so awhile ago....

So awhile ago I wrote about fixed gear bikes are they the next hot thing. It appears they are, but is that necessarily a good thing. For those of you who dont know I am part of the Twin Six family. I like what these guys are about and what they are doing. I wont even try to pretend that I know the history of how messengers started riding these bikes. as part of a counterculture, those looking for the next thing to market may find it in the messenger culture. The rebels those who decide to live by their own rules.
I like fixies a lot, and after spending time on one it becomes very apparent why they hold such a dear place in the heart of those making a living delivering packages. They are simple, you are connected to the bike with your legs, thus minor adjusments in speed can be made with out using brakes, you are, at risk of making too mcuh out of it, one with the machine. So one of the other members of the twin six family wrote an opinion of the month about just the subject. The popularity of fixed gears and what it is doing to the messenger community in Milwakee.
I remember when skateboarding went big, it changed it, it made it harder to skate the streets because parks were built and why the hell werent we there. Similarly with the newspapers taking an interest fixed gear bikes they are brought in to the consiousness of all able to read the paper. The lawlessness of the machine gets highlighted. The law states that a bike must have breaks, most fixies dont, hence the long arm of the law now has some ammunition, and due to the exposure in the papers, they have the education of what to look for to determine what the bike looks like. So with the popularity comes the backlash. I am not a messenger, but riding fixed here in seattle certainly has its benefits, I dont ride fixed all the time and brakes can be tempermental, and minor adjustments to speed are not as easy to make, is it for everyone, no. Is it just for messengers, no. Just fly under the radar. Here is a link to James Lalonde's article, while your there poke around a bit. Keep it simple.

On a side note, I am selling a 26 inch rear wheel. new never been ridden. It is an white industries eno disc hub laced to a ritchey rim. unsure of spokes or nipples used in the build as it was built by my old team manager. if intertested make an offer,we will go from there. over and out, keep pedaling.