(whooshing)
- Today we are in Bristol to do some city riding.
- Oh, hello!
- Chris, what are you riding?
- This is my new present from Jon Cannings
and the tech drawer, Hank.
It's my new fixie.
You like those, don't you?
- [James] Yeah but why are you riding it?
They're normally reserved for velodromes
or closed circuits, like the Red Hook Crit.
- Don't be silly.
A fixie's the perfect vehicle for getting around a city,
even if it's as hilly as Bristol.
- See, I disagree.
So with that in mind, I've got some tests
that will show you just why
geared bikes are better for city riding.
- Hmm, sounds ominous. - You ready?
A few tests.
Hold, I need to get my helmet on.
- See look, I'm away already.
(hypnotic electronic music)
- In this video, Chris and I are going to go
head-to-head on city streets.
But don't worry,
we are abiding by all the laws of the road
and as ex-professional riders,
we are riding fully within our limits.
Right, first up Chris,
is one you might not like that much.
It's a climbing up and descending down challenge.
- Yeah, well you know I'm a fan of good descents.
- Well yeah, I thought you'd like that second half.
But you climb up from here to the traffic lights,
up to the top, 'round the triangle, and descend back down,
where I'll be with the stopwatch and I'll time you.
- Right, okay, few ground rules then.
No jumping red lights and, in fact,
no breaking any laws of any kind
because I can't have that many points on my license.
And since it's your challenge, I think you should go first.
- I'll take that, all right.
You're on.
- Let me get my timer.
(energetic music)
- Hank's taken his position
and I reckon we have around 15 seconds to go
before the lights go green.
- I've got to get clipped in.
You don't have to get clipped in.
- Well I was going to press the start.
Oh, here we go!
Oh, he's jumped the gun a little bit.
He's still not in, what is he doing?
(energetic electronic music)
- Another red light.
Second red light and we're off.
Big gear start.
Now to descend.
Hope I don't get stopped by another light.
We've got three lights to the finish.
All right Chris, you're up, how you feeling?
- I'm a little bit nervous.
Got my pedals in the right position.
- I mean, if you beat me with jeans and trainers--
- It wouldn't be the first time?
(laughing)
Go! - Up, up, up!
(energetic electronic music)
- Right, acceleration off the line.
Find a rhythm, good.
It's a quite big uphill
and also you realize
just how much you pull up on the pedals
(panting) when you're riding flats.
First red light of the ride.
Unbelievable.
All right, make the light, make the light.
Go, go, go, it's green, it's green, it's green!
Oh yeah, it's green!
Kill your feet riding pedals,
max effort,
and secret weapon!
Here we go!
Oh yeah.
It's a fixie.
- Stop at the light.
(cackling)
- Ooh, that was close.
- We might actually draw.
- [Chris] No. - Yeah.
- [Chris] Are you going to stop it?
- No. - The line is this.
- No it's not, is it?
- Hey, your line was.
- Test number one done
and you did it in a time of 3 minutes and 26 seconds,
which is awesome,
seeing as you're in a pair of jeans and trainers.
- Yeah, I could go straight to the pub now, couldn't I?
I happen to know that was a good time
but I also happen to know it wasn't enough
because you did a whopping 3:24.
- Oh, thank god I beat you just by two seconds.
- I think it comes down to, though,
as beautiful and nice as that bike is to ride,
it's just going to spend just as long
waiting at the traffic lights
as I am on a fixie that Jon Cannings built
in his spare time.
I mean, I can sprint pretty quickly
so the time between the lights,
you're not going to make up that much time on me, are you?
- Yeah so with that in mind,
I've got another test then for us.
- Ooh. - Are you ready
for test number two?
(indie music)
For test number two, it's a short time trial.
- Oh, like a prologue?
I used to enjoy those.
- But a bit shorter.
I've devised a small course for us.
We're going to head down this street,
cross over the first roundabout,
then go all the way around the second roundabout,
back to the first roundabout,
then back the way around that one,
then left at the second roundabout and to the finish.
- As you just heard Hank describe,
that route sounds rather complicated
so we're going for a siting lap.
- We're quite close to each other, mate.
- We've been friends for a long time.
- We're at the start line of the second test.
Are you ready, mate?
- As ready as I'll ever be.
- Three, two, one, up, up, up!
He jumped the line.
Up, up!
(electronic music)
- Get a rhythm.
Pedestrian crossing.
Open maneuver.
Perfect timing.
Getting ready for a lunge.
Final lunge to the line! (grunting)
- Right Hank, you're up next.
I've just about recovered from my effort.
I can hold a stopwatch now.
We'll wait until the pedestrian crossing is clear.
That only seem fair.
Three, two, one, go!
(grunting)
(energetic rock music)
All right, he's coming, he's on the way.
See, he's around the final corner.
And he's moving.
He's going properly fast
but is he going to get air over the line?
Yeah, of course he is.
- Right, Chris, that's the agility test, done and dusted.
And again, you surprised me on that bike.
You did a time of one minute and eleven seconds,
which on that surface, on that bike,
(exhaling) I doth my cap sir, that was good.
- Not going to lie, I did quite enjoy it.
But as much fun as I had and as fast as it looked,
wasn't quite enough to make up
to your one minute and one second frankly blistering time.
- Thank god, I wouldn't have lived it down
if you had beat me.
- No, I wouldn't have let you forget either.
You do quickly become aware on these bikes,
you just can't corner quite like you can on one of those.
I mean, you got your brakes, you can freewheel,
where as I might clip a pedal if I lean too much,
I can't stop quickly if someone steps out in the road,
but the fact that you have to be
more conscious of all of this does mean, ultimately,
you're training your technique and your skills much more.
You're becoming a more thoughtful bike rider.
- All around better bike rider, I guess.
- I reckon, yup.
- Right, that's all done, yes?
- No, I don't know, it's not quite because
I think there's somewhere I can get my own back on you
and it's at the pub
but it doesn't involve too much drinking.
Come on.
- Interesting.
(somber music)
- I've quite enjoyed all this city cycling
but I think it's time for a quick lemonade at the pub.
- I'm still confused on how you're going to get back at me
at a pub,
seeing as how I'm an absolute pro at stopping at a pub.
- Don't you worry.
You'll soon see.
We'll just leave our bikes outside, shall we?
- What, here?
- Yep, here, outside.
- Ah, Chris?
I don't know if I can leave my bike out here.
It's a little bit too expensive.
What if someone nicks it?
Guess I'll just wait out here.
- Well it looks like Hank isn't joining me for a drink
inside the pub.
And I guess that really is the issue
with an expensive race bike like James's.
You just don't feel comfortable locking it up
outside a cafe or a shop or a pub,
whereas when you have a fixie like the one Jon built for me,
it's pretty much worry-free.
I mean, I could go almost anywhere, chain it up outside,
and I wouldn't feel too nervous about coming back to it.
And the lock wouldn't scratch
my expensive paint work either.
I mean, my bike has seen 30 years of use
and I just don't need to worry about it.
That's winning for me.
- So from our very scientific test,
we have worked out that road bike is faster,
easier to corner,
and having gears is ideal for hilly commutes.
But the fixie is a lot cheaper, it's low maintenance,
and much easier to go from bike to desk,
and it's a lot less stressful to leave it outside a pub
if, like me, you're riding a super bike.
But what I want to know is what would you ride in a city?
Would you go for a fixie
or would you go for a bike like my Orbea over there?
Let us know in the comment section below
and if you really enjoyed seeing us
race against each other on those two bikes,
make sure you give it a big thumbs up.
And for another commuter-style video,
why don't you check out that one down there?
Ollie and I went head-to-head, cheap bike versus super bike.