A brief discussion on fixed gear culture and retro fixed gear

"Fixed Gear" has made a great impact on the cycling community in recent years. Many young people like the simplicity and freedom brought by Fixed Gear, and I am one of them. However, because Fixed Gear does not have the "characteristics" of traditional brake devices, many traditional cyclists not only do not accept Fixed Gear, but also feel disgusted with it, and even criticize it on the Internet.

I happen to own bicycles of various types, whether it is road, mountain, folding to the current Fixed Gear. Living in Guangzhou, a city at the forefront of national culture, I have a deeper understanding of the bicycle culture of various circles. It only took a few years for the Fixed Gear culture to emerge and become popular. I can neutrally summarize the contradictions of these cultures in one sentence - there are no dangerous cars, only dangerous people. In fact, the Fixed Gear culture is not dangerous, what is lacking is guidance. Guiding Fixed Gear riders to have the correct riding concept is what I and BIKETO have been working hard to do. The editor would also like to appeal to everyone here to abandon the word "fixed gear" and use "Fixed Gear" instead. The word "fixed gear" is not helpful in promoting the culture of Fixed Gear in the right direction.

A brief talk about Fixed Gear culture

Every weekend, there is always a group of young people who ride bicycles without brakes in the city's underground passages and squares. The colorful bicycles always attract pedestrians to stop and watch. The bicycles these young people ride are commonly known as "fixed gears". Fixed Gear is the same type of bicycle as Track Bike, but the riding area is not limited to the gymnasium. Fixed Gear Bike comes from the New York Old School bicycle culture. It originally originated from the daily use of Messenger couriers. After becoming popular in Harajuku, Japan, it began to spread rapidly around the world and became a representative of street culture. Because Fujiwara Hiroshi and a group of Harajuku hipsters are fans of Fixed Gear Bike, hipsters all over the world began to pay attention to Fixed Gear movement, and Fixed Gear movement and Fixed Gear style began to become popular. In early 2009, the Fixed Gear craze in China began.

Fixed Gear Cultural Classification

Fixed Gear is now mainly divided into two categories: racing and action. Action-oriented Fixed Gear originated from BMX. Fixed Gear can do more skills that BMX cannot do (such as reverse riding, etc.), so it is very popular among riders who like to study action. But the real popular Fixed Gear is the racing model. The racing here refers to the racing style, not necessarily high-speed riding, and racing cars also have multiple sub-categories. Among them, the classic-style Fixed Gear is favored by many literary and artistic young people.

Retro Fixed Gear

The PROUD CAT Fixed Gear that appeared this time is a typical retro racing Fixed Gear. The reason why this car is used as an example is that many details of this car are examples of retro Fixed Gear. First of all, the frame of this PROUDCAT is made of Columbus stainless steel pipes. Columbus (COLUMBUS) is also known as "pigeon tubes" by riders. The frame made of this pipe has excellent shock absorption performance, but because of the characteristics of steel, the rigidity is also very good. The frame is equipped with retro LUG socket technology, exuding a strong sense of classicism. Painting is also a very sophisticated aspect of retro Fixed Gear. Most retro Fixed Gear will not use too bright colors, low-key but not exaggerated. The retro flat shoulder LUG front fork is also a highlight. Here I want to correct a concept for everyone. The rigidity of the flat shoulder front fork is the best. Later road cars abandoned the flat shoulder design for aerodynamics.

In terms of wheels, the track hubs of CAMPAGOLO and SHIMANO have always been the favorites of high-end Fixed Gear players. Their unparalleled lubricity and meticulous workmanship can easily distinguish them from low-end hubs. The rims of vintage Fixed Gear generally use low-profile blade rims or ordinary flat rims. The rims of this PROUD CAT Fixed Gear use the H+SON low-profile bright silver blade rims that are well-known in the Fixed Gear industry, matched with CAMPAGNOLO's silver hubs and silver spokes, the wheels are shining silver, and are a perfect match for the frame.

NJS certification is the ultimate pursuit of many retro Fixed Gear players. NJS originated from Japan's racing wheel. The purpose of the racing wheel is to revitalize the Japanese bicycle industry. At the same time, in order to ensure that all participants in this gambling event have no equipment advantage, Japanese racing wheels have more parts specifications than European and American events. All bicycle parts that can enter the track must be certified by NJS (Nihon Jitensha Shinkokai, Japan Cycling Promotion Association). Only qualified products can have the NJS mark in the upper right corner. Therefore, the frames and parts that have passed the NJS certification have superior quality. The handlebars and stems on this car are NJS certified, so the angle of this car is also in line with the setting of the racing wheel, full of speed.

In fact, the retro Fixed Gear must not only have a retro appearance, but also have an "authentic" riding experience. In fact, I thought this bike was difficult to control at first because the frame and the drop are large, and it is difficult to control without a good figure. But after getting on the bike, I didn't feel any discomfort. After putting on the foot cover, I shuttled through the streets. The gear ratio is a bit large, and the editor's foot strength can't do SKID, but it is still possible to jump the rear wheel to slow down. When riding Fixed Gear on the road, you must pay 100% attention to the road conditions, and you must look further ahead and slow down in advance. This bike faithfully restores a chariot that was so popular in the wheel racing field back then. Both the smoothness and angle of the whole bike are first-class. In fact, the retro Fixed Gear will have more elements-leather accessories, old-fashioned closed wheels, copper bells, etc. These are all common bicycle elements of our fathers and grandfathers.