Now I'm not dissing fixie riding - it's a beautiful thing. We all know there's a real culture of fixie riders, especially with the messengers. But let's all be honest with ourselves. Up until about a year or two ago only messengers and a select few others were on these things, but at the last Critical Mass I rode in the crowd had a huge percentage of fixie riders. There were more fixies than I could count.
Now it's cool and all that people try new things. After all, everyone has a right to hop on a fixie and custom paint it and get a carbon front wheel and add a top-tube pad for extra cool points, then put on their hottest outfit to ride around in. It's the hipster version of an Escalade on 22's.
But when I see the list of people picking up on the trend these days it's kind of disheartening. Lots of 'indie' types, lots of 'creatives', lots of 'I'm not ready to be a 30-something yet so I'll get a fixie to feel young again'.
Oh well, in a few years when it cools off there'll be a lot of good deals on Craigslist...
It's funny to see fixies picked up so much on the fashion side too - this site included. Streetwear blogs have a thing for fixie riders, and the Mash SF shirts are a hot item. I even saw cats in Hawaii sporting Mash shirts...but I seriously only saw one fixie bike on the whole island of Oahu while I was there!
I've been riding for years, first with BMX as a kid (I still have a flatland bike) and now city non-fixie biking. I guess it's good to see people take up biking, but hopefully it sticks past the point where fixies aren't as trendy anymore.
Thank you for letting all of us know how cool you are, because you were riding befor it was cool.
I've never ridden a fixie, and have no plans to start. I just call trends when I see them...
For example, Stussy just released a shirt with a gearwheel all over print. Don't try and tell me that would have happened if fixie culture wasn't trendy right now...
why does every old /new thing have to be like "i was first so im coler than you beacuse i was first" it would be the same if it was mountain bikes. so its a trend, have fun with it and build bike communitys and friendships that last after the trend dies and where all riding cross bikes again. your bikes cool lets go ride to the____. five bucks says i can beat you to the____. yo dog where did you get that rim?
This rad little shop called____. the people that own it are coll and having this event. wana come?
Two facts for your consideration Sean:
1. Most messengers do not ride a fixed gear setup.
2. Referring to the bike as a "fixie" fits you right in w/ the same crowd you are so eloquently trying to insult.
Two facts for your consideration Mr. Panda:
1. This article has nothing to do with messengers, but the posers who imitate them. And don't try and say they had nothing to do with making fixies popular.
2. Would fixed-gear track bike make you happier? How about direct-drive single gear bike? Please... Here's some advice for the future - keep it up, arguing semantics will *always* make you sound smart ;-)
Jeez, at least spell it right. It's "tarck bike".
It is the culture behind the fixed gear bike that interested me in them in the first place. Watching youtube videos of something so alien to me, which also looked like a great time, how can you blame me for wanting one?!?!?
You have portrayed yourself as the prototypical non-conforming multi-gear cyclist. And to you, all I am is a poser, a wanna be alleycat, inner city, no-brake fixie-punk. Well, in actuality I'm building my first fixed gear as we speak. I also race standard road bikes, I'm an educated college student, and I enjoy all sorts of cycling.
Before you go classifying the "fixie scenesters", maybe you should get to know them...or better yet...get to know yourself.
dude i make my own fixed gear bikes from scratch. im tired of pansy ass kids having their parents pay for bikes just so they can fit in at Critical mass. hahaha.
Dude. You forgot to mention that they all wear black rimmed glasses and own iMacs. But seriously, I love how all the bandwagoneers get all pissy (see above) when you call em on the fact they’re biting pop culture. I’m from Bike Mecca Razor Blade City and I can’t tell you how many numbskulled, chrome bag fumbling, capri pant greasing morons roll fixies (or more appropriately “tarck bikes”, hahaha).
Here’s the rub. The fact that they’re all hipsters is beside the point, you’d expect that from trend following mods and mooks. The real problem is they’re hopping onto bikes that take serious skill to roll like a pro with little, if any, experience. Enough with the bs about them “getting into biking”. I’ve been plowed by these same morons when they lose control in downhill stops or when they take a hard turn and they’re pedal dips and scrapes, placing their graceful ass straight on the concrete. Fixies are serious bikes that require a serious rider and I challenge any self respecting cyclist to tell me otherwise.
Color schemes and straight lines make for a pretty bike but when that sh*t puts me in danger I gotta get the hell outta dodge. I can respect people getting into biking. But what I can’t respect are jackassed trend followers hijacking the scene and acting like the wrote the book on what a “true cycling experience is” only to leave a sour taste in mine and the mouth of anyone else who actually deals with these people day in and day out.
Lets settle this once and for all. Meet me at the monkey bars for an uphill race at 3pm sharp. I’ll blow that little Castro hat right off your head.
kind of bums me out a lot of kids just get their parents to buy them 1500 dollar bikes because its cool now. fixed gear bikes have been around since the early 1900s and will be after these uber hipsters are gone. its just like skateboarding/bmx/blah blah blah it will get big..then get lost behind something else and then i can pick up a lot of great frames and parts on craigslist for cheap.. im into it.
I have been biking since I was 4 and when fixed gear riding became popular even I had to join; having experienced one I will have one in my collection as long as I am alive. They are an entirely different beast and as castro said, to ride one competently is not for everyone.
I think this surge is great for the biking industry and for many, an oppurtunity to transform a formerly "outdated" bike into a new riding machine, despite what their intentions may be. Just wondering, who the h311 BUYS a $1500 fixie?
Minneapolis!!!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=45153298&l=d4a00&id=13951433
haha you missed the trend look at your comment date and the date of his posting
Its hard to not have a good time on a bike. Everybody should be riding bicycles, I think everyone would be happier if they rode bike as much as I do. To be stoked in any way about any sort of cycling is a great thing, no matter who you are. So I really don't care if it's trendy for people to be riding track bikes on the street, and for some of them, for no other reason than the fact that it's trendy. But what bugs me is the fixie hipster who buys a bike and starts riding around town, being all cool and shit, switching between sidewalks and cycle lanes, traffic lights and crosswalks, and not being able to stop in time, because the real pretty bike has no brakes. People in my city are annoyed by cyclists, and it's not really very good advocacy for the cycling community when inexperienced nicely dressed rockers are riding around on cool bikes with no brakes.
I love fixies, in the right hands they are safem but then thats about any bicycle, a trend? who knows, they said that about bmx back in the day, its still popular today, and at 38 ive just given up bmx due to too mant injuries racing, but i still love it, i raced track bikes in the early 90's , and rode one as a winter hack, i always have a front brake, much safer, these bikes are much easyer to maintain, and originaly didnt appeal as much too thiefs, although going on what alot of fixie riders ride know i gues more pricy bikes, cool bikes, if it gets bums on seats, its a good thing, but only for the experienced rider,
zed,, uk
Boy, where's Rodney King when you need him? Bikes are cool. People are cool. How cool that so many different kinds of people can ride so many different kinds of bikes. Hipsters on fixies, gangsters on lowriders, citizens on commuters, jocks on hardtails, crusties on singlespeeds, geeks on road bikes, motorheads on downhills, cops on cop bikes. It's all good and it's way better than cars. Have fun, be safe, celebrate diversity, love one another, ride bikes and smile.
mr. panda told you fag. you suck for calling fixed gear bikes fixies. you're almost 30 and i hate you
You're a fucking idiot. You're comparing oversized rims on an SUV to riding a fixed gear bike? Please kill yourself.
P.S
I rather go riding with a "hipster" then those yuppie douche bags in the rainbow colored lycra stargate sg1 uniform.
u trying to fade?! on fixies bitch nigga
I used to be a lycra wearing "shifty" biker... now i'm a 30 somthing SS rider that is hell bent on blowing up the Tour De' whatever wannabe group rides on my fixed gear. Nothing like climbing past them as they drop to the granny gear!!
To me, bicycling is about going fast. Does anyone know why bike messengers ride fixed? Well, for better control, but also because they are so busy steering their bikes in traffic, they don't have time to reach for the brakes. It's faster to apply back-pressure with their legs or even swerve than reach for brakes. If you ride in these conditions and require this kind of control, by all means, ride fixed. If not, chances are this setup will probably hinder your speed.
The alternative: use a free-wheel. (Yay technology!) Now, I'm not saying you have to get a bunch of gears. I now ride single-speed, and it looks just as aesthetically-pleasing as a fixed-gear but with a fraction of the effort. Yes, you have to have an "ugly brake cable" but to anyone who rides without brakes, I say "Broken chain?" You would indeed be screwed.
If you still want to ride fixed, then to hell with everybody else and do it. I tried it and hated it, but maybe it will be right for you. Just think about what I wrote first. And if you find you don't like it, you can easily make it a single-speed. But for goodness sake, don't stop riding!
Well I have to say that I fully agree that a fixed gear/ fixie/ track bike/ unicycle with a front wheel and handle bars, is directly analogous to the hipster culture of urban city's such as San Francisco (where I live and witness this douchebaggery) as the escalade with huge wheels is to the rap culture, as well as an off road vehicle being raised so high that the center gravity hinders it's off road capability is to the "bro"/dirtbike/river rat culture. The commonality is that the only real reason for purchase is the desire to higher one's status within their subculture. It's form over function. You can't tell me that someone who has never ridden a bike as a mean of transportation can hop on one of these unicycle-technology equipped contraptions and safely operate it, sans breaks, within a traffic ridden environment.
I'm not anti fixed gear, I'm just anti hipster retard. I've seen these "cool kids" hit people on campus because they were going down a pathetic sized hill but couldn't control their bikes, as well as, for the same reason, witnessed them run into other cyclists on the heavily 2-wheel trafficked streets in downtown San Francisco.
On the other side of the coin, so to speak, I know people who ride fixed gear setups who can much more safely navigate the traffic downtown than I can on my road bike, but they know what they're doing. All I'm trying to say is that buying a bike with no breaks is a horrible starting point. However the majority of people in urban cities who ride these types of bikes don't give a shit about cycling or environmental issues, their just trying to look cool and are putting themselves and others in harms way in the process. Which isn't cool at all.
Im with you all the way, its about time people exposed those dirty fixie riding SF hipsters. My town is full of them and they bug the hell outta me. All they do is ride around on their dumb fixies and drink starbucks. I hate them.
I want to know when Matt Hoffman, Shaun White, or Tony Hawk are putting out a fixed gear game for the PS3!! I'm still pretty abboyed that I can't get decent cycling shoes at Hot Topic. But there are plenty of bandanas!!!!!
I started late into the trend, just started riding 3 months ago. call me what you will, but I've lost tons of weight, gained muscle mass, improved my diet and enjoy going to work, purely for the ride to-and-from.
Fixed geared bikes are easy to personalize, making the bike an extension of yourself. In Addition, riding fixed is the equivilent to a stick shift on a car. Complete control.
And, they are WAY fast, I challenge any of you geared cyclist any day in Denver, CO.
So, I feel that there is a reason behind this huge trend. Its REALLY fun and addictive, and the simplicity of it alone is beautiful.
fixie's are wack
and those little flip up hats they where
Yea i got into it bout 3 years ago before the boom... i cant stand those kids with their brand new 1500 dollar bike riding around screaming fixie. kids need to learn the art.
I'll stick to my 1983 Panasonic. Come to DC: there are probably three fixies in the entire city and everyone else thinks they're lance armstrong.
who cares if its a trend or not, i say ride what makes you happy, i ride fix, but i totally respect gear, cruisers, and bmx bikes, they all have a purpose, we should all be happy were on bikes in the first place
So you're telling me that fixed gear bikes have no brakes at all? I've seen them at my campus and just figured that they use the old kind of brakes- you know, instead of a freewheel, the reverse rotation of the pedals brakes the rear wheel. So if this is the case, how the heck do you stop one of these things? And why wouldn't you want gears unless you ride in absolute flat terrain? Also, how could you think that riding one of these things with no brakes could ever give you 'more control'? If a lot of people for some bizarre reason don't like the look of a shifter on the back hub, why not go for an internally geared hub, rather than sacrifice all the utility which goes along with having gears? If it is the cable that bothers you so much, it could always be routed inside the frame, or become an artistic accessory itself... Hmmmm....I must be missing something.... enlighten me?
"And why wouldn't you want gears unless you ride in absolute flat terrain? Also, how could you think that riding one of these things with no brakes could ever give you 'more control'"
Haha dsniff. I ask myself the same questions. The truth is you don't have more control with no brakes. It's not physically possible. Denying this is lying to yourself, like still believing that the earth is flat. These fixed minded gear heads are so far up their ass that reasoning doesn't make sense anymore.
@Mattofwashington
"Does anyone know why bike messengers ride fixed? Well, for better control, but also because they are so busy steering their bikes in traffic, they don't have time to reach for the brakes. It's faster to apply back-pressure with their legs or even swerve than reach for brakes."
I doubt that very much Matt. As Mr. Panda stated at the very top, most messengers don't ride fixed gear. Imagine your job is to deliver as many packages as you can a day. Why would you waste energy pedaling when you don't have to. You'd want to save your strength to make those extra deliveries to make more dough. Messengers don't get paid much. Messengers ride fixed because they want to deter bike thieves.
As to your other point, bullcrap. Your fingers react faster and takes much less effort to stop than your legs. And when you back pedal at slow speeds, you have less balance on your bike because your feet are not at the best balanced 3&9o'clock position.
@Andrew
Glad that cycling has improve your life. But to your challenge, oh Yeah? I challenge you to a race up and down the hills of SF.
CRANK MOB!
SOOWHOOP!
who cares, ride what you like, fuck all the nay sayers
To all you fixie haters - check yourselves at the door. Whether it is a trend or not, if a bunch of as you call them 'hipsters' are pissing you of that much because they ride fixies, maybe you have some issues with yourself.
Joe - you seem to be getting rather angry about the whole situation, sounds to me like you don't have the balls or the skills to roll a fixie, so stick to your gears and leave the trendsetters to themselves. What is so wrong with having a personality and wanting to show that on the frame of your bike. Some of us enjoy going for a ride without our latex and clip in shoes. Fixie's are the urban commuters best friend.
I have been a courier in Vancouver for 6 years now, started out on a geared bike, went to a single speed, and now ride fixie. Your opinions about couriers are dead wrong. I definitely make my way around the city faster and more efficiently on my fixed gear.
Oh and if you say couriers ride fixie's to prevent theft, but you also say fixie's are the TREND, then wouldn't fixie's be the first to be stolen. No hipster is going to steal a 10 speed that is for sure.
So put your anger back in the box and ride your geared bike, just don't get angry at fixie riders just because some rich kids from the 'burbs get their moms to buy them fixies. Imagine they all rode geared bikes, would you hate yourself?
i admit it, i think fixed gear culture sucks. but i really like when the hardcore "fixie" riders now call them a "track bike".... there is no way in hell they would let that day-glo piece of monkey shit anywhere near a track, have they ever even seen the kinda bikes real racers ride?
I have rolled 30+lb pig of an MTB as a commuter bike for years. A few weeks ago a coworker rode his fixed gear in, and I had a chance to take it for a spin. It was an awesome feeling, - super light, simple and yes I felt "connected" , albeit a bit scared with no brakes, but I'm now on the hunt for a "fixie" to replace my MTB as a commuter. Am I a "hipster" since I didn't know they existed until a few weeks ago? I promise to run a front brake, avoid Starbucks, and not install any spoke cards. Can I still ride one?
calm down.. go for a 200+ man ride like I did at the beach last week.. awesome..need cooler helmets though..
this one was pretty tight:
http://funcfash.com/2009/07/brainwear-yakkay-fashionable-helmet-and-cover/
I will never forget the time my cousin tried riding a fixed gear bike down a flight of about 50 stairs and fell midway because he couldn't brake. He got real cut up at the bottom on some glass. It was hilarious.
I gotta say my biggest problem with hipsters on fixies in my town is that none of them believe in safety at all. I never see them wearing helmets and one out of twenty uses a light, but rarely front AND rear. I've almost collided with two on my bike in the past because they didn't have lights and I couldn't see them (FYI I keep my headlight aimed at the ground about 10 feet ahead of me so as not to blind others, yet remain visible). I hate how many of them feel they own the road. I feel like they give other responsible bicyclists a bad image... Hopefully natural selection will catch up to them.
I'll be sticking to my MTB.
I think everyone who rides a bike needs to chill the fuck out. It's a bike! Remember when you were 16 and you got your ass kicked and the hot girl at school thought you were a loser because you still had a bike and not a car.
Every style of biking has snobs, look at the mountain bike crowd, look at the spandex jockies, which really are the worst! Every god damn bike store I go to in Denver looks down on you if your not riding a $3k bike. Fuck em all and ride your bike!
What a lot of "nice folks".
I love riding and think more of us should be pedaling for many more reasons than I care to mention but if it means that I must hang out with the foul mouthed haters - I'll pass thanks and just stick to myself.
Now how about just objective unlaced comments, no personal attacks.
No, I won' t hold my breath there is no hope of that happening.
I'm going to be a trendsetter and design a car where, instead of sitting inside, you sit on the front bumper. I know all you nay-sayers will say i'm an idiot. However, I beg to differ. I am physically closer to the cars in front of me and thus have faster reaction times so as to avoid accidents.
But what if an accident DOES occur? Well, since i'm not confined to the cockpit of the car I am free to jump to wherever I see fit so as to avoid injury.
I am sure going to like driving this car because it will identify well with who I am as a person and demonstrates my ability to express my lifestyle.
By the way, even though I won't admit to it, I believe deep down in my heart that doing the above will make me cooler since I will forge a bond with other like-minded counter-culturists that like to drive on their bumpers too.
Sound familiar? Probably because it follows a similar set of logic parameters as your typical fixie rider. Thank goodness for natural selection, of which we unfortunately have made such a concerted effort to purge from our human race with 'do not eat' on poison canisters and red-hand stickers on water heaters....
Thats a stupid comparison! Obviously u never taken the time to ride a fixed gear bike. What a lame argument:(
You know, you're totally right. I should 'take the time to ride a fixed gear bike'. Sure, the same way I should take the time to plow a field with a horse and a plow instead of a Tractor, or drive a model t from San Diego to Florida instead of a Mercedes or take a Cessna from new york to Spain instead of a 777 or simply practice bloodletting instead of taking an antibiotic.
My point is- why endanger your safety and that of others as well as forgo a more technological and efficient way of doing things for the sole purpose of fulfilling your compulsory, animalistic and emotional need of becoming more strongly attached to a particular subculture?
Is your self esteem indeed that low? I pity you...
You know, you're totally right. I should 'take the time to ride a fixed gear bike'. Sure, the same way I should take the time to plow a field with a horse and a plow instead of a Tractor, or drive a model t from San Diego to Florida instead of a Mercedes or take a Cessna from new york to Spain instead of a 777 or simply practice bloodletting instead of taking an antibiotic.
My point is- why endanger your safety and that of others as well as forgo a more technological and efficient way of doing things for the sole purpose of fulfilling your compulsory, animalistic and emotional need of becoming more strongly attached to a particular subculture?
Is your self esteem indeed that low? I pity you...
dsniff let me just say that your comment about horse vs tractor model t vs mercedes etc. sounded more like you wanted to make a point that one was faster than the other NOT that ones safer than the other... so try a better comparison? because fixed geared bikes are faster. anyways why not just give them a try? honestly. why not? ive ridden a little bit of everything from bmx to mountain and fixie has been the most fun... and if you think about it. EVERYTHING is a trend at SOME point mountain biking was cool and in and EVERYONE wanted to do it. and SOME point bmx was super awesome and everyone wanted to try cool new tricks. mostly EVERYTHING starts as a trend so just get over it.
would you Barneys stop using your energy on a pissing contest and think about the real Movement going On. It is hardly relevant if you think you are the coolest kid on the block beacuse of what you ride. Bottom line: Bike commutters, enthusiasts, weekend warrior spandex folks, we are in it together. That is a war for those streets. We have assualt vehicles looking to mow us down at every turn, and you guys are worried about your outfits. Time to rethink our strategy
would you Barneys stop using your energy on a pissing contest and think about the real Movement going On. It is hardly relevant if you think you are the coolest kid on the block beacuse of what you ride. Bottom line: Bike commutters, enthusiasts, weekend warrior spandex folks, we are in it together. That is a war for those streets. We have assualt vehicles looking to run us down at every turn, and you guys are worried about your outfits. Time to rethink our strategy
would you Barneys stop using your energy on a pissing contest and think about the real Movement going On. It is hardly relevant if you think you are the coolest kid on the block beacuse of what you ride. Bottom line: Bike commutters, enthusiasts, weekend warrior spandex folks, we are in it together. That is a war for those streets. We have assualt vehicles looking to run us down at every turn, and you guys are worried about your outfits? Time to rethink our strategy
would you Barneys stop using your energy on a pissing contest and think about the real Movement going On. It is hardly relevant if you think you are the coolest kid on the block beacuse of what you ride. Bottom line: Bike commutters, enthusiasts, weekend warrior spandex folks, we are in it together. That is a war for those streets. We have assualt vehicles looking to run us down at every turn, and you guys are worried about your outfits? Time to rethink our values
hek-- Perhaps your web browser didn't display my full comment, or your latest 'cool' hipster tatoos have granted you so much pain you were unable to read my entire post. I partially requote here:
"why endanger your safety and that of others as well as forgo a more technological and efficient way of doing things for the sole purpose of..."
Main issue here is safety. Bikes with no brakes = moronic idea. Right right... I know, your special technique of humping your handlebars and locking your rear wheel is sooooo much better at stopping in an intersection as that red-light is being ran then the hydraulic disc brakes on my mountain bike, we know, we've all heard your idiocy before but... get over it. Its not safe.
Track bikes have one place -> wait for it... o... o... on the track, gee what an idea. If you are an athlete and want to train on a rural stretch of road or private property with your track bike hey go for it, but they DON'T belong in a city environment, nor anywhere real world surprises exist such as running over pedestrians or fellow bikers because you can't stop.
LMAO fixie bikes are faster huh? I suppose thats why the only single-gear bikes being raced today in any sort of speed / endurance competition are on circle track. Not exactly real world conditions there bud. If you want to go up a hill / down a hill / through the wind / across a compromised road surface / extreme distance / etc. at maximum speed you need the right gear. Single gear = doesn't cut it. Although, in your mind it does... and that's where it counts...
dsniff, I really enjoyed this part of your second to last post
'Track bikes have one place -> wait for it... o... o... on the track, gee what an idea'
wow you are so smart, then take your own advice, i'll even put it in your words
MTB's, like the one you ride, have one place -> wait for it... o... o... on a mountain, gee what an idea
quit yer biitchin'. ride a skateboard you rayban, capri pant wearing, artsy farsty, fixie pixie hipster.
Charby, I don't follow your logic. The argument I was making is that the features inherent to a track bike (i.e. no brakes) make it less safe for both its rider as well as nearby traffic in congested areas. Please explain how having full suspension and hydraulic disk brakes (inherent features of many mountain bikes) would produce a negative effect in a congested riding environment for the rider and / or surrounding pedestrians.
P.S. I think Msgisgood is on to something.
I'm getting tired of all this fixie hate....look, i understand to the whole thing about trendiness and all but isn't that what makes our world go round...its all about fads, fashion, and trends...any trend that gets people out of cars and on bikes is a damn good thing. you made a valid point at the end of your blog but why contradict yourself.
Obviously Fixie bikes aren't that big of a trend if you only saw 1 in Hawaii. But then again, Hawaii is a beach cruiser culture. I really don't think Fixie bikes will ever be over popular. At least not trendy. Its just not that comfortable of a bike to ride. You have to really be a bike enthusiast to want one. I am converting my road bike into a fixie soon, and I can't wait.
