The hipster version of a Honda ground effects kit
Living in the Bay Area is definitely a bicycle fan’s dream come true. I get to see all sorts of interesting rides, and as my girlfriend knows, I’m always stopping at bike racks to check out the goods. But I’ve noticed a trend in the past few years which makes me uncomfortable: scenester bikes. If you live in the Bay Area, NYC, Seattle, or any other bike-friendly metropolitan area in the US, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t, you will… you will…
It used to be that the poseur was the cat who showed up to the Sunday ride looking like a Nascar driver perched on a stealth bomber–a pudgy guy covered in logos riding a mad-science, carbon fiber steed which cost more than a couch made out of black-market kidneys. But these days he’s more likely to be skinny and roll up to the coffee shop/record store on a vintage ‘68 Ritardo-Senzafreno track bike, complaining about how hard it is to find a ‘72 Legnano Brooks saddle–you know, the one with the Campy embossing?
God knows I like fancy bikes, but I draw the line at elevating fashion above safety. Riding a brakeless fixie on city streets is dangerous; not “wheeeee!” dangerous, but “solo rendition of Amazing Grace on the bagpipes with quiet sobbing” dangerous. Track bikes evolved on the flat, circular savannas of the Velodrome, where stopping could be accomplished by simply putting one’s feet up and waiting for air resistance to do its work (much like Davis, CA in many respects). No one was trying to change lanes, back up, make unannounced right turns, or simply plough right into you. City streets, on the other hand, abound with obstacles, and giving up your ability to quickly stop moving forward seems like a pretty crap way of dealing them.
Even lower on the totem pole than the vintage bike fetishists are the hipsters who understand that fixies are cool right now and really want to be on that bandwagon, but don’t know the first thing about bicycles. I’ve seen a lot of bikes recently which have upside-down, hacksawed drop bars (i.e., poor man’s cowhorns), and either no brakes or a single, upside-down brake lever attached to an anemic single pivot brake made of stamped tin. The punchline? Almost never a fixie. Almost always some “vintage, classic” yard sale junker.
Now, I’m an understanding guy. I don’t own an unobtainium bike, and I don’t look favorably upon people who do. I’ve got a second-hand Trek 400 conversion covered with ugly stickers running some bargain bin parts where I probably shouldn’t. That said, I’m not fool enough to hack up a perfectly good ten speed just to make it look cool. More importantly, I’m not fool enough to trade 30% of my braking power to look cool.
*sigh*
October 26th, 2005 at 10:42am
Sigh…fixedgear gets ‘discovered’ and goes mainstream (Team Puma, et al). Time to wax up my moustache and bust out the highwheeler.
December 31st, 2006 at 6:32pm
get over it. so some “poser” is seen pushing their conversion bike up pike(I know. ive seen it) but your article makes you sound just as snobby as them. just let it get popular. id rather nerds get into cylcing than baseball or some other god awful team sport.
December 31st, 2006 at 7:35pm
bhf, I don’t think you get it. They’re not getting into cycling, they’re getting into fixed gear bicycles as a fashion accessory. If they rode the damn things I’d be a bit more sympathetic; instead I see perfectly good bicycles used as two-wheeled slap bracelets.
And it’s not just the depressing aesthetic of seeing some troll with a $3,000 bike he doesn’t use. Scenesters on bikes tend to be ignorant of common bicycle courtesy. They’ll ride on the sidewalk and try to weave between pedestrians; they’ll blow through stop signs and red lights on busy intersections; they’ll ride against traffic on one-way streets, or on the wrong side of the road; they’ll blaze through pedestrian traffic on a cross-walk rather than take the time to properly make an unprotected left turn; they’re unable to safely control their bicycles in emergency situations (no brakes!).
That’s bad enough right there, but the real kicker is the backlash by pedestrians, motorists, and cops — all of whom have been burned by some putz on a track bike — against all cyclists in general. The guy who gets cut off by a hipster today isn’t going to recognize my right to the road tomorrow.
So am I snobby for wishing these jackoffs would either pony up and act like responsible cyclists or get the hell off the road? Am I snobby for not wanting my personal safety compromised by the actions of dilettantes?
I would much rather the hipsters get into baseball. Or hell, even Uniforms And Livery Of The Franco-Prussian War. At least they’d be off the roads.
February 2nd, 2007 at 6:28am
i ride a flat black mid-80s peugeot with flipped n’ chopped bars and no brakes. i guess i’m not as cool as you.
February 2nd, 2007 at 8:56am
No, Ivan — you’re not. See, I have at least 70% more stopping power than you, simply by virtue of having a front brake. I’m not a) totally ignorant of bicycle physics or b) so interested in how cool I look that I’m willing to jeopardize my physical well-being rather than use brakes. Because when it boils down to it, your ability to control your bicycle under emergency conditions (someone pulls out in front of you, your chain snaps, a pedestrian steps out without looking) should matter a lot more to you than how much street cred your rig has. Seriously, Ivan — I think it’s great that you’ve got an inexpensive, useful bike. I just wish you’d put style aside, save up $40, and put some brakes on the damn thing instead of preening about how punk rock you are.
February 16th, 2007 at 12:33am
I’m certainly upset with track bikes as a fashion accessory and I hate to see perfectly fine Italian steel wasted on legs with no muscle. I remember back when in New York the only people you would see riding track bikes were the hardcore messengers (a romantic and dying breed, being replaced by hipsters from the midwest) and professional road cyclists training on the central park loop (those guys could clock anyones ass). I am foremost cyclist, I ride two bikes, both single speed, both modest and practical. Anyways, what it all comes down to is the debasement of anything theses parasites take over and hell I feel proud to put spandex on now. These hipsters couldn’t even be considered cyclists, they never travel more than 5 miles and thats there maximum practical range. Also, I like the suggestion about the pennyfarthing.
February 26th, 2007 at 3:53pm
beautiful article! i’m glad you’re addressing that you don’t have a problem with fixed gear becoming popular; rather you have a problem with the idiocy involved with some people. i’m glad fixed gear has gotten people into bikes, but they need some sort of class if you want to gain a cog, because i’ve seen so many sad sad things with fixed gears with horrible riders. the worst of them all has to be the ultra-slacking chain without a front brake and tiny handlebars, or when people don’t know basic bicycle mechanics. i personally ride a fixed gear. it’s the love of my life, but i do have a front brake and proper bullhorns, i ride with lights and i signal, and want to punch anybody who has a beautiful bike that they don’t know these commonalities of the bicycle world (signaling, helmet[questionable, but i still feel they're necessary,] proper lights [if any at all!] crowded sidewalks, wrong way.) most of them don’t know how to ride (only cruise.) and when they have a prettier bike than you, they scoff. my bike isn’t the prettiest, but she is quite a decent bike with her parts, but i’m 100% satisfied with her and i hope The Good Lord allows me to ride many many more miles on her.
i’m also glad that seattle made that list, hahaha, i had no idea it was seen/”scene” like that.
April 12th, 2007 at 4:29pm
I live in the midwest (Cincinnati) and I ride with a lot of the road racing clubs. I spent last year working my way through the cat 4 races all over KY and OH and wanted to get serious about bike control, leg strength and efficiency…so I am building up a fixed gear to train on. I figure it’ll help me break into cat 3 and do well because its really my technique that I feel is holding me back. I bought proper parts, but I did convert an old steel frame I had and I currently use a cross brake off a junker I dont ride any more.
I guess in a city that’s years behind the curve in most aspects of “fashion” I’m not too worried about riding my fixed gear on Sunday through downtown or to any local coffee shops, and being called a hipster. It does disapoint me though that many people are ape-ing the messenger style as a fashion trend and all the while, pushing their overpriced, under appreciated machines instead of riding them.
I am young though, and it has become my comuter so I painted the frame an ugly green/brown–to know it was worth much you’d have to know your component manufactures. I just got too scared riding my race bike around town and locking it up and leaving it unwatched–its a mid priced full ultegra bike with a carbon frame–it screams steal me. I do enjoy the days when I go out for a casual ride on my fixed. Sometimes I go out for a simple spin and I end up coming back hours later having gotten a much more satisfying workout than any high cadence tempo training session.
I sure hope this problem never gets so wide spread that it leaks into Cincy, but I’m thinking that it wont because when you live on a river and you want to ride, theres no where to go but up hill for the most part. anyway.
cheers.
May 29th, 2007 at 12:55pm
I have a road bike as well as several fixed gears(all conversions). I ride my roads bike for excersise. I ride my fixed gear for errands, and commuting to work. So i dont have to buy gas and pollute the enviroment cuz it seems today everyone is cought up in the SUV craze!.. Seems to me cars hate fixed gears and fixed gears hate cars.. all thought they are nice to tote a ride from while waiting at an intersection.. DO U HAVE AN SUV?
February 23rd, 2008 at 10:26pm
WTF do track bikes have to do with “punk rock”?