe late 30's

NATURAL ANKLING · Post by **NATURAL ANKLING** » 20 Jul 2015, 9:21pm

Hi,
You do meet them sorts.
Met a MTB biker on the open moor with handle bars up round his armpits, he retorted he had cycled all over the world like that

Oh..........I do a 35 mile training course on my tourer 700c with panniers, and I have been known to do the local forrest MTB course on route

Not sure if its the grey beard or the panniers which make them stare :lol:

Tacascarow · Post by **Tacascarow** » 20 Jul 2015, 9:51pm

mercalia wrote:I just spent a few days camping at the YHA at Truleigh Hill on the South Downs behind Shoreham By The Sea west of Brighton. Is by the South Downs Way. There was a "cyclist" who stayed a few days in the hostel who was riding the downs on, wait for it, A Fixie 700c wheeled bike. He said he was an ex race cyclist and it was common for racers to do as he was doing. Mad Man says I, any one who knows the South Downs would surley agree? He wasnt too young either maybe late 30's

I was left standing by a younger rider on a fixie on the road leading to mine & if you haven't cycled in Cornwall believe me our hills are at least equal to the Downs.
I think a lot of cyclists could improve their fitness if they stopped looking at times, & concentrated on higher gears on climbs.
I passed three tourists today one lovely couple with just panniers. Friendly hellos, have a nice day etc. Then about five minutes later a guy pulling a trailer that looked from the load as if he was moving house!!!
I said hello but his grimace made me think he was in a completely different place to me.
That's mad.

mercalia · Post by **mercalia** » 20 Jul 2015, 10:02pm

Tacascarow wrote:I was left standing by a younger rider on a fixie on the road leading to mine & if you haven't cycled in Cornwall believe me our hills are at least equal to the Downs.
I think a lot of cyclists could improve their fitness if they stopped looking at times, & concentrated on higher gears on climbs.

well these were not ROADS but the stoney tracks off road. I mean stoney.

[XAP]Bob · Post by **[XAP]Bob** » 20 Jul 2015, 10:42pm

Or by concentrating on a higher cadence, rather than higher gears....

Two very different approaches...

661-Pete · Post by **661-Pete** » 20 Jul 2015, 10:53pm

Fixies, huh!? The most charitable thing I can say about them is, not for me! My view is, their place is the track and not elsewhere. But this remark is bound to evoke howls of derision from the fixie fraternity - especially a group of diehard individuals in London with whom I was formerly acquainted (note: London's roads are smooth and mostly flat :wink:

).

One of these aforesaid individuals - lean as a rake and fixie-fixated - had the temerity to take out the then organiser of the FNRTTC, on the way up Ditchling Beacon. Said organiser later posted on a forum about the shame of being overhauled by some 'pipsqueak' (that, IIRC, was the word used). So I'm not, it seems, the only one with a sneerin', scornfu' view of this mode of transport.

Having said that, my guess is you won't win the argument if you take a fixie rider to task. Let them do their thing!

As for riding on 700c's - well you don't specify the width of the tyres. 700x23c slicks are a world apart from 700x38 knobblies. If he was on the former - good luck to him! I know that path. I hope he took plenty of patches... :twisted:

mercalia · Post by **mercalia** » 21 Jul 2015, 12:49am

I didnt look at the bike closely but at a distance seemed very slim - in fact a road bike all silver

tatanab · Post by **tatanab** » 21 Jul 2015, 6:29am

I used to live not far from the South Downs. Sometimes a club mate and I would ride about 50% off road and 50% on road for a Sunday ride. In about 1992 I recall meeting a group from London equipped with mountain bikes who were following circular routes from a book. At first they were surprised that we were riding "road" bikes (in fact pretty ordinary CTC club riding machines with saddlebags and mudguards etc), then they were staggered to see that we were riding fixed. Apparently this is impossible. Them - a bunch of modern trendies. Us - a pair of wrinkled old CTC riders. Experienced, not mad, and long before trendies discovered what they call "fixie".

eileithyia · Post by **eileithyia** » 21 Jul 2015, 7:13am

My mum toured with a fixie... indeed on a trip to the west country the club riders advised she 'had' to have gears for the trip, bike was fitted with said gears... mum was terrified as she was so used to the control fixed gave her on the descents....needless to say the fixed gear went straight back on....

Everyone (I believe) used to change from gears to fixed for winter club riding. What you have to remember is you get an assistance from the fixed as the wheel automatically comes around and helps push...
If fixed was so ill-advised for hills why do the end of season hill climbing specialists use fixed for the events?

I also believe fixed taught people how to pedal smoothly.....

And Pleeeeeezzzeeeeee not so young at mid to late 30's............ you have a lot to learn............

brooksby · Post by **brooksby** » 21 Jul 2015, 9:54am

"how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?" - pants on his head and pencils up his nose

ferdinand · Post by **ferdinand** » 21 Jul 2015, 10:23am

eileithyia wrote:If fixed was so ill-advised for hills why do the end of season hill climbing specialists use fixed for the events?

Because they are mad. Simples.

Audax67 · Post by **Audax67** » 21 Jul 2015, 10:32am

Hotel manager in Sallanches (near Chamonix) recounted his fun riding up easy tracks to the head of a competition downhill route and then going down it hell for leather. Met him once on the road, track-standing in the fast lane before hopping up onto the central divider and zooming across into the hotel car park. He appeared to be made of springs.

He was also a smoker. Duh.

iviehoff · Post by **iviehoff** » 21 Jul 2015, 1:11pm

I once had the amusing but annoying experience of going up a steep hill with a guy on a fixie. He was zigzagging from side to side of the road to reduce its steepness so that he could actually ride it. I had to get out of his way as he was not in sufficient control to get out of mine.

GrumpyCyclist · Post by **GrumpyCyclist** » 21 Jul 2015, 1:19pm

brooksby wrote:"how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?" - pants on his head and pencils up his nose

He can only be mad if he's also saying "Wibble"

mercalia wrote:He wasnt too young either maybe late 30's

Can't answer your madness question but as someone in his mid 40s I'm distressed at this bit. You'll have us all shot when we reach 30 next :mrgreen:

reohn2 · Post by **reohn2** » 21 Jul 2015, 5:00pm

mercalia wrote:........He wasnt too young either maybe late 30's

Err,just a minute there!
He was in the prime of life!
It sounds as if he was proving it too!

Thinks..... .....what does that make me at 62

Cycling UK Forum

how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?

Re: how do u tell a mad cyclist from a sane one?