Comments on: +fixie +hipster ++cash

+fixie +hipster ++cash

KirkpatrickMac — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:40:08 -0800

Hipsters! Feeling less unique now everyone has a fixie? Don't worry, $27,000 will guarantee you peace of mind. (via @lancearmstrong).

By: Blasdelb

Blasdelb — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:46:02 -0800

WANT

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:47:00 -0800

Water buffalo leather? If they were serious about this at all they would use Tibetan yak leather, which has a lower drag coefficient and would drop at least 15g.

By: melt away

melt away — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:51:55 -0800

The anti-hipster is the new hipster.

By: spoobnooble

spoobnooble — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:52:52 -0800

Hipsters! Feeling less unique now... KirkpatrickMac said the secret word! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!

By: jonesor

jonesor — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:57:19 -0800

Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be done.

By: skullbee

skullbee — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:59:37 -0800

Fixed gear bikes are over man! (Youtube)

By: pracowity

pracowity — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:01:59 -0800

We're searched high and low For Miss Water Buffalo....

By: EndsOfInvention

EndsOfInvention — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:14:59 -0800

Man, that thing is going to look like shit after like 1 week of use. Maybe 1 day if it rains.

By: Blazecock Pileon

Blazecock Pileon — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:17:52 -0800

The Last Fixie

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:19:52 -0800

Penny Farthing is where it's at, everybody knows that. Also: seamless "chromemoly" 4130 airplane tubing? Wow, that was state of the art when the Wright Brothers were children.

By: missrachael

missrachael — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:20:06 -0800

I find it comforting that I left the big city so long ago that an entire hipster trend has come and (maybe?) gone without my ever encountering it.

By: paisley henosis

paisley henosis — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:27:01 -0800

Damn I hate Pharrell. For so many things and so many reasons.

By: Wolfdog

Wolfdog — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:33:06 -0800

I like to imagine Tarja Turunen tooling around on this in her banana costume. (vid)

By: condour75

condour75 — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:44:13 -0800

I just hope metafilter is capable of having a thread about a $27,000 bike without a derailleur.

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:46:40 -0800

I just hope metafilter is capable of having a thread about a $27,000 bike without a derailleur. We prefer the Sheldon Brown spelling: derailer.

By: molecicco

molecicco — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:49:34 -0800

Surprisingly, the bulk of that price is to cover the cost of making it as ugly as humanly possible. The lengths we go to for fashion.

By: sciencegeek

sciencegeek — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:02:24 -0800

Is it safe to say that fixies have now jumped the water buffalo?

By: jonmc

jonmc — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:04:51 -0800

I hate the word 'fixie.'

By: twoleftfeet

twoleftfeet — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:05:30 -0800

You can get a unicycle for half that price.

By: molecicco

molecicco — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:07:31 -0800

I hate the word 'fixie.' I also hate the word fixie. And the word hipster. And come to think of it, the word cash gives me nothing but problems too. EVERYTHING IS WRONG HERE.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:08:21 -0800

Haven't hipster left chains and wheels behind by now?

By: TheWhiteSkull

TheWhiteSkull — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:10:20 -0800

Well, looks like a bright yellow fixie. I could probably put one together just like it for about $600... Heh, they still used wheels with a braking surface- the could have gone with bright yellow deep Vs and got an even better effect. Hmmm...let's take a closer look here... THEY COVERED IT IN LEATHER? o_O

By: indubitable

indubitable — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:14:15 -0800

Is anyone else tired of this particular silly trend? Wanna pitch in to buy some fixies for middle aged accountants, dentists and housewives?

By: Halloween Jack

Halloween Jack — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:15:45 -0800

The art bike: because art cars take sooooooooooooo much more work.

By: Thorzdad

Thorzdad — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:17:58 -0800

Wanna pitch in to buy some fixies for middle aged accountants, dentists and housewives? Why do you hate middle aged accountants, dentists and housewives?

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:33:30 -0800

i've got a bike you can ride it if you like it's made from buffalo and airplanes and things that make it look good i'd give it to you if i could, but i'm in debt for it

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:35:55 -0800

It's just a bit of fun, you poo-heads. It is pretty ugly though.

By: l33tpolicywonk

l33tpolicywonk — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:39:41 -0800

skullbee: "Fixed gear bikes are over man! (Youtube)" The full version of this sketch is called This Bar is Over, and it's from the new Fred Armisan / Carrie Brownstein sketch show Portlandia on IFC, which everyone who has access to should be watching on cable, Hulu or your torrents and whatnot. It's pretty impressive work.

By: hellojed

hellojed — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:41:11 -0800

It's exceptionally easy to be called a hipster. I got a moleskine notebook as a gift and posted some scans of a few drawings, and was summarily accused of being a hipster for using such a notebook (they're nice, but very expensive for what they are) Meanwhile my friend maintains that he is not a hipster, despite buying non prescription glasses as a fashion accessory. We both aren't because we live in the suburbs south of Kansas City and such a thing is not within the laws of physics. This bike seems more like a decoration than transportation. Maybe I don't run in the same circles as people who buy bikes that cost 2x more than my car, but a fixed gear bike covered in leather seems extremely impracticable. Is there a demand for such a thing? I could live for a year on that kind of money, probably. This comment isn't really going anywhere is it? Hmm, oh well. how's your morning going? Me? okay I guess. I have a 30 site video conference I've volunteered to help out with at work, that'll be exciting. Crappy weather we've been having, yeah?

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:44:00 -0800

Portlandia is chock full of bike humor and a must-see if you like that sort of thing.

By: LogicalDash

LogicalDash — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:52:36 -0800

He who controls the application of the pejorative use of the word "hipster" controls what is acceptable to like. He, who controls the hipster, is the one true hipster.

By: orme

orme — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:54:26 -0800

Isn't that seatpost clamp on backwards? Also, I'll be impressed when all the spokes are covered in leather as well. Half-assed leather action.

By: Fizz

Fizz — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:54:42 -0800

Such a waste of a good hipster.

By: molecicco

molecicco — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:06:24 -0800

Can't we just say trendy-person instead of hipster? Because really, that's what everyone seems to mean when they say it.

By: mexican

mexican — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:09:29 -0800

no supertherm tubing? FAIL also, if your going to make an expensive art bike you should at least use the deepest V rims you can find. like on the affinity digitizer, which is $22,000 less, but unfortunately has an aluminum frame.

By: Confess, Fletch

Confess, Fletch — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:09:52 -0800

That saddle looks wildly uncomfortable too... I bet my 6 year old daughter would like it, she likes yellow.

By: iamck

iamck — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:18:44 -0800

Eh, we tried this yellow bike thing years ago in Portland.

By: dougrayrankin

dougrayrankin — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:28:10 -0800

Shit like this just makes me think "What is the fucking point?" At what point will I be cycling along thinking to myself "This bike feels at least $27,000 better than my other bike"? I raise my palm, and I rest my face in it.

By: thsmchnekllsfascists

thsmchnekllsfascists — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:46:21 -0800

Haven't hipster left chains and wheels behind by now? Chains, yes. Wheels no. We're all into rollerblades now.

By: drdanger

drdanger — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 06:48:56 -0800

Not completely ironic unless it comes with a matching wallet.

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:03:20 -0800

Obligatory

By: pyramid termite

pyramid termite — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:15:41 -0800

At what point will I be cycling along thinking to myself "This bike feels at least $27,000 better than my other bike"? the point where someone cuts the lock off and steals it - you'll feel it then

By: timsteil

timsteil — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:17:44 -0800

You could buy like five pens for that

By: Threeway Handshake

Threeway Handshake — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:17:52 -0800

ITT: People that do not drive around in base model KIA cars making fun of a "stunt product"/luxury bicycle.

By: l33tpolicywonk

l33tpolicywonk — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:17:57 -0800

fixedgear: "Portlandia is chock full of bike humor and a must-see if you like that sort of thing." Eponysteria is so over, man.

By: Threeway Handshake

Threeway Handshake — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:19:37 -0800

Portlandia BICYCLE RIGHTS!

By: bl1nk

bl1nk — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:40:43 -0800

bike's crowning point of failure: the saddle appearts to be a generic plastic thing wrapped in leather, instead of, you know, an actual leather saddle. I would've been somewhat impressed the artist had actually partnered with Berthoud or Brooks to get them to make some special, one-off water buffalo leather saddles with that neat aged finish that comes with the Berthoud stuff, and maybe used the rivets as another design element to set off the color of the leather. That would've been interesting and new; and even perhaps a clever commentary on the overly precious niche fetish that people have for a leather saddle. This is just a lazy imagination paired with silly money.

By: caution live frogs

caution live frogs — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:49:37 -0800

The point of a bike is to go places and do things and not be contributing to pollution and to have fun and to get exercise and to generally enjoy yourself. There are times when you need to spend more than $50 for a WalMart special to do these things - a good solid road bike can be several grand, and if you're a competitive rider you will be dropping a lot of (often sponsor-funded) money on your gear. But the point is to ride it. This yellow leather-ensconced thing is different. It was not meant to be ridden. It was meant to be wasteful and excessive. The point of this monstrosity is to show off to everyone else how much money you have. To borrow a phrase from a Dave Chappelle skit, this is the bike equivalent of putting diamonds on your food to make your dookie sparkle. On the plus side, items like this let the rest of us know immediately who the easy marks are.

By: slow graffiti

slow graffiti — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:50:13 -0800

My $600 bike is much loved, and much scratched. I have beat the shit out of the paint job from bumping against racks and maybe one or two falls. I touched it up recently (secret: clay bar for cars works good on a bike frame!) and got it pretty shiny again, but now there is fucking salt on the roads from the half inch of snow we had in Austin and so it's looking dull again. But whether its clean or not so clean, it gets ridden, every day. That yellow thing would look like shit five seconds after you rode it on an actual street, and I would probably tear the leather in short order.

By: LordSludge

LordSludge — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:58:33 -0800

"less unique"??

By: ReeMonster

ReeMonster — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 07:58:59 -0800

If there's anything that sucks more than a hipster... it's a rich hipster.

By: everichon

everichon — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:01:04 -0800

Fer serious? If I had that budget, I would have some local outfit make one from carbon or steel, tailored to my stunted Milwaukee Irish body, and kit it out with very very good wheels and components. Such as they may be on a...fixèd. Then I'd take the remainder of the money and spend it on a trip to Islay.

By: bhamrick

bhamrick — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:12:38 -0800

I can't believe $27,000 doesn't even get you a belt drive. If they're going for "clean" why the hell do they have a greasy chain on there?

By: cristinacristinacristina

cristinacristinacristina — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:22:45 -0800

get your one less fixie stickers right here. see it in action!

By: Makwa

Makwa — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:24:40 -0800

Let the proles ride this silly silly bike. I'm saving my money for the leather-wrapped Gulfstream.

By: Slap*Happy

Slap*Happy — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 08:35:43 -0800

Can't we just say trendy-person instead of hipster? No, because before Bush came into office, we used to say "hipster" instead of "trendy-person." The silly mish-mash of subculture (mis)appropriation we know now as "hispterism" may wane in time, but the habit of calling people who wear ludicrous things while listening to unlistenable music "hispters" will endure. Now, if I had $27,000 to blow on a bicycle, I'd begin with an Alex Moulton Double Pylon, outfitted with a Rolhoff transmission, custom 20" hammered aluminium fenders ordered from the Honjo factory, a rack custom ordered from Bruce Gordon, and a set of Giles Berthoud panniers. Then I'd get two of them.

By: Stagger Lee

Stagger Lee — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:05:46 -0800

This bike is silly, and clearly not aimed at "bike people." :) But what's wrong with fixies anyway? It seems ideal for flat, urban use. I don't see why everyone is maintaining derailleurs they don't use. I'm way more annoyed by the legions of full suspensions bikes I see being used for urban cruising. I must be missing something amongst the general hipster stuff. Personally, I always enjoyed the several thousand dollar bamboo frames. I've seen a few older bike enthusiasts do double takes at that one. Shouldn't Bamboo Frames mark the ultimate hip bike, for people that want to be hip?

By: everichon

everichon — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:16:31 -0800

people that want to be hip Bless your heart.

By: Mitrovarr

Mitrovarr — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:22:07 -0800

Stagger Lee: But what's wrong with fixies anyway? It seems ideal for flat, urban use. I don't see why everyone is maintaining derailleurs they don't use. I'm way more annoyed by the legions of full suspensions bikes I see being used for urban cruising. Well, from a utility standpoint, fixed-gears are pretty much inferior to single-speeds. The freewheel or freehub contributes significant advantages without any real downside - they're cheap, reliable, and require almost no maintenance. The small price you pay for the freewheel/freehub is more than compensated for the greater strain that a fixed-gear puts on the chain, due to braking forces. You also have to keep a better chain tension, and you can't use nearly all chain tensioning devices. This prevents you from converting most modern bicycles to fixed-gear without major, expensive modifications. On the other hand, the single-speed vs. geared bicycle argument is more complicated. The single-speed does benefit from a reduced level of complexity and somewhat less maintenance. However, gears are still useful in an urban environment, as they help you accelerate from a stop and help you climb hills (few areas are totally flat), carry cargo, and ride in adverse conditions. Finally, I should mention that suspensions are very useful with regard to the urban environment, because they allow you to hop curbs, ride over grass, and not crash if you hit road debris.

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:27:37 -0800

By: Stagger Lee

Stagger Lee — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:29:19 -0800

Finally, I should mention that suspensions are very useful with regard to the urban environment, because they allow you to hop curbs, ride over grass, and not crash if you hit road debris. Really, my choice for an urban bike would be something like this. Relatively affordable, thin tires with a decent wheel diameter, maybe some low end disc brakes, and no more gears than you need. You may as well save the money on the expensive parts you don't need. I see the argument for the suspension, I chose a light weight front suspension XC bike for my all purpose use,(some genuine mountain biking, and some commuting) mostly due to fiscal constraints and wanting to be versatile. But even if you want suspension (you rarely NEED it for urban riding) you never need more than front, and even then you don't exactly need much travel. Anyway, the long and short is that I agree with you about single-speed vs fixie debate, but my conclusion is still that it's not a half bad bike for what most people are doing with them, and I don't begrudge them the choice to ride them.

By: bl1nk

bl1nk — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:29:47 -0800

I must be doing something wrong, because I've never owned a bike with suspension and I've been riding over grass and road debris without crashing. I don't hop curbs because I don't ride on the sidewalk. My current ride is a converted 1973 Raleigh with a rear wheel rebuilt around the new Sturmey Archer 3-speed fixed gear hub, the S3X (yes, the sex hub). It gives the flywheel and cadence training benefit of a fixed gear but also allows me to adapt to hills, grocery runs and midnight sprints. I have not experienced this chain strain that you're mentioning, but that's also because I have a front brake.

By: barrett caulk

barrett caulk — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:30:28 -0800

I think a few folks here are misdirecting their critical attention. This isn't a real bike so much as it is an art object. Notice that it is sold through the 'Shop' section of one of the biggest names in contemporary art dealership. A place where a Damien Hirst poster (not even signed, just a regular-ass old poster!) will set you back $65. While technically functional, this bike is not intended to be ridden, and almost certainly anybody who purchased one would be doing so as an art collector, not an avid cyclist. The fixie crowd (hipster or just bike enthusiast) is just collateral damage here.

By: barrett caulk

barrett caulk — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:31:18 -0800

That said, I think it is a smooth looking ride.

By: Stagger Lee

Stagger Lee — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:32:53 -0800

Barret Caulk is 100% correct. But remember how the Modernist Cuisine conversation went. Apparently we're a more frugal and functionalist crowd than you'd expect from the kind of links that we post. :D

By: LordSludge

LordSludge — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:33:49 -0800

This isn't a fixie (it can freewheel and it has brakes), but it does embody the minimalist ethos by eliminating the chain: Inner City Bikes. I didn't find a price.

By: FatherDagon

FatherDagon — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 09:56:09 -0800

He, who controls the hipster, is the one true hipster. He who controls the fixie, CONTROLS THE HIPSTERVERSE! ::Sting puts on BC glasses, gets fondled by greasy uncle::

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:01:39 -0800

By: dobbs

dobbs — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:02:44 -0800

Here's Armstrong on a fixed gear.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:03:10 -0800

Sorry, I got a little worked up there. Enjoying a suspension fork is not a sign of cognitive impairment. But hopping curbs had been done quite a bit before the invention of the bicycle suspension fork.

By: Mitrovarr

Mitrovarr — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:09:31 -0800

Stagger Lee: Anyway, the long and short is that I agree with you about single-speed vs fixie debate, but my conclusion is still that it's not a half bad bike for what most people are doing with them, and I don't begrudge them the choice to ride them. Ah, well, while I don't think the fixed gear is the most practical form of two-wheeled transportation, I don't begrudge them either. They offer a different experience. If you enjoy the experience, they aren't terribly impractical for transportation - just not as practical as the alternatives. Actually, I tend to feel like the best all-around bicycles are the lower-end, ~$800 'trail' mountain bike hardtails. Pretty light and pretty fast, but quite solid and rugged. Suitable for nearly every kind of bicycling that isn't extremely specialized. You can mountain bike on it, ride it long distances on roads, put panniers on it and use it to commute, or ride around town. They're reasonably priced and comfortable for beginners. The downsides would be that they're kind of expensive for a first bike and they have somewhat complex controls and maintenance.

By: rainperimeter

rainperimeter — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:12:12 -0800

i'm not cranky over this but i do find the price tag pretty hilarious. i work very part time doing the shipping for a friend who is a frame builder here in portland. his bikes get pretty expensive, but his bikes are fully fucking custom. they are beautifully crafted. built to ride. daily. for a looong fucking time. and the price of one of his bikes doesn't come close to this p.o.s. i'm pretty over all the fixie shit, and i say that as someone who almost daily rides a fixie. i don't ever call it that though, it's just one of my bikes. i hope when the bulk of the fixed gear craze blows over all the hipst.., uh, all the kids here in town keep biking. that's one thing i think of; when these hot pink and neon green, all flash! bikes aren't cool, is everyone just gonna start driving? taking their asshole moves on their bikes and start pulling asshole moves in their cars?

By: Mitrovarr

Mitrovarr — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:13:54 -0800

GuyZero: But hopping curbs had been done quite a bit before the invention of the bicycle suspension fork. Well of course you can do it without one. But having a suspension makes it easier, more pleasant, possible at lower speeds, and gives it less of a skill requirement. Plus just because you can do it without one doesn't mean any bicycle can do it. Cheap wheels and road wheels might taco if you hit a curb hard.

By: misskaz

misskaz — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:35:08 -0800

that's one thing i think of; when these hot pink and neon green, all flash! bikes aren't cool, is everyone just gonna start driving? taking their asshole moves on their bikes and start pulling asshole moves in their cars? I doubt it. People are capable of doing or liking things for more than one reason. Just because I replaced the bar tape on my Bianchi to match the celeste green markings on the frame doesn't mean I also don't just enjoy riding. I rode my bike to work (10 miles, each way) three days this week with temperatures here in Chicago approaching 0 before wind chill, and I wasn't even on my so-ugly-its-cool Bianchi, I was on my dorky hybrid winter bike. Believe me, with how much I have to bundle up to do that, it ain't about fashion. I run in a somewhat hipster crowd and no one I know bikes *only* because it's cool. We all enjoy cycling on it's own merits - its fun, it's cheap, it's exercise, and it's often simpler than taking public transit or finding parking.

By: OverlappingElvis

OverlappingElvis — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 10:57:59 -0800

Portlandia ... It's pretty impressive work. False.

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:09:48 -0800

I'm pretty sure that for $27k I could pick up a titanium frame (heck, titanium everything) along with a wheelset that's almost lighter than air, and still have enough money left over to upholster my entire home in leather.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:15:51 -0800

I got a mohel to build me a set of wheels that inflate as you ride them.

By: crush-onastick

crush-onastick — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:22:14 -0800

misskaz: because of you, i will almost certainly positively ride my bike to work at least once sometime after ski season. not on a Goat night, though.

By: anagrama

anagrama — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:32:18 -0800

Well, from a utility standpoint, fixed-gears are pretty much inferior to single-speeds. The freewheel or freehub contributes significant advantages without any real downside - they're cheap, reliable, and require almost no maintenance. But a fixed drivetrain offers much greater control at low speeds, in poor weather, over loose surfaces and, with a sensible gear ratio, is perfect for the stop-start of urban traffic. I ride both fixed & geared bikes every day, but single-speed has always struck me as being the worst of both worlds. But hey, I pooh-poohed fixed riding before trying it too, so I'm quite willing to believe I'd eat my words if I had a single-speed...

By: mullingitover

mullingitover — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:40:21 -0800

I built a single speed/fixie flip-flop hub bike. I tried the fixie side for fifteen minutes and switched it back to single speed. Je ne regret rien. I like coasting.

By: everichon

everichon — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 12:09:12 -0800

PORTLANDIA IS OVER

By: Nanukthedog

Nanukthedog — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:05:04 -0800

Hmm... $27K and it isn't street legal with proper reflectors... No. Sorry. I have standards for my fixie.

By: thewalrus

thewalrus — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:14:17 -0800

$27,000 because of the water buffalo leather? I know a place outside Rawalpindi, Pakistan where you can buy a whole live water buffalo for between $500 to $1000.... Depends on the USD:PKR exchange rate. Wouldn't it be more fun to ride the buffalo?

By: gjc

gjc — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:26:38 -0800

1- I swear to god, fixed gear bicycles used to be illegal because of their huge danger. 2- Hipsters are not just trendy people. They are consumers of trend. They do not do things because they like them, necessarily, but because they feel a need to be seen doing these things, and feel the need to be part of "the crowd". They are frat boys and sorority girls who shop at different stores. Or more appropriately, they are the people who wanted to be in the frat-sorority crowd, but weren't allowed to join. So they glomed onto the next best thing: a "club" of misfit followers. Fixed gear bicycles and ironic 80's glasses do not make someone a hipster. Those are just some of the current cultural items they are devouring. They will be through with them shortly. Right now, there is a unique individual in Brooklyn doing something completely unique and off the wall. In 6 months, the trendsetting hipsters will be copying him or her. In another 6 months, the hipster horde will be consuming the brains of that first individual.

By: jillithd

jillithd — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:26:39 -0800

dobbs: Here's Armstrong on a fixed gear. Those guys in traffic scare the crap out of me.

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:00:21 -0800

Yeah, MiFi already ripped that video a new one. I bike every day but if those guys swarmed me in my car, I'd side-swipe them. They're assholes.

By: Mister_A

Mister_A — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:43:08 -0800

Damn that dobbs vid makes me want to go ride, too bad it's dark, 35 degrees, and my back wheel got all eated up by rocks on Forbidden Drive.

By: krinklyfig

krinklyfig — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 01:13:33 -0800

Oh, well, I'll just wait for the exchange rate to move in my direction. It takes over 100 man hours to upholster the bike in water buffalo leather I would do it in 60 man hours, tops. Or 138 little kid hours.

By: rainperimeter

rainperimeter — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 01:49:36 -0800

misskaz, i surely wasn't trying to single anyone out in here. and i think it's great you commute year round in chicago. i did the same in minneapolis. it's tough and not always fun, so yeah, good job. so i'm probably not making my point, or even have a solid point to make (this is not surprising). i don't think anyone rides "only" because it's cool. biking is fun! lots of people do it for all sorts of reasons, right. i just look at some bikes locked up at school, or as someone rides past or whatever, and they are on a turquoise blue with pink splatter painted mid-80's panansonic tt track bike with a nitto jaguar stem and nubs for handlebars with green oury grips that are all positioned well below the goddamn bottom of the seatpost, and it's all color coordinated with their toms shoes, neon wayfarer rip offs and a tacky truck stop t shirt with grizzly bears that says "colorado" or wherever, i'm calling that out for being super fashiony and verging on just being an accessory to their image. and that's fine. people can color coordinate their bike to match their messenger bag. but i can roll my eyes and that's fine too. and i'm probably still making no point here and i'm sorry for that. i just see a lot of money dumped into bikes that seem oh so cool for the moment but will be a little embarrassing or uncool later. and if that time comes that a blinged out track bike looks super dated (like bmx, it's had ups and downs since my youthful bmx days of the 80's, and i guarantee pink deep v's will have the same) i hope the switch is made to another bike. fuck, any of that make any sense? i just want people on bikes. ride what i think is a bullshit fashion bike, i don't *really* care, just keep riding. that's all i want. people on bikes. also, buying matching celeste bar tape for your celeste colored bianchi is not by a long shot what i'm talking about. they've been painting bikes that general color for a long fucking time. hardly a short term fashion trend.

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 04:44:36 -0800

1- I swear to god, fixed gear bicycles used to be illegal because of their huge danger. Please don't make shit up.

By: bl1nk

bl1nk — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 07:06:47 -0800

TL;DR version of what I think rainperimeter is saying: riding bikes is fun! Riding bikes is more fun when your bike is built up on sound design principles where form follows function rather than as a fashion accessory, but your fun-eage may vary. It's sad when the hype around a bike is on the price sticker ... because in the grand scheme of things, bikes aren't that expensive but they can cost more than they need to when your relationship between looks and fun is too close.

By: gjc

gjc — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 10:33:03 -0800

1- I swear to god, fixed gear bicycles used to be illegal because of their huge danger. Please don't make shit up. Not making shit up. I could well be wrong, but that is what I remember from my youth. It had to do with the fact that the pedals will keep turning no matter what. Flat road momentum is one thing, but downhill momentum is even worse. 1- One weird slip of the foot and your ankle can get mangled between the frame and the pedal cranks before the bike can be stopped. 2- If you accidentally get out of rhythm, the momentum of the bike can cause the pedals to hyper extend your knee or flex your hips in painfully awful ways. 3- You also can't maneuver as well because you can't bank as much without stubbing your pedal on the ground. 4- If you are an asshole without a hand brake, you cannot stop as quickly. You can push down on the pedals all you want, but if there is more kinetic energy in the bike than your weight, you are just going to bounce up and down until your weight can overcome the momentum.

By: toekneebullard

toekneebullard — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 05:39:44 -0800

What's wrong with fixed-gears? There's nothing wrong with fixed gear bikes, unless you've got grievous hills. I was once interested in converting an old bike of mine to fixed, until I saw some video that ended with the tag line "For people who know that riding fixed is a lifestyle." That right there....I have no desire to be associated with anything of the like.