#fixed-gear

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2021 Philly Bike Expo: Bishop Bikes Columbus SLX/MAX Track Bike

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2021 Philly Bike Expo: Bishop Bikes Columbus SLX/MAX Track Bike

It wouldn’t be Philly Bike Expo coverage without a Bishop Bikes gallery and for 2021, photographer Jarrod Bunk selected this beautiful Columbus tubing track bike.

Where do I even begin here? At first, I thought Chris brought back the 2013 NAHBS track bike I photographed, and then I thought it was his personal blue track bike, stripped raw since it has the same Drillium Revival stem. Upon closer examination, this is true-to-form Chris Bishop doing his thing with the simplest form of bicycle. I just got off the phone with Chris Bishop where we spent a good forty-five minutes discussing this bike. There’s a lot going on with this “simple” machine so let’s get to it!

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Bicycle Kingdom Ep.2: Riding in NYC – Monster Track

In this episode of The Pro’s Closet Bicycle Kingdom, we explore the intricacies of Monster Track. Monster track mirrors the chaos of the city it takes place in, New York City. It is the pinnacle of Alleycat racing. It’s part party, part race, but in the end, it’s all about community.

Disclaimer: Riding bikes is inherently dangerous. That said, while we are not encouraging people to ride fixed-gear bikes in a crowded city, we do see value in sharing this story of a longstanding subculture in NYC and cities around the globe. Be careful. Ride respectfully. Spread bike love.

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Riding Fixed, Up Mountains, With Pros: Ep. 14 – Oatman w/ Leo Rodgers

Our friend Leo Rodgers takes off to Oatman, Arizona for the latest “Riding Fixed, Up Mountains, With Pros” video from State Bicycle Co

“Hailing from Florida, by way of Southern California, Leo Rodgers has always craved speed and adventure. In 2007, Leo was involved in a motorcycle accident that significantly changed his life. Leo has since turned this unfortunate event into an opportunity to inspire others. Since then, Leo has traveled around the world, competing as a Paralympic medalist, participating in the most grueling gravel events, and of course, street cycling (O.G. Alleycats). Leo’s mission is to use cycling to inspire and motivate others to take action. He continues to spread his message through the Leo Rodgers Foundation.

In this episode, we take Leo to visit Oatman, AZ, a town on the historic Route 66, where the weather is hot, the roads are windy, and the donkeys are the citizens. Buckle-up buckaroos, you’re in for a Wild West Adventure!”

Bryan’s Doom Mash Track

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Bryan’s Doom Mash Track

Since we posted Two Wheel Drive yesterday, we thought it’d be nice to feature one of the shop employee’s personal bikes. Bryan is a mechanic and his Mash track bike is too slick, laced with Albuquerque’s own DOOM bars and some other nice details. Check out our friend Nick’s photos below with words by Bryan himself…

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DUST Video

In case you missed our DUST feature last week and the video embedded within the Reportage from South Africa, we figured we should share the event’s video recap (which has also been updated in higher quality). Enjoy!

From DUST to Ashes… Fixed Gear Drag Racing on the Verneuk Mud Flat in South Africa

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From DUST to Ashes… Fixed Gear Drag Racing on the Verneuk Mud Flat in South Africa

You know how a hashtag can fuck you? Well maybe not, but a few years ago my good friend Nic and I had this idea … we’d always been intrigued by the pans – or mud flats – of the Northern Cape here in South Africa. At the time we were really getting into riding fixed gear bikes and one day it hit us – let’s take our fixed gear bikes onto the pan! Why not? Surreal landscapes, super smooth surfaces good enough for world speed records! Sounds like a good adventure right? We did some research and found out that that year there was a South African Speedweek planned in September 2014 on the Hakskeenpan, coinciding with the launch of a planned rocket-propelled car land speed record attempt – the Bloodhound SSC. We decided to travel up in Nic’s old 1963 Porsche 356 – it seemed appropriate. Bikes on the roof, gear in the back.

Readers’ Rides: Nick’s Self-Made Fat Front Fixed Gear

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Readers’ Rides: Nick’s Self-Made Fat Front Fixed Gear

Readers’ Rides aren’t meant to be all 26″ wheeled basket bikes and there’s nothing wrong with that. Part of the joy we get from running this segment is the home-made, garage-cooked creations. Take this submission for example. Nick couldn’t fit on any production frames so he built his own frame. Then to up the ante, he put a fat fork on the front for some winter shenanigans… Read on below for more!

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Fixed Gear Winter Riding in Leipzig

A reader from Leipzig sent this short video over for us to enjoy on this Friday morning:

“My name is Jacob and I’ve been a cycle messenger in Germany for more than 10 years now.
This week we had an unusual and unexpected outbreak of winter here in Leipzig with strong winds and heavy snow for multiple days. The city was totally unprepared, I saw snow plows getting stuck in snow and all public transportation was off for multiple days. Since I needed to send out some letters and therefore had to go outside anyway, I decided to take my track bike and camera and try to get some nice videos of the snow-cycling-chaos.”

Thanks, Jacob!

On Building the Epiplectic Bicycle

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On Building the Epiplectic Bicycle

Over the past few weeks I’ve enjoyed becoming re-acquainted with an old friend. As I’ve been slowing back down to a more creative and contemplative speed, un-encumbered by “normality” or any other external influence and bolstered by the vivid dreams associated with normal sleep patterns, a relaxed mind and inappropriately timed cheese consumption, I’ve settled nicely into fat tyres and riding fixed on sandy beaches. As the salty air of coastal living coupled with a lack of access to spares, tools and equipment that allow our bikes to keep rolling, caused the rideable bikes of our household to drop like flies. I was forced to delve deep into the museum of slightly broken bicycles that is my loft.