Not all of fixies looked as beautiful as the Rapha Condor Recycling team colours bike pictured here...
Fixed speed bikes - which do not have a freewheel hub on the rear - started life on the velodrome track, where neither coasting nor brakes are required, and where the extra weight of cassette, freewheel, brakes, cable and levers are all destined to slow down a rider. On a fixed speed bike if the wheels are moving then so are your legs, and you brake by slowing your legs (no mean feat if you're going fast!). They have since become very popular with urban cycle couriers where their speed and reduced maintenance costs are beneficial, and where the simplicity and 'coolness' of the bikes plays an even bigger part.A fixed-speed bike is about as basic as you can get - like a child's trike only faster.
Single-speed bikes on the other hand are a hybrid: a single gear (no cassette) on the rear, no derailleur and only a single chain wheel on the front, but a rear hub with a freewheel so you can coast along without your legs having to keep pace with the back wheel. ]]>
I've recently converted my old crash-victim Le Mond into a single-speed bike, and I'll post my experience up here soon. Suffice to say though, I love the feel of the bike now. It's definitely lighter (with some bits still to come off), and has a really 'raw' feel to it: you can tell when this bike is going uphill! It also makes my Focus feel wonderfully easy to ride, which is another bonus.
As well as the gear-free life, the show had lots more to offer. Some of it was not too interesting to me - like the BMX demonstrations (although judging by the hordes of kids with their jeans around their ankles it was interesting to some), but the rest of it was very exciting - it was like bike heaven!
The products and events I found most interesting are listed below, and I've put some more pictures up on Google's Picasa service
1. RVCA/Cinelli/Barry McGee collaboration
RVCA and Cinelli asked McGee to produce some limited edition frame colours. According to chap on the Chicken Cycles stand, the bikes sold out immediately and they had to a
sk to borrow one back for the show! It's no surprise when you see the bikes: the classic frame styling (see right) combines really well with McGee's design. More pictures are available here and here.2. Active Ankling
Specialized had a large stand at the show and were pushing their Body Geometry (BG) system clothes, shoes and bike-fitting service. Dr Andy Prutt (of Complete Medical Guide for Cyclists fame) was giving a talk on how to setup a bike and how this affected cycling efficiency and helped prevent injury. It was all very interesting, but most interesting of all was what he said about 'Active Ankling'. Conventional wisdom tells you to cycle with a level foot, but he suggested that actually you get much better rotational force - i.e. more power - by rotating your foot downwards at the 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock crank positions. Active Ankling is about activating your calf muscles and pushing down with your toes during the downstroke and pulling up with your heel during the up-stroke. This is how Spinning instructors tell you to cycle and personally it comes naturally to me, so I was encouraged that I might actually be doing something right. Apparently Lance Armstrong does it this way too...
fame) was giving a talk on how to setup a bike and how this affected cycling efficiency and helped prevent injury. It was all very interesting, but most interesting of all was what he said about 'Active Ankling'. Conventional wisdom tells you to cycle with a level foot, but he suggested that actually you get much better rotational force - i.e. more power - by rotating your foot downwards at the 6 o'clock and 9 o'clock crank positions. Active Ankling is about activating your calf muscles and pushing down with your toes during the downstroke and pulling up with your heel during the up-stroke. This is how Spinning instructors tell you to cycle and personally it comes naturally to me, so I was encouraged that I might actually be doing something right. Apparently Lance Armstrong does it this way too...3. Green Oil
Tired of flushing poisonous chemicals down your drain every time you wash your steed? Green Oil has been around a little while now, and promises to deliver 'nasty-free' lubrication to your bike. The oil won a What Mountain Bike Gold award and various other accolades, and the creators have just launched a new product for cleaning your bike, which looks interesting, and it should be available to buy soon. In the meantime, you can do your bit for the environment by buying some Green Oil from Wiggle
4. Bike Porn
It would be impractical to read or watch porn whilst cycling (believe me, I've tried), so the next best thing is to stand around in public with 5,000 other men looking at "Bike Porn". There was lots of it around, and as usual, the more exclusive the bike parts, or the more elaborate the "make-up", the bigger the crowd. Pics on Picasa
5. High-class Bike Porn
The porn kings were of course the Condor and Rapha stands which had me and many others drooling and w
ondering how many children/cats/cars/kidneys we'd have to sell in order to buy just some of the many seductive products they had on show. The £3500 fixed-gear bike in Rapha Condor Recycling team colours was
one of my highlghts of the show, and if I closed my eyes I could almost
picture myself cycling away on it into downhill into a sunset with a
strong wind behind me.... Here I've taken a picture of the chain, because even
that looks stunning! I can't afford the bike though, so instead I'll "make do" with a beautiful but pricey Rapha Softshell jacket
which makes me look cool-as-a-fridge (it's great what an asymetric zip can
do). 6. Drum-kit bicycle
This was the highlight of the day
and really topped it all off for me. On the wayout of Earl's Court, sat just outside the tube station opposite the exhibition centre was a chap playing drums made out of what looked like a bicycle frame. I couldn't believe it when I approached and saw that it actually was a bicycle frame - and one that he rode there on. The small drums and cymbals were carried in a pannier on the back of the bike and then clipped onto it to make the drum-kit. Sat upside down on its saddle and handlebars it looked fantastic. The Australian/Kiwi (sorry I don't know which) chap playing was sat in full sunshine and really going for it so he had worked up a sweat but he was clearly enjoying himself. Sat outside the cycle show, his location and timing couldn't have been better and he had a good crowd listening and was getting lots of donations. When he finished he told me he was earning a living this way but had only been doing it for 3 weeks. Let's hope he can keep feeding himself when the weather turns colder (or maybe he's heading back to Australia/New Zealand - sorry again - when that happens?)
Roundup
I had a lovely day out in London. I learnt lots, saw some very sexy bike kit - most of which I'll never be able to afford, bought myself a lurvuly new jacket and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. The fact that the beer was weak, the pasty had no beef in it, and I didn't manage to win the Rollapaluza-style 200m sprint set up by British Cycling (Bah!) are neither here nor there. I'll definitely attend next year, and recommend you do the same.
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This was the highlight of the day
and really topped it all off for me. On the wayout of Earl's Court, sat just outside the tube station opposite the exhibition centre was a chap playing drums made out of what looked like a bicycle frame. I couldn't believe it when I approached and saw that it actually was a bicycle frame - and one that he rode there on. The small drums and cymbals were carried in a pannier on the back of the bike and then clipped onto it to make the drum-kit. Sat upside down on its saddle and handlebars it looked fantastic. The Australian/Kiwi (sorry I don't know which) chap playing was sat in full sunshine and really going for it so he had worked up a sweat but he was clearly enjoying himself. Sat outside the cycle show, his location and timing couldn't have been better and he had a good crowd listening and was getting lots of donations. When he finished he told me he was earning a living this way but had only been doing it for 3 weeks. Let's hope he can keep feeding himself when the weather turns colder (or maybe he's heading back to Australia/New Zealand - sorry again - when that happens?)
Roundup
I had a lovely day out in London. I learnt lots, saw some very sexy bike kit - most of which I'll never be able to afford, bought myself a lurvuly new jacket and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. The fact that the beer was weak, the pasty had no beef in it, and I didn't manage to win the Rollapaluza-style 200m sprint set up by British Cycling (Bah!) are neither here nor there. I'll definitely attend next year, and recommend you do the same.
