Its been a busy week at fixed gear biking uk, lots of riding lots of writing lots of tinkering – so much so that the Wired Magazine review of the newly released folding fixed gear bike almost slipped the net! yes you read that last sentence correct, not only do we occasionally read wired but yes some madcap company has designed and built a folding fixed gear bike!!!! Check this out!!

This folding fixie phenomenon (nearly 3 f’s) has been launched by Montague and has been entitled “Boston”. Now I am not one to point it out but that is one generic fixie name…lol. Anyway wired had some good things to say about it, I personally am not a huge fan – I like my fixies traditional, although I do see the appeal for those who don’t have bike shed’s or a decent place to store a few bikes. Its a bit like wearing a tshirt which says “im a closet fixie rider, no literally my fixies in the closet” but meh it would probably ride ok.

I do kind of like the double central bar but cant help but think the designs more about being foldable than being a fixie, maybe it can do both? I suppose untill I have blagged a ride on someone’s “Boston” I won’t be able to definitively write off this fixed gear folding bike. If I brought on though I’d get rid of that pesky back break…:p

I particularly like this paragraph of the wired review:
Wired say: “The Boston isn’t quite as clean-lined as a brakeless, Aerospoked fashion-machine, but the aluminum framed folder should be both light and sturdy. The most curious aspect is the folding mechanism itself, which looks a little like a mountain bike suspension system. The whole front-end is one solid piece, and the rear triangle pivots around the seat-tube and locks on to both of the double top-tubes. Handy for hauling up to elevator-free apartments, and even handier for bagging and taking on vacation.”

Theres been far too much talk about fixie frame’s around my area. Too many people are starting fixed gear bike projects without buying the frame first. Also I am a bit of a fixed gear bike frame fiend and I can’t help myself checking out what’s for sale on the net to see if theres any bargain track bike frames up for sale that I can snatch at the last minute. Its a bit of a habit what can I say.

Anyway because I love looking at fixed gear frame’s and to make it easier to find them, as well as to remind you all that fixed gear project bike’s should all start with an amazing frame I have put fixed gear frame’s in the online fixie auction section so you can check out what frame’s are currently for sale nice and easily. Aren’t you lucky. Just remember though if you get into a fierce bidding war over a fixie frame, you might well know the other bidder from somewhere :p

I have been watching Fixie’s For sale again recently, its become somewhat of an addiction to see what you uk fixie owners/sellers are throwing out of your closets and up for sale. Just about to sell at just over £300 is a Genesis flyer, I love that bike and its well worth that money – skipping through all the cheap bikes that are mass produced there is the odd gem, it would seem that the fixed gear bike ways are well and truely now accepted by the uk – with at least 20 good single speed bikes from fixie owners on ebay at any one time. I would say that a nice proportion of them are even hand re-built, a good thing to see – although the point is meant to be you hand build your own and keep it till it dies then bring it back to life with parts donated from another victim bike..lol

Anyway its awesome to see the fixie nation of the UK growing!

Another month flies past, but wait..whats that I see on youtube…its a kind shop keeper plying us with his wares!!! Check out this very nice 2010 PK Ripper fixed gear bike, I mainly like it because of its colour scheme, murderous black I would call it. Nice elements but definately some stuff I would take off/switch out – the frame looks nice but a bit chunky. Anyway check this fixie out its worth a watch, but don’t give up your dayride just yet….

Do you know how to skid a fixed gear bike? no? why not? what are you doing here? Anyway…Fixed gear biking .co.uk comes to your rescue – all you new to fixed gear bike people that want to just learn how to skid your lovely fixed gear bicycles the trick is basic, watch and learn. The watch is fixedgear videos – trawl this website, youtube, your nan’s backcatalog – fixies are everywhere so you should be able to find plenty of video’s showing people skidding their fixies up hills, down hills skidding round corners or skidding just for the hell of it on a strait.

Skidding your fixie starts with learning to ride your fixie. By nature of it being a single speed fixed gear bike, if you stop pedalling and keep your feet on the pedals you will skid, skid or fall off. All the more reason to practice how to skid fixed gear, after all its a lot cooler to skid down a hill than to fly down it face first. Once you have found a good place to practice skidding fixed gear all you gotta do is fly up and down practicing – its not hard….pedal pedal pedal stop pedalling and then let it slip side to side.

Heres a good video to watch that won’t tell you how to skid fixed gear, because we already did that…its not hard

National Cycle week – pshhh what about national fixie week? I swear someone needs to get that going, even though I saw a lot of fixed gear bikes about during the week, it was pretty much a clean normal week for me – rode my bike about as normal. Its good to get people on their bikes, but if they can do it for one week why doesnt everyone ride bikes all year? Especially if they found fixie love!

A telegraph (telegraph.co.uk) reporter said about the national bike week “Having spent my first biking weeks in a construction worker’s fluoro-yellow gilet – beyond ugly – I quickly graduated to a Prada Sport yellow zip anorak. I can now be assured that at my next black-tie event, I can arrive in my Puma green satin trainers (heels and clutch in basket), Sophia Kokosalaki stretch LBD, bright orange MAC lipstick and a TWOnFRO tuxedo.” – I think Harriet Quick (What an awesome fixed gear biker name!) gets the idea

Often the last thing we think about as we build a nice new fixed gear bike ready to take out around town, safety is important, especially as often we are riding as lightly as possible to allow us to get from A to B in a swift manor. The following video made for a course shows just one persons thoughts on fixed gear biking safety. Basically you should have a bike helmet no?

Note also the comments on this video – some are hilarious:
“you forgot some other good methods of stopping like ghost riding, and jamming a stick in your spokes. also i saw no instructions for how to make sure your fixie is spotted in front coffee shops, or to make sure to wear a condom while banging skeezy hipster chicks.” and “good video. 5/5 . thanks for showing how to get on the bike with 1 leg swinging over! ive been lookin for that forever” – sarcasm killed the cat, lol

Other Fixed Gear Posts on

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This interesting article on timesonline by Richard Caseby suggests that fixed gear biking is dead! Shock horror! Of course its not dead as me, and anyone else who is an avid fixie fan will tell you, points however are made and he notes that “Columnist AA Gill” and “Will Self” are avid riders – something which should herald the end of fixie fashion accordingly.

This I believe is inverse to the truth and in reality this is anything but bad for the fixed gear bike – these people are fairly notary and not bad signs for the fixies in my opinion. Just the fact that this article is around is true style of the fixie rider, rebellious to the rest and proud. They were (as the article says) “Riding fixed gear in the 1890s” and they are still going, this is no short faze. Long live the fixie.

If you are going to attempt a high speed record regardless of what vehicle you are using there is going to be the possibility of pain. Trying to ride a bike fast, is no doubt likely to be high up on that pain scale as a bicyclist is typically rather unprotected as they ride their two wheeled frame around the environment.

This video proves you have got to have nuts if you want to attempt high speed bike records!

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• Extreme Downhill Mountain bike crash

It turns out that some citys have big problems with off road bikers, yeadon being one of them. What I think they should do is introduce a “trailsbike for fixie” trade where by they will let you switch your bike for a nice fixie, this might coax at least a few of these wreckless offroad bikers out of their usual dangerous habits, and heck it would even do its own little bit for the environment!

The other thing that would be sensible would be to provide an off road biking place, the city is the home of the fixed gear, but offroading needs a home too.