Just wondering, there has been a few threads about single speed or fixed gear bikes recently.
Does anyone here ever race tri’s single speed or fixed?
Has anyone ever done an Ironman single speed?
Just curious, used to have a single speed road bike, loved it, so simple, so pure.
Doing an Ironman on one would be the nuts, but then again ironman is nuts. We don’t do it because its easy. Would make for a long hard day but would be an awesome ironman challenge…wouldn’t it?
Naturally you would want to be careful about picking the right course.
I remember a guy did IM LP in 2002 on a single speed bike he supposedly pulled out of the garbage and fixed up. Also did the swim in cutoff jeans. If I recall he did finish in the 14-15 hour range. I know we’ve talked about him on this forum before.
Have always considered the single speed Ironman as a great idea. If I am ever in a position to do an Ironman again but know that I wont be able to do the necessary training to have a crack at a pb I might just give it a whirl. Would be a certain way to make sure that you race for enjoyment rather than anything else.
After my first Ironman (NZ 2002) I did a local MTB race of 105km on 4WD roads (Rainbow Rgae in Nelson in case you have heard of it). I was in good nick after the Ironman but couldn’t face a competitive ride so borrowed a 1930’s single speed that a bike mechanic friend of mine had - went to the local charity shop to get some sweet “period” riding gear and lined up at the back of 1500 other punters on race day.
The old bike had 28 inch wheels, steel frame and a huge rake in the forks - all of which contributed to it being deceptively comfortable on the gravel roads.
Not surprisingly I started to overtake a fair few people towards the end of the race (after 4 hrs I was just getting warmed up!) The reactions from people I passed were priceless ranging from big cheers to “how the hell can you beat me on that piece of s#!t”. I don’t think I have ever had so much fun in a race.
I’m not doing an Ironman any time soon, but I am planning on doing a couple of events on a single speed or fixed bike (depending on the terrain). Going fast on a bike with no gears is more satisfying to me, plus triathlon is my “cross training” sport, so I’m not really worrying about the time.
I started thinking about this idea when my buildp for IMNZ 2004 fell apart, decided I “needed” a finishers medal so went with a normal bke.
As much as I love all the wicked toys we get to play with (discs, aerobars,P3’s etc)I think it would be fun and an awesome challenge to go the other way…
Sought of like an “Ultimate” Ironman
Swim- no wetsuit-how soft are we these days?
Bike- 32spoke wheels, no aerobars (they didn’t need this stuff when ironman started), and for good measure why don’t we loose the gears, and throw on a traditional “Brooks” saddle. So basicly a nice old school bike.
Run- well its 42.2km on foot, not sure we can make it much simpler?
I think this is could be done at IMNZ (if the water temp was to the legal level for no wetsuit), would be an hard day but would be awesome. No one could say you had any fancy toys doing the work for ya.
Maybe the Kona folks can help, but there was a Big Island guy do Ironman on a beach cruiser and slippers 5or 7 years ago. I did Xterra Maui on a SS mtb (real Hard) and have done maybe a dozen triathlons on fixed, single speeds, beach cruisers, and once on a girls bike with a basket.
Fixed gear would be pretty hard for an Iron distance race, but my single speed TT bike with a freewheel would probably be maybe 10 min slower in a race like Ironman FL if the course was pretty flat and not too much wind.
My stand alone 40k TT time PR is on a fixed gear bike, with no aerobars. I was 20 years younger and 40 lbs lighter at the time. On a real hilly course the SS would lose quite a bit of time, and maybe worse would tire your legs out more for the run. G
I just finished IMCDA. My rear derailer snapped and lodged into my rear wheel 15 mi into the race. I borrowed a new wheel from a bike support mechanic, took a few links out of my chain, and finished the 97 mi single speed. Totally unplanned but it was my first Ironman and I wasn’t leaving without the free pizza. I’m almost glad it happened. It is a great story!
I think that’s awesome you finished…coincidentally, my wife and I were at the airport and ran into said bike mechanic who told us the exact same story. To add even more badassness to your story, she said she let you pick the gear and you chose big ring, middle of the cassette. No way i could’ve pushed that all day. Who would’ve thought a ST story like this could be confirmed?
this is from a race report I remember from ironman st George a few years ago on one of the toughest bike legs there was “Riding along the road out to the main highway we were all passed by a guy on a single speed road bike, he was wearing a t-shirt, baggie shorts, and berkenstocks. He had a race bib on and the bike also had the race sticker. He was up out of his seat pedalling like crazy and disappeared up ahead. I never saw him again”
not quite as retro cool, but my favourite bike for 12/24hr mtb races is my ss hardtail. no mech issues to worry about ( an a more conscious effort to pace myself properly )
Couple of guys from our club did Paris-Brest-Paris on fixed gear. Not just single speed, fixed gear so not one moment of coasting the whole 1200km. Not my cup of tea at all…
**Doing an Ironman on one would be the nuts, but then again ironman is nuts. We don’t do it because its easy. Would make for a long hard day but would be an awesome ironman challenge…wouldn’t it? **
You’re not going to qualify for Hawaii on one but if you weren’t going to anyway, what difference does a slower time make? There have been people who biked around the world on a single speed bike so it’s not THAT hard, but in today’s time obsessed world, I think it would be fun.
British TT riders go really fast on fixed gears. I imagine wind and hills would require some compromises. If you picked the right gear on the right course you could go great. Ifound this online, note this is well before aero bars and wheels with less than 32 spokes:
" The 1959 British 25 mile time trial championship was won by Alf Engers with a competition record of 55 minutes 11 sec, riding an 84 inch fixed-gear bicycle."
He rode a 110" gear, average cadence 104, and it was raining. He reckoned he could have gone 30 secs faster in the dry.
Standard fork, standard brakes, front tri-spoke, rear Campy disc, non-aero steel frameset.
The guy was/is an utter, utter beast.
(by the way, Chris Ball got third that day on a standard road bike with clipons, downtube shifters, 32 spoke wheels. He went 49´20")
He rode a 110" gear, average cadence 104, and it was raining. He reckoned he could have gone 30 secs faster in the dry.
Standard fork, standard brakes, front tri-spoke, rear Campy disc, non-aero steel frameset.
The guy was/is an utter, utter beast.
(by the way, Chris Ball got third that day on a standard road bike with clipons, downtube shifters, 32 spoke wheels. He went 49´20")
good lord, thats 53x13 at 110 rpm–like 34 mpg? wow.