Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Attitude toward fixed

I have noted a division here between what peoples attitude toward the approach to fixed gear bikes is. There appears to be a couple of views that prevail. There may be more than these three also.

1. Just find something in a dumpster somewhere and get it up and running for the least amount of money possible and ride it to death. If you spend more than a 100 bucks on the whole project during the life span of the bike you are a poseur.

2. Get a bike that is usable for a minimal cost and fit it out with practical components and use it for everyday usage and keep it in decent repair. What I call a practical approach.

3. A bike can be a piece of art and no expense is too great to spend to achieve what you are trying to do. This is what happens if you have a budget that is not constrained when it comes to your choices.

The question is: Where do you fit into this equation?

Is the amount of money you spend on the bike your defining issue of your approach to fixed gear?
Is the practicality more important than style, or cost?
Is the finished product what is important and as long as it meets your ideals, the cost is justified?
I would be interested to hear comments. I think I have an idea on the results of this survey but would like them confirmed. There may be other thoughts that I have not defined that may be applicable and I would welcome them.


Fixedgearhead

After you pay your bills whatever money you have left dictates your quality of life and my personal financial situation is what I would call stable but poor. Single guy, low income, and removing the car from the situation equals freedom. Say someone makes 2 times my income, add in a mortgage, a carpayment, insurance, and a couple of kids, now which of us is going to have more ready cash?

I would be category one if i was mechanically inclined, but I'm not.
I am category two, but i would love to be category three if i could afford to.
The thing is, i have spent a fair amount of money on bikes, but because of my learning curve the amount of bang for my buck isn't as high as someone who does their own work or is an expert.

My fuji fixie, cost me um around 500 bucks and looks like something that a guy who knew his stuff could make for 100 bucks with category 1. This is because of my lack of mechanical ability. Initial cost, labor for my lbs, paying retail prices for my lbs-- which i dont mind.

Now add in all the money i have spent on bicycles in the last 2 years or so and it's proll about 1500 bucks, i have 3 in my apt. But compare that to the price of a car over 2 years and it's nothing. Which brings me back to category 3, i would love to some day spend 2 grand on a bike, and i think if it doesnt get stolen or destroyed it will still be way cheaper than a car.

I love my singlespeed in the snow, my fixed gear for all around, and once you ride 24/7 year round through snow and rain it just makes you feel totally free.

Sorry about rambling but nobody around here talks cycling with me and i do tend to go on.

The question is: Where do you fit into this equation?

Is the amount of money you spend on the bike your defining issue of your approach to fixed gear?
Is the practicality more important than style, or cost?
Is the finished product what is important and as long as it meets your ideals, the cost is justified?
I would be interested to hear comments. I think I have an idea on the results of this survey but would like them confirmed. There may be other thoughts that I have not defined that may be applicable and I would welcome them.


I think I fit in all three categories.

1. I trash-pick, although not with the regularly and obsession of the past. My wife appreciates the moderation and the fact that there are no longer over 20 junker frames piled up in the garage. I've never really ended up with a true gem this way, but I have rescued and used or given away a number of solid bikes. And, it's where I learned some of my more creative wrenching.

2. I have a couple of fixies and one SS in the practical category. Especially the two fixies that I use for commuting and whatnot (one's for spring-summer-fall, the other one's for winter)

3. I also have a special, spare-no-expense project. That is, I spare no expense over the longer term, which is why it doesn't have a wheelset yet.

I suppose if I had to choose one mode, it would be the practical mode, since that's what would give me the most performance, comfort, and riding time for the money and effort. I don't have to choose, at least right now, so I won't.

I love my singlespeed in the snow, my fixed gear for all around, and once you ride 24/7 year round through snow and rain it just makes you feel totally free.

Sorry about rambling but nobody around here talks cycling with me and i do tend to go on.

Amen, brother.

#2 is me, although I branch both directions. My two bikes were both garage sale finds, but both have had some major upgrades to them. For the most part, all upgrades have been practical rather than extravagant. Cranks (Sora for the geared, Bulletproofs for the fixed), Bars/barcons/brake levers (scavanged from a LBS for $25), wheels (low end shimano hubs but CR18 Heavy duty rims), gears (rocketring/soma cog for the fixed/off brand speed cassette for the geared), brooks B17 saddle, truing stand, tools, etc. I do most of my own work to afford the parts.
I am on a budget with the 2 kids, wife, house, mortgage that kurremkarm mentioned. But I love to ride. At this point, I would love to spend some dough to get a modern geared bike for my triathlon competition, but at between 1K and 2K... that money is hard to scrounge. Someday. In the meantime, I enjoy the looks on the faces of the gussied-up high-dollar riders that I blow past up the hills on the fixed (all 220 lbs of me).


2. Get a bike that is usable for a minimal cost and fit it out with practical components and use it for everyday usage and keep it in decent repair. What I call a practical approach.
Fixedgearhead

#2 for me too. I chose to make my Bianchi road bike a fixed gear, removing the Super record derailleurs. I'm going to use the campy crankset (I filed down the threaded chainring nuts).

I chose not to use the cheapest wheelset. IRO cycle has built my wheelset from Suzue ProMax hubs and Velocity rims and they should arrive in the next day or two.

Am I excited? ;)

Well, my attitude toward bikes in general is that I would rather get hold of a sweet old lugged steel frame, pretty much any brand, and build it up myself. New bikes just don't excite me much. That's not to say I would turn down a nice Pinarello, Colnago, Cervelo, etc.. It's just that I'm not caught up in the light, lighter, lightest or new, newer, newest. Although I take care with my bikes, as a 22-mile round trip daily commuter, I want a sturdy, smooth-running bike that can stand up to anything I need it to do, and I don't want to worry about rain or getting a scratch.

3) I ride 7-8 hours a day, so one got to have a perfect running bike, or else ill go crazy. Not too many compromises, so i tend to spend.

For my work bike, I have scoured ebay and junk bins at various shops in Chicago. It is the .45 caliber of bikes for me - effective, punchy, yet not 100% accurate. It rules.

My other bike is my 2.5 yr effort to scrouge quality parts off ebay to make a nice ride. It is far from a dumpster sled and not even close to a 6 Jillion dollar machine...it is just right, Nice too.

I am somewhere between 1 & 3.

I do most of the work on my bikes myself so I constantly tinker and change stuff. I love to score a premo part dirt cheap then get it to work on one of my bike setups. But at the same time, I will also spend the extra money to get a part if I think it is worth it.

I could also afford to buy a built up track bike, race ready to go. But that just wouldn't be as much fun as putting one together myself. My fix may look like crap but it's fast and runs great!!!

for me, I don't see much point in dumping tons of money into a bike, I like it to be nice, and with parts that aren't really top o the line, but not total economy either...I will spend on a nice frame if I have too though.

what always annoys me is when cyclists who spend tons of money on their road bikes won't put more than like $100 into a fixie....it's like it's not good enough or something.

Put me in 1 and 2. While I appreciate the quality of a high end, spare no expense bike, being in Toronto (some claim it as bike theft capital of the world, although I'd put Amsterdam in that spot), it's simply not worth it. So I prefer the middle of the road path. Like others I scour ebay, particularly for old Italian steel, (quit bidding on the De Rosa, whoever you are!). I also try to breath life into old junkers, but I won't put work into something I wouldn't enjoy riding. I get more satisfaction out of exercising patience, luck, and a good eye on older bikes rather than tooling down to the store with my credit card waving. Something karmic about riding something with history or that would have ended up on the scrap heap...

Cheers

Cam

1. Just find something in a dumpster somewhere and get it up and running for the least amount of money possible and ride it to death. If you spend more than a 100 bucks on the whole project during the life span of the bike you are a poseur.

I've done this. Most recently a Salvation Army find of a Bianchi road bike minus stem and handlebars but including Look pedals and attached shoes. This frame is too big for me at 54 or 56cm. Those who showed interest please email me again if you're still interested. I've also found a Raleigh Chopper MK2 (if I can remember correctly) circa 1972 that someone had discarded at our trash compactor. This bike is in for a long refurbishing back to its' original state.


2. Get a bike that is usable for a minimal cost and fit it out with practical components and use it for everyday usage and keep it in decent repair. What I call a practical approach.

I've also done this. Converted an older Miele road bike with 27" wheels to fixed. Redished the rear, and only had to buy a drop bar to hack into DIY bullhorns plus grip, a stem and a Surly track cog. I've also been given an early 90s Miyata from a coworker who recently bought a new Cannondale road bike and no longer needed the Miyata. This will also most likely get fixed or kept as a spare bike for friends. Another coworker also purchased a new mountain bike a while ago and gave me her mid-80s Diamond Back mountain bike as well. This is still sitting in the basement awaiting it's turn in the repair stand. I've also purchased a Trek 930 from another coworker for $100 and converted that to a singlespeed using parts I had on hand except for a freewheel. Plus many folks over on MTBR.com donated parts to my SS progression. Lastly I purchased a 14" Kona frame and fork off of ebay and transferred all parts from the Trek to the Kona which is currently my ss ride. The Trek will be SSed for my wife eventually.


3. A bike can be a piece of art and no expense is too great to spend to achieve what you are trying to do. This is what happens if you have a budget that is not constrained when it comes to your choices.

This is the category I would like to be a part of. With 4 boys, a wife and a mortgage this category will have to wait on the backburner.


2 out of 3 ain't bad! Although you were probably looking for just one.

Being the budget person that I am, I usually look for things on sale, or cheaper items, settling on things because of budget restraints not really thinking about how happy I'd be in the long run. My wife would keep telling me not to settle on something just because it was cheap and/or on sale as I will most likely regret the purchase later on. Smart woman, my wife!!

Being new to the fixed scene, I've observed the same divisions here that are found in the SS mtb scene.... those who convert something old($), those who buy off the rack ($$$) and those who go fully custom ($$$$$). No matter what you ride, isn't it all just about riding?

i'm a number 3, although i'm interested in people who restore bikes cheaply and i love the idea of making a useable bike out of spare parts. in practice, however, i ride a more expensive bike because i love the feeling of a nice light frame and components. my fuji track pro feels like i'm pedaling only my own body weight and is super quick and responsive. i ride it for fitness so i'm not really too concerned with how much street credibilty i have with it.

40 years ago......#1

30 years ago......#2

since several years ago, #3

i think i fit into all three categories at different times. i have what i consider to be pretty nice bikes, but i paid $150 for both of my track frames. the cost of parts overshadows the initial cost of my frames, but that's because i like things that work, and that will continue to work well.

wheels are something that people should definitely spend money on. they're the second most important part on the bike next to the frame. if your wheels get messed up a month after you bought them, you're SOL and have to buy new wheels, or replace the hubs or whatever. that's how i rationalize dropping $500 on a wheelset for a bike i paid $150 for, because i'd rather not have to pay for a new wheelset somewhere down the road. same goes for cranks, although i can really go either way. i'd use a set of old dura ace road cranks before i'll drop another $130 on a sugino75 crank, even though, IMO, it's totally worth it in stiffness and piece of mind and not having to worry about if my cranks are gonna snap off.

i dunno...i have an appreciation for all bikes. big, small, cheap, expensive. i just did a bunch of work on my GF's mixte lotus yesterday and took it around the block for a little test ride afterward and damn, that bike is super fun to ride! and my first ever SS was a motobecane mixte that i got for $10 and fixed up myself. i would RATHER spend money on something that's going to work better, but if i had to, i'd be on that motobecane again.

I'm type 2. If I spending money at all, I want it to work well, look good and last long. my current ride is fixed converted pinarello I got off ebay. a beautiful italian steel. also I'm planning to custom order Mercian track, and for that, I wouldn't mind spending where it deserves to.(still wouldn't cost half as much as njs fitted nagasawa) so maybe somewhere between 2 and 3.

I'm often a 3 with bikes. I built up my fixed on the cheap using my old roadie frame, an eccentric hub and shop surplus stuff and my parts bin to finish the build. However, this was all done to see if riding fixed was something I'd enjoy. Sure enough, I do. That means a new rear wheel built around the hub and some other new parts over time. I can't justify a new fixed, but would love to find a semi-classic steel frameset and build it up fixed. On the mountain side, I've stopped spending waaay too much and now just spend too much. While I did a SS conversion on an old MTB recently and for not a lot, I've discovered that I really enjoy SS riding too so it'll end up with a new rear wheel before long (though I'll reuse the rims since they're kickass). I wouldn't mind at all having a trackie in the stable, but that's not gonna happen until I live less than 8 hours from a track.

Well, my attitude toward bikes in general is that I would rather get hold of a sweet old lugged steel frame, pretty much any brand, and build it up myself. New bikes just don't excite me much. That's not to say I would turn down a nice Pinarello, Colnago, Cervelo, etc.. It's just that I'm not caught up in the light, lighter, lightest or new, newer, newest. Although I take care with my bikes, as a 22-mile round trip daily commuter, I want a sturdy, smooth-running bike that can stand up to anything I need it to do, and I don't want to worry about rain or getting a scratch.

From an aesthetic view point I think the classic lugged steel frame ranks supreme. But choosing a newer bike can be about more than just "light, lighter, lightest or new, newer, newest". At 250 lbs, I find the classic lugged frames to be too flexy....like a noodle especially when climbing. The use of oversized tubing and newer steel alloys can really help the handling and responsiveness of the bike.

Jim

I'm all over the map, not quite at 3, but not at 1 either, definately both sides of 2 though.
My Kogswell I did new. The only used part on it is the bars but the rest of the stuff is cheaper/on sale stuff. Very functional, tough, won't let me down type stuff, exactly how I'd build a bike from an old road frame for a commuter/every day bike, but the frame was new. My mountain bike cost me exactly $50 to put together. A new (on sale) $40 crankset to replace the bent set I had on there, some spacers and a busted up cassete and a dremel to massage the dropouts to make it all fit perfect. I'd love to get a rigid fork for the bike but I can't justify dumping a perfectly good (low end) susp fork when it works just fine.
The bianchi I just put together for my sister is a mix of old and new, really pretty bike and wonderful to ride though it's insalely small for me. I'm very pleased with the results and the total cost somewhere south of $250. My wife actually likes it so much that she asked me to put together a SS for her in the coming months so we can do more family rides on the weekends.
The pinarello..... ah the pinarello, it's fate as yet unsealed. I love that bike. I'm sure it will have $$$$$ hanging on it someday.

all 3. I started riding a fixxd schwinn traveller i got off a scrapper for 5 bux with a basic suzue hub, a used front tandem wheel, and everything else from the scrapyard. i then got a purdy miyata track bike used...and then a friend of mine sold me his golden campy pista cranks (MWAHAHA) for a fairly large chunk o change (oh so worth it) and i just got nitto pista bars...now i just have to track down a vintage pista stem :-D (still running the budget wheels by the way)

I used to lean closer to 3 until I built my first single speed. Now I put myself squarely in the 2 cataogory. My fixie was a budget job. 30$ frame and fork from my LBS, built the wheels myself, and the rest from parts laying around. Whole thing done under 200$ I've found that I enjoy bringing old road bikes back to life insted of buying the lastest thing. I won't go as far as labeling it a anti-consumerism thing but that is best explaination I've found so far. Maybe I've watched fight club too much (if that's possible).

Cheers

Started out at 1. I got a late-80s road bike (Centurion Accordo?) from a thrift for $25. It was in good shape except for the wheels, and hadn't sold because it was ludicrously tall (63cm frame or so, just right for me). I put about $200 into it total, learned how to build my own wheels, and then how to fix everything on it up to overhauling the bb and headset.

After *that* point, I had a pretty good idea what I actually wanted in a bike, and put together a Karate Monkey for about $600 for riding offroad and in snow. Sticking with 2. I don't see myself getting really interested in flashy track parts and the like, as I can't afford it and I'd rather throw the money into good food, beer, travel, and the like. I've also been car-free since last December and don't plan on getting another car unless I move somewhere that I couldn't survive without one.

I'd much rather find an old steel frame (in my size...) to build up a bike on than buy new parts, as long as it has the right tire clearances (at least 28 mm + fenders).

I think I wanted to be #1, got pulled towards #3 and landed on #2. I would have liked to build a fixie out of junk for next to nothing, but I didn't have the skill, time, or parts. So I ended up with a slightly used Pista and she's the best thing thats happened to me in a long time. When she's sitting around my apartment I can't help staring at her sometimes. And of course I ride her at much as possible - usually at least twice a day. Yeah, she tires me out but its so worth it. All my friends think she's hot too. I'm a lucky guy.

I'm with #2. I like stripping down a really good find from Working Bikes (http://www.workingbikes.org) here in Chicago and then building it up. There's a pride in that and the cost feels much more balanced (spent maybe $250 total). I try to get the best possible bike (done it three times now) from WB - my current ride is an 80's Fuji that came with Sugino cranks and Nitto stem and drops so I lucked out there.

While I covet those really nice tracks frames (and one day I'll have one), I like the practicality of my bike and if something happened to it, I won't feel too bad about it.

Like sckot, I like to pool funds elsewhere - into travel, music, design, photography, etc.

You forgot -

4) NOS coverting Retro Freaknut who wears only pristine retro wool jerseys and likes to pretend he was big into bikes back in the 60's...even though he's only 32. Scours eBay like its a goldmine, has a half finished lugged Colnago track frame from 1983 coz he's waiting to get a better NOS White turbo saddle than he aleady has, and is desperately trying to find a set of NOS Campy track hubs from 1958 to finish off his collection.

You forgot -

4) NOS coverting Retro Freaknut who wears only pristine retro wool jerseys and likes to pretend he was big into bikes back in the 60's...even though he's only 32. Scours eBay like its a goldmine, has a half finished lugged Colnago track frame from 1983 coz he's waiting to get a better NOS White turbo saddle than he aleady has, and is desperately trying to find a set of NOS Campy track hubs from 1958 to finish off his collection.
Hmmm...sounds familiar, 'cept the frame and cranks. I already got the saddle.

You forgot -

4) NOS coverting Retro Freaknut who wears only pristine retro wool jerseys and likes to pretend he was big into bikes back in the 60's...even though he's only 32. Scours eBay like its a goldmine, has a half finished lugged Colnago track frame from 1983 coz he's waiting to get a better NOS White turbo saddle than he aleady has, and is desperately trying to find a set of NOS Campy track hubs from 1958 to finish off his collection.

Sounds pretty close to 3. to me. Except that his lifestyle is art to him.


fixedgearhead

Not sure exactly where I fit. In the number 2 category I guess. I don't know anyone who rides a fixed (live in a town in SW missouri of 2500). After reading a lot of articles (Sheldon's site is a real wealth of info) I thought about converting a old Trek 2000 (Aluminum frame 6 spd Dura-ace and sew-ups). I was in a LBS (50 miles, but the closest to me) when I test rode a Langster and loved it, bought it, put a fixed gear on it and have been riding it almost daily since. I have removed the rear brake and added bullhorns. This is an experiment for me but it is working well (mostly). I have 4 other bikes (not counting the tandem) and I like them all. I think what really matters is that you ride NOT what.

Real men don't have motors on their bikes.

Doc Tom

#1 for my Single Speed because I have crappy knees and am not yet sold on the One True Way.

#2 for my road bike restoration project (a 1978 Trek TX-500). I feel a bit guilty putting gears and brakes back on this one. The frame is almost completely bare of cable stops.

#3 for the custom roadie I'm getting made for centuries and supported rides/tours. (I'll be building it up, though.)

Heck if I know. In some ways, I'm a #1, but it's only because I'm a terrible scavenger... this week I dug up an almost new Brooks Professional ($10 with Nishiki attatched) and a pair of hi-flange Campy hubs ($5). The brooks was just in time, as the 25 yr old seat on my beat to heck looking fixie was giving out.

I like to find stuff and tinker with it. Originally, this was due to poverty, but now it's ingrained habit, and at 43, I don't think it'll stop. I could probably drop the money on a brand new bike, but when I keep finding nice old ones for 35$, why bother? An odd side effect of this is that my tools are probably worth more than my bikes.

I suspect most of the younger folks I see riding fixies actually think I'm the poser, and since the fixie will be getting the full Phil Wood treatment in the next few months, by this definition, I am. But then, these exesizes at sub-dividing everyone into neat little categories never work, because everyone fits more than one category. I think I may fit into all four at one point or another.

But then, these exesizes at sub-dividing everyone into neat little categories never work, because everyone fits more than one category. I think I may fit into all four at one point or another.[/QUOTE]

Not meant to categorize anybody. I just noticed a grouping of opinion and was interested how everybody saw themselves. If people express and opinion of themselves, then that is self categorization. Which is ok by me.

fixedgearhead

I'm 2 and 3. I usually justify my spending with by the practicality of what I'm buying, so I don't usually buy the very best, but I don't buy the cheapest thing either.

Myself 1 and 2, although I would like to be a 3...

I am another one of us bicycle commuters who doesn't have a car (or license). It seems like I spend oodles of dinero on bicycle parts, but considering it is my sole source of transportation I don't feel so bad about it. Probably I spent 2k on bike stuff last year, that is with a 500$ pista none the less.


I don't have a super primo bike yet, but I certainly hope to get a flagship soon. Too bad this one is a bit small for me, Kvale makes some of the best bikes I have ever seen in person, not to mention the super fine lugs.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3677959101&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

I think I might buy it anyway, depending on how expensive it gets. Although I did just spend 200 on a new set of suzue pro max/MA3 wheels last night... AND I still need to build up the Open Pro rims I have, which means Phil hubs (gotta match my name).

which means Phil hubs (gotta match my name).
Wow...your name is 'hubs?' Cool... :)

I have noted a division here between what peoples attitude toward the approach to fixed gear bikes is. There appears to be a couple of views that prevail. There may be more than these three also.

1. Just find something in a dumpster somewhere and get it up and running for the least amount of money possible and ride it to death. If you spend more than a 100 bucks on the whole project during the life span of the bike you are a poseur.

2. Get a bike that is usable for a minimal cost and fit it out with practical components and use it for everyday usage and keep it in decent repair. What I call a practical approach.

3. A bike can be a piece of art and no expense is too great to spend to achieve what you are trying to do. This is what happens if you have a budget that is not constrained when it comes to your choices.

The question is: Where do you fit into this equation?

Is the amount of money you spend on the bike your defining issue of your approach to fixed gear?
Is the practicality more important than style, or cost?
Is the finished product what is important and as long as it meets your ideals, the cost is justified?
I would be interested to hear comments. I think I have an idea on the results of this survey but would like them confirmed. There may be other thoughts that I have not defined that may be applicable and I would welcome them.


Fixedgearhead


I am between 2 and 3... spent way too much on the Soma, but I figured Phil Wood would last for a while. I know a few of 'type 1' guys, though... one of my pals just developed a way to make rock-bottom used Deore hub into a fixed hub by tig welding the freewheel... :yikes:

I'm way too practical to be a #3. Not that I have anything against it, but IME, expensive stuff doesn't seem to outlast cheaper stuff (in fact, it seems sometimes expensive stuff is less durable). And since I don't race, and I'm not obsessed with bicycle weight, expensive stuff really only translates to more money outlay. As long as the bike is reliable and comfortable, I'll ride it. These factors really have no correlation with cost.

Besides, what's the point of having a bike that's so expensive you'd worry about riding and scratching it up? (leave that to the roadies...)

My road-conversion fixed has hacksaw marks on the top tube and by the bb shell from taking off cable braze-ons. For a while I was thinking about finding touch-up paint to cover the large spots, but they've really grown on me. I just put some clear nail polish on so they won't rust.

[QUOTE=sckot]Besides, what's the point of having a bike that's so expensive you'd worry about riding and scratching it up? (leave that to the roadies...)
The only reply to that is "pride of ownership". You don't have to be a roadie to have it. Now, if you truly won't ride a bike because of fear of scratching it, I'd say you have some issues that you need to address.


fixedgearhead

3. A bike can be a piece of art and no expense is too great to spend to achieve what you are trying to do. This is what happens if you have a budget that is not constrained when it comes to your choices.

The question is: Where do you fit into this equation?

Is the amount of money you spend on the bike your defining issue of your approach to fixed gear?
Is the practicality more important than style, or cost?
Is the finished product what is important and as long as it meets your ideals, the cost is justified?
I would be interested to hear comments. I think I have an idea on the results of this survey but would like them confirmed. There may be other thoughts that I have not defined that may be applicable and I would welcome them.
Fixedgearhead

I sort of fit into category 3. Now having said that, you must also consider that I am a semi-poorly paid teacher with schools loans, a car payment and rent. I dumped a sizable pile of cash into my sweet little DeBernardi, yet I would have, could have dumped a lot more because I have expensive taste and can be a geek about it and I desire "the best," even if I can't afford it. 165 helped me be a bit more sensible and allow me to feel the gravity of the situation. Nevertheless, I am sucker for a cool gadget or whatever and so I still have managed to be/allowed myself to be fooled by my own suckerousity into buying s**t like a Kashimax top tube protector and three different sets of bars, etc. which I find endlessly cool and crap. Yet. I think I still don't have SUCKER stamped across my forehead. Enough said.

I'm all of the above. My bikes are all bizarre hodgepodges of nice stuff and things that just kinda work.

']Wow...your name is 'hubs?' Cool... :)

Yup, Hubs Mckicksyerass got a problem with that?

Yup, Hubs Mckicksyerass got a problem with that?

You tell 'em!

Yup, Hubs Mckicksyerass got a problem with that?
Not really. It's your name. But, if you want to make something of it, stop by my place, 1060 W. Addison. Stand in the intersection waving a mini-bat so I know who you are.

50 bucks for front row, 15 for general admission. Yeah, I accept Paypal.

I don't think I like the idea of front row - the whole 'Stand in the intersection waving a mini-bat so I know who you are.' thing makes me think people in the front row might get hit by stray bullets.

']Not really. It's your name. But, if you want to make something of it, stop by my place, 1060 W. Addison. Stand in the intersection waving a mini-bat so I know who you are.\\


Can I use a whiffle bat?

I'll be sure to ride through with an H&K MP7A1 to officiate.

I'm somewhere in between 1 & 2, but heck knows if I had the cash I'd be all about #3. To be an artist (though I use the term loosely) *and* a cyclist simultaneously demands #3 of me.