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Fixed Gear Bikes Sold at Urban Outfitters

Alex — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 06:11:02 +0000

Ok this may seem like a shock for some of you, but Bike Republic has joined forces with Urban Outfitters. Check out the new bike store at Urban Outfitters. Now some of you may think this is the worst thing that could have happened, and maybe you’re right. I still don’t know how I feel about this but leave your comment and help me sort this out.

Leave your thoughts below…

San Jose Fixed Gear Scene

Alex — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:01:56 +0000

Francesco “Fran” D’Anna is staring down the famed Cat’s Hill in Los Gatos. The 24 year old taks to the slope a grade of 23 percent.

D’Anna locks his legs, stopping the back wheel as he slows a bit, then continues through the intersection unscathed and unafraid as if he was in complete control the whole time.

The subculture known as the fixed-gear bicycling scene is spreading into neighborhoods across the Bay Area. Once a fixture of urban centers New York City and San Francisco, “fixies” have trickled to the South Bay first to San Jose and now its surrounding areas.

Whether you think fixed gear is just a passing fad or just getting started, one thing can’t be denied it’s spreading.

In case you’re reading this and donlt know what a fixed gear is:

“A fixed-gear bike is essentially a track bike with a fixed cog, instead of a freewheel, that doesn’t allow the bike to coast. As long as the wheels are in motion, the pedals move in the same direction, and the bike has the capability to move forward or in reverse. Some fixed-gear bikes are equipped with a braking system, but most experienced riders ride brakeless, stopping or slowing only by resisting the rotation of the cranks.”

Track bikes originated in the velodrome an arena for track cycling until bicycle messengers picked up on them for their simplicity and low maintenance. The bikes were easy to maneuver in urban areas and were lightweight and versatile enough to take everywhere.

But almost a decade ago, riders started performing tricks on the bikes, moving the fixed-gear scene once more.

The person largely responsible for bringing fixed-gear to the South Bay is Mark Cosio, founder of San Jose Fixed an online community bulletin board where riders can organize rallies and post discussion topics. He also opened iMINUSD a bike shop specializing in fixed-gear, single-speed and track bikes about a year ago in downtown San Jose, just as the boom was taking place in the area.

Since then, his customers have come from Sacramento, Stockton, Gilroy, Santa Rosa and even San Francisco, supposedly the birthplace of the sport.

“Before I started riding, there were probably three or four other guys I knew riding fixed-gear bikes downtown, and now they’re on every stoplight, every street corner,” said Cosio, a seven-year fixed-gear rider.

In truth, fixed-gear bicycling is practiced all over the world in major metropolitan areas. Only now, though, is the movement starting to hit neighborhood streets.

Similar to what Cosio did in San Jose, D’Anna brought fixed-gear to Los Gatos, promoting the scene simply by riding through town and performing tricks like the surfer, in which he pops on top of the bike and balances using his feet. The trick isn’t specific to fixed-gear bikes, but it’s a show-stopper, and D’Anna says it leads to questions about what else he can do.

His arsenal of tricks include the wheelie, barspin, pogo, leg-over, whirlie bird and of course the whip skid for downhill rides. He’ll also cruise around on his 7-foot tall bike, also a fixed-gear, which turns a lot of heads.

D’Anna picked up on fixed-gear bikes through his bicycle messenger friends while he was attending college in San Francisco. When he moved back to Los Gatos, he brought the bikes with him and soon people began riding fixies around town.

“This little community started arising out of Los Gatos,” said D’Anna, who has ties to prominent fixed-gear riding crew Macaframa. “In the past three years in the South Bay Area, bike riding has just gotten exponentially bigger, especially single-speeds and fixed-gears.”

The fixed-gear movement has somewhat piggybacked on the success of San Jose Bike Party, a monthly ride of 3,000 to 5,000 cyclists hitting the streets all over the Silicon Valley. Just a few years ago there were fewer than a 100 regular riders, barely enough to cause a stir, but now there are thousands, most of whom are riding a fixed-gear bike.

The growth of the fixed-gear culture is akin to how other underground phenomenons have emerged. They’re first valued for practical means before developing an identity of their own as they enter a more widespread forum.

“It takes riding your bike and turning it into more of skateboarding,” says D’Anna, who works at Los Gatos’ Mike’s Bikes.

What he means is the nature of a fixed-gear bike makes it versatile to take around town, stop in a parking lot for some tricks and then head down a few hills if one is so inclined. Some observers have compared the movements in fixed-gear riding to that of board sports, particularly skidding which parallels carving in snowboarding.

The concern, though, is that enthusiastic yet inexperienced riders may be jumping on board before they’re ready. Veterans often caution beginners to practice fixed-gear riding with a set of brakes until they get comfortable.

“If you know what you’re doing, it’s just as easy as riding a bike with brakes,” Marshall said. “If you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re going to get hurt, period.”

Marshall isn’t overstating that last part. One of the hardest things to learn about fixed-gear is how to stay in complete control of the bike, especially when traveling downhill. The constant movement of the pedals is awkward to learn at first and goes against traditional bike riding, so “you basically have to learn how to ride a bike all over again,” said Brian Hamilton, 20, of Summit Bikes in Los Gatos.

Traveling downhill requires a great deal of agility, body control and leg strength, Hamilton said. As the bike picks up speed, the rider’s legs have to keep up with the pedaling motion, otherwise all control is lost. Fearful beginners may instinctively pull their feet off the pedals to slow down, but that’s probably the worst thing that can happen.

“You’re at the will of the hill at that point,” Hamilton said.

A fixed-gear bike has an element of danger to it, but it also provides its share of health benefits and advantages. It takes a lot of energy to constantly pedal from place to place using just one gear, and even more effort is exerted performing tricks.

The other attraction is the aesthetics of a fixed-gear bike. It’s fairly inexpensive and fully customizable, which is a major appeal to a generation with a vested interest in originality, Cosio said. As styles shift back toward a simpler, cleaner look, fixies appear to have the edge over the bells and whistles of a more modern bike.

“The thing with trends is that if it’s a trend and there’s no substance to it, it goes away,” Cosio said. “The reason why fixed-gear got so huge is because it actually works you out and gets you in shape. I know some riders who came in looking like Jell-O and they come out looking rock hard.

The appeal of fixed-gear seems deeper than just fitness, however. Word of mouth and videos on YouTube have created intrigueabout the sport. It’s something most people have never witnessed before, with maneuvers on a bicycle that are unheard of but open the door to endless possibilities. Sometimes watching the perfect sequence of tricks can be almost poetic.

“I’d say we’re not even close to our peak yet,” he continued. “This is the early development stage, but there’s still a long way to go.”

You can read full original article at Mercury News

How to Get iPad for $42.51

Alex — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:25:55 +0000

Do you want the latest products cheap?

I know I sure I did, after all fixie parts aren’t cheap – and after that brand new frame not much is left for a shiny new iPad. I’m a techie (duh.. I mean I have a blog).. and I need the new iPad and I didn’t have the money. That’s when I started looking around to see how the hell can a guy score big without having to drop my rent money.

Thats when I found the answer to getting an iPad 80% OFF!!!

PENNY AUCTIONS

If you haven’t heard of these things you’ve been living under a rock. The idea is quite simple. You buy “bids” that are usually pretty cheap. These bids let you participate in live auctions for some of the top products around:

iPads
Macbook Pro
Cameras
Wii Fit
LCD TVs
and more…

So I looked around and there are few sites out the but the best one was hands down Bid Fire.

Why was it so great?

What’s great about BidFire is you CAN’T lose. Even if you don’t win the auctions you participate in, you get points anyway that you can redeem for products!!!

Anyway, I gave it a shot, and on my 5th auction I WON!!! Maybe it was luck, or maybe it was just divine intervention. Anyway, I’m off to play with my iPad… I just wanted to share the news.

Check out BidFire right now to see what they have for auction (sign up is free)

Back From My Haitus

Alex — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:54:50 +0000

Sorry guys, I have been super MIA the past few months. I am looking to pass on this blog to someone who is more knowledgeable and has more time to take this blog to the next level.

Anyway here are some messages that were sent to me that may be of interest to you:

Cool Fixie Story

I just wanted to let the fixed gear community know that my
sister is riding a fixie in the tour divide which is 2,745 miles
across the continental divide from Canada to Mexico.
www.tourdivide.org. Many people have attempted this and at day 21 with
1700 miles my sister Deanna has gone farther than everyone else! Check
out this blog

We Add Up T-Shirts

Alex — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 02:13:22 +0000

Although this blog is mostly about fixed gear bikes, once in a while its nice to mention something like We Add Up T- Shirts . I love seeing entrepreneurs who are able to make money and help out good causes at the same time. We Add Up is a pretty novel idea and instead of me trying to explain it here is a blurb from the horses mouth.

WE ADD UP is a global campaign using organic cotton t-shirts that literally “counts you in” in the fight against global warming. Every shirt is printed by hand with a unique number. YOUR number represents your place in the sequential global count of all the people who are taking steps to help stop climate change. As the count grows, we demonstrate to the world that “WE ADD UP.” On the back of each shirt is a word or phrase that describes an action almost anyone can take to reduce their carbon footprint – the contribution their lifestyle makes to greenhouse gases – such as, Unplug, Lights Off, Carpool, Hybrid, Bike, Buy Local, and 18 others. You choose which action you are committed to doing and get counted in. No one can do everything. Everyone can do something. And, WE ADD UP.

Our goal is to get millions of people around the world counted in and committed to helping stop global warming. With our combined effort, we can create a healthy, thriving world for generations to come. So, get counted in. Because you + everyone else = change.

If you want to get a shirt that is of quality and helps a good cause check out We Add Up T-Shirts Now!

P.S. Speaking of t-shirts in my previous post, I’ve stumbled over BustedTees, they have some very funny sports t shirts at very reasonable prices.

How to Buy Your First Fixed Gear Bike

Alex — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:38:35 +0000

Flikr photo by A Continuous Lean

If you are just starting to think about making the transfer to fixed gear riding, there are few things you may want to consider, when looking for the right fixie for you. There are a few I can think of, off the top of my head. Start with something simple, make it cheap, and finally consider a break, and a flip-flop hub.

Something simple is probably the best thing you can start on, if you are not sure how to ride a fixie yet, you might want to make it cheap. It’s a different type of ride; some of you plain and simply may not like it very much. It looks fun, it is fun, but it’s not for everyone. So the best fixie to start on might be something like a Bianchi Pista, a cheap complete steal frame bike, or if you are experienced with bike building or have a good friend that is, you might want to go an even cheaper way. By building it from scrap parts. If you find it hard to find parts, you can buy some of the parts, and find some of the parts. Don’t expect to find all your parts right away or all for free. It might take a while it is most definitely a test of patience.

The next thing you may want to look for when getting into fixed gear riding is a break; for a bit of safety as you are learning to ride, and a flip-flop hub. Which is in case you don’t like the fixie ride, you can always switch to a free wheel ride, which is more like a traditional bike. So if you’re thinking about it, consider my suggestions, and I think you might end up being a very happy rider.

Fixed Gears Featured in New York Times

John — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 13:00:02 +0000

Check it out everyone, they care about us. Well enough to write a little something about us. I saw this article about a month back in the New York Times, and thought it was a bit interesting and just wanted to share it with all of you other riders out there. Yes a few times they do tend to down play fixed gear riding, but for the most part they give a pretty good view of how others view fixed gear riding.

The multimedia part was one part that I found most interesting. It has personal interviews with all parts of the spectrum from shop owner, to bike messenger, and even to the track rider. It lets you see what each is more or less, all about.

This article has many different headings that explain many different viewpoints. From “Unstoppable,” to “Anarchy In Motion,” to “Look Ma No Brakes,” to “Stopping on a prayer,” and finally “A Zen Thing.” And I know you don’t have time to read this cause you’re all too busy out riding, but read this article on a rainy cold day, when you just don’t feel like riding, but when you’re all done reading get back on that saddle and ride on.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/nyregion/thecity/29gear.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

Fixed Gear Starter Bike Under $300

Alex — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 18:12:25 +0000

If you are like me then you probably know that the Pista or “The Hour” are some of the cheaper fixed gear frames out on the market to get you started with.

Well thanks to Schwinn no more. I saw this little doozy at UrbanVelo.com and couldn’t believe the price. Just $300 dollars you can get your first fixed gear bike.

Fixpert Shout Out

Alex — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:25:30 +0000

There is not hing better than stumbling across a blog that doesn’t suck. The blog I am talking about is fixpert which is a fixed gear blog written by a woman. It is always nice to hear the female perspective.

Here is an excerpt of her latest post.

If I ever try to say I was down with this shit first, just punch me in the face. I know I’m a girl and you’re not supposed to do that, but please just do it. Fixed gear bikes have been around fu-EVA! Since the days of Thomas Edison — check out this Thomas Edison video featuring bar spins and backwards circles.

I completely agree with her on this point. Check out the rest of the post about Fixed Gears Officially Hitting the Big Time

Belt Drives on Fixies Feasible?

Alex — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 19:30:56 +0000

According to BikeRadar at the latest Interbike there were a few new fixies that had belt drives compared to the traditional chain.

Honestly I have never rode a bike that used a belt instead of a chain, so I can’t comment. But, here is what one person had to say.

Harley Motor bikes have several bikes that are belt driven, and they say they’d be good for over 7000miles. I think these belts are made by the same company. Orange MTB’s that have belt drives are at least. If they can survive 7000miles on a big Harley, they should be good for a year on a fixie. Time will tell.

What do you think are belt drives feasible on fixed gear bikes ?