desmo13

No, converisons are not fakes.

What you see going here is almost exclusive to the biking community. Most of society pushes bikes around. (cars for example, or in the mountain biking world, the hikers and horse people dominate over the bikers)

So, since cyclist are on the bottom of the food chain, and they can't control their environment, they do the only thing they can do, turn on each other. Cross country mtb'ers diss Downhillers for shuttling, Downhillers hate on XC weenies for wearing lycra and riding up hills, all MTB'ers put down roadies, roadies hate on sister's pants fixie riders, "real" fixie riders hate on people who use brakes or convert and old bike to a single speed or fixed gear.

What I do not get the most though, it the thought that the people who do conversions are "cheap" broke no money people who convert because they cant afford a "real" track bike. By browsing the site, I would think people put more money into their conversion than the cookie cutter "track" bikes being raved over.

And while I am at it, to the elitest fixie crowd, your stuff is cheap. fixed gear, track bikes are cheap. It is silly to think you are high class because you have a track frame. Look at a Pista, or a Kilo, Keirin etc.. Your bikes that make you think you are better than those with conversions are not worth half as much as the forks on my downhill bike.

One last thought. While I love a nice track bike, I love even more the nicely done conversion. First and foremost, it represents a resurrection of a unused bike. (mine sat idle from 1990 to 2007). I like the thinking, and planning it takes to put together some old and some new parts and the uniqueness of each build.


I am desmo,
I converted
I have brakes. (actually, I have front and rear since I ride SS one in a while)