Just heard on the radio today at noon (CST) on Day to Day, they are going to be talking about "The Return of the Fixed Gear Bicycle"... not sure if thats good or bad.

some of you might be interested, maybe not..

Im sure itll be entertaining to hear those, oh so intelligent, NPR folks talk about fixed gear bikes.
And return?..Where did they go?

I thought that was made ages ago? Naz (Absenter) was on it. Maybe this is something new?

I didn't see a podcast for Day to Day and I'm stuck in a meeting from 10-11 (when it's on here). Can someone post it as an MP3?

they'll probably have the podcast up after the show. the site says they'll post the audio at 4pm eastern.

Cool, I missed that. Thanks

just listened. short but factually accurate for the most part. the "F.A.M." thing kinda bummed me out, but i've just gotten used to the sentiment and understand why it exists, as i catch myself bumming out sometimes at the cookie-cutter bianchi-pista art-school types myself...which is just as stupid.

wow i really rambled there.

What is F.A.M.? (Sorry, I'm not 24 anymore)

F.A.M.

the messenger in the piece described the acronym as "Fake Ass Messenger". it's kinda funny actually...
oh, and i'm not 24 anymore either. wish i was...

My mom called me up about this show, and she was like "Ha ha, are you a F.A.M.?" and I was like, "Aw hamburgers, mom, I just ride bikes."

Swear to god.

It is amazing how popular it has become. Uhh Football that is.

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=7217570

Hear that LA, you guys only ride sace shuttle bikes...

edit: you have to actually listen to the clip to understand that.

Whoa! THose are some young rugged looking bicyclists!

I heard that some of the racers at the Track Nationals called messengers "FATR" - do the math.

That whole stance - both sides - is ridiculous. Who cares. Deliver your packages and sandwiches. Ride your rig at the velo. It doesn't help to protect something that was never yours and belongs to everyone.

It's not punk to be punk anymore.

the first thing i thought about when i heard the first two people was "shweaty balls"

I was actually thinking about the FATR thing in my head, so thanks for that [165].

My question is:

(image stolen from a member of dcfixed.com)

edit: is that displaying as a link for anybody else?

Interesting piece--not very substantive.

So, if I don't have the bag, am I still a F.A.M.?

When the subculture becomes mainstream, does the mainstream become subculture? Does that mean I'm punk if I buy my clothes at the gap or American Eagle ? I better go buy some Barry Manilow albums.

I am not saying anything about the ladies and gents still braving the streets or the lycra-wrapped muscle burritos riding circles on banked wood or concrete. I am just saying that sometimes blinders are a good thing - I just keep my head down and go.

I remember when a few guys from my high school wrestling team showed up at a Bad Brains show because they thought it would be cool to tell everyone they went to a punk show. They showed up in tore-up oxford-style shirt with freshly inked "punk" slogans (take your pick - if you need help, go check out Hot Topic...) on the sleeves and back a la ST shirts. They weren't "part" of the scene, and they never wanted to do anything but fit in for one show. Whatever. It didn't affect my enjoyment of the line-up. A lot of people thought that "repo man" sold out the punk/HC movement in the US.

I was just happy to see Keith Morris doing Faux lounge. And Zander Schloss stackin' cans, as Kevin.

On brakes: "It spoils that pure, minimalist look a bit, but a brake makes it less likely that you'll crash into a bus."


Well, you can't argue with that.

I had a similar experience when ska hit it pretty big. Swarms of teenie bopper girls wearing used catholic gradeschool skirts they bought at goodwill or gold sparly thingies they bought at hot topic. And dumb jocks with Xs on their hands running into people as they were "moshing." I only got upset because there was less room to dance. Now they all listen to emo.

---then again, not too many ska shows around here anymore, ....... other than skappleton

I can't believe people who live day in and day out with cars can seriously think bicycles have gotten so high tech. Time was you could open the hood of a car, and see the engine. Cars have changed a lot more in the last thirty years than bicycles have. If you look at a 1976 bicycle, and a 2006 bicycle, you're pretty much looking at the same thing. The parts have changed a little, but they pretty much work the same way they did 30 years ago with some refinements such as indexed shifting. I can't beleive she mentioned lights! I'm pretty sure that "innovation" has been around more than a hundred years. Now compare a carbeurator to an EFI.

I'm picturing the woman who compared modern bicycles to the space shuttle, and imagining she probably drives a Prius. Irony is not dead.

well if the last time you touched a bike was when you were a child

road bikes and other modern bikes probably seem pretty hi-tech

and ignorance and unfamiliarity make things seem more complicated that they are

Well, lights aren't minimalist cool.


I should send the reporter a picture of my fixie, which has brakes, fenders, and lights! OMG! My head explodes!