All,
A friend has offered me his fixedgear bike and I’m too stupid to pass it up. Not that I have space in my apartment for another bike or anything.
Does anyone have any advice to offer on how to get used to riding a fixedgear without killing oneself or others the first time out? Would you go with clipless pedals from day one? I’m definetly leaving the brake on it for now.
Thanks for any advice!
Lee
Leave the front brake on, remove or disable the rear if he has one.
I went with cages & straps, as I don’t have a second pair of clipless pedals. You should be fine with clipless (although getting your 2nd foot in will be kind of weird at first). Do not try to use “block” pedals (ie - no means of attaching your feet to them).
Start out on a flat, quiet road and just get used to the feeling of having your legs driven for you. Don’t stand up over speedbumps, and avoid bunnyhopping if at all possible.
Practice braking with your legs.
Once you’re comfy riding around, go farther. If you’re already comfortable riding in traffic go ahead, but if it makes you uneasy on a conventional bike, stick to low traffic zones. Try riding up and down small hills. Get used to “letting go” when descending.
Try as you might, you won’t be able to wipe the grin off your face. Sorry - it’s permanent. 
I started riding a fixie over the winter, it’s not as tough as it seems to get clipped in, since you can control the speed of the pedal with your already clipped in leg. Definitely use clipless pedals.
Biggest thing is to remember to keep pedalling, no matter what. On downhills, relax your legs and let them fly around at 180 rpm, or use the brake to control your speed. Don’t try to put backpressure on the pedals at high speeds, its really uncomfortable when you do that.
If you’re riding with a group, don’t draft as close the first few times out, cause if the group slows suddenly the way a fixie ‘coasts’ is a bit different than a regular bike.
Have fun, its a blast
Advice? Sure…write back in a month and let everyone know how quickly the dust collected on your other bikes once you started riding the fixie. You’re going to love it.
Like anything new, riding a fixed gear will take a little adaptation. You definitely want to keep the front brake on and if there is not a “hood” where the rear brake lever should be, you’ll probably want that as well so you can ride with your hands on the hoods.
The good news/bad news is that if you “forget” that you cannot coast, the feedback is immediate and violent – you’ll get used to it pretty quickly. You will become much more aware of how you interact with your bike as well.
I had no problems riding in traffic but the first few times down steepish hills was a challenge. I started riding a 700c with a 39x16 and am now on a 39x13. I’ll be getting a 14 and 15 tooth cog because the 13 is just too hard and defeats the “spin” benefit. The 16 was just too hard to maintain on ANY downhill.
With all that said, I did our tri club group ride this morning on my fixie and I think everyone must have eaten two bowls of wheaties because the pace was insane. I was having a little trouble keeping up but it sure was fun!
You will be surprised how much fun it is to ride fixed. Not to mention how many people with comment on your ride.