Well I guess I must weigh in. I have a number of kids from Tucson who
frequent my shop. Yea, some of them have tattoos and piercings, but I
will work for hours in the back room of my shop with 10-15 of them poking around with the vintage stuff in the front, and never worry about them ripping me off. They are unfailingly polite and appreciative of any help, and a pleasure to interact with. They appreciate the vintage stuff in my shop and, while most do ride fixies, they also ride geared bikes. A number of them have ridden from Tucson to my shop. That's 90 miles with full packs and there is
a 1000"+ eight mile climb at the end. Most of them are members of BICAS (Bicycle Inter-Community Action and Salvage) whose mission statement is "Through advocacy and recycling of the bicycle, BICAS promotes education, art, and a healthy environment while providing service and opportunity for those in need". They work with the homeless to help them build up bikes, and recycle bike parts as useful
art. I'll take them any day over the carbon set.
Ken Wallace, Proprietor Bisbee Bicycle Brothel 63-B Brewery Ave. PO Box 1194 Bisbee, AZ 85603 USA (520) 236-4855 (cell) http://www.bisbeebicyclebrothel.com
On Nov 27, 2007, at 4:10 PM, bruce thomson wrote:
> the fixie phenomenon is a typical American social trend that will
> end up as a flash-in-the pan shelf life. I have seen some of the
> bikes done locally, and some too on the net and there seems little
> to rave about. It is about more of belonging or going along with
> the fringe crowd., not really riding bikes. Many of these fixies
> will only ride a few blocks and park at a Starbucks and hang with
> the rest of the wannabe's . There are a few who can ride and have
> done well in showing that it is more than being with the 'in' crowd,
> but they are not the chain smokers and tattooed fringe element.
> Now what I have seen on the bikes want to have me throw up.
> Luckily most of the grubby little cretins dont get their hands on a
> classic frame , but when they do there seems to be no interest in
> the history or restoration value of a classic steel frame. I was in
> a bike shop two weeks ago looking for a T.A. extractor for my
> Reynolds 531 Raleigh and one of the kids with all of the chrome shit
> hanging off his face offered me $20.00 for the frame. Needless to
> say I declined. I have seen what those butchers do. They cut OFF
> the dérailleur hangers and burn off the drop-outs to have some
> cheap-ass track lugs crudely brazed one. Thats why when I see the
> fixie crowd I want to take a shower. The idea of receiving these
> frames back from them is highly unlikely. Most will undoubtedly be
> tossed and the next fad picked up. BT
>
> marcus.e.helman@gm.com wrote: I have been reading the fixie thread
> with some interest. I do visit the
> fixed gear gallery often, not just because it is run by a fellow
> Michigander. I have noticed the phenomenon Larry Myers describes
> below:
> expensive parts on very cheap frames. I have also noticed a number of
> bikes that are clearly built with whatever the owner could find. If
> someone learns more about bikes, and how to work on them, by
> converting an
> old 10 speed into a fixie, what's wrong with that? I know I learned
> a lot
> just by messing around with my 3 speed english racer, trying to make
> it
> more like a 10 speed. If, like Larry, you own a bike store and an
> idiot
> comes in to buy a Dura-Ace crank for a Schwinn Continental, sure
> he's an
> idiot, but at least he's in the shop paying for something.
>
> I view fixed gear bikes as being on the same continuum we are on
> with our
> vintage multi-speed bikes. We give up something in pure
> functionality--our bikes are heavier, with fewer gears, and they are
> harder to shift than modern bikes. But we gain something in
> esthetics,
> ease of maintenance, nostaligia, simplicity, exclusivity, and riding
> pleasure. Fixed gear bikes can provide people with the same
> feeling. I
> don't want to open up the "are modern bikes better?" debate. I
> enjoy the
> feeling that I am riding something special, something that is not for
> everybody. I get that from both my geared and fixed bikes.
>
> Growing up in Chicago, which is as flat as it gets, I wanted a 10
> speed,
> but never really had a good answer to the question "why do you need so
> many speeds?" Here in Detroit, it is almost as flat, and sometimes
> I find
> that the 52-20 I have on my converted Cinelli (yes I left the hanger
> intact) is just right.
>
> Best regards,
> Marcus Helman
> Huntington Woods, MI
>
> I read with interest your posting to the CR list.....unfortunately,
> I do
> not see happening where I live, what you described as happening
> where you
> live.... Portland, Oregon is a hotbed of bike 'happeningness';
> unfortunately, it seems to be kind of a closed loop here....local
> hipsters
> think nothing of dropping $500 on wheels to put on a Sears 'Free
> Spirit'
> frame ; nor do they put any thought into proper gearing, sizing, or
> positioning....I work in a local shop that services this crowd, and
> to put
> it honestly, I want to vomit over some of the machines that I have
> to send
> out...well-meaning talks about the above-mentioned subjects are met
> with
> hostility or carefully affected slacker 'don't care, doesn't matter'
> blank
> stares.
>
> While I am glad to see youngsters riding, rather than driving, I also
> sadly fail to see the future of our sport in any of this
> movement...it is
> completely fashion-driven; there are no future Lance Armstrongs, Gibby
> Hattons, or Marty Nothsteins to be found in this so-called 'Keirin
> Culture' (most of them cannot even pronounce 'Keirin' correctly, and
> 90%
> of them smoke)....personally, I look forward to this fad's inevitable
> bust; then I will be able to liberate these sadly misused frames from
> their former owners, and then pass them on to more appreciative users.
>
> Feeling extra grumpy & curmudgeonly,
> Larry Myers
> Portland, OR, USA
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
> Bruce Thomson Spokane WA 99204
> (509) 747 4314
> Masi3v4me@yahoo.com rapidfire10ring@hotmail.com
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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>
> _______________________________________________
Kenneth W. Wallace, President
Denarius Consulting
PO Box 1194
Bisbee, AZ 85603
USA
(520) 236-4855 (cell)
kwallace@cableone.net (email)