Dear Bruce.
I used to feel the same way, until I came across a fixie group at this year s Death Ride. For those of you not on the west cost, the Death Ride is a v ery difficult mountain climbing ride just outside of Lake Tahoe, Ca. For t hose who complete the entire ride it's five mountain tops, 16,000 feet of t otal climbing, and 126 miles. Completing this ride on a modern bike is dif ficult, doing it on a single speed shows real commitment and talent.
I also herd tales of fixes on the years Paris-Brest-Paris. Also a ride tha t requires great amounts of talent and commitment.
I'm even thinking of taking the old road racer out of the corner on the clo set, going down to one gear, and seeing how the old timers rode when the sp ort was young. There's nothing like exploring a little history to give us an understanding and gratitude for your elders. But I won't cut off peaces of the frame, as I may want my gears back.
Happy Holidays-Fixes or modern Geared.
Tom Harriman
San Francisco, ca.
> Date: Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:16:42 -0800
> From: morgan@hahaha.org
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: Re: [CR]fixie thing, Whats Wrong with that?
>
> bruce thomson wrote:
> > the fixie phenomenon is a typical American social trend that will end u
p as a flash-in-the pan shelf life. I have seen some of the bikes done loca
lly, and some too on the net and there seems little to rave about. It is a
bout more of belonging or going along with the fringe crowd., not really ri
ding 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 c
an 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 restorati
on value of a classic steel frame. I was in a bike shop two weeks ago look
ing for a T.A. extractor for my Reynolds 531 Raleigh and one of the kids wi
th all of the chrome shit hanging off his face offered me $20.00 for the fr
ame. Needless to say I declined. I have seen what those butchers do. The
y cut OFF the dérailleur hangers and burn off the drop-outs to have so
me 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 fro
m them is highly unlikely. Most will undoubtedly be tossed and the next fa
d picked up. BT
>
> http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/
>
> This guy skewers the fixie crowd best. He is hilarious. He has some
> words for our tribe as well.
>
> Read the older posts. Good stuff.
>
> Sorry for posting so frivolously, Dale!
>
> Morgan Fletcher
> Oakland, CA
>
> P.S. http://2inches.com/