Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - How be uncool in NYC

I swear to god, I am almost ready to drill a non drilled carbon fork, for a brake for a non-machined rim, just so it will make my bike look more road-like.

I am moving back to nyc after a 6 year hiatus and if I ride my track bike on the street I am going to feel like a total square.

I will wear a helmet, never wear my lock around my waist, wear a climbing back pack, i don't wear jeans, i won't ever wear sunglasses, etc etc. The only thing I can think of to avoid being stereotyped would be to put the following letters on each spoke on my front wheel: J E S U S. Five letters for five spokes. It works out perfectly.

I swear to god (mind you, i don't believe in organized religion) the only way to not be stereotyped as some herb from the midwest that moved to brooklyn and bought a complete fixed bike, and still ride a track bike on the street, is to just constantly profess your love for JESUS, wear apparel that says "JESUS" and/or "JESUS LOVES YOU" etc etc.

The prospect of riding a road bike disgusts me. I road a road bike in nyc for a season and it was really horrible. Crunching and chain dropping left and right. Not to mention making a repair was always a nuisance.

For all the old schoolers in any of the boroughs... For all the people that were doing it before and will be doing it after the fad... What are you doing to cope?

Your help would be greatly appreciated. And if you can't help, I'll find out for myself soon enough. I move back August 1st.

You could always, I dunno, not care what people think of you.

Seriously who gives a ****?

That is true, but I want to make friends... I want to meet the people that were doing this when it wasn't cool. I want to meet the people that did it because it made sense, not fashion sense. Maybe if I just ride around smiling people will take note and remember "Hey! That guy isn't an *******... he is legit."

i didnt know cyclists in nyc wore climbing backpacks, or that there even were specific climbing backpacks

I think its funny when people jump to "organized religion" when talking about G....forget it. Not going there.

Yah I say just forget caring what people think of you. Waste of time that you could be using to expand your mind a bit.

god, what a slave to outside opinion you are. think about what you just wrote. you care more about what other people think of you than even the hippest and most fashionable of track bike riders on the street, jesus.

blah blah
I swear to god (mind you, i don't believe in organized religion) the only way to not be stereotyped as some herb from the midwest that moved to brooklyn and bought a complete fixed bike, and still ride a track bike on the street, is to just constantly profess your love for JESUS, wear apparel that says "JESUS" and/or "JESUS LOVES YOU" etc etc. blah blah
And what does that make you? Some Herb from Upstate NY?:rolleyes:

you mean to tell me that you actually think about this stuff?? nevermind that, you really felt the need to write it down? it might be best that you stay in Syracuse for a little while longer until you get your mind right.

Twonk has five letters. So does poser. Maybe you could do a vanity spoke kind thing:.

IMNOT APOSR or something, Of course that would require five spokes front and back, which might make things even more oppressive.

Anyway, hope you get through this. Sounds traumatic.

That is true, but I want to make friends... I want to meet the people that were doing this when it wasn't cool. I want to meet the people that did it because it made sense, not fashion sense. Maybe if I just ride around smiling people will take note and remember "Hey! That guy isn't an *******... he is legit."

Why don't you just do whatever the **** it is you're going to do and if some asshat wants to call you a poseur or something just shut him up with your legit skillz?

Wait ignore everything else I said, I figured out how to say exactly what I think we're all feeling as concisely as possible:

You don't need any help being uncool.

just ride with me and then you won't care anymore because you'll be enjoying riding and conversation. Seriously, I know I probably look "uncool" (helmet with reflective tape on it, fishnet style leather gloves, brakes) to those track riders who go with the fad but I can care less because I am more concerned with the road ahead of me than what ppl think of me as I'm enjoying riding. I always tell myself, "Ride for yourself and not others". Personally, it is very distracting worrying about how I look to others, but we are all self conscientious/judgemental creatures so the only thing to do is practice at not carrying.

The whole look thing is just as ridiculous as the "does this helmet make me look stupid?" I admit there is going to always be a fashion choice in a helmet, because I've done it myself, but after a small fall recently, which would have been serious had I not had a helmet, I realized a helmet should only be meant for protecting your head and keeping your head cool. The aesthetics of it shouldn't even be a part of the decision process (but it always is) because you can't look at your helmet while riding.

I honestly don't understand what your problem is, what you're afraid of, and why you don't like road bikes.
I wouldn't ride anything else - on the road. A road bike is FOR the road. A track bike is for a track, a mountain bike is for a mountain. Dirt bikes are for dirt, and folding bikes are for folding. It's all quite simple, you see.

umm... wot teh fark r u talking about?


I swear... I am... a total square.

lol. your post makes you look 100x more stupid than riding yer farking tarck bike in the city evar would

I honestly don't understand what your problem is, what you're afraid of, and why you don't like road bikes.
I wouldn't ride anything else - on the road. A road bike is FOR the road. A track bike is for a track, a mountain bike is for a mountain. Dirt bikes are for dirt, and folding bikes are for folding. It's all quite simple, you see.

while what you say is true, track/fixed gears, I find, are much better for traffic areas due to the amount of control you have over the bike (assuming you also have a brake) versus a freewheel bike.

**Of course, my statement is very subjective though, but I think a lot of fixed riders (who know what they are doing) can approve of what I said**

Road bikes are more fun in the city in situations where you have to stop every block, track bikes are more fun when you can ride in a continuous flow. It's all subjective though, yeah.

officially the stupidest thread i ever read on here.

What climbing backpack would Jesus wear?

this thread is absurd

what could the point of this possibly be. unreadable.

You could always, I dunno, not care what people think of you.

best post. ever.

this thread is absurd

Please don't insult the likes of Camus by associating this crap with that word.

Id hate to be the OP. Its people like you that make new people feel like idiots for asking questions and wanting to get into riding bikes. If the entire "scene" was made up of only people that have BEEN doing it and will continue to do it after the "fad" is over then sorry to say but its probably not going to last much longer. And i dont really know how old you are but im pretty sure that you werent around when the road bike craze began in the 70's to consider yourself OG to the road bike world. You at some point in time were a newb too regaurdless if you now have 5,10,15,20..etc years under your belt. And good for you that you lasted through out whatever "fad" it was that made you get into road biking and you are continuing to do it. Close minded people like you are 9 times out of 10 more stupid then the group of scene kids on their fixies that your making fun of yourself. Grow up and just be glad that their are new comers expanding the bike culture and making it live on.

^ Amen.

OP: Grow up.

How long have you had a FG? It was a "fad" in the 80s when you were eating crayons. Get over yourself. :thumb:

maybe he was trolling?

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z140/CantrellChevelle/failbike.jpg

i hate to respond to almost everyone at once(other than just the one or two people that didn't talk sh-it), but consult your join dates. i ask an honest question, post an honest thread, and everyone is a dick in response. thanks to the singlespeed/fixed section, once again, for providing me with a bunch of insults that are --as always--useless.

thank you to the one or two people who weren't jerks.

So now you're a victim. :rolleyes:

Try writing Jesus on your spokes and maybe you'll start believing and then you won't find a petty situation about public image worth posting about on this forum.

also.. new york, ny. born and raised until i went to syracuse for a few years for school, then back to new york for 2 more years, then back to syracuse again for a few more years.

if you want to meet "real bikers" so bad, just dfl an alleycat and talk to people at the after party.

also.. bike forum, online. born and raised until i went online for a few years for school, then back to bike forum for 2 more years, then back to online again for a few more years.

reppin haaaaaard in this beyotch. :crash:

imo, just ride. :D

i hate to respond to almost everyone at once(other than just the one or two people that didn't talk sh-it), but consult your join dates. i ask an honest question, post an honest thread, and everyone is a dick in response. thanks to the singlespeed/fixed section, once again, for providing me with a bunch of insults that are --as always--useless.

thank you to the one or two people who weren't jerks.

people are being jerks because you are being incredibly childish

I'm not trying to be a jerk, I'm just incredibly confused. What is the scene like in NYC? What type of person are you, and what type of person are you accused of being?

I thought I gleaned that you ride a fixie and that road bikers are uncool, but I got really confused when Jesus started getting mentioned, which I figure owes no allegiance to either fixies or road bikes.

but consult your join dates

what? Cause when you joined the forum has any bearing on how legit you are on the street? Get over it.

i think you should ride whatever bike is most fun, and wear whatever is most practical. there are too many people around here to worry about judgements.

Do you want to know how we cope? By not giving a ****. Seriously, if there is any way to make sure you stand out as a wannabe who just moved to NYC and got his first track bike, post **** like this on bikeforums.

i hate to respond to almost everyone at once(other than just the one or two people that didn't talk sh-it), but consult your join dates. i ask an honest question, post an honest thread, and everyone is a dick in response. thanks to the singlespeed/fixed section, once again, for providing me with a bunch of insults that are --as always--useless.

thank you to the one or two people who weren't jerks.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

*breeeeeeeeeeeathes*

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

my favorite part was when he compared the join dates of the people in the thread.

i ask an honest question, post an honest thread, and everyone is a dick in response.

And just what was that honest question? I'll paraphrase.

I did X a long time ago. Now other people do X. I don't think those people are legit because they were not also doing X a long time ago. How do I make sure to give the impression that I am not one of those illegitmate people?

While the question may very well have been an "honest" one, its underlying implications smack of Jr.High School immaturity. Namely, there is a "cool" crowd and an "uncool" crowd, and I want to make sure that I am seen in the correct one, by the correct people. I need not comment on the merrits of such positions. Their limitations are self-evident. That said, I'm sure there is an appartment somewhere in Williamsberg that will be just right for you. Best of luck.

You could always, I dunno, not care what people think of you.

Exactly.

Print a decal for your top tube that reads:
"I rode fixed before you"
and then everyone would know how good at life you are.

What's up with the title of this thread?

I was asking myself just the other day, "How IS uncool in NYC?" I haven't talked to those guys in over a year, maybe uncool is doing well, maybe uncool is doing poorly. It's impossible to say, maybe I'll write a letter to uncool and ask.

I swear to god, I am almost ready to drill a non drilled carbon fork, for a brake for a non-machined rim, just so it will make my bike look more road-like.

I am moving back to nyc after a 6 year hiatus and if I ride my track bike on the street I am going to feel like a total square.



You take yourself too seriously... lighten up.

FWIW, the "cycling scene" here is the least pretentious and most accepting / friendly group of people I've ever known. Go to fixed.gr/nyc and ask all your questions there. You'll quickly see what I mean...

Now granted there are kids who ride stock "fixies" and give bad looks if you're not wearing skin-tight jeans. But you only have to deal with them in the summer.

Print a decal for your top tube that reads:
"I rode fixed before you"
and then everyone would know how good at life you are.

He should prolly get one of those for various internet forums, too. Cause, you know, join date speaks to Internets-street-cred.

And I'l take Cardozo over Posner. ;)