Fixed Gear Sprints

I'd like to see this take off. To check it out go to Wollfpackhustle.com and check out their video clips. The cool thing about this it can be done just about anywhere and is a lot safer then Alley cat racing. Anyone interested in putting this together drop me a note. Any riders in the Hammocks west kendall area out there? Or am I the only one.

Riding in a Power Outage

Last night the power went out for several hours which really sucked. The first hour or so I was able to keep occupied on the computer with the battery, but when that went out I was left in a dark house. Since I wasn't prepared for this of course I didn't have a working flash light. I ended up getting the light off my bike and using it for a flash light. I was able to scrounge up a couple candles so at least I could get around without bumping into anything. The candles weren't bright enough to read by so there was nothing else to do. As I sat in the dark bored to death I glanced at my bike in the corner F#***this! I grabbed my bike and headed outside. It was actually lighter outside then it was inside with the moon out I could see ok between that and my bike light. So I just passed the time doing track stands and dismounts. I was out there for about thirty minutes when the lights finally came back on. So instead of sitting in the dark bored to death I passed the time on the bike.
Moral of the story you can always find time to ride your bike if you try!

Miami Bike Crash

Well if your from Miami and you're a cyclist then you know where McArthur Causeway is. A favorite riding spot for local riders. Unfortunately due to a careless taxi driver who fell asleep at the wheel six riders were slammed from behind throwing one rider into the windshield, one pinned beneath the car and the rest spread all over the road. This happened Sunday Morning. Two of the riders remain in the hospital in critical condition. It's careless accidents like this that make Miami one of the most dangerous cities to ride in. Let's hope these guys make it and are able to get back on the road. When will Miami start doing something about it's horrible drivers and lax enforcement?

Bicycle Safety

With all of us sharing the road with motorist, we need to stack the odds in our favor! This means acquiring good riding skills, riding defensively and becoming super aware of what's going on around us.
Knowing how to ride on the road can save your life! Two excellent resources are http://bicyclesafe.com/ and the book Urban Biker's Tip's and Tricks which is displayed on this page. Just click on it and it will take you directly to Amazon. This book is a wealth of good information. I own a copy and highly recommend it! A helmet may save you if you are in an accident, but avoiding the accident in the first place is always the best choice!

Help Support Critical Mass

Critical Mass is a gathering of cyclist to promote Bicycle Awareness. Usually once a month they gather in the various cities and have a ride where they literally take over the road. It is the cyclist show of force bringing public awareness to cycling. We have equal rights as the motorist and they need to be aware of this. Check your area for Critical Mass rides and show your support by joining the ride and getting as many of your friends to go as possible. http://critical-mass.info/

Fixie of the Month

Each month I'm going to post a picture of a fixed gear bike that I think stands out. Anyone is invited to send me a picture they want me to consider. This month is a classic hand made frame from the Sparton Factory in Chile. This country has a rich racing history with a beautiful Velodrome in the center of the city. This factory still makes frames by hand in the old traditional way. I've visited their factory and in fact was one of the first to bring one of their frames here to the U.S. I recently talked to their office here in South Carolina and I will be their rep for South Florida so if your looking for a frame set just drop me a line.
Anyway back to the bike, other then the frame and stunning paint job what really makes this bike stand out is the classic Campagnolo track group set. Look at those cranks! Not something you see everyday!

Review- Quick Silver

Everyone that rides Fixed Gear should own this DVD. The movie stars Kevin Bacon and you'll see some other actors who latter became famous such as Lawrence Fishburn, Comedian Paul Rodriguez. The music is by Roger Daltry from The Who. So right there it's worth seeing. The story is basically about a guy that leaves his job on Wall Street to become a messenger. So the whole story is built up around riding bikes for a living .There are some cool bike scenes and trick bike riding. Some of the stuff is corny, but over all I think it's definitely the best bike movie out there. Especially if your a Fixie.

How I got into Fixed Gear

I was a Roadie for most of my life always attracted to Road Bikes. In my early twenty's I met one of my best friends George Espina an ex- Chilean Track star who represented Chile in the junior Olympics. We ended up working as bike mechanics in the same shop. He would tell tales of racing on the Track which just seemed so unreal especially since there weren't any tracks close by to check out. Well years latter Ft. Lauderdale a neighboring city to Miami got a track. George kept talking about riding the track so one night we finally went. What a trip! It was the first time I had ever gotten on a track bike. No brakes and if that bike is moving you better be pedaling. Well the track coach went out there and told me a list of do's and don't s. Which basically scared me shitless.
This track had these huge sloping banks that put the rider vertical when riding at the top. If you slow down you fall off he shouted as I went around. Now your mind tells you no way as you approach these curves but you just ignore what seems to be common sense and pedal for all your worth. Getting through the first curve at the top was cool as shit. Then my confidence picked up and I was going up and down as I pleased. Definitely a cool sport! Wish I had been around it when I was younger!
The fixed gear bike caught my attention. It was so basic it was cool. So I decided I had to have one. I was repping for KHS at the time so I ordered a Flite 100. A good over all basic fixed gear bike. A few weeks latter I was riding the fixed gear on the streets. A couple things with the fixed gear 1) you get a better work out ,because your legs are always spinning. 2) You are more connected to the road since you have a direct drive 3) Fixed Gears are more fun since you have more control over the bike.
So now several years latter I've had three fixed gears. Kept all three but only ride one. It's pretty much my favorite bike and also my cheapest. The cool thing with the Fixed Gear crowd is the bike is a statement of yourself. There's no competition as to who has the most expensive bike as there is with the Roadie crowd who are constantly trying to out do each other with the newest technology. Fixed gear is the opposite the older more classic the frame the cooler it is! So if you have a limited budget look into fixed gear, you won't be sorry!

The Public Image

I went out on my normal afternoon ride today. I have a loop of around 3.5 miles that circles around some back streets. There's not much traffic, only a couple lights and a nice little hill to break it up. Anyway I did a couple loops and hit a red light, so I did my normal track stand. I heard someone tap the horn behind me so I moved up thinking they wanted to turn right. Nobody moved and the light changed. As I'm pulling from the intersection a car pulled up beside me the drivers smiling holding a thumbs up "Great trick" he yelled then pulled off. I waved thanks and continued on. On the last lap a car of girls go by waving and yell out "I love your bike! I smiled and continued on.
It's this positive reinforcement that makes cycling that much better. I really think this is our time. With gas prices high, The Tour de France just finishing and the Olympics going on people are becoming more bike conscious. By setting a positive example we may be able to pull in more support for more bike paths, better laws and better support from the general public.

My Ride

Well here it is my ride! A salvaged track bike. The style of frame looks like a British bike. There were no decals or brand markings when I got her. She had a chipped up old white paint job that looked like it been painted with a brush. I took her and had her stripped down and powder coated black. I've changed all the components. I cut off some road bars and flipped them. I installed a triathalon style brake lever. A set of Sinz cranks running a 48 x18.

The Essence of Fixed Gear

What's so special about riding fixed gear. I thought about this today while I was out pedaling. I have six bikes. Road bikes, Recumbent, Mountain bike and single speed. (I work in a bike shop).
So why is it, my favorite bike is the fixed gear? It's probably the cheapest bike I own. It's definitely the simplest. So what is the magic of this bike that draws me to it? Then it hit me Satori! A Zen like enlightenment! When you ride any other bike it feels like a separate machine. You are operating a machine. If you stop pedaling the machine will continue to run like a car you are basically driving the bike.
Now the difference : With fixed gear you are one with the bike. You are directly connected to the road through that bike! The bike speeds up and slows down according to your pedaling... you flow. You can not stop pedaling unless the bike stops. You have become the bike! That is the difference!
So for all the money you spent on that expensive carbon fiber road bike you can never experience the same relationship that you can on that simple fixed gear.
Now grasshopper you understand the essence of fixed gear

One of my Fixies a KHS. Those shoes are old school leather bike shoes with regular shoe strings.
Belonged to my dad I inherited them R.I.P.

Fixed Gear Blog: Pics From 2007 Finnish Track Cycling Championships

Fixed Gear Blog: Pics From 2007 Finnish Track Cycling Championships

Getting a Used Fixed Gear Bike

Finding a used fixed gear. Lots of ways to do this. First you will have to decide do you want a true track frame or do you want a converted road frame. Either will do, here's the difference. The track frame will have a little higher bottom bracket so you can use a slightly longer crank then the road frame however I don't recommend anything longer than 170mm crank length. Remember your going to be pedaling through the corners the longer the crank the more chance you have of scrapping it and possibly crashing. Also you want to be spinning and not struggling pushing a big gear. A track frame will usually have a quicker harsher ride than the road bike. Track frames will be harder to find than road frames and probably more expensive. If you decide to convert a road frame it must be the older style frame with horizontal drop outs. The dropouts are where the rear wheel axle rests. The older frames had dropouts that allowed for an inch or two of adjustment. Meaning you could slide the wheel to and fro in the dropout. Newer style frames have a verticle dropout which drops right down on the axle with no forward or backward play. This you don't want! When setting up a fixed gear you must have some room for adjustment. The reason: when you cut your chain you have a set length of chain.You have to be able to pull the chain tight on the dropout. With a horizontal dropout you can do this on a vertical you can't!
Chain tension is very important on a fixed gear you have to have this space for adjustment. Just look at a track frame. A road frame will have the dropout opening facing the opposite direction from a track frame but this is fine you can still pull the wheel tight.
Do not use a quick release on your rear wheel! Your rear wheel must be securely bolted fixed gear chain puts a lot more pressure on the rear wheel. Several ways you can do this 1) use a regular track wheel with the bolts. 2) Change out the quick release axle for a bolt on axle 3) or they make a bolt on that slides through the quick release axle. If you use this system use a chain tensioner as well as a safety measure. In fact I recommend a chain tensioner on all fixed gears. A chain tensioner is a bolt tensioner that goes on either side of the dropout. It has a nut you tighten. As you tighten the nut it pulls the wheel tight. So if your bolt was to go loose on the wheel the chain tensioner would still keep your wheel in place.
Now where to find your frame or bike- garage sales, Ebay or Craigslist.
Try to find a frame that hasen't been wrecked. If you get a bent frame then it may be a headache to straighten. So look for signs of a crash scrapped paint, dents etc... Also ask the owner he may tell you the truth, but then again he may not! It never hurts to ask!

Getting a Used Fixed Gear Bike

Finding a used fixed gear. Lots of ways to do this. First you will have to decide do you want a true track frame or do you want a converted road frame. Either will do, here's the difference. The track frame will have a little higher bottom bracket so you can use a slightly longer crank then the road frame however I don't recommend anything longer than 170mm crank length. Remember your going to be pedaling through the corners the longer the crank the more chance you have of scrapping it and possibly crashing. Also you want to be spinning and not struggling pushing a big gear. A track frame will usually have a quicker harsher ride than the road bike. Track frames will be harder to find than road frames and probably more expensive. If you decide to convert a road frame it must be the older style frame with horizontal drop outs. The dropouts are where the rear wheel axle rests. The older frames had dropouts that allowed for an inch or two of adjustment. Meaning you could slide the wheel to and fro in the dropout. Newer style frames have a vertical dropout which drops right down on the axle with no forward or backward play. This you don't want! When setting up a fixed gear you must have some room for adjustment. The reason: when you cut your chain you have a set length of chain.You have to be able to pull the chain tight on the dropout. With a horizontal dropout you can do this on a vertical you can't!
Chain tension is very important on a fixed gear you have to have this space for adjustment. Just look at a track frame. A road frame will have the dropout opening facing the opposite direction from a track frame but this is fine you can still pull the wheel tight.
Do not use a quick release on your rear wheel! Your rear wheel must be securely bolted fixed gear chain puts a lot more pressure on the rear wheel. Several ways you can do this 1) use a regular track wheel with the bolts. 2) Change out the quick release axle for a bolt on axle 3) or they make a bolt on that slides through the quick release axle. If you use this system use a chain tensioner as well as a safety measure. In fact I recommend a chain tensioner on all fixed gears. A chain tensioner is a bolt tensioner that goes on either side of the dropout. It has a nut you tighten. As you tighten the nut it pulls the wheel tight. So if your bolt was to go loose on the wheel the chain tensioner would still keep your wheel in place.
Now where to find your frame or bike- garage sales, ebay.com, craigslist.com,
Try to find a frame that hasn't been wrecked. If you get a bent frame then it may be a headache to straighten. So look for signs of a crash scrapped paint, dents etc... Also ask the owner he may tell you the truth, but then again he may not!

New to Fixed Gear?

Well let me take you in to the dark seductive world of ridding fixed gear. Not for the weak and faint of heart and Warning: Once you go in you may not go back.....Ha, Ha, Ha

Ok so what is a fixed gear bike? Basically bicycles that were originally designed to race on a track or Velodrome. These bike had only one gear and no brakes. Why no brakes? Well these bikes were being ridden fast on oval tracks. Riders are drafting inches from each others wheels. Touching a brake would not give the riders in the back time to react which would result in lots of crashes. Track riders were conditioned to go around problems and obstacles to avoid trouble.

So how did these bikes become popular on the streets? We can thank the New York Bicycle Messengers. If you don't know what a messenger is get your hands on the movie Quicksilver with Kevin Bacon. What's different about a fixed gear? 1) As long as the bike is moving the cranks are turning. There is no coasting on a fixed gear. You have one gear solidly fixed to your rear wheel if you pedal backwards the bike moves back if you pedal forward the bike moves forward. Kind of like that tricycle you had when you were a kid. 2) The bikes are lighter than similar road bikes, because you don't have the extra weight of gears,derailleurs and shifters. 3)The crank arms are shorter to allow you to keep pedaling through a curve.

So.....Why would you want to ride one of these bikes? 1) They are great fun! 2) You have control on these bikes that you don't get on any other type of bike. 3) Since you are direct drive you feel at one with the road a truly Zen like experience. 4) Simplicity nothing complicated the true essence of biking.

So if I peaked your interest continue on.. if not then you don't belong here and get the hell out!