Fixie to naas?

dethklok

I live in Rathfarnham in South Dublin and i was wondering if anyone has cycled from around here to naas. I was wondering would it be at all possible to do it on a fixie? (before you ask, yes there's a woman involved )

CianRyan

There's one sure way to find out, try it?

blorg

If you go out the N7 it is very flat and would be fine fixed. I rode out there/back and did the Martin Early Tour of Kildare on my Bowery, 46-14.

The N7 is however not a particularly pleasant way; it is much nicer to go up the N81 turning off after the Embankment and then over the back roads between the N81 and Naas. This is a pretty hilly route (not huge climbs, but a lot of up and down) and gears would be preferable.

kumate_champ07

Yes. I do harolds cross to newbridge, probably going today. I go tallaght-jobstown-blessington-naas

after jobstown theres a junction, right is saggart, I go left for a killer climb(after that its all easy). The first time I did it I think I needed to stop 3 times. When u leave blessington and head to naas(arrive by old tesco) theres some very nice scenery, lots of lambs out.

just make sure your bike is sound.what gear ratio are you running? Ive a few 18t cogs, could sell or loan you one

dethklok

blorg
n81 seems a bit out of the way. During the summer i might go that way, but right now i'm looking for a pretty direct route

dethklok

kumate_champ07
I'm running 42-15 which is 75.6 gear inches. Oh and i'm also running brakeless, might have to change that

jefferson73

dethklok wrote: »

kumate_champ07
I'm running 42-15 which is 75.6 gear inches. Oh and i'm also running brakeless, might have to change that

Brakeless?

dethklok

jefferson73
As in i don't have brakes. There's no brake levers on my handle bars, and no brakes on the wheels. When you're on a fixie, brakes aren't absolutely mandatory like on other bikes, because you can control the speed of the bike with your legs, and if you lock up your legs the back wheel will skid, bringing you to a stop.........eventually :P

Lumen

"dethklok". I see what you did there. :pac:

dethklok

@Lumen
As in you know the band?

Dord

dethklok wrote: »

jefferson73
As in i don't have brakes. There's no brake levers on my handle bars, and no brakes on the wheels. When you're on a fixie, brakes aren't absolutely mandatory like on other bikes, because you can control the speed of the bike with your legs, and if you lock up your legs the back wheel will skid, bringing you to a stop.........eventually :P

moch

Blorg, how did you get on cycling the Tour of Kildare on a 46-14? There are a few drags, the "wall" must have been torture! I was over there last week, it never seems to get any easier.

jefferson73

dethklok wrote: »

jefferson73
As in i don't have brakes. There's no brake levers on my handle bars, and no brakes on the wheels. When you're on a fixie, brakes aren't absolutely mandatory like on other bikes, because you can control the speed of the bike with your legs, and if you lock up your legs the back wheel will skid, bringing you to a stop.........eventually :P

Sounds Fun.

jefferson73

Dord wrote: »

dethklok

@Jefferson73
First of all, thumbs up for the Calvin and Hobbes.
Second, i don't go down any ridiculously steep hills. Riding a brakeless fixie is entirely different to riding any other type of bike. But if you check out the couriers in town, most of them ride brakeless

Tonyandthewhale

dethklok wrote: »

@Jefferson73
But if you check out the couriers in town, most of them ride brakeless

QED, debate's over boys, can't argue with that one.

happytramp

dethklok wrote: »

@Jefferson73
But if you check out the couriers in town, most of them ride brakeless

They are also awesome at braking red lights.

CianRyan

I really don't like the word fixie.
And the only place these bikes belong is on a track, far away from hipsters.

But different strokes, I guess.

blorg

moch wrote: »

Blorg, how did you get on cycling the Tour of Kildare on a 46-14? There are a few drags, the "wall" must have been torture! I was over there last week, it never seems to get any easier.

It was all fine, riding with the front group, until the wall, where I went ahead and got up most of it, with difficulty, before I unclipped pulling up 100m or so from the top. Needless to say I wasn't getting started again and the group passed me. I only lost a few seconds running over but that grew on the descent; caught a few on the flat and finished a few minutes down. It is a mainly flat circuit with a few <8% drags that are short, good one for a fixie I think. The wall is the only problem. You need gearing like 88" to keep up with the group on the flat/smaller descents, I did the Swords one on I think 73" and lost the group in the second half on a descent.

Chips Lovell

dethklok wrote: »

jefferson73
As in i don't have brakes. There's no brake levers on my handle bars, and no brakes on the wheels. When you're on a fixie, brakes aren't absolutely mandatory like on other bikes, because you can control the speed of the bike with your legs, and if you lock up your legs the back wheel will skid, bringing you to a stop.........eventually :P

Wow! I never knew that you didn't brakes on a bike like that. I always thought they looked really cool but was worried about the no brakes thing. I'll consider getting one of them now. Where did you get yours?

blorg

CianRyan wrote: »

I really don't like the word fixie.
And the only place these bikes belong is on a track, far away from hipsters.

But different strokes, I guess.

Have you owned one? A lot of fun and good training too... I agree using one on a public road without a brake is very reckless.

jefferson73

dethklok wrote: »

@Jefferson73
First of all, thumbs up for the Calvin and Hobbes.
Second, i don't go down any ridiculously steep hills. Riding a brakeless fixie is entirely different to riding any other type of bike. But if you check out the couriers in town, most of them ride brakeless

I recently saw a documentary about those couriers in town.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPTu2F450sk

dubmess

Talk about easy pickings...

I'm almost convinced this is some kind of reverse-trolling... don't feed the Boardsies!!!

MungoMan

I dont want to go off thread, but why do couriers ride fixies ?


OK I wont go off thread, why would someone want to ride a fixie from Dublin to Naas (is it because they dont have a conventional bike)

I only found out about fixies a few weeks ago. Id like to try one in a Velodrome.

CianRyan

blorg wrote: »

Have you owned one? A lot of fun and good training too... I agree using one on a public road without a brake is very reckless.

Never owned one but I've had a blast of a mates one around town. Bit of a laugh and I can see how they're be good for training.
Have to say, never said I didn't like the bikes, I just don't like what hipsters have done to them.
In saying that though, I really just don't like hipsters...

Lumen

People ride fixies because they require neither multiple gears nor freewheel capability.

Gears are for the weak. Coasting is for the lazy.

I am weak and lazy, therefore I do not ride a fixie.

Piercemeear

CianRyan wrote: »

Have to say, never said I didn't like the bikes, I just don't like what hipsters have done to them.
In saying that though, I really just don't like hipsters...

"Hipsters" can't do anything to a type of bike. Are you scared you'll get hipster-germs?

happytramp

Piercemeear wrote: »

"Hipsters" can't do anything to a type of bike. Are you scared you'll get hipster-germs?

They could do this...

CianRyan

Piercemeear wrote: »

"Hipsters" can't do anything to a type of bike. Are you scared you'll get hipster-germs?

Honestly, most people would probably call me one. I don't look quite as stupid as them but I like a lot of the same things as them.
But yeah, I don't want to catch anymore germs, so I won't be buying a "fixie" anytime soon.*



*this is mostly a lie, I'd just rather stick with a proper bike.

Piercemeear

CianRyan wrote: »

Honestly, most people would probably call me one. I don't look quite as stupid as them but I like a lot of the same things as them.
But yeah, I don't want to catch anymore germs, so I won't be buying a "fixie" anytime soon.*



*this is mostly a lie, I'd just rather stick with a proper bike.

Ah, I'm only kidding. I don't ride a fixie myself, but I'd hate anyone to steer clear of something that suited them just because it had associations with an amorphous group.

Saying that, I'm almost getting self-conscious about using a film camera these days, and I try not to mention to anyone that I buy music on vinyl, so I guess I'm in the same boat in other respects.

kumate_champ07

Brakeless in the city is just wrong, it's selfish, other people use the road too, brakes stop you much quicker than any skidding. Every courier Ive seen in the city break red lights, some at speed and others slow down a bit.
I rarely use my brake in the city but its there for emergencies, I dont need to skid either.
a couple of days ago I saw some student brakeless with no straps or clips and a really slack chain, he was cycling on the footpath too! It's an image/hipster thing, you can stick a brake on and not use it most of the time but its there for when you really need it.