Bike Thru

Complicated to say the least!

When i finally get my hub through, it 'll need to be built onto a rim (obviously). I found this picture of all the tools a wheel builder uses- i'm glad i'm not doing it.

Fixie Skills

There is a whole load of difficult to learn manoeuvres in the fixie world:

Just riding: The first technique to learn is just riding a fixie: start slow, not clipped in, well away from traffic. Resist the pedals to slow down. But also run at least one brake on your fixie. Words alone can not prepare you for the experience.

Mount/Dismount: it’s the tradition to throw your leg over the bars, and not over the saddle. As your leg comes over the bars, flick the bike towards the leg you are standing on with your hand. I’ve heard of people being pelted to death with skanky olives for going over the saddle in the more remote regions of Italy.

The fixed skid: With no rear brake, you need legs like steel and the nerves of a nerveless fool to pull off the fixie skid. Simply (yeah right!) hop the back wheel off the ground, lock the back wheel up by arresting the cranks with your burly legs, brace yourself, brace yourself a bit more, put the rear wheel back down, and resist the need to pedal. Easy eh? Start out on wet grass and work up to tyre shredding skids through rush hour traffic. The world courier champion in Berlin, he did no handed superman style skids for about 250 feet – through a crowd of drunk singlespeeders, whilst taking his jersey off. Per Rad indeed!



The speedy dismount: for experienced practitioners of the one cog way. Rather than using sissy brakes to stop, Simply (there’s that word again) jump off the back of the bike, catch the saddle in your hand, the bike is sort of held out infront of you as you arrest its momentum, and you skid down the road on your cleats stopping as you reach the red lights. So damned easy it make you wonder why people bother making brakes!

The fixie vomit: The physically demanding nature of fixed, combined with good food and ale, can lead to the need to vomit. This generally occurs near the summit of a climb, often in the middle of the night. The trick is to vomit without getting your bars covered, and without dropping your pace. You may have noticed that some fixie bars are only taped at the end of the drops, this is so that the tops of the bars wont clag up with fish and ale vomit. back to how... Simply pull your hips up to the bars and launch your lunch in front of the bike. Try not to get the front wheel, as it will no doubt fly off and come straight back at you.

The wheelie: Getting and then keeping the front wheel off the ground is probably easy, apparently its just like unicycling. Why not get some burning sticks to juggle while you are up there.

Riding backwards: Because you have no freewheel you can ride backwards. Simply pedal backwards without falling off.

BOB WEASEL

I think this could be the hub to go for. The Surly Flip-Flop hub means i can run fixed and free-wheel...Best Of Both Worlds!

Fixie

I've been looking into getting a flipflop hub for my townbike, so i can run singlespeed freewheel and fixed gear on the same wheel. I'm slighty unsure of what manufacturer to go to, i'm sure i'll find something somewhere.

www.fixieFAQs.org.uk for all your fixie questions

Hincapie at Paris Roubiax

I was searching through a few web-pages and saw this! The bike is George Hincapie's who rides for the Discovery team. The race was the Paris Roubiax, which is renowned for what seems constant cobbles over 5hours of riding.
Sheared through steerer tubes aren't what you see every day!

Swobo

Tim Parr first started Swobo in 1991 when nobody else would hire him. What started out as a movement to change the way people think of bicycle clothes (and ultimately the bicycle itself), has developed into a group of like-minded citizens that span from San Francisco to Manhattan, and Tokyo to London. The roots of the company began within the sensibilities surrounding the bicycle, which has since nurtured a design philosophy that guides the company to this day.

Born from the company's hometown of San Francisco, Swobo designed active sportswear geared for the urban cyclist. Not too concerned with cycling's status quo, the company quickly built a following with many of the unsung heroes of cycling's underground.

In the Fall of 2001, Tim sold Swobo to Santa Cruz bicycles, and then walked the Earth like Caine in Kung Fu, leaving no stone unturned.

Fast forward to Fall of 2004, Tim partners with Rob Roskopp to re-launch the Swobo brand and form a new company. After spending most of the year deciding which shade of blue is best…Swobo was launched back into the market in November, 2005.

http://www.swobo.com
Have a look, you know you will want to buy (No Jedi mind trick needed!)

PipeBomb

This is one of the best stickers i have ever seen on a bike....i want one!