Brian is SPOT ON here. I can already see this happening. Here is the "fixie" mecca of San Francisco (maybe only second to brooklyn), kids are migrating to classic steel like you wouldn't believe. There is a huge appreciation for a nice Merckx, Somec, or just about any properly built italian frame and corresponding parts. Some going as far as to hunt down the perfect Mavic Gruppo to run on their Concorde. I see this happening every day as I help moderate the local Fixed Gear Forum that boast about 6K members.
Like all things, you have to start somewhere. I'm sure most of you did things to bicycles that you would probably fine henious at this stage in your life. And besides, if it were for the percieved "fads", most of the steel we enjoy would still be hiding in a garage, locked in a basement or otherwise tossed aside. You have to give some credit to these kids for breathing some well needed life into the sport. Let's cut them some slack.
Sean Flores San Francisco, CA
On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 10:38 AM,
<classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org> wrote:
> Message: 9
> Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:56:22 +0000
> From: "brianbaylis@juno.com" <brianbaylis@juno.com>
> Subject: Re: [CR] Fixie Fad Classicrendezvous Digest, Vol 82, Issue 55
> To: <tobitlinke@hotmail.com>
> Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Message-ID: <20091013.075622.14354.5@webmail08.vgs.untd.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
>
>
> Tobit,
>
> That's the spirit! That may be the next trend once some of these kids catch on that there any MANY types of bicycles.
>
> The other up side of the fixed gear fad is that eventually these kids will gain an appreciation for bicycles in general and many of them will become actual cyclists. It's good for the industry in the long run. Right now it 's more fashion, and I don't care if they even hang their bike from a chain around their neck like jewelry. Just like with the mountain bike craze where thousands of people got into bikes on account of that; most of those people also discovered road bikes and fixed gear bikes and they are now adding to OUR bottom line. Also, the kids are starting off on the right foot in my opinion, by appreciating lugged steel bikes. In addition to Japanese bikes being sought after, some of these kids are also becoming hip to the classic lugged steel frames that many of us grew up with. Not all of the bikes they convert now will be destroyed; some will survive. It's not a total loss. I'd say overall the fixed gear trend is good for the kids, except for maybe the effect that wrong gearing and technique might have on their bodies. If I were a doctor I would seriously consider becoming a specialist in knee reconstruction; there may be a big future in that!
>
> Brian Baylis
> Always look on the bright side of life! (Let's all sing that as we hang from our crosses.)