track bikes

Many bike messengers ride fixed-gear bikes. I know a lot of guys who do and have respect for most of them. It's hard work, especially with no brakes.

If you could pull off sick tricks on a skateboard - in high heels - you'd also get automatic respect from me.

It's not a perfect analogy, but that's what I don't get about messengers who choose to ride fixies in this city. It's so much more work just to ride at the same level as a bike with brakes and gears. I appreciate the simplicity of a track bike - no brakes, no shifters, cables, cassettes, derailers, etc. They cost less to maintain and they look cool.

I might even consider riding fixed if I stayed downtown all day. But fuck, I want to be able to fly down a hill without spinning out. I want to make sudden stops. I want to coast once in a while and climb retardedly steep things. And that's just not happening on a track bike in the city.