On a Fixie: A Case for the Deep V

The wheel: A breathtaking invention that changed the world.
Velocity Deep V: Probably the most kick-butt wheel on the market.

With that being said, I figured it would be about time to jump back into our On A Fixie series with a look at the ever so popular Deep V.

Friday afternoon-my day off of work, mind you-I found myself at the shop building my new wheel set for my fixie with John, our in-house wheel guru. I decided for my new wheel set that I would go with a set of Electric Blue Velocity Deep V's, White DT Swiss spokes, and some white Origin 8 sealed track hubs. The results were very kick-butt, if I may say so.




Awesome? You can admit it.

Anyway. The reason that I decided to go with the Deep V is simple. Although they're pretty heavy, on a fixie, lighter weight shouldn't be your first goal. Durability of the components should be first, then weight can follow...and as far as the durability of the Deep V goes, they're practically bulletproof. I've seen them missing a spoke and less than 1mm out of true, if you need a personal example.

The bling factor is another plus of this wheel set. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, and you can choose a machined sidewall or a non machined sidewall, depending on if you run one, two, or no brakes. If you're like me (and a.lo...and R2...) then you have the very annoying curse called "wanting everything on your bike to match a certain paint scheme," and therefore...these wheels are perfect for you. You can even get Gold, like Michelle plans to do.

There IS a reason why Deep V's are so popular. They're bulletproof, and very colorful.

So get yours today!

On A Fixie: A Case for 70 gear inches

As part of the on going 'On A Fixie...' Series, this time I'm going to attempt to tackle the mysterious system of thoughts dealing with gear inches.

Gear inches if you were unaware is defined by Sheldon Brown as...

'One of the three comprehensive systems for numbering the gear values for bicycle gears. It is the equivalent diameter of the drive wheel on a high-wheel bicycle. When chain-drive "safety" bikes came in, the same system was used, multiplying the drive wheel diameter by the sprocket ratio. It is very easy to calculate: the diameter of the drive wheel, times the size of the front sprocket divided by the size of the rear sprocket. This gives a convenient two- or three-digit number. The lowest gear on most mountain bikes is around 22-26 inches. The highest gear on road racing bikes is usually around 108-110 inches. Unfortunately, the handwriting is on the wall for all inch-based measurement systems.'

Clear as mud? That's what I thought. If you want to be more confused go here. In normal person terms, gear inches is simply how far the wheel rolls on one full rotation of the pedal.

Now, there is a lot of questioning and playing around with what is the proper gearing on a fixie. Most people simply think about the front chain ring and the rear cog and talk in terms of that. Take my fixie, Red, she has got a 46x17 respectively. Which if you put in to a gear calculator comes out to 71.4 inches [note: if you are using this gear calculator be sure to switch the 'gear units' from 'gear ratios' to 'gear inches']. Which is the closest I can get to 70 gear inches without changing the front chain ring [which is typically the more expensive of the two options].

You might be wondering, ok Adam, you've made your point about being aware of what you're running but really haven't made any real point on why 70 is the magic number... and to be perfectly honest, I have to give credit where it is due. Geoff basically insisted on this as the magic number. Why? BECAUSE IT WON'T KILL YOU! It is what I'd consider to be the perfect gearing right out of the box for climbing and giving you a solid top end speed. I started out with a set up that put me around 59 gear inches and once I got up to stop speed I would literally be hopping in the saddle becuase I was spinning so fast. Sure climbing was super easy but what is really necessary is a solid balance of both.

With the 70 gear inches, it won't kill you on the hills and won't slow you down on the flats. As one begins to ride more, ones legs become stronger going to a tougher gearing could be some thing to consider, or an easier one if you're looking to be the ultra cool hypster skidder... but really, it gives you the most control.


NOTE TO ALL OF YOU WHO WANT TO GET YOUR HANDS ON THE 'MANIFESTO' T's: They are very close to being done and then I'll be taking orders for them. I'll have some with me when I'm back in Iowa at the first of January and would love to get them your way then. Michiganders and everyone else. I'm hoping that the No Drive Website will be transformed shortly to be able to handle orders, or we can always line up a time to meet up.

On a Fixie: Knickers

For our next topic in the 'On a Fixie' Series, I will be diving right into clothing. That's right... knickers, man-pres as I prefer to call them. Now, before we get into things I'll admit, my knickers are a normal part of my bike attire and am fortunate enough to be able to get away with wearing them at work.

Sure I get interesting looks from customers when they notice them and yes, I'll probably look back on pictures of me 15 to 20 years from now and say... well, at least it's not neon.

My experience with knicker consists of two different brands. Chrome and Wig, there are number of other companies that offer knickers from Portland Cyclewear or Bicycle Fixation which I hope to one day try both of them to really compare more of them. But for now, the Chrome and Wig brand knicker I believe give enough of review on different takes.
The first pair of knickers I had, I recruited my old roommates girlfriend/now wife to alter an old pair of jeans. It worked but really hasn't gotten much ride time because I invested in the Chrome knickers very shortly there after.

So you might be wondering... why knickers in the first place? Well, they are the best 'casual' rider clothing for cycling. Being a commuter, I don't want to lyrca up just to head to work or get a coffee. I get strange enough looks with my MTB shoes on when I'm cruising around the mall or coffee shop. The first thing that becomes an issue when riding 'casually' is the annoyance ones pant leg getting pulled into the drive train, either staining or tearing the pant leg. Simple solution, cut off the part of the pant that isn't needed so it won't get in the way.

I have found that knickers are perfect for commuting. for warmth on the cooler days and a normal look in the summer months. Most companies offer different summer/winter options. Wool always wins, but I suggest them more for the cooler months of course.

But won't I look like a fool? Yes and no, but you're original. By wearing knickers, it's almost an easy way for people to ask, why you're riding? And then we can continue this little revolution and maybe get another person to consider cycling.

Wait, isn't this a Fixie series? I'll admit none of my reasoning has really explained the fascination with knickers and fixies. Answer. For the hipster, it's either knickers or girl pants. =) Knickers start to look a heck of a lot better considering those 2 choices.

Why Chrome? Well, the price is a bit scary. 140 bones. But it's got a number of things going for them, US of A made, 4 way stretch, excellent sized pockets, and the real sealer... a 'lightly padded chamois', not noticeable when wearing them around when off the bike but very noticeable and appreciated when on the saddle.

Why Wig? $57 online... $65 at a certain shop. This is a great two person operation out of Chi-town. Wendy is the main contact there and shes extremely easy to work with. The Wig knickers are altered standard issue army pants. With reinforced knees and seat. The pockets can hold a u-lock and are extremely comfortable. Of course, they don't have the built in padding but bag for your buck, you can't beat them. I have both the black and green pairs.

Another great thing I've found a use for them is during pre and post race attire. I wore a pair during my warm up lap at the cross race this weekend and we perfect for post race hanging out. Extremely easy to get in and out of, and there is no struggle getting feet through. Not to mention I might be sporting a pair for Trans Iowa. We'll see.



One of the regulars on the Saturday Rides made it to the big time, R2 as he's been referred to in past posts got his Masi on fixedgeargallery.com... check it.

On A Fixie: A Case for Clipless Pedals

The great thing about having another writer and friend who is just as excited about cycling and this little NDJR revolution as much as I am, just in normal conversation, sweet things come about. One of those being a series we're going to call 'On A Fixie', in which we are going to cover a number of topics... from Knickers to Knog, Chrome bags to Brooks saddles, no brakes or odd brakes. It should be fun, maybe interesting. We'll each be taking different topics, probably responding on the other and who knows, it might just break out into a big ol' show down of hipster-ness. Yes, hipster-ness.

The first topic that I'll be handling is advocating for going clipless on a fixie. And so it begins.

The first thing I believe we must understand what draws a person to the fixie or fixie subculture of cycling. For that we will consult a video [beware, PG-13 language to follow].



Ok, you caught me... but this mockumentary and I do apologize for the language but this pretty much nails a lot of things on the head. A few quotes that sum it up well...

'Pretty much the spirituality... if I'm going to ride 20 miles, I'm going to push 20 miles.'

'This type of riding... gets them more in touch with the road and the board.'

It's this that I use as my foundation for the use of clipless pedals for fixies. There is a fair amount of truth to the amount of control, feel, 'intouch'-ness with the bike that occurs when one goes fixie. By clipping in, this feel is greatly increased for the simple fact that as a rider you become one with the bike. Fully engaged with the rear wheel and mass of the bike. Sure laugh about what I just wrote but why is clipless used in other aspects of cycling? Efficiency and control.

Now of course there are plenty of options in using a clipless system. Let's examine 3 basic options:

The first choice would be what is called. The 'Eggbeater' by Crank Brothers.
This is my pedal of choice but not what I would say would be the first option for any cyclist just getting into clipless. Why? Sure, it is a 4 sided pedal making it very easy to clip into but with the lack of any real tension control as compared to the other options it does not make for a very good learning experience, since most will have a close call with falling when first engaged into the pedal.


The second option would be the Shimano SPD. This is my favorite for beginners. It has a number of things going for it. There are many options for style with different platforms and styles, in addition if you are into spin classes you are able to sport the same cleat/shoe and clip in at the gym. This has the tension control that the Egg Beater lacks which allows for a rider to easy get in and out early on when they hit panic mode at stops.


A third option would be the Look or traditional style road pedal. The draw of this style is the fact the the pedal does provide a large platform for the shoe but at the same time restricts the type of shoe you can use, simply a road shoe which is not walkable at all. For everyday uses the type of shoe alone is not very walker friendly and definitely risk falling when walking on tile flooring. This style does have tension control which is nice but not necessarily as easy to get out of as the SPD.


Sure there are a few other styles from Speedplay and Time but for the most part this are not systems that would be all that great for a beginner to get into for everyday or fixie riding for one reason or another. Any local shop should be able to walk you through what pedal/shoe combination will best suit ones needs for riding but 95% of the time, I lean straight to the SPD style.

It's difficult to fully advocate for going clipless on a fixie because of the urban setting and versatile usage of both the cyclist and bike. I will never go away from it, but I'm fully willing to sacrifice sporting my bike shoes over wearing my Chucks or New Balance. Function or Fashion? That's really where this argument will end up landing.

I mean, come on... you could always just wear Lycra and be a 'real' cyclist.