fixed-gear Concepts

The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions...and Created Plenty of Controversy

by Leigh Gallagher · 14 Feb 2017 · 290pp · 87,549 words

you the psycho killer? Or am I the psycho killer?’” He draws young, tech-savvy travelers and invests in things that appeal to them: twelve fixed-gear bicycles, video-game systems—“anything that will attract our target group, because then our lives are easier.” He charges from seventy to ninety-nine dollars

Against Everything: Essays

by Mark Greif · 5 Sep 2016 · 319pp · 103,707 words

purchased by the same kids who had three thousand songs on their laptops. The most advanced hipster youth even deprived their bikes of gears. The fixed-gear bike now ranks as the second-most-visible urban marker of hip, and not the least of its satisfactions is its simple mechanism. Above all

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a spiritual middle finger always raised. And hipster motifs and styles, when you dig into them, are often directly taken from these adjacent countercultures. The fixed-gear bike came from bike messengers and the anarchist culture of groups like Critical Mass and Bikes Not Bombs. Hipster approval of locavore food (because local

Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America

by Conor Dougherty · 18 Feb 2020 · 331pp · 95,582 words

dropping out of grad school. Brian was an unapologetic hipster who had a beard and wore skinny jeans and was particular about natural wine and fixed-gear bikes. He’d gotten involved in housing via the typically San Francisco route of going to eviction protests and marching next to people who held

One Less Car: Bicycling and the Politics of Automobility

by Zack Furness and Zachary Mooradian Furness · 28 Mar 2010 · 532pp · 155,470 words

-free living, technical skill sharing, and the idea of gaining independence from both the auto and oil industries.11 indeed, within certain scenes, custom built fixed-gear bikes, old beach cruisers, BMX bikes, converted single speeders, and thrift store “beaters” are as integral to punk culture as seven-inch records, zines, mohawks

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to do oneself (i.e., fixing a flat tire, repairing a chain, or adjusting brakes). The popularity of single-speed bicycles as well as their fixed-gear Spartan variants is clearly indicative of a growing dissatisfaction with the complexity and gadgetry of modern bicycles, and more specifically, the inability of people to

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vice [Magazine] Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (September 2008).86 puma’s previous bicycle-themed collaboration with Vice Magazine yielded a sleek “zine” about fixed-gear bikes (entitled Puma Presents: Fixed Gear 101) that was disseminated as a Vice insert. Though beautifully illustrated and informative, the publication’s gratuitously urban focus—replete with images of

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the “gritty bicycle messenger, and its abundant street credibility” in service of achieving brand recognition among a seemingly authentic and/or cohesive subculture of urban fixed-gear cyclists.87 Tapping into a bona fide urban subculture (real or perceived) is undoubtedly a prized achievement in the realm of corporate cool hunting, and

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that co-constitute bike culture, thereby creating a bizarre feedback loop in which it can sponge the very authenticity it is attempting to manufacture.89 Fixed-Gear Bikes and Messenger Aesthetics, or “Give Hipsters a Brake”90 Of all the phenomena in american bike culture to prompt questions about cultural authenticity, media

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representation, and especially the uses of technology, the popularity of fixed-gear bikes has to be the most polarizing. as noted earlier, the recent visibility of single-speed bicycles is indicative of a growing interest in technological

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conviviality, utilitarian design, and a stripped-down aesthetic. yet, the less-is-more impulse buttressing the single-speed trend hardly explains the current fascination with fixed-gear track bikes that, while beautifully refined, are designed in such a way that riding—and more important, stopping—is an unnecessarily complicated endeavor that requires

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designed for high-speed track racing (hence “track” bike) and subsequently appropriated by urban bike messengers who praise them for their lightness, speed, and style, fixed-gear bikes—also called “fixies” or, in the United Kingdom, “fixed-wheel” bikes—are in some ways the antithesis of utilitarian transportation, save the minimal parts

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,” or a “Zen-like state” comparable to “being in the ‘The Zone’ all the time.”93 at the risk of minimizing the joy of riding fixed-gear bikes, let alone the corporeal and spiritual apexes their fans apparently reach through this practice, their desirability also seems tied to something much more basic

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, which is the cultural cachet one gleans by owning, riding, and/or displaying one: the fixed-gear bike has become a trendy icon of urban coolness, a “hipster gold card,” as one magazine article puts it.94 in this sense, riding

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fixed-gear bikes seem to offer a form of mediated or indirect utility to their users, inasmuch as the difficulty of riding them allows bicyclists to demonstrate

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cycling skill, fitness, or mastery over their machine.95 One can draw this inference from the slew of films, Web sites, and blogs devoted to fixed-gear bikes that focus much less on transportation and advocacy issues than on stunt riding, tricks, and aggressive maneuvering through dense urban spaces.96 On the

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in the satirical analysis of the “nyC Bike Snob,” whose Web site features, among other things, brutally sarcastic critiques of the fixed-gear bicycle photos posted in online forums like Fixed Gear Gallery, Velospace, and the For Sale pages on new york City’s Craigslist.98 His ridicule highlights the rich semiotic intent behind

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jokingly refer to such images as “bike porn”: they simultaneously have everything and nothing to do with physicality of pleasure.100 The sheer prevalence of fixed-gear photo Web sites and other visual representations of the bikes (via film, artwork, clothing), suggests the prominent role that aesthetics and image play in their

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with the now passé icons of “trucker hats and pabst Blue ribbon beer.”101 Bike messengers are some of the more jaded critics of the fixed-gear bicycle craze, seeing as how the trend is part of a broader co-optation of messenger culture in which track bikes (once ridden almost exclusively

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elevation of messenger style reduces a working-class job, and by extension the labor issues associated with the profession, to a fashion trend for young, fixed-gear-donning urbanities or alternatively, a marketing tool for corporations—even ones that specialize in the production of enormous, gas-guzzling cars (lincoln).106 Thus, it

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are riding fixed. They think they invented the shit.108 One of the points to which reilly refers is the actual history of messengers using fixed-gear bikes in the United States—a practice originating with Caribbean immigrants who rode them in their countries of origin and subsequently used for them for

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view of couriers as reckless thrill seekers who do not work a real job. Style as Substance, Bike Culture as Production While the popularity of fixed-gear bikes and a new wave of bicycling fashion serves as fodder for hundreds of articles published on the internet and in the corporate press, much

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sight of the ways in which these facets of bike culture fit into a broader context. For example, most bicycling advocates tend to see the fixed-gear phenomenon as a mixed blessing where, on one hand, they are weary of biking becoming just another fad that results in people “hanging their bike

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to a “gateway drug” that turns many people onto other facets of bicycling and bike advocacy, just as fixed-gear rider Tony Fast concludes a rant against fixed-gear biking fashionistas with the assertion “if fashion gets people riding bikes then more power to it.”115 indeed, the fact that bicycling is even remotely

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profound challenges facing those who simply attempt to alter, let alone transform, the dominant cultural norms and everyday habits associated with transportation. The popularity of fixed-gear bikes is not exclusively responsible for this development, but it has unquestionably focused more attention on urban cycling and is arguably instrumental in cultivating a

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, utilitarian adult bicycle in a U.S. bike shop was also uncommon (let alone finding a fixed-gear bicycle or a sleek single-speed). as of 2009, nearly every bike company now features single-speed and fixed-gear bikes in their catalogue and this correlates with a renewed emphasis on manufacturing bicycles for everyday

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. no one can decisively point to a single trend or subculture as a cause for this shift in design sensibility, but the widespread visibility of fixed-gear and single-speed bikes on the road in the 1990s—first among messengers and hard-core cycling enthusiasts, followed by punks and the broader Diy

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key role in the broader revaluation of the everyday uses of bicycles in the United States.117 For example, the popularity of single-speed and fixed-gear bikes is encouraging a new wave of recycling and reuse: older, steel road bikes are now highly valued for their durability, performance, and aesthetics, just

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circa 2006–2007. For one of the many articles that offer an overview of fixed-gear bikes and biking, see Jeff Guerrero, “The next page: The limberness of the Fixed Gear Mind,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, September 9, 2007. For more on fixed-gear terminology, see Buffalo Bill, “Guardian Style Journalist ‘Discovers’ Fixies,” Moving Target Zine, September

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italian scooters in “Travelling light,” 13. in particular, see “The Genuine article: reporting on the Fixed Gear phenomenon,” Bike Snob NYC, December 4, 2007, available at http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2007/12/genuine-article-reporting-on-fixed-gear.html. Chambers, “Symbolic Equipment and the Objects of leisure images,” 306. This is not to be

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with ricardo navarro.” In Context, no. 36 (Fall 1993): 36. “The Genuine article: reporting on the Fixed Gear phenomenon.” Bike Snob NYC, December 4, 2007. available at http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2007/12/genuinearticle-reporting-on-fixed-gear.html. Gerken, John. “plan B.” Chainbreaker (new Orleans), no. 1, edited by Shelly Jackson. Self-published

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–24, 232n65; and consumerism, 19, 160–161; and cyborgs, 24–25; design of, 115; as embodiment of environmentalism, 59, 246n99; as first luxury item, 17; fixed-gear bikes, 162–167; as “freedom machine,” 17; granny bikes, revival of, 167; idea of, 18; interest in custom builders of, 167–168; as metaphor for

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dangerous, 264n73; and people of color, 165; public hostility toward, 126; and punk subcultures, 152; racial makeup of, 125; salary of, 264n76; and use of fixed-gear bikes, 165. See also Urban cycling Bike national Convention, 1 Bike punx, 144, 271n15 Bikes across Borders, 188 “Bikes and Bridges” (song), 146 Bikes for

In the City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist

by Pete Jordan · 20 Aug 2012 · 407pp · 117,763 words

, at the far smaller gathering, in rows of threes and fours, dozens of bikes leaned against the small hotel beside us. Most of them were fixed-gear bikes—a peculiar sight, since fixies aren’t anywhere near as popular in Amsterdam as they are in so many American cities. Most of those

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. They were so skinny and flimsy, they seemed like they could be snipped open using little more than fingernail clippers. Many bikes—even racing bikes, fixed-gear bikes, cargo bikes—were secured by nothing but a single toy-like lock. And, curiously, only the front wheels of many bikes were locked, which

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Remembrance Day services at the Annick van Hardeveld monument (and seem to remain the only person in attendance with a bike that’s not a fixed-gear). I still swing by the Grimburgwal bridge where I try to show my son the zwijntjesjagers selling stolen bikes. (The bridge’s heyday has clearly

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each cyclist who rode past. It was odd to see that every bike was a fancy road racing bike, a fancy mountain bike, a fancy fixed-gear bike, etc. Not a single (Amsterdam-style) clunker was to be seen among them. In Portland, as in many other cities that I’d visited

Red November: Inside the Secret U.S.-Soviet Submarine War

by W. Craig Reed · 3 May 2010 · 523pp · 143,639 words

Bike Snob

by BikeSnobNYC · 5 May 2010 · 155pp · 51,258 words

early nineties, mountain bikes were cool, so that’s what Urban Cyclists used to ride. But since the cycling Zeitgeist is currently track bikes and fixed-gears, that’s what Urban Cyclists are riding now. Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that—Urban Cyclists on track bikes are continuing

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Cyclist is increasingly interested in performing tricks. This enables them to socialize and enjoy their bikes without having to ride them all that much. The fixed-gear freestyler takes his or her cues less from the above and more from “streetwear” and haute hip-hop fashion. They say things like “holla,” they

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is decreasing instead of increasing. Because it is well suited to driveways and suburban cul-de-sacs, fixed-gear freestyling is becoming a teenage pursuit. Indeed, fixed-gear freestyling is one of the fastest-growing cultures in the United States—as long as by “culture” you mean “sneaker market.” Why other cyclists don’

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for worse, is the bicycle. The hipster is a particular breed of person, and where there are hipsters, there are bicycles (usually, but not always, fixed-gears). And a hipster on a bicycle can spread gentrification more quickly than a stiff wind can distribute a cloud of ragweed pollen. Yes, hipsters on

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flat brim fitted cap. Or he may forsake the mailman shants for some Lieutenant Dangle short-shorts or some Daisy Dukes.) In a way, the fixed-gear bicycle was the lightning bolt that struck the primordial soup of trendiness from which the latest wave of hipsterdom and gentrification evolved. Naturally, the

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fixed-gear bicycle soon became an indispensable part of hipster culture, and because hipsters began to rely upon them more and more in order to travel within

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their rapidly-expanding territories the bicycle in turn became even trendier and more coveted. The fixed-gear bicycle is as vital to the hipster as the horse is to the cowboy, or the tractor is to the farmer, or the boat is

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to the fisherman. Furthermore, hipsters also express themselves creatively with their fixed-gears through the dubious art of customization, like Harley-Davidson riders or the lowriders of Southern California. Perhaps most importantly, the

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fixed-gear bicycle has become an integral part of the socialization and mating customs of the hipster. The bicycle itself is now a throat pouch. Indeed, the

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something appeals to you and is compatible with your bike, try installing it yourself. Wrapping Bars For some reason, it’s become acceptable in the fixed-gear world to ride with bare bars. This is ridiculous—you need that extra layer. Would you wear leather pants without underpants? Maybe, if you’re

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stuff in the first place. Yes, you can stop a fixed-gear bicycle with just your legs…eventually. But you can stop a fixed-gear bicycle with brakes much, much more quickly. Believe it or not, a fixed-gear with a brake or two is still a fixed-gear. The awkward stopping is not a requirement. Do you

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Your Saddle Level The symbol of peace is the olive branch. The symbol of communism is the hammer and sickle. And the symbol of the fixed-gear bicycle fad might as well be a bicycle saddle with its nose pointed directly at the ground. As much as I believe that comfort is

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as possible so they can slip between cars. This lends the bike an aggressive look, which has since been picked up on by non-messenger fixed-gear riders. However, like most practical choices that have evolved into fashionable affectations, the narrow bar thing has been taken way too far, with riders now

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harder to get out of the saddle on even the smallest rise. It’s especially ironic that the narrowest bars are to be found on fixed-gears, since single-speed drivetrains require even more leverage than geared bikes, because you don’t have the option of downshifting to increase your rhythm and

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they’re no good for actually controlling a bike. Brakelessness In recent years, few subjects in cycledom have become as controversial as brakeless fixed-gear riding. With the popularity of fixed-gear bicycles, brakelessness has entered the canon of endless cycling debates, right alongside the road bike group debate (Campagnolo vs. Shimano vs. SRAM

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make valid points, there’s only one argument for riding brakeless: fashion. Before going further, it’s worth looking at the modern history of brakeless fixed-gear riding on the road. I say “modern” because the fact is we’ve been through all of this before; in the 1880s those “safety” bikes

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with provisions for brakes, not using those brakes, and riding it poorly is as far from purity as you can get. The current crop of fixed-gear riders are the only operators of performance vehicles who don’t use brakes. Nobody buys a Suzuki GSXR or a Porsche 911 and removes the

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want to go fast actually upgrade their brakes. The faster you can stop the faster you can go. People speak rapturously of the control a fixed-gear drivetrain gives them. And it’s true—your legs are your transmission, and any operator of a performance vehicle uses the transmission to slow the

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vehicle. However, they don’t only use the transmission. They use brakes too. A fixed-gear bike with a brake or a pair of brakes will give you as much control over your speed as it’s possible to have. It

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—than your car is a sign that at least your priorities are in order. While I’m not especially excited by the fixed-gear freestyle phenomenon, the advent of bar-spinnable fixed-gear frames at least allows for the effective “autofellatio” locking style, in which a U-lock is passed through both the frame

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only ride bicycles incidentally, there is also a food delivery subculture in New York City and their mountain bicycles are just as stylized as the fixed-gear subculture’s track bikes and freestylers. Like their mono-cogular cousins, these bicycles also feature extensive color coordination, chopped bars, tilted saddles, and even Aerospoke

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Madone: the heart of a racer, the accessories of a commuter, and the price tag of a Honda Civic. The past and present of urban fixed-gear cycling go head-to-head on the streets of New York. Where once an old road frame was repurposed as a minimalist city bike (right

Alone on the Wall: Alex Honnold and the Ultimate Limits of Adventure

by Alex Honnold and David Roberts · 2 Nov 2015 · 265pp · 77,084 words

Straphanger

by Taras Grescoe · 8 Sep 2011 · 428pp · 134,832 words

. At Atlantic Square in Monterey Park, I got off with the train’s only remaining passengers, two teenage Latino hipsters, who had wheeled their immaculate fixed-gear bikes onto the train at Mariachi Plaza. The end of the line was a no-man’s-land, its highlights a McDonald’s drive-thru

Building the Cycling City: The Dutch Blueprint for Urban Vitality

by Melissa Bruntlett and Chris Bruntlett · 27 Aug 2018 · 230pp · 71,834 words

first things I did was start a bike messenger company,” he recalls. “But I wasn’t the type to ride a fixie [i.e., a fixed-gear bicycle, popular with messengers] with a bag across my chest, and I felt cargo bikes could be used to do the transport instead.” Serendipitously, the