I suppose it's time to add to my bike blog. Yes, I've been very slack. I've been riding though, and gotten back in the gym.
This installment is all about my new girlfriend. Her name is Grace. Grace Jones.
She is a fixed gear road bike and goes like nothing I've ever ridden. I've wanted to try fixed gear for quite a while and having an alternate bike for training and commuting will certainly mean that poor old Nancy doesn't take such a thrashing
Grace is a Giant Bowery. The only mods so far are a set of road bars, second hand Look pedals and a couple of bottle cages. She's got a flip-flop hub with a free wheel on the one-side which kind of defeats the purpose so it'll go for a different cog. Right now she has a 46-17 which gives a 73 inch gear in the old money. I'll stick with that for a while and see how I go.
I've had a couple of moments so far. While riding to work in the dark yesterday, a pot-hole appeared in front of me. Instinct took over and I stopped pedaling to lift my bum while making a quick evasive manoeuvre. FAIL! On both counts. I got my legs ripped off, nearly thrown from the bike and didn't miss the pot-hole. The second was more straight forward when riding home. I don't need to use the brakes on this hill, I can spin it out.
Ooops, no I can't.
What a workout though. Almost every stupid cliche you've heard about riding fixed gear is absolutely true. The feel for the road is just astounding. I can feel what I'm doing on the bike so much more clearly. Lastly, if you want value for your time on the bike and you're prepared to put in, a
fixie gives a top workout. Leg speed, strength, skill and endurance.
All this for less than $800!
...
