I could not agree more; London streets are awash with silly trendy track cyclist wannabees/fashion victims, rising fixed wheel or single speed on butchered (often quite vintage) road frames. As I do my 20 mile commute across town on my 1980 Peugeot PKN10E (with 12 speeds), I often tell them that I will object to paying for their knee operations in the future as they pull the wrong gear and strain muscles and joints. I have a fixed gear track bike - a 1950 Claud Butler, it is used on the track, where it belongs. Cycles should be pedalled at 90-110 turns of the chainwheel per minute - any less is damaging to the body.
There is a whole industry in London here chopping up road frames and selling the fixed result to saddos who think it is cool to ride a minimalist machine with orange wheels and silly little cut down roadster 'bars.
There, rant over...
Simon Duval Smith
London
UK