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Seems like a lifetime ago. It was 1989 and I was working as a mechanic at a bike shop to help support what would be my last season of bicycle racing. I can't remember how that bike made it into the shop and onto the top rack by the door. I just remember noticing that lone new track bike in the one day and asking my boss about it. The story went that it was built for something called Keirin racing (something I never bothered to confirm). He suggested I give the Panasonic Track 4000 a try. This was back when almost nobody in Connecticut had ever seen a fixed gear, let alone ride one. Thankfully, the Track 4000 came with a brake. Oddly though it was factory drilled only for a back brake, and the forks didn't come drilled for a front one. I still remember the first time I test rode it. It was very sweet. Anyway, the frame was probably a couple centimeters larger than I'd have normally gone with but still in a safe range, and the negotiated price with employee discount was right. I soon after became the owner of my first and only fixed gear bike. It became my town bike for some of college and eventually lost favor to cars, girls, and rowing. In the mean time the track sew ups were swapped for cyclecross sew ups, a dummy brake hood was added, I put some new tape, pedals, a freewheel, and a chainring on the bike. I think I even kept all the original parts along the way. And now it sits at my Mom's house, in nice condition and with only a few hundred miles on it.

I've noticed something lately. Other people in NYC, not just messengers and racers, are riding fixed gears. I'm seeing them everywhere. And I'm getting fat and shelling out too much dough for taxis. So, tomorrow I'm going to visit an old friend. Maybe my Panasonic will even get a new pair of wheels. Maybe I'll switch to clinchers. Or maybe I'll just get the sew up wheels trued and find some Contis. Either way, I think I'll be riding a fixed gear by the end of the week.

That being said:
Function over form clincher wheelsets for a 190-200 pound guy in NYC? Is Velocity the way to go?
What clinchers don't totally suck?
What's the best handlebar and single brake set-up for the City?
What lock should I get?
What are decent but not expensive helmets?

Cheers,
Peter J