Looks as if Elliott Bay Bicycles would be a definite stop for me the next time i am in Seattle...
Bob's entire posting was spot on as far as i am concerned.
Diversity in anything makes life a rich experience.
Bikes are just stuff, riders riding them give them soul. the more, the better.
If riding (fixed) bikes is a fashion statement, cool. Fashion undermines homogeneity. Couldn't think of a better resource for pulling fashion. in this case it is undermining of a rampant commodification/consumerism in fashion. this particular approach is based in recycle, similar to the vintage thrift store thing some time back.
Another reason, eluded to by Bob in the statement below, is that riding fixed is just plain FUN! I would be really interested in how many people on this list disparaging it has ever done it. I have logged over 10k miles in the past year+ (my weekday ride + rainy day. shifty riding for weekends and holidays), and it reinvigorates my passion for cycling every afternoon.
If you have any sensibilities for a reductionist aesthetic, almost every fixed bike i have seen (and own) are stunning. I make a point of photographing any one i see in the streets- got a couple in Halifax NS this past weekend. this conversion thing imbues quite a bit of the 'personal' to the object, I find this specificity and customization FAR more interesting than the homogeneous quest for a questionable authenticity that permeates this list (I do respect the historical research however, which makes this somewhat interesting) .
A fixie develops certain skillsets (like mtn and ccross) that compliment road riding in general. I must say though, that every weekend takes a few minutes to get back to a gearing paradigm.
A post colonial critique in cultural anthropology that has been developing for the past 20 years has pretty much undermined any sort of cultural homogeneity and has asserted that stereotyping is an inaccurate and a rather stupid approach to describing a culture. even a bicycling sub culture. find the uniqueness in everyone.
sorry to bore you all, but i think that bike stuff is all good....
I love it. There is a zen element after all, and
> people are finding that out.
>
> Bob Freeman
> Elliott Bay Bicycles
>
gabriel romeu
finished polishing my pista last night from the rain it encountered so
it will be sparkly for my evening ride in chesterfield nj usa
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G L Romeu
ø http://studiofurniture.com
ø http://lessplusmore.com
ø http://journalphoto.org