Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Lost in translation- No Hipsters in China!

One billion Chinese can't be wrong!
Oh, and I see WalMart is selling fixed-gears now. Maybe it's time for BikeSnob to declare the trend over!

http://www.slate.com/id/2250893/

It seems ok to me. A lot of people don't want to spend a ton of money or a ton of time to buy or convert their own SS or fixed gear. I spent around $160 to build my beater with ebay and the bargain bin at my LBS. Had I seen the Wally World bike, I might have bought one. Then I would have removed all the stickers. The easier it is to dip your toes into this bike niche the better.

http://www.slate.com/id/2250893/
There's something lost alright: the handlebar!

http://img.slate.com/media/1/123125/122986/2241624/2250269/100421_DIS_zheng-in-beijingEX.jpg

Excerpt:
[His Chinese business partner, Karl Ke, says it's hard to get past China's utilitarian attitude to the bike. While fixed-gear aficionados generally take loving care of their high-end rides, few Chinese bikers see the point: "It's just a tool," Ke said. "You never wash your hammer."]

I would agree, I spent two weeks in China and did not see one bike I would want to own.
They were all heavy utility bikes that everyone stored outside.

I offered to buy a couple new walmart bikes for the family I visited, because the ones they had were pretty worn out, but they refused saying that a new looking bike would get stolen quickly and then they would have none.

Enjoy

so is Hong Kong officially not part of China anymore? If you consider HK to be part of China, I know they gots fixies http://www.hongkongfixed.com/

"Laugh at the poor, not the prostitutes." That is priceless. Can you imagine "laugh at the poor" accepted as an expression in our p.c. culture?

so is Hong Kong officially not part of China anymore? If you consider HK to be part of China, I know they gots fixies http://www.hongkongfixed.com/
I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not...but Hong Kong is still part of China. I've got a few friends in HK that started fixies not too long ago...it's heavily influenced by the Japanese hipsters.

so is Hong Kong officially not part of China anymore? If you consider HK to be part of China, I know they gots fixies http://www.hongkongfixed.com/

i get what you are saying. Hong Kong always was a part of China but owned by the British. However, a few years ago, China re-took Hong Kong back and is under their rules.

i get what you are saying. Hong Kong always was a part of China but owned by the British. However, a few years ago, China re-took Hong Kong back and is under their rules.

Hong Kong was returned by the British to China in 1997. It has a certain degree of autonomy, which permits additional freedoms to its inhabitants and retains certain British anachronistic practices such as driving on the left side of the road.

"Laugh at the poor, not the prostitutes." That is priceless. Can you imagine "laugh at the poor" accepted as an expression in our p.c. culture?

OOh if I said that around here I'd be jumped by someone.

Hong Kong was returned by the British to China in 1997. It has a certain degree of autonomy, which permits additional freedoms to its inhabitants and retains certain British anachronistic practices such as driving on the left side of the road.

hehe i'm sorta right.

Hong Kong was returned by the British to China in 1997. It has a certain degree of autonomy, which permits additional freedoms to its inhabitants and retains certain British anachronistic practices such as driving on the left side of the road.
I'm surprised that you knew about Hong Kong's story...
I was actually born in Hong Kong and lived there till 12 and moved to Canada 6 years ago. We've got this 'One country, two systems' going,

How come these bullhorns are upside down?

fta:
http://img.slate.com/media/1/123125/122986/2241624/2250269/100421_DIS_fixies-on-sale-in-beijingEX.jpg

How come these bullhorns are upside down?

fta:
http://img.slate.com/media/1/123125/122986/2241624/2250269/100421_DIS_fixies-on-sale-in-beijingEX.jpg
Hahahaha, quite wide too.

"Laugh at the poor, not the prostitutes." That is priceless. Can you imagine "laugh at the poor" accepted as an expression in our p.c. culture?

'p.c. culture' - phrase used by privileged middle class whites, either out of feigned indignation, or longing for they day when they can use the n-word again.

Most of what I see derided as P.C. is basically what I see as being polite.

i get what you are saying. Hong Kong always was a part of China but owned by the British. However, a few years ago, China re-took Hong Kong back and is under their rules.

Never "owned", only "leased"....

One billion Chinese can't be wrong!
Oh, and I see WalMart is selling fixed-gears now. Maybe it's time for BikeSnob to declare the trend over!

http://www.slate.com/id/2250893/

one billion chinese are not wrong, it's those of us in a non-bicycle-centric society who see novelty in a common transportation tool, and thus, "wash our hammer".

and fyi, bikesnob did declare the trend over when the mongoose fixie came out.

this thread reminded me of that movie, beijing bicycle. not really based on fixed gears, but was an interesting movie involving bicycles.

How come these bullhorns are upside down?


Will the Q/R on the front wheel cause a loss of street cred too?

I lived in Shanghai for 3 years.

Believe me. There are hipsters. A lot of them are foreign, or foreign-educated, but there's still a decent amount of Chinese ones. They may not drink PBR, but they wear skinny jeans, plaid shirts, beanies, thick-rimmed glasses and party and smoke a lot.

Hold on, maybe I don't know what a hipster is.

Can't we just chalk it up as young people following a trend? China has PLENTY of those. Yeesh. All this labeling is kind of lame.

Oh, and I see WalMart is selling fixed-gears now. Maybe it's time for BikeSnob to declare the trend over!

BikeSnob mentioned it, assembled it, and then reviewed it:
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2010/03/bolts-and-nuts-making-of-classic.html
http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2010/04/bsnyc-product-review-walmarts-mongoose.html

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_wb8bAl1P-N0/S7n0tbQuVgI/AAAAAAAANsQ/O1ME_nG5sss/s1600/mongoose+form.jpg

I still get a chuckle out that contract.

Thought some of you SS&FG folks might enjoy this article from Slate today:

http://www.slate.com/id/2250893/

Convinced the end is nigh? Further evidence—remove the brakes and the Mongoose Cachet has clearance for barspinzzz.
http://urbanvelo.org/mongoose-cachet-review-150-walmart-bike/

http://urbanvelo.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/mongoose_cachet_05.jpg

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?638758-Lost-in-translation-No-Hipsters-in-China!

Oops. Did a quick search but didn't see that.

'p.c. culture' - phrase used by privileged middle class whites, either out of feigned indignation, or longing for they day when they can use the n-word again.

For the record, I have absolutely no longing to use the n-word. Your insinuations to this effect are completely off-base, and, frankly, offensive. (I have helped to publish the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by the way.) In the context of my original post, there was no mention of race. I was simply pointing out cultural differences.

I don't want to hijack this post, but I can't leave schnee's comment unaddressed.

P.C. can be taken way too far. For example, using the phrase African-American or refusing to refer to Mexicans as Mexicans. I always notice my white friends hesitate to say Mexican when referring to people b/c they think it's derogatory or something. It's almost funny how much of a contradiction this is. Not using the word b/c it's "offensive" is just embracing the stereotype instead of fighting it and reclaiming the label.

Most of what I see derided as P.C. is basically what I see as being polite.


i thought it was just me. thank you.