HUGO IS ALLRIGHT!
Για όσους ανυσηχούσαν για την κατάσταση του Χούγκο! Ορίσε στα αριστερά με το Velocity μπλουζάκι!
Διάβασε εδώ για την Team Puma, την πρώτη ομάδα ποδηλασία πίστας που σχηματίστηκε από messengers, στην οποία συμμετέχει και ο Χούγκο…
Acid Returns
/p>
This year…
by Jesse Brew!
Donk
Fixie vs Mercedes Benz
/p>
Κρύο Ξανά
ZIPP BEAM 2001
Bike got cut from Cycling Geverning Bodies. That was 5 years before Zippiceli’s death. Second time in his life that one of his creatiοns is being pushed out of competitive cycling. ZIPP’s site reads “discontinued”…
ROOTS: ZIPP
Διάβασε εδώ.
Polishing Sunday
Polishing an old wheel.
Maillard hub, Rigida bouilleur rim.
Brasso. Toothbrush. Cloth.
Fucking not easy!
The backstreet world of fixed gear bikes
By Matthew Jukes
According to that well-known anthropologist Katie Melua, there are 9-million bicycles in Beijing. As the cars slowly take over in the modern age, bikes begin to drop off, but one group is starting a wonderfully dangerous movement. Bikes without brakes on the streets of Beijing.
This is the world of fixed gear. In Beijing, it saw its true birth in a little back alley in a hutong close to the Lama temple, where Ines Brunn set up a dedicated shop and group for those who need their biking experience to have just that bit more.
Pottering the streets in style, the group have set up a self-proclaimed “sub culture.” Ines explained why these bikes are so special: “A fixed gear bike is where the back wheel and the pedals are connected in a fixed manner moving in either direction. The pedals will be moving in a perfect circular movement to get a very smooth cycling pattern.” This means that only by force of the rider can the bike move or stop, braking is achieved by counter pedaling.
Fixed gear
As a former trick cyclist, Ines was not shy about her passion for fixed gear, something that many of the riders share: “If you ride on it, it’s a very different feeling, you’re totally connected to the bike, there’s no coasting. With any kind of movement of your legs you’re controlling the bike.”
For Beijing couch potatoes that see the morning bike ride to the office as hard work, it might not be the thing to get. You’re in constant movement and you’ll need to be aware if you’ve got to stop in time. If you’ve got a long (or fast) journey though, the idea that the bike is riding you, might be just what you need.
The bike aficionado described it as: “somehow whispering to you to keep riding, keep pedaling. I find it’s a very strong motivator if you want to do high speed or long distance riding.”
It started as a trend among messengers in the US, UK and Japan, who needed bikes that were low maintenance and lightweight. They needed a bike that was dependable for their job and allowed them to get around at top speed. This opened a new Pandora’s Box of excuses for cyclists to push themselves to the limits when it comes to two-wheeled travel.
Unsurprisingly, the police in the US have already started causing trouble about the lack of visible brakes on many of the bikes, and the presence of a front brake is considered by some to take away from the all-natural look. Thankfully the bike laws in Beijing are vague enough that no one is likely to have problems.
The lack of brakes is perfect for the track, or the Velodromes for the real fanatics. It’s no brakes allowed, all out pedaling. Aside from the messengers and the sports enthusiasts, trick cyclists have also taken to the bike for the ability to ride backward and track stand (not moving but upright) which gives an edgy, cool look, guaranteed to surprise the nearby biking grandma when you pull up to traffic lights.
Although it may not be a good thing in a city renowned for bike theft, the bikes look amazing. Despite the “purity” of no cables and no hassle, the simplest handlebars and wheels can look like something from The Fast and the Furious, all dependant on the riders’ taste. As you might expect they’re not easy to get hold of, especially in Beijing. Although many of the parts are made in China, they get quickly shipped away, leaving the enthusiasts in Beijing to re- them or buy
A counter (pedaling) revolution
Underground
Thus, despite China’s “bicycle culture,” fixed gear remains underground, and, although the group has maybe 50 or 60 members they all belong to a certain category of people in the city. The bikes are not cheap; the community sticks together and has a bit of cash to throw around. If you’re thinking to join the revolution, even a starter bike will set you back about 2,000 yuan ($290).
You can spot the believers by a trademark rolled up trouser leg while cycling, the fixed gear equivalent of a freemason handshake that identifies you as a rider, as if the neo-punky, riding gloves and respirator-like face masks weren’t enough. This is actually to avoid the potential risk of getting your trousers caught in the chain and ending up in a half naked, chewed up mess on the floor.
The current fixed gear army in Beijing is made up of mostly young Chinese, some of whom like the bike for the “purity” without being true bike riders. The group has a lot of drivers, as well as riders, people that are enthusiastic even when they’re not on two wheels.
“I work, but I don’t ride every day,” said Wang Xun, a shell suit clad youngster hanging around with some of the other members of the fixed gear group outside Mess, a hipster clothing shop in Dongsi. If you didn’t know they had a passion for the bikes you could mistake them for any other scene kid on the block. “My bike was about 7,000 yuan, but that one over there is worth about 15,000 yuan,” he said pointing to the tricked out fixed gear on the steps.
The group normally meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with another meeting on the weekend if everyone is free. “We sometimes hang out at the Workers Stadium, it depends on what we feel like, and where we’re going to ride,” said Guan, a Singaporean who has brought his zeal for fixed gear to Beijing. In the background, a crowd gathered to see the custom bikes before they set off.
Earlier in the year they hosted the “Fixed Gear Revolution” where the group invited a range of eccentric enthusiasts from around the country. To mark the occasion they organized a plethora of events including an “Alley Cat” race, setting up checkpoints across the city. Ines explained: “An Alley Cat is more like an underground race. We posted different stamping points in advance and people go to all the different places and get a stamp and reach a finish point, not along the route.” Though it sounds like chaos, particularly on the Beijing streets, there’s no set order in which you can reach the checkpoints. It comes down to the shortcuts, your local knowledge and probably a bit of luck when it comes to the traffic. This style was chosen for the visitors, giving them a chance to look at the street map first. The group is planning another in the next couple of months for dedicated Beijing Alley Cats.
ROOTS: SCHWINN STINGRAY
80s
Ινδία? Μεξικό?
Όχι! Είναι το Kissena βέλοντρομ στο πρώτο στάδιο κατασκευής τη δεκαετία του 80. Ο τύπος στη φωτογραφία είναι απλά local hero…
Tο Βέλοντρομ και γενικά ο εξωτερικός χώρος μήπως θυμίζει κάτι?
Άλλο ένα RVA edit
RVA Jam Weekend from Sam gia on Vimeo.
Γουστάρω τον Wonka! Ξεκινάει ένα gap 180 fakie τύπου και δεν έχει καμιά ιδέα απολύτως τι κάνει ή πως θα το προσγειώσει!!
Ο τύπος θα έμπαινε ακόμα και στο pipeline με ποδήλατο θαλάσσης!
EMPIRE BEGINS: Pure Mashing…
NAHBS
North American Handmade Bicycle Show
2010 North American Handmade Bicycle Show from Michael Wendell on Vimeo.