Chris Akrigg Brakeless Part 1 from Jordan Robison on Vimeo.

I saw this back when I posted the original edit of Chris Akrigg riding fixed. At the time, It wasn’t anything that blew me away. It is really impressive, but like most people will say “it’s done better on a BMX” and it’s true. Hell, that’s true for just about any bike you’d do tricks on but it doesn’t mean you can’t wheelie your road bike, ride your MTB in a park or even do tricks on a fixed gear and if you wanted to race the TDF on your BMX, go for it! Bikes are bikes. Who really cares? The post is continued below.

As I prepare to duck and cover from that last sentence, I’ll tell you why this video is relevant. First off; use of found objects. Chris makes banks, kickers, quarters and manual pads out of industrial waste in this warehouse space; the environment is fitting. Think about all those empty buildings in your city filled with scrap building materials. A lot of people are building ghetto kickers / wedges, banks and quarters in the fixed scene as of late. BMX riders have been doing this for ages. It’s fun to do and doesn’t cost anything. Akrigg puts all these to use in some innovative ways.

Another legit point is the fact that a well-seasoned trials rider is riding brakeless. Sure, some BMX riders ride brakeless and yes, BMX riders “go bigger” and “flow better” but again, see above. Bikes are bikes. Bear with me here. This video, posted 11 months ago, was easily the precursor to Chris’ experience riding fixed. You learn to use the bike to your favor. Skids, slides and weight distribution add to the control. Basically, a talented rider can transition between any wheel size and any drivetrain and perform well above par within days or weeks.

Now with a lot of people in Tokyo riding DJ bikes with 700c wheels and slammed saddles fixed, the debates have been stirred up again and it begs for more conversation. “Fixed style” is easily branching off into a lot of segments. Park riding, parking lot riding (techy flatland) and street riding (gaps, stairs, etc). Soon I think the bikes will evolve more to fit those preferred riding. Actually, they have already. Some people prefer smaller tires, some prefer bigger tires. Just one example. Does a slammed saddle keep you from riding the bike around? Probably not. Does it keep you from riding around comfortably? Again, debatable. One thing is for sure though, Kozo almost has flat tailwhips and he 360’d a pyramid with ease on his. Is it the bike or the rider? In my opinion, both.

For me, my Bruiser still gets me around the city fast. Is it as fast as my track bike or road bike? No. Not at all. But it’s a different thing all together. I personally enjoy riding around the city a lot and my bike is set up for that.

So what do you think about all this?

Keep it constructive and polite in the comments. If you act like an asshole, I won’t publish it, so don’t bother!

Thanks for sending the video to me Andrew!

Previously:
One Gear No Idea