Chic bike, apparently.
I’ve just discovered that my search for a simple bike makes me officially chic. According to our local newspaper retro fashion is hitting the cycling scene: the normal focus on ever lighter carbon frames and stronger brakes is being challenged by a fringe movement of retro bikes made with fixed gears, simple forks and steel frames. However, rather than this trend being born in a marketers imagination, it seems the industry is catching up with a grass roots movement among bike enthusiasts, who have been refitting older mountain bikes from spares they have in the garage. Of course now the industry has got a hold of it, they are churning out ‘retro’ bikes at €999 a pop, and apparently the fashion conscious are snapping them up as fast as the companies can make them. I’m intrigued: who buys a fixed gear bike with no mudguards, chain guard, luggage carrier or even a back brake for €999? Come to that, why, when perfectly good and more useful bikes are available for less- sometimes for free? Where and when do they ride it? (I’m assuming in flatter places than here, on dry days.) Even Volkswagen have retro bikes as part of their ‘exclusive’ collection, which is ironic considering how much car companies seem to dislike cycling infrastructure.
I’ve never been so cool before. Of course the flip side is that basic components will probably go up in price, so I’m off to search of an old 16” frame while I can still get one for under €100.
4 comments
Comments feed for this article
October 4, 2008 at 11:20 am
David Hembrow
Actually, I also used to also own a fixed wheel bike with no mudguards, no chain guard, no luggage carrier and no back brake.
I would occasionally ride it, as you might guess, mainly in fairly flat places (Cambridge and environs) and only on dry days:
http://hembrow.eu/personal/holdsworth.html
Despite its rough paint job, it was really quite a lovely bike. However, when we moved I sold it. I sort of miss it, but to be honest I never rode it that much.
It was amusing for going out in lycra (which my wife assures me isn’t flattering to my body shape) and pretending to be fast.
The 3 speed is much more useful.
October 4, 2008 at 3:37 pm
Andy in Germany
That’s a lovely looking bike David! I have no problem with fixed gear bikes or their lack of extras, and I probably should have said it’s great that bikes are becoming cool here -perhaps we’re seeing a growth in our bike culture- I was more amazed at the fact people are capable and willing to spend so much on a fixed bike…
October 6, 2008 at 3:03 pm
David Hembrow
I think it’s great to see any type of bikes. However, if people only have an impractical bike (and that’s any impractical bike, not just fixed wheels) then it’s really something that will only get used for toy uses – e.g. as you were saying about dry days etc.
October 7, 2008 at 10:40 am
Andy in Germany
Agreed David. A lot of people I know are stuck with bikes that have a gazillion gears but no mudguards, so they live in the garage. The bikes, I mean.
On the other hand a fun bike is a great thing, better than a polluting, noisy, ‘fun’ car.