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Is Fixed Gear Bike Fast? (Explained)

The common question that everyone who own’s fixie bike has is, how fast is fixie bike, or how fast can fixie bike can go, if you have the same questions too then you are in right place I am writing this article after reading tons of articles and gathering information to give you the best and straight answer possible

In a short answer, the speed of fixie bike depends upon the type of surface you are riding in, if you riding your fixie bike on a flat road with a gear ratio of 2.6 to 3.0 is typical for fixie bikes with an average cadence of 80 to 90 rpm you will be able to go up to 30 km/h to 34 km/h on average.

The speed of fixie bike can be at a higher level but the fixed gear bike starts with the price of low as 150$ when compared to other bikes fixie bikes are pretty cheap, other main advantages about fixie bikes are it has low maintenance once you bought the bike it can serve you up to more than a year, and of course, you have to pump air into tires as need, grease up chain occasionally.

Fixie bike is fast when compared to single speed bike it does come with a lot of effort to keep up the phase while riding a fixie, compared to other bikes fixie can drain a lot of energy because cogs are directly connected to the rear wheel you won’t have time to rest your legs while riding a fixie the only options is to keep pedaling if you need a bit of rest, you can rest your legs on the frame of the bike

No other geared bike gives you the rush to keep going faster on the very pedal you push except fixed gear bikes when riding a fixie bike an individual can feel going fast, especially on a fixie bike.

Are fixed-gear bikes faster than road bikes?

The short answer is NO, when we are comparing road bike to fixie bike road bike comes with more advantages like thin tires, slim wheels, aerodynamic profile, lightweight body frame, and road bike comes with 3 crankset chainrings with 9-speed cassettes on the rear wheel which sum up to 27 gears, basically, it makes It easier to accelerate in the road more than fixie bike in the long-distance ride.

Cyclists use fixed-gear bikes to set world records but riding the same fixed gear on road will not go smoothly as road bikes would because fixed-gear only performs best in racing tracks which fixed gear is built to perform in.

Riding a fixed-gear uphill will consume a lot of energy to maintain forward-moving cadence while riding fixed gear downhill is fun but pedals will move much faster than you can pedal because it has only one gear. if we were to ride a road bike uphill or downhill it will be an easy ride compared to fixed gear just because the road bike offers a variety of different gear systems which allows the rider to change gears accordingly.

Price-wise fixie bikes are much cheaper compared to road bikes, a starting price of a fixie bike is 150$ you can buy from amazon, and road bike starts from 350$ with 14 gear sets which are 2 crankset chainrings and 7-speed cassette sum to 14 gear, road bike comes with more advantages and specification than fixie bikes.

Complex features with full rear cassettes and triple chainrings can easily beat a fixie bike that has just 1 gear because road bike riders can change gear to their comforts depending upon the surface, they are riding in which helps them to not stress their legs and waste more energy unnecessarily.

How fast can fixies go?

Fixed gear bikes can reach up to 50 km per hour but it all depends on the rider, like they say the rider is the engine of the bike. An average fixed gear bike has a cog of 16 tooth and 49 tooth in crankset on moderate efforts you can ride in 25 km per hour.

If you want to ride a little faster than usual, try adding 13 tooth cog with 49 cranksets with the same efforts in pedaling to maintain the average cadence you will be riding in around 28 km per hour.

How fast can Fixie bike go on the uphill?

If you’re riding your fixie bike with 50 teeth on the crankset and 14 teeth on the cog you will be able to go on average 20 km/h to 25 km/h even if you are not a pro cyclist.

Riding a fixie uphill can be a real pain in the leg, you can feel Adraline rush, you can feel your heart beating much faster than usual, and it’s one of the disadvantages of riding a fixie bike since it is the fixed gear you won’t have many options on the gear to ride in other than just keep pushing the pedaling, this takes away much energy and it drains more stamina than riding other geared bikes, it is the main reason why most bikers won’t choose fixed gear.

If you are living in an area where the surrounding is mostly flat surface then it doesn’t require you to push hard on the pedal, it will be a reliable option for you to buy fixed gear bikes

Pro tips on riding fixie bike uphill

–          Ride it in a zigzag line it makes it easier to climb and it’s one of the common tricks that most pro cyclists use. (don’t try this if you are in crowed area, it may bring difficulties to other vehicles and pedestrians)

–          Try to breathe from the mouth when climbing uphill because your body requires more oxygen when you are putting more energy on the pedal

 How fast can Fixie bike go on Downhill?

When riding a fixie bike downhill most reliable thing for you to do is lift your feet off the pedals and rest them on the frame of the bike, fixie bike can go up to 40 km/h to 55 km/h on a downhill and you still have solid control over your bike, but it depends on the environment you are descending on.

To slow your bike a little on corners stop peddling and it will automatically stop the back wheel and help you slow down in the corners and it will give you manageable speed on the downhill.

You can even add mechanical brakes on the rear wheel to have more control over the speed of the bike downhill.
If it is a place where more pedestrians are walking on side of the road you need to slow down a little and have more control over bike since it is fixie bike emergency stoppage of bike can be difficult, it will be much safer for you as well as to the other peoples.

Is a fixie bike faster than a single-speed freewheel bike?

Yes, fixie bike definitely has more speed compared to single speed freewheel bikes because of the non-stop peddling, fixie bike can go 34 km/h on average with 50 tooth on the crankset and 14 teeth on a cog with the cadence of 90, on the other side single speed bikes can go up to 28 km/h with 18 tooth on freewheel with a comfortable cadence of 90.

On freewheel single-speed bikes you can rest your legs by not peddling but in fixie bikes, you don’t have other options rather than pushing the pedal you can take a break while riding by resting them on the frame of the bike.
If we are about to test the fixie bike and single-speed bike in a 1-mile race, the fixie bike will Definity beat the single-speed bike by a few seconds.

Pros and cons of fixie and single speed bike

Fixie bike

Pros cons
Less maintenance
Simple mechanism
Ability to reach higher speed
Cheap price
Cannot stop pedaling

Single-speed bike

Pros cons
Can stop pedaling
More control at speed
Simple mechanism
Lower weight
hard to reach the top-end speed
requires more maintenance
freewheel/ coasts

 

Conclusion

Now that you know fixie bikes can go pretty fast depending upon the avenue, but it does come to its advantages and disadvantages, like every other bike.
Fixed gear bikes are faster on some roads and it is not faster when it comes to riding uphill. Compared to other bikes like hybrid bikes, single-speed bikes, cruiser bikes, mountain bikes, fixed gear is faster on the road compared to all the above bikes.

Fixie bikes can be suitable for an individual
–          who lives in urban areas?
–          who doesn’t like to keep shifting gears often?
–          who lives in an environment that has more of a straight road?
–          who doesn’t like more maintenance?
Fixie makes a great bike if you are one of the above-mentioned individuals.