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!