Originally Posted by jim-bob
No, I'm not trying to claim any credit, just adding another data point.
As a shop rat, I built my first fixed gear up in 1991 with a hub that some messenger bag guy brought back from Japan for me. Another wrench gave me a pair of track bars that he'd had hanging around since his junior days, and I had the stylingest nishiki in my high school.
I know E.Zo and some of the king boys were already riding fixed by that point, but yeah, like I said, most of the messengers I saw downtown were riding mountain bikes with the full metal baskets up front, although some had realized that they could chop the sides and front to make a sort of basket/rack thing.
I've never ridden in NYC. For all I know, it could've been a hotbed of fixed activity since the dawn of time. I'm just sharing what I've seen.
OK- If I ever get my hands on another print of that Alice Austin pic I will post it. (some cretin stole it from the CMWC art show in Seattle
)
I tend to think fixed in Frisco is crazy with all those hills!? But hey, to each their own. If you ride NYC bring youir fix cuz I swear this town was built for that bike, flat and fast. With all the weather/grime it is just that much easier to maintain year round.