Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Another rant about "cool"

I'm not one to normally rant, but my latest ride downtown has pushed me over the edge. I live in Savannah, GA, an absolutely flat city. I've noticed, on pretty much every ride I've taken since the summer ended, many people I've never seen before coasting around on the usual array of ebay track frames.. the most recent one riding the wrong way around a square on his Motobecane flipped to freewheel with only a rear brake, and nearly slamming into me head on whilst attempting to say "hi." Later I spotted another riding multiple blocks down the sidewalk in the middle of downtown. Why don't these kids just pick up a road bike at Salvation Army for a few bucks and ditch the derailleurs? I guess I understand the idea of enjoying the clean simplicity of a track bike, but why not leave it fixed? Especially in a city where the biggest climb there is to make is not much more than a speed bump. Don't get me wrong here, there's nothing wrong with a singlespeed bike.. I guess I'm just growing more and more tired of track bikes becoming "cool." I just hope they learn how to ride them.

blahblahblahwhinewhineblahblahwhine


http://static.flickr.com/48/138778535_988ae017cb_o.jpg

another one down..somebody call the wahmbulance...

wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Wow.

^^

hah yup.

it just pusts a smile on my face if someone is on a bike. geared, ss, cruiser, roadie, mtb, wal-mart special, fixed, hybrid, unicycle, whatever.

I just dread that day I plow into one head-on when they're riding the wrong way. It used to just be the dolts on stolen mountain bikes that did this. Whatevs.

what type of bike someone rides determines how terrible their knowledge on bicycle courtesy/safety is.

Complaining about other people riding bikes is the new white belt

I just dread that day I plow into one head-on when they're riding the wrong way. It used to just be the dolts on stolen mountain bikes that did this. Whatevs.

If I crash into you going the wrong way around a square with my Motobecane flipped to freewheel with only a rear brake whilst attempting to say "hi." will any of your righteous indignation rub off on me?

transplant - here's a better version

http://davidrmunson.com/temp/youfailit.jpg

c'mon bsmith

#6 would never complain about what bikes people are riding, you know that

I wish I could actually give useful feedback sometimes

friends don't let friends ride junk.

just found this exclusive photo (http://images.google.com/images?q=tbn:5G_t6-ERu1ZQwM:http://home.earthlink.net/%7Ejunk0mai1/Kerry-Bike.jpg) of bsmith rollin' on his fixie in savannah.

I'd rather see kids riding eBay ****ter track bikes, than see them take some sweet road bike and convert it.

I like that alot of my standard responses were already posted here so that I didn't have to do any work...

#6 would never complain about what bikes people are riding, you know that
Where am I?
In the village.
What do you want from me?!
Information.
Whose side are you on?
That would be telling. We want information. Information. Information.
You won't get it.
By hook or by crook, we will.
Who are you?
The new Number 2.
Who is number one?
You are Number 6.
I am not a number! I am a free man!
Ha ha ha ha!

another one down..somebody call the wahmbulance...

wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
this was going to be my reply. +1

Somebody call Don. Maybe we can commission him to build a bridge for this guy.

http://www.beechlog.co.uk/blog200501/rover.jpg

what i can't get over is that people actually LIVE in the south... let alone ride conversions.

I'm not one to normally rant, but my latest ride downtown has pushed me over the edge. I live in Savannah, GA, an absolutely flat city.

Did I ask for your opinion?

can we just change this to a prisoner appreciation thread?

nice pic shiznaz...the mother of all beatdowns

what i can't get over is that people actually LIVE in the south... let alone ride conversions.


"South" is a broad term, I LOVE large portions of the southern US... and conversions are cheap

what i can't get over is that people actually LIVE in the south... let alone ride conversions.

thats how i feel about philidelphia... do they pay people to live there?

thats how i feel about philidelphia... do they pay people to live there?

Seriously. I'd even rather live in Detroit.

don't hate on detroit! it actually has some nice areas. the way the media shows detroit is like if they showed the south side as the only neighborhood in chicago.

thats how i feel about philidelphia... do they pay people to live there?

out of curiosity, why the philly-hate?



ps... if you say weather, i will be forced to say vagina. just so we are clear.

Just shut the f-ck up and ride.

Christ.

out of curiosity, why the philly-hate?



ps... if you say weather, i will be forced to say vagina. just so we are clear.

for me its personal..my sister lived there and i wasnt that into it..then she got mugged and i really wasnt into it.. but ive met lots of cool philly people and have some good friends there.. so i bet id like it more now... i just felt like standing up for the south a little bit, i think they get a raw deal on the geographical respect

don't hate on detroit! it actually has some nice areas. the way the media shows detroit is like if they showed the south side as the only neighborhood in chicago.

Ok, you got a point. I was pulling for the Tigers, too.

can we just change this to a prisoner appreciation thread?

nice pic shiznaz...the mother of all beatdowns
Number 2: Why did you think a big balloon would stop people?
Scientist: Shut up! That's why!

for me its personal..my sister lived there and i wasnt that into it..then she got mugged and i really wasnt into it.. but ive met lots of cool philly people and have some good friends there.. so i bet id like it more now... i just felt like standing up for the south a little bit, i think they get a raw deal on the geographical respect

i guess i have just lived here so long that that stuff is just a reality. it sounds strange, but you kind of get good at avoiding it after a while (knocks on wood). you probably would like it more now, it's changed a lot in the past few years.
i can't personally speak for the south, but i have some friends who love it down there. doesn't seem like my speed, but to each his own.

speakin of great things from philly.. do you remember the magazine Crank? maybe my favorite ever.. i still reread them.. if you know that dude tell him we want more, although i think he eventually moved to NYC

edit: ah scratch that.. after a quick google it appears he got a life eventually.. crank prob.wouldnt be the same..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Koyen
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Koyen)

his resignation letter from new york press is pretty great

exit statement (http://www.gawker.com/news/media/commentary/jeff-koyens-exit-interview-035157.php)

i need to read some of his new stuff.. whats this have to do with rants on cool? um not much.. but actually a lot.. Jeff kinda wrote the book on quality anti-cool rants

heard of crank, but never seen it.

that ext statement rules tho hahaha.

look.... i live in philly and i rule!!! so philly aint that bad.

(let me state i am not from here... so i have no official pride... i just like it here.)

what i can't get over is that people actually LIVE in the south... let alone ride conversions.

Wow, what a disgusting, utterly brainless comment.

Atlanta is a different kind of love.

Wow, what a disgusting, utterly brainless comment.

Maybe he meant mentally, not geographically

Maybe he meant mentally, not geographically

That makes his comment even more stupid.

Dang. After being a born/raised southerner (North Fla, to be specific), former left coaster (san jose), and most recently michigander (detroit me), I'll have to say that the south was the most 'agreeable' for me. I just like the weather and the folks (and the football.) Everyplace has it's nasty spots, and every place has
its bright spots.

As everyone says about every place, I suppose.

some just have more than others for whatever subset of people, in this case, cyclists.

ive only spent a little time in the south.. but it kills me when people call is rascist, like boston is a rainbow gathering and california is woodstock. the whole country has problems.. and the civil war was not about freeing slaves, contrary to percieved history.

Im sure many here have read it, but confederates in the attic by tony horwitz gives some great insight into americas misunderstood corner, and its freakin hilarious, and we can all start calling people farbs instead of newbies

ive only spent a little time in the south.. but it kills me when people call is rascist


Don't get it twisted...the south is still hella racist. Like, unbelievably so...some people here are almost a caraciture of "Boss Hogg". And conversely, some are the portrait of "Stephen Fetchit".

All quite sad, really.

Gotta go. Hellraiser is on.

Don't get it twisted...the south is still hella racist. Like, unbelievably so...some people here are almost a caraciture of "Boss Hogg". And conversely, some are the portrait of "Stephen Fetchit".

All quite sad, really.

Gotta go. Hellraiser is on.

i dont think i have it twisted.. i think our whole country is hella rascist

i dont think i have it twisted.. i think our whole country is hella rascist

so you're saying you hate freedom?

Timon of Athens, known as the Misanthrope, announced that since he was going to cut down a tree in his garden on which many had hanged themselves, would-be suicides should use it at once. Holla.

what i can't get over is that people actually LIVE in the south... let alone ride conversions.
I agree with this statement purely for meteorological reasons. New England summers leave me near death. If I were below the Mason Dixon I'd be a puddle of spitum.

I agree with this statement purely for meteorological reasons. New England summers leave me near death. If I were below the Mason Dixon I'd be a puddle of spitum.

Summer here is winter there. Everyone stays indoors, gets cranky, complains a lot. It's 80 and sunny today, so people are finally going outside again.