| I'm riding a fixed gear bike lately. It's completely the opposite
of my recumbent trike.
Where the trike is comfy, laid back, and relaxed the fixie
is hunched-over, nervous, and twitchy. And guess what?
I love it!
It was created for me from an old Bridgestone frame and parts at the Bike Central shop in downtown Portland by Dean, a fixie fanatic. As I initialed the sales checklist, I came to a part which said something about the provided manual. He dictated it to me: "Don't forget to pedal. That's the whole manual. Don't forget to pedal." |
It became my mantra each time I got on, before the first complete
pedal stroke. I had to unlearn my earlier habit of 'pedal once,
put the other foot into the clip while coasting' ---no coasting!
Now I find I don't have to remind myself.
I've taken it up Mt. Tabor---and down! After two weeks, it's my new favorite short-haul ride. The Birdy's gonna get dusty. It weighs 20.5 lb. by the scale at Beckwith Bikes, but I think that's a little light. It is very light. Visit Sheldon Brown's fixed gear pages to read testimonials, how to "fix" a bike, etc. |
PS: Feb 2002 update. The bike has fenders now --- I'll take pictures after a
good cleaning. The handlebars need rewrapping, and the rear wheel is a little
out of true. Not bad for nearly two years of daily riding with only one minor
shop visit. No more thinking goes into riding. I have gone down once --- just
a couple weeks ago, crossing railroad tracks in a stupid way. I got a minor
scratch on my knee, the bike got a whack to the brake handle. I rode home fine.
My other bikes are still lonely.
| Sad news! I am so stupid, I probably deserved it, but I left my fixie
against the wall while I ordered a burrito in SE Portland
and when I came out it was gone --- replaced by a "10-speed"
All-sport bike. Fortunately, it worked. Unfortunately, the
bandit was nowhere to be seen.
The bike: Silver fixed-gear Bridgestone 700, criterium bars, Velocity rims, brand-new vredstein fortezza front tire, ricorso rear (both 23c), ritchey MTB clipless pedals. Stickers proclaim "We're Doomed" and "I hate computers" (covering up the Bridgestone decals) and Bikesummer 2002. Frame size 53 cm. Bridgestone brakes with reddish pads. Serial Number: A622581 |
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