dude, i'm so punk rock; i ride fixed gear

What was once a great way to work on your spin in the winter, cut down on drivetrain maintenance, and distill the mechanical beauty of the bicycle down to it's 100 proof essentials, is now just a fad.

Everywhere I go, I see brakeless, thrift store knickered, chrome bag slung art school brats on single speed turds cobbled together from 80's japanese road bikes or those cheesy brand new fixies from Bianchi or KHS (you know, the ones with crappy loose ball hubs). You know the ones...running stop signs while on their Palm Treo...extra points for the really bright ones that have brakeless FREEWHEEL single speeds. Ah yes, that awesome punk rock look without the scary fixed cog. That's a powerful good ideer, there son!

Don't get me wrong; I love my fixie (Johnny Cash). I bought the frame about 5 years ago from a kid in Boston not unlike what I've described above. I paid some dues on it, too: nearly getting eaten by a T bus, nailing a speedbump...getting tossed...knocking myself out...30 mile rides in Marin Co...The strange thing is, I'm starting to empathize with the old crusty Harley guys that hate it when a white collar dweeb wants to talk about how sweet his brand new hog is.

Perhaps some of the trend chasers will truly grow to appreciate the fixed gear bicycle for what it is; the purest expression of one of the most efficient machines man has ever devised. Only then will these punkers be removed from the shit list.