My first bike was an old, heavy, crappy Centurion I got for $25 from Salvation Army. Rode it for a few months before getting extremely aggravated with it. No matter how hard I pedaled, I couldn't keep up with my friends. Seriously, that thing was a tank, and probably not the correct fit either.

So I was hanging out with some friends from the punk scene, and he was like "yo check out this DVD I just got". And he threw in MASH. I was just completely drawn to it. I came from a skateboarding background, so the setup of the video with each rider having their own parts with music, instantly reminded me of skate videos. Not going to lie, skidding is the one thing that drew me towards fixed gear. Seeing the way the kids in MASH were bombing hills, weaving through traffic, and skidding to slow down/stop was mesmerizing. So I started saving my monies for a fixed gear. Bianchi was the brand I wanted most, so I saved up and got the Pista. I wanted the Chrome version, but the only Bianchi dealer in a 3+ hour radius didn't have my size. They did have the navy in my size though, which is what I ended up getting. I was disappointed at first, but grew to love it.



It only took me about 2-3 months before the front brake came off. Been riding fixed & brakeless ever since. Coming up on 10 years now. Since then, I upgraded parts on this bike. Unfortunately, about 4 years ago, it was stolen while living in LA. I was able to make an insurance claim, and I purchased a Super Pista as a replacement (my dream frame). I still want to get a navy Pista to build up for daily commuting though.

Height of my hipster days :