Well this just all depends on who you are asking…anything can be a fashionable fad or a true sport, it depends on how the person involved in the activity looks at it. I’m sure a majority of fixed gear riders out there participate for the fad of it…but to the real lovers of fixed gear, they will do it for the rest of their lives. I recently came across this article that talks all about the Bangkok fixed gear scene and the timeless question of “Fashionable fad or true sport.” It’s pretty much your standard fixed gear bike article…talks about when it got big, the hipsters, etc. If you are interested in the Bangkok fixed gear scene, check it out brody.
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I’d say there is always going to be enough of any core generation to classify this as a sport. It’s very much in my opinion like sculling for row boats. Those sports have kayaks, canoes, sculls, row boats and whatever else. And to me, on a track (velodrome), the fixed gear application of the flip flop track hub/wheel classifies this as a sport. Fortunately, I live 15 miles from 1 of 3 velodromes in the SE USA (according to the Brian Piccolo Park website in Broward County). Those other 2 velodromes are in Georgia and North Carolina, so the track bike I have realistically and rarely will be on a velodrome track. That same park has a road course too, so with bike only traffic, I could probably do fixed gear on that road course ?
Anyway, for the urban/city traffic, I’d be a fool to fixed gear that. Playing in traffic with no brakes and so on is dumb. Even with a single speed coaster system or any single/multi-speed freewheel, I’ve never ridden a commute where an automobile driver hasn’t created an issue where being in fixed gear mode wouldn’t have been un-necessarily difficult than it would have had to have been. I was on a free wheeler and in 15 miles one direction, you’ll run into too many situations. The driver that stops 1/2 way into the turn and blocks you, the one that won’t give you the gutter even. The one that stops and lets out the old folks that open the car door on you. Yeah, a fixed gear works really well in those situations ? In the city traffic, fixed gear is suicide, it’s almost that on a free wheel system.
anyone knows where to buy aerospoke wheels in bangkok ?? thanks for da infos..
Check out this page, it has some great deals on some aerospoke wheels that are available all over the world.