Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - So... do you stand out?

Heres a question for everyone. Now, with all these fixed riders now-a-days, how do YOU stand out? I live in Richmond, VA and there are a lot of fixed riders. Some I remember their bikes because of something cool different. So, how do you personalize?

Is it the frame itself?
Is it something you added?
Is it the color?
Some crazy/expensive/original part?

Mine? Is the color scheme on my fixed.

My bike has scars... More than she should. I've seen no other frames here that have the same paint scheme (still original) but even if I did see one, I'd be able to tell the difference by looking at the scars.

Maybe I should get that $60 inner-tube wrap...

I forgot - she also has a lot of non-stock parts, because I did bad things or didn't like the originals...

i'm the only fixed rider i know of in my area, so i guess i don't really have to try to stand out.

I carry a gun...F$%^#ing suburbs

Well, I think there are three fixed riders in my area including me. My bike stands out because of the white bar tape, the old rusty cranks I haven't gotten around to replacing yet, and the ace of spades stuck in my rear spokes. Plus I like to yell things while on my bike.

think5577, I live in Williamsburg, not that far away. Is there a lot of bike stuff in Richmond I should know about? Events etc? I try to get up there once in awhile, and sometimes I take a look at the Brohan page, but it's tough to know what's up with the bike scene.

I stand out because I ride in the street not on the sidewalk. Get off the road!

I haven't seen any FG riders around here. Mostly beat-up old MTBs and the occasional roadie. I know there are a few out there. I just haven't encountered them.

FWIW I don't do it to stand out. I stand out enough on the fact that I put down the cigarette, cheeseburger, live to acquire lifestyle. "You are not what you own" There you go, Dave.

spinergy wheels :) not many people loctite a cog to their spinergy's :)

Can't shake a stick without hitting a fixie in DC these days. I swear they outnumber geared bikes in some neighborhoods. Last night, I saw a guy with a green mohawk and bondage pants on a brand spanking new shinier than shiny Bianchi Pista. Seemed an odd combination. Never understood the being-punk-means-dressing-like-its-halloween mind set. Strikes me as going against the grain of what punk was/is supposed to be. Maybe I'm just getting old.

Oh well. What was the question?

Never understood the being-punk-means-dressing-like-its-halloween mind set. Strikes me as going against the grain of what punk was/is supposed to be. Maybe I'm just getting old.
Shut up Ian. And eat your salad

Well, I think there are three fixed riders in my area including me. My bike stands out because of the white bar tape, the old rusty cranks I haven't gotten around to replacing yet, and the ace of spades stuck in my rear spokes. Plus I like to yell things while on my bike.

think5577, I live in Williamsburg, not that far away. Is there a lot of bike stuff in Richmond I should know about? Events etc? I try to get up there once in awhile, and sometimes I take a look at the Brohan page, but it's tough to know what's up with the bike scene.

Well since Richmond is a college city, tons of people have bikes, lots have FG's. But there are a few alley cat races on Sundays. Ive never been to one. Also, a few months back there was a road race downtown, didnt get to that one either. (Stupid work)

Yeah, next time your in town, if you havent already, check out Rowletts on Broad St. Nice people, cool stuff. Whats the Brohan page?

But going back to the thread. Like I said, I stand out cause of my color scheme. Cool one way, but Im a little paranoid so Im extra careful about looking it up in pretty good places. Kinda sad you cant seem to enjoy your love sometimes.

Oh, and I second that MKRG. I too 86 the remote, no carb book and cell phone and stand out among the crowd.

']Shut up Ian. And eat your salad

Duly noted. And please don't tell Skitbra I was making fun of guys with mohawks. Last thing I need is to have my ass kicked by an English teacher.

his is now gone. you are in the clear

True enough. I'm up in Adams Morgan and one in five is a fixie. That said, if you ever see a purple diamondback prevail fixie, it's mine!


Can't shake a stick without hitting a fixie in DC these days. I swear they outnumber geared bikes in some neighborhoods.

So...Do I stand out?

I supose you would have to ask the 'other' people.

There are not many fixt bikes around here at all but there are plenty of road bikes and plenty of people who can't tell the difference between a road/fixt/single speed and probably don't care.

i don't stand out...i just ride right on by.

plenty of fixies around here, most of them nicer than my commuter mutt. it's all black and grey and i wear black and grey. just to prove i'm not color-blind, there are little bits of red on my black shoes.

don't really want to stand out i guess.

Well since Richmond is a college city...

Having grown up in Richmond, I would say Richmond is a city with some colleges (or universities), but I would not go as far as saying it is a "college city." That would be Charlottesville.

No matter where you go you are what you are player...

Well since Richmond is a college city, tons of people have bikes, lots have FG's. But there are a few alley cat races on Sundays. Ive never been to one. Whats the Brohan page?

actually the sunday races aren't technically alleycats. they're mostly fixed-gear crits. if i knew any other fixed riders down here, i'd be there. here's the website: http://sprintclub.twothreesix.com/

i'm not sure if the riders of brohan have an actual webpage, but they have their own subforum on the sprintclub bbs.

getting back on topic, i stand out by being one of only two fixed riders in town. and i spend a lot more time on my bike than the other guy.

actually the sunday races aren't technically alleycats. they're mostly fixed-gear crits. if i knew any other fixed riders down here, i'd be there. here's the website: http://sprintclub.twothreesix.com/

i'm not sure if the riders of brohan have an actual webpage, but they have their own subforum on the sprintclub bbs.

getting back on topic, i stand out by being one of only two fixed riders in town. and i spend a lot more time on my bike than the other guy.

Thats cool, thanks for the info. What part in Norfolk you ride? I used to live in VB and have a good friend in the Granby area.

Don't really see many fixies outside of the fan, where they and their offspring are legion (today, for the third straight day, I saw a no-brakes SS freewheel set-up-- not a coaster, either, I see those sometimes. What gives? I understand college students are poor, but how much is some loctite and a track cog anyway? Or a brake? Heck, I'll give then the brake. Or the loctite.). I've the only one (well, two) I've ever seen on Northside, and when I'm over on Southside, I never see them there, either. The lower fan is basically a college town; that's where they all are. I think they're an art school thing; I've only seen one when I go back to C'ville to visit my family. There were none at my old college in Wisconsin when I went back a couple years ago, though a couple students did ask about the one I was riding, so who knows?

I ride the horde of archaic Peugeots and Treks; think5577 has one of the only other nice old-school Peugeots I've seen in RVA (531 frame from back when they hand built and low temp brazed the PX's in a seperate factory than the regular production bikes). Lots of older parts, but I'm really more a classics guy than a fixie guy, I just built the fixies 'cause I like to tinker and they're fun to ride in the city. I'm also ancient next to the art school sorts; at 43, I'm an oddity-- but I commute every day, that alone makes me odd here.

Well, I'm really weird. Other than that maybe I stand out a little because I've got a Marin road frame fixie-fied with a White Ind eccentric hub. Plenty of fixies in Chicago, though.

I don't stick out around Boston at all. I kinda like it that way.

ditto on that one jinx

Damn, where'd all these RVA folks come from?!? I agree with the comment about Richmond being a city with colleges, not a college town. Try Harrisonburg for that. I've seen tons of fixed riders here in town, and most seem to be into the whole attitude thing. I commute to work on mine, a 70's Pugeout, with fenders (in the winter), mtn bike riser bars, and front brake. Once I rode up to this guy on a fixed, no brakes, bullhorns, dressed hardcore, and the guy wouldn't really talk to me. I tried to complement his bike and ask what gear ratio, but I guess since I wasn't hardcore enough he didn't have time. Bummer.

So I don't really try to stand out. I just ride my damn bike.

I like the allusion to Brohan, this is the page my search came up with so all in good time: http://brohan.twothreesix.com/

This is turning into a VA thread. Interesting.

So you got to go over the Blue Ridge to see a bigger fixt sceen. Excellent...

I set myself apart by passing the mantra and stocking cogs and lockrings(Including old BB rings) as well as wheelsets and doing geared-to-fixed conversions as well as trying to start a local winter alleycat(No success so far, got a bunch of ******* around here) :)

I set myself apart by passing the mantra and stocking cogs and lockrings(Including old BB rings) as well as wheelsets and doing geared-to-fixed conversions as well as trying to start a local winter alleycat(No success so far, got a bunch of ******* around here) :)

i wish my boss stocked more cogs, lockrings, and wheelsets...but we've only been around for like, 8 months, so i'll give him some time before i start droping serious hints. we've been selling more track stuff lately though (steamroller frame, a few sets of nitto bars, some chainrings...). hell, we don't even stock nice SS chains (and by "nice," i mean kmc 410NP, and the nickel plated Zs)...i need to give more input when we do orders.

I don't need to shtick out. The fact that I ride at all puts me at the top of the heap, that I ride FG more often than not just adds to the illusion of being. I can hang with the big boys out on the bike paths and streets, but I do it for me not to be different, although that is a benefit.

Rev,
A winter Alley Cat in GA in the dead of winter is a cool idea, what a bunch of *******. When and where? I can't promise I'll be ther but if it works out...

Well I agree with all of you on the "trying not to stand out" thing. Im mister paraniod and try not to attract too much attention to myself or my bike. I was manily talking about, or asking about how your bike stands out. What makes it unique or different then all the other fixies.

i'm not sure if the riders of brohan have an actual webpage, but they have their own subforum on the sprintclub bbs.



I laughed when I read this - 'riders of brohan' immediately brought to mind the Riders of Rohan from LOTR.

Thats cool, thanks for the info. What part in Norfolk you ride? I used to live in VB and have a good friend in the Granby area.

ghent/downtown. i'll probably start making it out to wards corner and possibly ocean view eventually.

Nobody but me cares about my bike or notices.

Phil

nobody cares, but i ride a track bike all day long in traffic, high, tired, heaving boxes around, and i can actually ride fast brakeless without hurting myself or anyone else. and i have a good time. so, what? to some people i stand out. to some people im a punk on a bike. to some people i dunno, im something else. some people notice the cranks, or the frame, or the cigarette im smoking, or the hole in my pants (**** i gotta fix that) but who cares what they notice?

just ride.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot. There was that one time that a senile old lady kept telling me that I was a cop and that I wasn't doing my job by not taking down a police report or something. It was weird. I'm not sure it would mean me or my bike stands out. I would think there were other blue bikes around. If I had been a cop I would have pistol-whipped her. Crazy old lady. Just kidding, I can't bring myself to hurt people no matter how crazy or annoying they are.

NYC is lousy with fixed gear bikes -- it seems every time I turn around someone is riding some dream ride -- a 3Rensho, De Rosa, Cinelli, you name it. I guess folks here have a lot of cash to spend on bikes. It's pretty hard to stand out, and I'm not sure I'd really want to. It's funny, when I rode a flashy chrome pista no one noticed my bike, but I get a lot of comments on my current bike, an orange 1977 paramount.

I wear my tron-boy outfit.

Does it chafe at all? Or does yours include a chamois?

Naisme, should I ever get enough interest to put on an alleycat of any kind it will be posted here.

I am not even sure if it would really be an alleycat. The idea is a point to point to point race, picking up tags from each point. First back wins. Or maybe "Here are all of your points, do em in any order, first back wins" Maybe add in some package carrying or having to stop and pick something up from a store.
I should start a thread for ideas and work on it until fall.

I try not to stand out. I prefer to be invisible

Nobody but me cares about my bike or notices.

Phil

I care. I care because you do.

spinergy wheels :) not many people loctite a cog to their spinergy's :)
I just have to say you have one of the best looking bikes I've ever seen! real nice job!

']Shut up Ian. And eat your salad

[165], you my hero. I'm not original, I do not stand out, I am "not a beautiful or unique snowflake"; I accepted this a while ago.

i don't.

i live in the mission in san francisco, where you can't throw a burrito without hitting someone and their fixie, so i don't get noticed at all.

i like it that way.

Many of the fixies here are ridden by posengers. Mine ride is all commutered up - rack, fenders, blinky lights. It's also home depot orange, which seems to help cars identify it as a moving object. I did fix it up to be noticed - by cars and stoopid drivers. But it doesn't get much attention from other riders, and that's fine by me.

All the roadies I ride with refer to my bike as the "funny" bike.

Even a fellow fixie rider did this last night.

BTW: I ride an older (not the curvy seat tube, the pursuit styled) KHS Aero Track that is neon orange, with deep track drops and a neon pink saddle.

[165], you my hero. I'm not original, I do not stand out, I am "not a beautiful or unique snowflake"; I accepted this a while ago.
Whoa, old thread dredge-up....

i don't stand out because i ride a fixie..i stand out because i'm not in full lycra training for triathalon's. the tampa/st pete area is one of the biggest areas in the country for triathlon's to live (so one of my friends who times triathalons tells me) so basically all you see is either those guys or bums riding their bikes with the flipped alchy bars. there are 3 other riders in the entire tampa/st pete area that i know of that ride fixed but i don't really get any attention. today was actually the first day anyone asked me about my bike, it was an older guys that works in the same building as me that used to race road bikes.