mb158127

So, I am sitting on my porch having a beer after work just now. Fixie rider passing buy - he has no helmet but is wearing tight JORTS cut below the knee. He drops his mountain dew out of his bottle cage on the road in front, waits for traffic to pass, turns around and gets it. I notice his bike looks exactly like this fixie that has been getting spammed on the local craigslist for like 175 clams.

I yelled out to him "hey did you just buy that?"
"Yea"
"How much was it?"
"a buck-92"
"No I mean the bike" (he thought I was asking about his mountain dew...I already knew he had been taken)
"Oh - I got a really good deal, she was asking 175, but she immediately said she would take 150. I offered her 120 and she took it."
"oh wow - sounds like you got a great deal, mind if I take a look I really like bikes..."

The thing weighed like 30 pounds. Heavy, welded steel frame. Or maybe Iron haha. One piece steel cranks painted black, steel pedals. Not sure the wheel manufacturer but something I've never heard of, it was like a "deep" rim I think they call it (looks like a track rim), alloy but I think single walled based on the sound. I think the brake calipers were plastic painted chrome. Leopard print bar tape....

"Yea I was trying to figure out the brand but I'm not sure..." (there are no stickers on the frame - keep in mind this has now clearly been identified as a mass production BSO sold on ebay as a "track bike").

"Wow, looks like you got a good deal - flip flop hub, awesome, enjoy it."

Seriously - what is wrong with these kids today?

hairnet

kids - not all of us are huge bike enthusiasts and simply want a bike that works

mb158127

I should have mentioned I live in a hilly city. If that is the case he could have got a used Roadmaster off CL for 30 bucks.

Paramount1973 

Yep, kids. Should I tell you about the beautiful older Bianchi I recently saw converted to a fixie down at the local bike coop by a 20-something kid?... Nah.

hairnet

Should I tell you about the Raleigh International with all the braze-ons and derailer hanger chopped off? PEOPLE, MAN. WHY!?

mb158127

I don't know which is worse though - drewing a nice vintage bike or carrying this heavy chunk of steel up every hill around the city. I'd almost prefer to not see him suffer.

rootboy 

I dunno. I road a fixie when I was 9. It was a Huffy, as I remember. 1962

spurious

Its a fad. And like all fads it will die.

I hope its sooner rather then later. The market for frames has inflated dramatically in recent years.

kiwigem

I don't think that's really fair. There are some serious cyclists out there who really enjoy and reap great benefits (I am told) from fixed gear cycling. Simply labeling it a fad is dismissive and casts too broad a net I think.

jet sanchEz

it has been a fad now for 5 years, I don't think it is going to go away.

$120 for a bike that the guy is going to put hundreds of miles on this summer isn't really a bad deal as long as the bike is safe and functional. Some of the best memories I have are of bombing down the hills in High Park on a 35lb mountain bike with my friends when I was 16. I delivered newspapers and flipped hamburgers to save up for $200 to buy it, probably got ripped off but, those memories are pretty valuable to me now.

jet sanchEz

it has been a fad now for 5 years, I don't think it is going to go away.

$120 for a bike that the guy is going to put hundreds of miles on this summer isn't really a bad deal as long as the bike is safe and functional. Some of the best memories I have are of bombing down the hills in High Park on a 30lb mountain bike with my friends when I was 16. I delivered newspapers and flipped hamburgers to save up for the $300 to buy it, probably got ripped off but, those memories are pretty valuable to me now.

mparker326

Sounds like he got a pretty good deal on a bike that he likes and is happy.

What's the problem?

Spoonrobot 

Food thread now. How do you guys like your cookies?

Fenway

The guy could have bought a new BSO for less than that CL bike.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Thruster-7...-Bike/17206771

Charles Wahl

Fixie guy was riding and you were just drinking beer.

noglider 

Fixies are fun.

cudak888 

Some hipster girl moved in to one of the efficiencies recently. On the day of her arrival, the only thing I noticed in the pile of stuff outside the house was an upturned black Nishiki fixie conversion with mustache bars and a mis-matched bright orange Velocity Deep V up front.

Yech.

Had half a mind to offer $25 bucks for the piece of junk - just so I could put the thing out of its misery.

Either that, or sell her a bright green saddle to make the whole thing uglier.

-Kurt

mb158127

Lots of haters

"sounds like he got a great deal"

"as long as he is happy"

"as long as it is safe"

etc etc

(ps I said "kid" - he was about 22. I am 26. He is old enough to know better.)

I understand fixies. ****, I have a technium 440 conversion myself - I love it, great work horse. Got the frame for 15 bucks and used parts at the bike rescue for free. Spent 50 bucks on a used wheelset making a 65 dollar very nice fixie. This is what "messenger culture" or whatever is about.

However, the whole idea of a fixie as a cheap, low maintenance bike to get around with easily and "become one" with is totally NEGATED when you spend over $100 on a heavy BSO which will be high maintenance because it is made of cheap parts. He basically paid for leopard print tape and track-looking tires. There is nothing smart or good about this purchase. His BSO will be in the dump by next year when it turns to rust and the BB falls out. $120 gone, coulda had a nice vintage bianchi to drew at least.

My point is not that fixies suck - its that now there are kids spending lots of money on crap to try and be part of the scene. At least 2 years ago kids knew to look for a nice chromo frame.

oh yea, and I was drinking a beer AFTER my ride home from work. I am not a fair weather rider like many and you won't find my bike on top of an SUV.

Velognome 

Fad? Like the English TT bikes and most clubs bikes up throught the 50's weren't fixed gear? I get a wee bit offended when fixed gear riders get tossed under the bus with hipster ( I don't think the hipsters like it either)

As a C&V formites, I'd think we'd applaud the use of older frames whether fixed gear, IGH or derailleured.....I think it great he's interested in an older bike, fixed gear or other. Perhaps it's his entry into the C&V world? Maybe one day he'll be asking about the proper seat pin for his newly aquired '48 Bates fixed gear...Then you'll be beggin for pictures!

Sprayman

I don't know about that. I'm glad to see so many young people getting into cycling, fixed gear or otherwise, fad or not. Some of them will drop it and some will keep riding for years.

Just this week I finished building up my first fixed-gear bike from an old frame. I love it.

zukahn1 

This isn't surprising I have found recently that you can sell almost vintage road bike built up as a SS or fixed gear for a couple of hundred if its ready to ride and rides half way decent. The couple I have built recently sold on CL despite not being great bikes with minor issues fairly easy in about a day for $200. Basically if it vintage SS or Fixie even half ass conversion and looks good it will sell for $200 more if its close to decent. This is kinda sad sense I have had a hard time selling vintage rebuilt road sports bikes nicer rebuilt built up vintage road bike seem to get little interest or respect. There are just a lot of great bargains in nicer or rebuilt vintage road bikes in the $250 plus price range.

Paramount1973 

Actually, the kid with the Bianchi I mentioned had not drewed the frame, just stripped it of brakes, etc.. I thanked him for not cutting off the derailleur hanger and mentioned that someone in the future might want to use it as a geared bike. He seem surprised at that. Nevertheless, the more cyclists on the road the better for all, a rising tide floats all boats.

noglider 

Agreed, and is the word hipster designed to be purely derogatory?

Michael Angelo 

The last fixie conversion I've seen was a perfect Centurion Ironman one of those dave scott models , the LBS had cut off every hanger, braze on. really sad. The funny thing is I don't really care for Centurions at all, but seeing one get chopped up made me mad.

jimmuller 

You don't need a light frame on a fixie. Once you've taken all the gearing stuff of it's so light that you'll never notice the frame weight.