HAHAHAHHAAH thats awesome!
but... be carefull. Don't use the word "hipster" on this forum. I once got reamed for that.

wrong people over 40 know there's nothing new under the sun
people under 40 don't realize it's all been done before over and over

men with tight pants? over sized eye glasses? ironic moustaches? riding a single speed fixed gear bicycle? nothing new

At my age I have pubic hair that has lived a longer richer life than a lot of people on this forum, not too worried.

Stupid Trend=12-15 year old kids riding bmx bikes as transportation
THose bikes don't fit you, and they would be better suited for a 3'10 tall rider.

Do you braid or simply part and comb?

How about a 6'4" tall rider on a bmx bike, I ride my BMX for transportation more than my GTB, I'll kick you in the shins.

am I the only one who has noticed bars getting wider??? all the fixed gear freestyle dudes (people who actually ride alot) just ride pretty much stock width, or alot wider than usual, risers now.

wide bars ****ing rule.

pretty wide. I know this is sort of a niche group within the 'fixed gear scene' but still more people riding wider bars.

Yeah I've really only seen FGFS kids ride wide bars, though I've been riding pretty wide bars as opposed to the "shoulderwidth standard" for about a year now.

I don't see what the point here. When I first started riding rollers and couldn't keep the handlebars steady, I realised that if I held the handlebars right at the stem, with my thumbs almost touching, I could hold the bike a lot more steady.
There are other variables in this too. If your stem is shorter, that makes the bike easier to manoeuvre. So, if one can handle the bike in traffic, why would I complain? I know I can handle such narrow bars. I don't have such narrow bars because I want more hand positions. Maybe these people are OK with one position. Maybe they ride between cars and through narrow spaces. I'll let them be and be on my way.

That's because the bike-spec needs of tricking are different from the bike-spec needs of shooting through traffic in an urban environment. Don't forget that when the fixed gear trend started up, messenger style was the name of the game in terms of fashion, bikes, riding style, etc. It has since shifted in the direction of tricking, and a lot has shifted along with it.

wider bars means more leverage means more maneuverability means more control

I have no problem w/people running chopped risers. They make sense for an upright riding position, and you don't need all that width. I even chopped off an inch on each side of the risers on my FR/DH bike. The extreme ones that are chopped all the way down so the grips are down in the bends...that's pretty ridiculous, but whatever. Hipster see, hipster do.

One of the things that I like most about messing with bikes is that it's so affordable. An ordinary guy can be as extreme as he wants in modifying components and, when he decides he doesn't like it anymore, acquire a replacement and try something else.

I posted on BF for a long time before I started reading SS&FG posts regularly. Now I've come to believe this forum most closely matches my philosophy of mixing art and function. Wide handlebars, narrow handlebars, I don't care. As long as the guy who owns the bike likes it, whether for functional reasons or for purely decorative reasons, I'm happy for him.

+1. while i still don't understand people building up $1k+ leaders or pakes, bikes are very affordable to mess around with. besides bikes, I loves cars. I wanted to change some things up on my 95 m3, holy ****. simple changes like different wheels, coilover suspension, new air filter with different mass air flow sensor and enging tuning is cervelo territory.

On the other hand, when you do a handsling on the track, the partner being relieved comes in at full gas with the left hand right next to the stem (and the thumb behind the bolt on the old Cinelli 1A stems when these were what we used, when they had the single bolt clamping the bars), grabs his partner's left hand with his right, and throws him to full speed while scrubbing speed on the exchange. All the time, the bike is going in a straight line (relative to the track).

So I figure it's no problem maintaining a straight line with the narrow bars.

The problem might arise when you need to steer (rather than lean) a turn. Kind of removes some options. Combine this with removing the brakes and relying solely on skid stops and you've reduced the performance envelope of the bike considerably.

L.

I just went back to wide-ass flat bars and a long low stem on my old mountain goat, and I'm incredibly happy with it.

I took an inch off each end of my risers to make them fit the same way I used bars on my MTB and motorcycle. I just wanted a comfortable position and flickable handling.

I have these too, have you found plugs that fit these bars? All of the ones I had laying around were too fat.

i would say a foul trend #1 would be putting BMX style bars on a fixed gear, at the point where you are going off jumps on a fixed gear you should just go back to riding BMX, and if you want an added challenge, throw a fixed hub on there.

trend #2 grinding down tubular wheels to fit clinchers

#3 skids in tubulars

Welcome to half a decade ago.

I wonder if there isn't a utilitarian purpose behind the short bars though, at least beyond ridability. I can see it being somewhat easier to maneuver a bike in and out of an apartment or on and off public transportation with a short barred bike.

First off, I have no idea why because I dont do it or know anyone who does.
But it seems people can't win for anything they do just cause they like it for whatever reason. People complain about people that have drops and ride them up top and then when they chop bars and make them short for their riding preference ... well they get insulted then too. People do different things for different reasons, sometimes for stupid reasons. But alas who cares, this has been talked about before and should we really bring it up again? Just banter between your friends who dislike it or something.

Exactly.
one mans ridiculous is another mans handlebar. Its all just talking.
But, if I saw 4-6 people a day wearing cowboy hats in the city, Id ask "does anyone notice all the people wearing cowboy hats in the city?" Then if someone said to me "I can't do anything right anymore. I wear a baseball hat, everyone makes fun of it. I wear a cowboy had, everyone makes fun of that too". I would feel for that guy, but kinda think its funny at the same time too.
As I said, its just talking.