SFist: Baskets Are the New Minimalism

manys

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 08:28:59 -0800

Well, I certainly have never been passed on my bike by a fixie. Hell, they're just in the way most of the time, chatting at Ritual and blocking the bike lane or yammering on with their fixie friend side by side in the BL taking up space.

hopkimi4

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 18:31:29 -0800

c'mon, let's beat this horse some more. i'm not done hating yet!

sninkychan

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:51:44 -0800

What I want to know is how my group, those who hate fixies (in my case it's the riders' attitude toward me, a commuter cyclist, when they pass me) got relegated to group "c".

hopkimi4

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:36:49 -0800

Technically, the back wheel of a fixie qualifies as a braking device since the rider can lock pedals and skid to a stop. A messenger in Oregon I think eventually won her case on this technicality as she had been cited for riding without a brake which is illegal in Portland. I'm just pointing out what the law says, becuause I don't think they are as safe as my road bike which has brakes and doesn't require me to fishtail/skid to be able to stop. The fact that they don't have brakes, however, makes them a potential public menace. I don't want to jump to the shrill, demanding, "make the government fix it immediately" viewpoint so often seen in this city, but it might be a good idea to make it illegal to ride a bicycle that doesn't have brakes. Or, at least, to look into how many accidents are actually caused by them and then make a reasoned decision based on this.

hopkimi4

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 12:30:46 -0800

It's love/hate for me. I like the look and style, but think they are totally ridiculous to ride in the city. http://bayareacyclist.com/something-less-than-love/3/

Belgand

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:40:38 -0800

Totally hate. They're not especially attractive and they lack the fundamentals that make them usable. I honestly can't imagine how anyone manages to get by using a fixed-gear bike with the hills in this city. Hell, even with gearing trying to bike up hills is pretty terrible. The fact that they don't have brakes, however, makes them a potential public menace. I don't want to jump to the shrill, demanding, "make the government fix it immediately" viewpoint so often seen in this city, but it might be a good idea to make it illegal to ride a bicycle that doesn't have brakes. Or, at least, to look into how many accidents are actually caused by them and then make a reasoned decision based on this.

haplito

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 23:41:51 -0800

I agree, this is a good post. Nice job, Jonathan Hunt. I love/hate fixies. They're beautiful, but retarded... just like their soft-headed, trend-beholden riders. That whole tatt-sleeve, PBR, American Spirit, ironic mustache lifestyle is so fucking tired.

Cyclelicious

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:00:33 -0800

If you love to hate fixie riders, you'll LOVE Bike Snob NYC: http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/

periqueblend

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 15:06:20 -0800

Depending on the day, whenever I walk by ritual I either want to destroy or drool over the fixed gear bikes... and their girlfriends...

jwb

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:02:44 -0800

I thought the no brakes thing was funny until I first saw a guy on a fixie plow into pedestrians on Geary St. Now I think they're pretty dangerous.

eightslosh

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:41:23 -0800

#4 ... I'm with you. #5 ... which is ironic since most fixie riders only use the tops because they can't reach their deep-drop track bars.

Brock Keeling

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:42:58 -0800

zing. i liked you better whining about rape/murder posts, peter.

Jas

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:39:20 -0800

jt, the tubular pads are for hupping your bike up and down stairs - it saves the shoulders. At least that's why I have one. As for abbreviated wrapping of the handlebars, I think it comes from an attempt to mimic the style of Japanese Keirin Racing bikes, which have only the lower portion of their handlebars wrapped ('cause you never use the tops wheile sprinting). see here.

Peter

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:36:34 -0800

a decent post on sfist.com - damn. can we create a 'decent' category, please? broken link to youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb18cnXFBhI put me near the triple intersection area.

Cement Brunette

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:28:12 -0800

I love big baskets!

jt

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:12:52 -0800

Baskets make sense as far as utility. I just don't get why the need for those pads on every tube, or only wrapping your bars half-way down. Can someone explain?

auweia1

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:06:22 -0800

the might be good looking, but they're hard on your knees, especially the ligaments. More than one fixie rider has trouble walking after some years on one