Time Capsule: 2006

The following is an article about fixed gear bicycles from How to Avoid the Bummer Life from the year 2006. HTATBL no longer exists but Stevil Kinevil is currently writing All Hail the Black Market. Interesting how things change...

Firing off at fixed-gears.
I'm all for the current bicycle renaissance in San Francisco. As the Indian summer heats up, you'll notice the bike lanes will be nose to tail with bikers — like a line of baby elephants. This is a good thing. Maybe the notoriously free-form, Tijuana driving style of SF residents will ease up a notch and they'll return to mowing down pedestrians exclusively. There's safety in numbers.
Of course, every revolution has its drawbacks. There's always going to be that crew that wants to convince the world they're that much more revolutionary, devoted, and pure than everyone else. And as the rubber hits the roads in San Francisco, a clan of tight-trousered, mullet-headed, vintage-T-shirt-clad Robespierres has coalesced around the fixed-gear bicycle, or as it's called in its proponents' cutesy parlance, the "fixie."
What's a fixed-gear? Imagine yourself cruising down the street on your bike. You get tired and so you stop pedaling and coast. The freewheel mechanism in your hub disengages the drive train and lets the back wheel continue to spin while the cranks and pedals are still. On a fixed-gear the rear cog is bolted directly to the hub. There is no freewheel or cassette mechanism, so if the hub is moving, the cog is moving. Which means if the chain is moving, the pedals are moving, and if the bike is moving, you're pedaling. There is no coasting.
Sounds like a pain in the ass. If you're like me, the first question that comes to mind is "why?" Well, the modern SF two-wheeled steel, aluminum, and rubber hipster fashion accessory has its roots in racing, like other wheeled vehicles that don't really translate to street usage. They were — and still are — used on banked, velodrome-style tracks during races that employ all manner of strategies, including slowing down to a stop or near stop and doing a "track stand" — balancing at a standstill without putting your feet down — so your opponent can pass you and you can ride in the draft.
Since you're not likely to be drafting anyone on city streets, a track bike is a highly impractical choice of wheels. What’s more impractical is that fixed-gears often appear to lack brakes. The bike's speed is controlled by the rider's pedaling cadence — slow the pedaling, you slow the bike. Stop pedaling, stop the bike. This effect can be augmented by adding a front caliper brake, but that's frowned upon by fixie fashionistas who do things like cut their handlebars down to a foot and don't run bar tape or grips. The problem with using pedal cadence as a braking mechanism is that stopping is dependent on rider skill.
Now there's the rub. Like trucker hats and PBR, what started as a bike messenger thing has become a fashion statement and status symbol. You've got kids in the Mission with the left leg of their jeans rolled up, a little biker hat on crooked, slip-on Vans, and a brand-new fixed-gear Bianchi; and they don't know their ass from a light socket. Cadence? You may as well be talking astrophysics. They just know that it looks cool. It looks less cool, however, when one of these lemmings comes screaming down the Haight Street hill unable to keep up with the speed of the pedals and wrecks in the middle of Divisadero. A friend was riding down Stanyan with a box in his hand when some goon on a fixed-gear, unable to slow down, ran into his back wheel and crashed him in the middle of the street. He didn't even stop to see if my friend was OK.
So what was the original draw that caused the person I'll call "Biker Zero" — to crib epidemiological lingo — to ride a track bike on the street? The people I know who ride them talk about being at one with the bike, feeling part of it, in the bike instead of on the bike. I'll go with that. But this human-bike-cyborg crap has reached the level of "I like the East Coast because I like to see the seasons change" tripe. Respect to the old-school heads who've been riding them since way back, but as someone who's done way gnarlier things on wheels, it's just not all that impressive. The Bicycle Film Festival had scheduled a screening of M.A.S.H., an unfinished fixed-gear documentary by Mike Martin and Gabe Morford, until it got pulled at the last minute. It was shot here in San Francisco and showcased the "skills and beauty of these riders." Beauty, no doubt — as in perfect hair. So you can ride down a hill and lift up your back wheel and do little skids to slow down. So what?
Riding a fixed-gear is like handicapping yourself. The bikes are so awkward to ride that not looking like an idiot while riding one is an accomplishment. It's like riding a three-legged horse in the Kentucky Derby. To do that well, you'd have to be an excellent jockey. At the same time, why not be in it to win it and ride a horse with four legs? To me, it takes the choices — and therefore some creativity — out of riding. I don't ride a fixed-gear for the same reason I won't drive an automatic: no car is telling me when to shift, and no bike is going to tell me when I can pedal. If you've got bike skills, why not take them to a higher level? Go home and search for "Steven Hamilton" or "World Cup Downhill" on YouTube and see what can really be done on a bike that has the capabilities to be pushed. (There is a whole European tradition of flatland tricks on fixed-gears that takes serious skills, but it doesn't seem to be a part of the current SF scenester fixie explosion.)
Not everyone is riding a bike to push limits. Still, the fixie cabal sticks in my craw, and it's not because I'm unimpressed with the virtuosity. It's not the misuse of a track-racing bike on city streets that bugs me. BMX bikes came about through the misuse of Schwinn Stingrays in dirt lots, and mountain bikes were the result of chopped-up road bikes on dirt. Misuse can mean progress. What kills me is the sinking feeling I get when I ride down Valencia and think, "Does anyone in this town ever do anything original?"
Now there's even fixed-gear graffiti, Krylon line art of single-speed bikes with bullhorn handlebars, and the dubious slogan of "gears are for queers." The fact of the matter is, the popularity of these bikes has nothing to do with the bikes themselves or the few people who actually have the chops to ride them with style. The fixed-gear is to 2006 what the Razor scooter was to 1996: a wheeled freak show for wannabes. Test it: send the right guy with the right clothes and the right haircut out around town on one of those old-timey bikes with the enormous front wheel with the cranks mounted directly to it like a tricycle. You know, the ones you need a ladder to get on and off of. Just see how many giant-wheeled ladder bikes are locked up in front of Ritual Coffee Roasters next week.
Do what makes you happy, but also do some soul-searching, champ: does riding a fixed-gear make you happy or does fitting in make you happy? Ask yourself, what bike was I riding last year? Was I riding one at all?

Maybe its time to stop. Haven't you all blown your knees out by now?

Pics from the other night

just a little taste of what its like riding around boulder during the winter.

Stay safe everyone, and for those in warm weather areas, be happy you dont have to deal with this all the time.

at the courts

Just a few clips we shot off on our phones before they died...

BFG 2010 Camera Phone Courts from Boulder Fixed Gear on Vimeo.

Fixed Mountain Biking

I thought I would cover one of may favorite bikes and an interesting and unique ride. The story is this, I needed a mountain bike. They are always good to have in a pinch, make for awesome snow bikes, and of course are perfect for that which they are designed. I started out with a 2005 Specialized Stumpjumper Hardtail Frame which is made of their M4 aluminum, a compound of aluminum alloyed with silicon, copper, magnesium, and vanadium.

Note: There is now a M5 Specialized Frame that is alloyed with silicon, manganese, magnesium and zinc. The difference being that the ultimate and yield strengths are both a touch bigger and also the ability of the the materials to retain their hardness and stiffness after welding such that less material is incorporated into the frame itself.

Next I acquired a 2008 Fox F-Series 120mm RLC fork with G2 Geometry. This was a very hard item to acquire, being that you cannot purchase this item in retail, as it is custom made for Gary Fisher and the geometry of their bikes. So, I called the rep, and he was kind enough to pull one off a bike for me. Lets just say this was going to be fun.

Note: The G2 Geometry implies that the offset of the fork is 51mm and exclusive to Gary Fisher bikes. As opposed to a normal offset of 38-44mm the fork is unusually raked forward, lengthening the wheelbase. Why did I need this? Well my frame is designed for 80mm of travel in the front, to put 120mm of travel on it I would need to shoot the front end forward.

I paired my find with a Red Chris King 1 1/8 NoThreadSet Original.

Then, I ran out of funds. Postponing the build for another 14 months, purchasing odds and ends when I could stomach them.

Come the Spring of 2009 I had had enough waiting. Although I had intended this bike to run 2x9 with a Sram 3.3 Stylo Team Crankset complete with Rock Guard - tear :'( -I opted to create my first Fixed Gear Mountain Bike.

My last big purchase/build was the rear wheel. The single vertical dropout provided the problem, my White Industries Eric's Eccentric ENO Disc Hub 32h solved that problem.

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With the help of a great guy named Dustin at University Bicycles we laced it 2x to a Mavic 321 Disc Rim with DT Swiss Champion 2.0 Straight Gauge and Brass Nipples. Paired with aTomiCOG (which is the ultimate solution, laser cut type 304 stainless steel 1/2" pitch chain drive cog, cut to match a standard 6-bolt mtn bike disc rotor mount) I was set.

Parts List:

2005 Specialized Stumpjumper 19" M4 Frame

2008 Fox F-Series 120mm RLC G2

Avid BB7 Disc Brake and Lever

Chris King 1 1/8 NoThreadSet

WTB SpeedDisc Rim Laced to Deore 32h Hub

32h White Industries ENO Eccentric Laced to Mavic 123 Disc

Izumi Chain

Specialized Avatar Saddle

Generic Seatpost

Specialized XC Handlebars UNCUT w/ Specialized XC Locking Grips

Specialized 80mm 31.8 Stem Flipped and Shimmed at -16

175 Specialized Deore LX Crankset (Un Modified Tripple)

Maxxis Advantage Rear 2.25 Tire

Spec.'s aside this bike is so much fun. It rides great, weighs just about 22 lbs. So much fun on the trails, skidding on dirt throws a new meaning into control. Also a perfect commuter in its 42x16, mainly ridden in 32x16 on trails. Seen in haternation's PBR Poker Alley Cat.

Toe Strap Reviews

It seems with all the hype about the 700cmx/FGFS resurgence and more so "stuntin" as Peter loves to say, there have emerged many products that are branded for use primarily in this newest category of fixed gear riding. I want to start with Freestyle Toe Straps, but hope to keep up a post every week about the differences between these products, what works, and the inevitable downfalls of construction and performance.

This new breed of pedal/strap combination stems from the absence of a viable solution to the stability/security problems many riders began to have when they started experimenting with their bikes. However, there was already a solution in the form of Power Grips Toe Straps. These straps were most likely the basis for freestyle straps. Somehow, someway these straps had gotten a poor rep. because of their design flaws and insecurity, but the IDEA was there. Then came the the beefier Feetbelts that were more durable and had the ability to adapt to the BMX platform style pedals that were becoming popular.

As the sport evolved, so did the merchandise. Riders began experimenting with differing strap lacing techniques and started putting their Toshi Double Straps back on their track only bikes/pedals, and cruising bikes.

Alas we arrive at the current FGFS SPECIFIC straps. Here's whats out there and new.

Hold Fast FRS

If you haven't heard of Hold Fast as of late, you must live under a well insulated log. If you are living under the log, please do your best to stay warm, it's a chilly 12 degrees currently and the light snowfall often chills straight to the bone. Anyways, this is one of the most common FRS's (foot retention system)'s now-a-days and they truly have proven their worth. Straight out of Brooklyn, Hold Fast Straps come in 10 different standard colors to match your whip, although you may end up waiting over a 6 weeks to see these in the mail.

Pros:

Secure as Hell (Gates are Locked)

Easily Adjusted

Nice Forward Cant Allows for Foot Wedging

Cons:

Can be Pedal Selection Limiting

Interfere with Pedal Spindle

Webbing Getting Raged

Some Hate the Nautical

I have been riding these for a little while and have absolutely worn down the webbing on the outside of the new metal buckles. I am a bit concerned as to their durability.

Chicago Wig Street Straps

A lesser known strap that is basically indestructible. That pretty much sums up the Chi-City straps. They are constructed from heavy duty Polypro webbing, the are hardware-less and have a super secure double layer of ballistic velcro to hold you close at night.

Pros:

Double Layer Velcro

Heavy Duty PolyPro Webbing

Available in 2" or 3" Thickness

No Metal Hardware

Cons:

Durability of Webbing makes Lacing Difficult in most Pedals

Non-Canted Design (No Toe Wedging)

Jol Gurney Toe Strap

Another lesser known competitor that incorporates the same webbing designs, and hardware-less construction of the wig straps. These straps have been in the works for just about as long as Hold Fast's design, and the battle flares as to who copied who. It seems that most the designs incorporate the same fit and ability to adjust. This makes them superior to their predecessors (feetbelts) .

Pros:

Classy as Hell

Well Tested

Fit Most Pedals

Inconspicuous

Toe Wedging Compatible

Cons:

Never Owned a Pair

You'd Hate to Scuff Something That Pretty

DIY Option

It seems as if almost all the designs listed above incorporate the same basic essentials, adjustability and stability/security. If your not stoked to spend 30-65$ on a pair, make them yourself. Hell you can have whatever color you'd like. They probably won't get featured online, and you'll never outsource to china, but hey, their unique, and the do the trick.

Choose what you will, but have fun...

Riding odyssey Jim Cielincki Trail Mix Pedal w/ Purple Hold Fast FRS (extremely difficult to lace)