On a training ride this past weekend, I randomly met up with a “fixie” rider. Nice guy. Classic rebel with a cause. No helmet. No Lycra. No jersey. No carbon. But strong as hell. Ray Ban Aviators and Sidi shoes with no-show socks. He let me shoot a pic of his bike. There’s something about a fixed-gear bike that says urban hip. Even if you’re just riding up Highway 101 in San Diego and not making deliveries. By absolute random chance, I came across this video shot in September 2008, in Austin, Texas. Amazingly at the 2:10 mark, entering the frame and hanging around for a good spell is Lance Armstrong, a pretty famous bike racer. White T-Shirt. Cargo shorts. Ray Ban Aviator sunglasses. White Nike training shoes. Black signature socks to match his bike. It’s rare you see Lance Armstrong in Austin out for a fixed-gear spin. Here, you can for a little more than a minute. It’s raw, uncensored joy that is most striking to me as a I watch the piece. No sponsors around. No PR people. No AFLD or WADA. Just guys pedaling hard. Thursday’s Crave is fixie fun. Ride on.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Great video, love how LA just puts the hammer down near the end of the filmed part of their ride, and opens up a huge gap — and those other guys are no slouches.
One minor correction though, I believe LA is on a single speed (freewheel), not a fixie. He’s got knees he needs to protect.
Cheers
Ron
Ran across this clip & the MASH website a year or so ago & passed it along to all my cycling buds. So I was thrilled to find out that the MASH crew was riding the entire Tour of California route on their fixies and as Tour staff I had a front row seat to watch them in action. They were totally amazing!
Watching the video makes me feel like a kid again. I need me a single-speed, too! Any suggestions on gearing? Thanks Ron by swinging by BikeCrave.
It is a keeper. I hope to come across them someday somewhere. Looks like a solid group, even if a red light or two is run. Who among us has never committed a rolling stop.
2 years ago I decided that during the long wet PDX winter, my road bike was getting thrashed, and therefore I was less likely to ride it, and my winter training suffered. So I watched craigslist for an old bike to convert, and found a 63cm (my size) ’76 Raleigh Grand Prix — took it to my favorite PDX mechanic (Jens at the Bike’n'Hike) and he converted it into this: http://is.gd/1eC5L (photo) — gearing is 50×16, which is pretty aggressive, and makes for a perfect cruising cadence of 85-90rpm at 20-22mph on the flats.
So now my road bike lives on the rollers in the basement in the winter, and this thing is my sole ride. I made a huge difference in my winter condition. Taking off from a stop with the 50×16 is great strength training, and the one good (short) hill on my route home is a small battle — but I’ve really noticed the difference as my spring/summer training has begun.
Cheers,
Ron
Can’t tell you have effing jacked up I get seeing fixies hammering through city streets! Cut my teeth in the streets of DC. Friended a bunch of messengers who taught me a LOT about riding crazy safely if that makes sense. Got my first back in ’98. That was also my first “road bike”, or at least a bike with 700c wheels.
They’re perfect for early season form building since there’s no rest. Plus they’re perfect for cleaning up your pedal stroke – gets you to concentrate on the entire circle.
You should definitely try it, it opens your cycling experience to new levels.
That’s it! I’m sold on the early-season-form aspect alone. I’ve always wondered. No more.
Ron, I really appreciate your insight on fixed-gears. From what you and others say, this is a nifty way to keep at it during offseason, plus introduce a different (and fun) way to ride. Thanks for the share, and keep riding strong.