Q&A: Patrice Renaud Rode from Montreal to Vancouver on a Fixie

Fixed-gear bikes have become a fixture in North American cities—even Walmart has an entire section dedicated to these bicycles. More commonly known as fixies, these single-speed bikes are unique because they have a rear cog fixed to the wheel which basically means that the pedals just keep turning as you ride. A lot of them don't even have brakes.

Needless to say, these stripped-down bikes are usually used for urban commute on flat ground—not for touring the whole country. But Patrice Renaud decided to challenge that line of thinking, cycling his way from Montreal to Vancouver. That's 5,000 unaccompanied kilometres in 32 days (plus two days to rest), while towing a trailer with his belongings as he crossed the Rockies.

We caught up with the 26-year-old as he was arriving in British Columbia.

VICE: You came a long way! Why did you decide to do this long trip?

Patrice Renaud: I was planning to move to Vancouver to improve my English. I found a job and I decided to move on my bike, with a small trailer that weighs about 80 pounds. I tried to bring as little stuff as I could… but I was moving, so there were things that I had no choice but to bring with me.

Why on a fixie?

Because it's the bike I own! I didn't really want to bother to buy another one and to readjust. I knew I could easily do 200 kilometres a day on it.

Is there any moments when you didn't have the choice and had to get off your bike?

At one point, there was an 11 percent grade hill during one kilometre. I got off my bike and I walked during 20 minutes. That's it! Usually, even in the Rockies, the hills are around six-to-eight percent grade. It's fine for me. At some point between the Okanagan Valley and Merrit, I climbed a really steep hill that lasted three hours. I can remember it well—1,100 metres of elevation on 30 kilometres. It was pretty rough.

Some people ride their fixed gear bike without brakes. They use the force of their legs to stop. What about you?

When I ride in Montreal, I don't have brakes. But for this trip, I had to install one on the front. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to slow down on the hills.

Any mechanical problems on the way?

I didn't really have any major problems. I changed my chain twice and I killed two tires. That's the advantage of riding a fixed-gear bike. Since there is less parts, there is a smaller chance of problems.

What was the nicest part of the trip?

South of Superior Lake was gorgeous. Lake Louise and Banff are also super nice. And of course, the vegetation of the Okanagan is really beautiful.

How were the Prairies?

It was a total pain! I now call them the endless Prairies. Absolutely no fun. And it can get really odd. At some point I wanted to take the plane. In total it was 14 days of the trip. From Warroad to Calgary, it was boring. Almost 2000 flat kilometres. And in Saskatchewan, I caught some hail the size of golf balls, and I had the wind against me pretty much the whole ride. In Saskatchewan, for two days, I faced 60 km/h winds.

What was your average distance a day?

Around 155 kilometres a day. But the last day, I did 285 kilometres, with an elevation of 2000 metres. I was completely exhausted when I arrived in Vancouver.

Did you camp most of the time?

Yes, half of the trip. Sometimes, I just tented myself on the side of the road. The rest of the time I used the website Warm Showers (which is a kind of social network to find spots to stay when you are touring, a bit like Couch Surfing). Once in a while I would treat myself to a nice hotel room, usually when it was raining.

Did other cyclists think you were crazy to ride on a fixie?

People thought I was masochist. But in the touring community people are generally really cool and they don't judge. But I wanted to prove that if I can do it on a fixed gear, then anyone can cross the country on a normal bike.