Fixed Mag Issue 1

FREE
Track bike culture - Summer 2008 - www.fixed-mag.com
Go Play in Traffic...
ood: riding
Two Wheels G
with John
Cardiel.
Setagaya Park: Tokyo’s newest riding spot
Who the hell is Supe
rted?
ris.
n invades Pa
iale: Londo
Entente Cord
Kyle Kelley: The brains behind Trackosaurus
+
Rex.
Between the Lines/Bike Polo/From Hanoi to Hackney/
Word To Mother/What’s up, Huf?/Most Wanted/
Jonathan Burkett Bike Check and the best cycling photos out there...
1
Startline.
We are often unkind to new creations,
new talent and the new in general but the new needs friends...
Hi... Glad you could make it; you are looking
at the first issue of Fixed Mag. I’m typing
this before it’s even finished and I’m already
excited - and we know you will be too. We
had a lucky start, with riders contributing
from all over the world and we want Fixed
to become even more international... We’ve
heard whispers of fixed scenes rising in many
small, far away cities and we want to help
bring those riders to a common, welcoming
new arena.
We’re at the beginning of something very new,
which promises to be the most significant and
amazing time. This is the ‘no holdsbarred,
anything goes, let’s do this and don’t give a
fuck what anyone else thinks’ stage. Believe
me, the ‘don’t give a fuck’ mentality has
brought this magazine a long way already,
and is propably a large part of why you are
where you is!
There is more than enough time for this
evolving culture to branch out and sprout
more specific sub-cultures, but just hold on a
minute - there ain’t no rush! Slow down, enjoy
the ride and take a look at who is riding next
to you.
Andy Ellis, Fixed Mag
London, June 2008
Fixed-magazine
Editor: Andy Ellis
[email protected]
Art Director: Viktor Vauthier
[email protected]
Publishing Editor: Ian Sansom
[email protected]
Contents.
Senior Photographer: Cedric Viollet
[email protected]
Production Manager: Nastassia Conquet
[email protected]
Contributing Writers
Sebastien Carayol, Andy Ellis, Will Harmon, Kyle
Kelley, Tom LaMarche, Max Lewis, Louis-David
Najar, Burd Phillips, Sebastien Renard, Ian Sansom, Patrick Straub, Minh-ai Ton, Odge Wong,
Pete Yak.
Startline.
Let’s get this party started
6
Contents.
A point of reference
8
Contributing Photographers
Ben Broomfield, Jonathan Burkett, Sebastien
Carayol, Andy Ellis, Massan Fluker, Ken Goto,
Steve Hartley, Marcel Lammerhirt, Jose Martinez, Tom James, Max Lewis, Benedict Radcliffe,
Steve The Slabco Robot, Ian Sansom, Andrea
Schilliro, Mickey Spence, Patrick Straub, Björn
Stuntman Schütrumpf, Rose Wind, Lazer Comodore.
Hot Air.
News and views from the track bike world
16
Ratios.
Damn lies and statistics
20
Instants.
Moments in time
24
Antivelo.
A day in Sacto with John Cardiel
28
Fixed magazine is published four times a year by
Death Trap Publishing and is available free from
select bike shops around the world. Single copies
and subscriptions are available on payment of the
appropriate fee – please go to www.fixed-mag.
com for more information. If you’d like to stock
Fixed magazine in your shop, please contact us
for details
Duality.
Friends who ride together
30
Subscribe.
Get Fixed sent straight to your door
32
Between the Lines.
Odge Wong looks into the future
36
Frames.
The world’s finest riding photos
62
Flip Flop.
UK artist Word to Mother talks
82
Most Wanted.
Product to stoke you out
84
Polo.
Snapshots from the courts
88
POV.
Evolution - where are we headed?
90
Bike Check.
Jonathan Burkett’s ride
92
Lookout.
Upcoming riders under the spotlight
94
Advertising
Please address all advertising enquires to ian@
fixed-mag.com – We can take care of you
Contributors
We welcome contributions, but do not accept
responsibility for unsolicited contributions. Please
contact us to discuss your ideas before sending
anything in – [email protected]
Fixed magazine is printed on unbleached,
100% recycled paper using vegetable oil
inks
Printed by Calverts
9/10 The Oval, London E2 9DT
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7739 1474
Image : Cedric Viollet.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible, you know who you are. And thank you
for taking the time to read Fixed. No, really.
38.
42.
Tracko.
56.
(Setagaya) Park Life.
Inside the brains of Trackosaurusrex
Superted.
Edward James, please stand up
Tokyo’s fastest growing spot uncovered
72.
From Hanoi to Hackney.
76.
Les Rosbifs au Pays des
Grenouilles
What’s fun in one life, is essential in another
Fixed Gear London in Paris
80.
Huf.
What’s up, Huf?
electronics
% "
"#
$$$$!
" HOT AIR.
STIVAL
BICYCLE FILM08 FE
Photos: J Martinez
16
Fixed
There’s a (bike) party going on...
photos by www.negativo.org
Entering it’s eighth year, the Bicycle Film Festival celebrates
bicycle culture of all kinds with a unique global tour of bikerelated movies. With 17 stops in cities around the world,
the event kicked off in NYC on 29th May and featured a
full program of bicycle movies (including Fast Friday as the
headliner!), related fun, riding and yes, even a little partying.
The ‘Dear Velo’ art show went down well and threw up all
manner of cool weirdness and the Bicycle Block Party, in
association with Trackstar, provided raucous street fun. Next
stop on the tour is Toronto, with further events scheduled for
Minneapolis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston,
Tokyo, Austin, London, Vienna, Zurich, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, Milan and Portland – check www.bicyclefilmfestival.
com for dates and schedules and we’ll see you there!
HOT AIR.
Items of interest - for up-to-the-minute news
go to www.fixed-mag.com
This is the ill shit
To celebrate the 2008 Bicycle Film Festival, the organisers have hooked up with Brooks England and released
a special, super limited edition version of the world famous
Swallow saddle in a beautiful British Racing Green. Limited to just 100 pieces, every one comes with a unique
serial number (from 1 to 100, you can even choose the
number you want as long as it hasn’t gone already) and
is on sale from the www.brooksengland.com shop, or by
clicking through from www.bicyclefilmfestival.com. Priced
at $250/€159/£129, these ain’t cheap, but then the best
never is...
`Fixed shoes from Vans?
As if producing a range of shoes using artwork from four
of Iron Maiden’s finest ever albums wasn’t badass enough,
Vans will be releasing their first fixed gear specific shoe later this summer. The Era Fixed from the Volt range comes
complete reflective accents and a tool bag that fits under
your seat to keep your essentials safe. But this looks like it’s
just the start of something. Rumours have it that Mash SF’s
Gabe Morford have been hard at work developing something a bit special... www.vans.com
New bikes from Charge
One of the first bike companies to get their heads around
the fact that riders like good looking complete bikes, Charge from the UK will be introducing two new models to their
range this summer, to join the best selling Plug. The Plug
Freestyler comes with transparent red frame and Deep V
style rims and riser bars, while the Plug Racer features a
chrome frame and drops. Geometries on the Plug range
are a little more relaxed than true track bikes, which makes
them a little easier to ride on city streets. Go to www.chargebikes.com and while you’re there, search out the video
clips if you haven’t seen them yet.
Cooler
It seems like every newspaper in the world has run, or is
preparing, articles on Fixed Gear bikes and despite the inevitable ‘no brake madness!’ headlines that are springing up,
some journalists are actually doing their homework rather
than simply typing ‘fixed gear’ into Google. Cooler, a European girls action sports mag, just ran a five page piece
which, spelling mistakes and over use of the word ‘fixie’
aside, is actually pretty decent – www.coolermag.com.
They’ve run shots of an all-girl crew The Trixie Chix who
get together every week to ride, play polo, learn tricks and
have as much fun as they can – check them out at www.
trixiechix.com
Tonite, Tonite
Profile
These new Profile fixed hubs showed up just before we
went to press. Superted laced them into his Charge rims right away and has been out shredding them for the last few
days. The verdict? ‘Sweet! They roll really smooth...’ With a
long history in BMX, their first fixed hubs look like a winner
– durable, beautiful and bombproof. They’re currently shipping a fixed/free version, but the fixed/fixed version is expected this summer. Seven colours are available right now,
with new colourways – and special limited editions – being
introduced all the time. They’re on to something good, we
think... For more information, check out the Profile site at
www.profilefixed.profileracing.com
18
Fixed
Check out this awesome hat we
just found. Tonite are a small brand
inspired by the likes of Prince,
Frank Frazzeta, Metallica (Cliff Burton Era!), 80s Skate Graphix, The
Second Summer Of Love 1988,
Keith Haring, Punk, Funkadelic,
The Boredoms, Etc. and were
established to present streetwear
made with real Love that was for the ‘People’. During their
journey, they’ve worked with the likes of Royal Trux, Chrome
Hoof, Soulwax, to name a few and there’s plenty more to
come. Go to their new website www.tonitesite.com to see
their wares for yourself, where you can also be enlisted to
the Tonite Fanclub where you can become part of TEAM
TONITE. You will receive cosmic transmissions with further
info...
Ratios.
Facts, figures and crap we just
Photo : Massan
made up…
Ten things you did not know about Trackstar
– compiled by Patty Bowman (trackstarnyc.com)
Ten all time favourite tricks… (In no particular
order)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
1. Nose wheelie
2. Crank grind
3. Backside disaster
4. Lipslide
5. Bar spin variations
6. The spin
7. Wheelies anywhere
8. One handed wheelies anywhere
9. Pop-up’s (no handed)
10. Pop-up wheelies
Zach wore sweatpants until he was 13
They secretly hate everything about track bikes
They’ve traded bikes for tattoos in the past
They have a courier service
They used to pay their messengers in sparks, and
wisdom
6. Zach emits filth from his body at all times and sometimes smells like urine, he’s not allowed to touch any
thing in the shop that’s white
7. Zach, contrary to popular belief, does not eat baby’s
hearts
8. Customers who are persistent enough can sometimes
actually buy stuff
9. They excel at running race checkpoints
10.Brad hit on Mr. Sugino’s wife
Ten tricks you should have down by now
1. Backward circles
2. Pop-ups
3. Leg over bar skids
4. Switch skids
5. 180 skids
6. No handed skids
7. No handed trackstands
8. Hop skids
9. Skids anywhere
10. Barefooted trackstand
20
Fixed
Fifteen (plus one more)
fixed specific websites that rule
1. Trackosaurusrex.com
2. Mashsf.com
3. Bootlegsessions.blogspot.com
4. Cadenceclothing.net
5. Pedalmafia.com
6. Trackstarnyc.com
7. Hkfixed.com
8. Londonfgss.com
9. Fixedgearlondon.com
10. Bicyclefilmfestival.com
11. Macaframa.com
12. Wolfpackhustle.com
13. Fixedgeargallery.com
14. Fbmfixed.com
15. Fastfridaymovie.com
16. Profilefixed.profileracing.com
The Numbers game/
Global statistics compiled.
London.
Compiled by Andy Ellis (fixedgearlondon.com)
1 – number of days it took to shoot all Ted’s photos for his
interview (see page 42)
6 – number of bikes stolen from or otherwise ‘lost’ by Ted
in 2007
2 – estimated London hipster population in 2004
2000 – estimated hipster population today
4 – Aerospoke wheels known to exist in London in June
2007
200 – Estimated amount of Aerospokes now
70 – average gear inch ridden in London
2426 – number of members on the London forum (www.
londonfgss.com) as of 1st June 2008
Paris.
France - Compiled by Louis-David Najar
(madbrosrecords.com)
2 – total number of Aerospoke wheels known to exist in
Paris as of 1st June 2008
10 – Parisian freestyle fixed riders. Maybe less.
60 – average speed (in kilometres per hour) of the Thursday pignonfixe crew ride
64 – average gear inch ridden in Paris
345 – Parisian forum members (pignonfixe.com)
75 – number of Parisian fixed riders seen on the streets
on a regular basis
10 – number of new bikes being ordered from Cyclope
– the only fixed-specific bike shop) every week
Fixed
DRAFT
LITE
Philadelphia.
PA. USA – compiled by Tom LaMarche
(bootlegsessions.net)
1 – number of days it took to shoot Tom’s photos for his
Lookout(see page 96)
80 – average gear inch ridden in Philly
200 – number of Aerospoke wheels not on the track in
2007
700 – approximate number days that Brooklyn Machine
Works frames are on back order
Los Angeles.
CA. USA – compiled by Kyle Kelly
(trackosaurusrex.com)
236 – number of Track Bikes in LA before Orange 20 opened (134 of these were mine)
2,360 – Track Bikes in LA after Orange 20 opened
365 – the days you can ride a bike in LA a year without
seeing clouds or rain
366 – number of days you can ride a bike in LA every leap
year without seeing clouds or rain
2 – mountains in LA you can ride a Track Bike up without
changing your gear ratio
3 – estimated number of EAI Gold Medal cogs on conversions
5 – number of Taco Trucks you will see on your way home
from anywhere
12 – estimated number of Aerospokes on conversions
73 – average gear inch being ridden in LA (by the smart
people)
*All fact and figures on this page were discussed and researched thoroughly. Where a fact didn’t serve our
purposes, we substituted it for something that did.
22
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get lifted...
24
Fixed
I worked as a courier in London for a while, riding all over the city and delivering packages to some of the wealthiest companies in the world. Every
day, I’d have to use all kinds of elevators, in some of the most amazing
buildings the city had to offer. Most of them have CCTV cameras to make
sure you don’t fuck about, especially if they are government buildings...
It’s impossiblle to just relax, if you catch my drift, so I’d spend my time in
doing one of two things... either standing there, bored or taking pictures
on my camera phone... Words and photos by Andy Ellis
Antivélo.
with John Cardiel
A Sacramento Saturday night
Words & photo by Seb Carayol
Y
ou always say yes. Always. Skateboarding legend John Cardiel’s
energy is so communicative, you
never think twice. Whatever it is,
you’re down. Try a new Matte tea?
Check. Learn how to mix properly a
Beres Hammond vocal into the Morgan Heritage one? Check. Go ride a fixed gear bike all night in the Sacramento traffic? Hell yeah! Then,
and only then, you remember – the ‘no brakes’
thing. The fact that John’s legacy got built on
360ing Marseille skatepark’s huge transfer on a
broken board, or dropping Portland Burnside’s
highest wall. Plus, oh yeah, no big deal, but it
just occurs to me that I’ve never, ever ridden a
fixed gear bike. Just a bunch of shitty Peugeot
or Fuji 10-speeds, and that’s it.
Before the reality check even kicks in, we’re
heading towards a nearby sandy track. “Easier
to learn to skid,” John explains. After a few stiff
attempts, finally, my back tire scratches the surface and it feels like that first 50-50 on a skateboard. By the time passersby are done figuring
out what two guys on bikes can be doing on
a runner’s track, and why one of them gets so
hyped up, yelling “Yeeeaaah, Seb!”, here come
the first skids on actual asphalt. No real time
to work on my stance so it doesn’t feel like my
hips are gonna pop out of their sockets when
I brake, we’re already going upstream in traffic
in downtown Sac. The skidding technique comes fast when you have no other choice. As
expected, John skates these streets he knows
the same process used on Indy’s. How much
more skateboard can you get? Cardiel got classically-BMX trained, and it shows. He put a PK
Ripper sticker on his white Bianchi Concept
frame, which raises a lot of questions. Some
dude at a bar: “Oh do they do PK Ripper fixies
now? I mean, with all the hype around these
things these days…” Whatever. Hype or not, it
doesn’t look like too many bike messengers are
out in the city at 10 at night – not sure you need
their bags to carry your Starbucks cup – what
really counts is how much fun you have. John
doesn’t really give a shit about the whole ‘trend’
thing. For one, he builds his bikes with mountain bike stems and straight bars, and doesn’t
understand the whole pursuit look people are
after. “You can’t see anything, you can’t jump, it
just sucks, dude”, he thinks. I’ll have to agree.
I thought we were just going to give riding a
shot tonight, but it’s already midnight and we’ve
hit so many spots, among them, a skate video premiere in the alley behind a skate-shop.
Newly-fixed local heroes Matt Rodriguez and
Omar Salazar show up. Yes, for those who have
seen Omar skate, he’s got a bike now. Imagine
that. John doesn’t want to stay too long, as
he’s never at ease with the ‘legend’ status he’s
acquired over the years, so instead we zip off
through traffic, skidding away. Cardiel wants
to show every parking entrance, every slick sidewalk. He eats it skid-slaloming between three
granite balls in front of some hotel, gets his wallet chain stuck in a tree grid. He grins. Tears the
John doesn’t really give a shit about the whole ‘trend’ thing. For one, he builds
his bikes with mountain bike stems and straight bars, and doesn’t understand the
whole pursuit look people are after.
by heart, only the medium has changed.
You’ve seen Mash SF, right? Bunny hops never look the same after you‘re actually riding
a murdered-out, perfectly painted black track
frame – John took this one to the Independent
skate trucks factory, where it got painted with
28
Fixed
chain and takes off. A security guard manages
to remove the remaining piece, two inches of
now-useless wallet chain. John gives it to me.
“So you’ll remember your first time riding one of
these”, he laughs. It’s two in the morning. My
legs ache for the next three days.
Fixed
29
DUALITY.
Photos : Cedric Viollet
& Andy Ellis
Sebastien on
Riding with friends means learn their every move and how they’re
going to react to different situations. Patrick Straub and Sebastien
Renard describe their experiences on the streets of London town
30
Fixed
Patrick
ebastien
Patrick on S
Patrick, a.k.a. Patman! He’s a cool kid, a
good rider and he’s fast and fun to be with
on the road. We hang out a lot and ride
everywhere around London together. It
seems the two of us are always in a rush
somewhere, loving the traffic jams and
passing cars. Patrick is a free spirit and I
like his chilled out attitude. I would say that
his style goes between crazy sided skids,
wheelies at high speed and kicking random
objects that happen to meet his wheels. A
player in everything, really, so ladies beware!
Enough now, let’s roll Pat!
Seb is your typical French dude… always
passionate, slightly arrogant and he loves to
talk – but on his bike, he is one of the gnarliest
guys I know… I don’t think we have ever
ridden in a calm or relaxed manner. Seb loves
to rag it everywhere and the more traffic, the
better! Except for talking, his favourite hobby
is pissing off other road users… We have a
lot in common (not the talking bit) I always
find it fun to ride with him and it’s good to
know someone has your back, if you get into
a situation. Pull a wheelie mista!
By Sebastien Renard.
By Patrick Straub.
Fixed
31
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Image : Andrea Shiliro.
BETWEEN
THE LINES.
Words by Odge Wong
Photography by Ben Broomfield
In a short film about NYC Messengers, director Joshua
Frankel said that “riders can see fifteen seconds into the
future”, highlighting their relationship with the contemporary
city in which they operate.
And it’s true – practised individuals can act and react with ease in situations where
others find difficulty. Riding a fixed gear bike, like in skateboarding, surfing or
snowboarding, gives you freedom in the route you choose, but it is the experience
and dedication of these individuals that permits them to defy rules with pleasure
and excitement.
Unlike other sports, cyclists have to contend with traffic, whether human or vehicular.
Despite the many irritating obstacles you may face in a day’s ride, there is a certain
sense of satisfaction from attacking the city’s streets. During certain times of the
day, even when buses and taxi drivers are not enough, there are even battles
amongst our own, cyclists versus cyclists. Although it can be denied, the feeling of
winning against each other appeals to the competitive nature. The finish line may
not be a common one, but while you ride together you gather what energy and
courage you have and pedal your damn hardest.
Most cyclists follow the path that is presented to them by road rules and traffic, but
fixed-gear riders look for gaps and utilise the entire road in order not to stop. We
dictate our lines. The choices we make detemine the flow. When riding in a pack of
friends, we all know our destination, yet the route there is wide open – If you know a
shortcut, you take it. What you try to avoid is to be left behind, to avoid feeling envy
as your compatriot effortlessly takes a perfect line and zips past you and the traffic
to gain those extra yards. You know you have to pedal again, and pick up speed
just to gain back your lost ground. Sure, you can make up for it, but you promise
not to make the same mistake twice.
To sceptics, the brakeless fixed-wheel rider is considered a danger to the public,
but the average cyclist depends solely upon their hand brakes to slow them down.
The very mechanics of fixed-wheel bikes allow the rider to manoeuvre through the
traffic with much more control. The direct drive-train provides momentum, pushing
us along when picking up speed, yet when you apply resistance you immediately
begin to decelerate. The feeling of unity with your bike is achieved as you stop
relying on the use of a finger-brake and depend on your legs. Due to the absence
of a brake, riders are forced to become more aware of their surroundings and
anticpate what will happen next. It is all about the approach. If you are faced with
sudden obstacles, knowledge of skidding will aid in avoiding it.
With these learned techniques, fixed-wheel riders can be confident and defiant in
their journey through the city. With increased experience the awareness of your
surroundings grows, the faster you ride, the further you can see into the future...
36
Fixed
Fixed
37
I
f you are interested in a subject, even if it’s
something as absurd as collecting toenail
clippings that resemble dead celebrities,
then it is an absolute guarantee that you will
find 50,000 internet blogs written by people
who are interested in the exact same thing.
It is also true that there is almost certainly one
specific blog that you and the rest of your fellow
dead-celebrity-toenail-clipping collectors regard
as the main source of information about your
pastime, the “top dog blog”, so to speak.
For people into fixed gear bikes, particularly
those who are into pushing the limits of what
can be done on one, that blog is most likely
Trackosaurusrex.com. Tracko has somewhat
become the epicenter of the English-speaking
fixed gear world. If you want kids to learn about
your shop that just opened, or see your new
video, or come to an event that you’re pushing,
then the first thing you do is send the info to
T-Rex and hope that they post it. If they do,
then you’re pretty much golden.
Despite what you might think, running a blog
is not easy. You have to put a tremendous
amount of time into it in order to generate
enough content to keep your readers coming
back on a regular basis. Whatever you’re blogging about has to be more than just something
you do for kicks – it has to be an obsession.
There are plenty of people who are obsessed
with track bikes these days, but probably few
more so than Kyle Kelley, the main man behind
Tracko...
Burd - You live in LA, but you’re not originally from there.
You grew up in Southern Indiana, then lived in Chicago for a
while, correct? What made you move to LA? And you’re not
allowed to say sex, drugs, or rock-and-roll.
Kyle - I grew up in Evansville, IN and later moved to Bloomington, IN (REFUND!) to attend college. The time I spent in
Bloomington has a lot to do with who I am today, because
it made me fall in love with bikes again. I lived in Chicago for
a while, which cannot be beat in the spring and fall, but the
winter was depressing for me. I always knew I wanted to
be in California and had originally planned to move to San
Francisco, but then I got a job offer in LA. I’ve been here for
about three years – I cannot think of any place I would rather
be at this moment in my life.
A lot of people hate on LA, but I think the bike community
here is extra great for the simple fact that we really need to
stick together in a city like this. Anytime someone is hating
on LA, I think of the chorus of To Live & Die in LA... ‘It’s the
place to be/You’ve got to be there to know it...’ I had my
doubts, too, but now I know.
Burd - Bloomington is obviously famous for the Little 500
and for being the setting for the movie ‘Breaking Away’... Did
you start riding fixed when you got there? Or did that start in
Chicago or LA? You used to skate too, right? Did you stop
skating when you started riding more?
Kyle - I saw ‘Breaking Away’ before I moved to Bloomington, but my first fixed gear was built after reading an article
in Stance Magazine. Right before I moved to Bloomington
the only bike I had was a custom dual slalom mountain bike
that I didn’t want to leave locked up anywhere. The Stance
article was about how to convert old road bikes and it seemed like an affordable solution for my situation. My mother’s
old road bike became my first fixed gear. I built the bike for
transportation, but it quickly became a much bigger part of
my life. Growing up was mostly about BMX for me, but yes, I
also rollerbladed. Am I allowed to say that? I stopped skating
around the time I moved to Bloomington, but that had more
to do with my interest shifting to filming rather than riding.
Burd – You’re probably going to catch some flak for admitting that... but do you really give a crap about catching
flak from people? You always seem to post things on T-Rex
with a pretty positive spin, even if they are things that you
probably know will generate hate from a lot of the people
who post on your site. Does it ever get you down or make
you not want to post certain things? Or do you just chalk it
up to ‘teh internetz’ and not worry about it?
Kyle - Yeah... Whatever. I could have been born in a
velodrome, ridden a track bike my whole life and I would still
catch flak. I rode BMX, mountain bikes, snowboards and
rollerbladed growing up. I think they call it “freestyle rolling”
these days. So, no... I don’t really care about catching flak
from people.
Kyle Kelley.
Words by Burd Phillips
Photos by Steve the Slabco Robot & Mickey Spence
« There are so many types of people riding now that track
bikes can’t be defined by one thing; they all bring different
influences and styles »
It seems like a positive spin is a must with all the hate these
days. If it is individuals doing something, I don’t think there’s
any room to hate. That said, there are certain things I won’t
post, even if it is individuals doing their best because I know
that if I’m not feeling it, the shit talking will go nuts and for me,
that’s not what the site is about. I try to keep things honest
and positive. I am usually only negative when I feel like someone is jumping on the Track Bike Freak Out, just trying to
make money or a better name for themselves.
It’s the interweb – don’t worry, just be happy!
Burd - So how did the whole T-Rex site get started anyway?
What gave you the idea?
Kyle - Trackosaurus Rex came about a few years ago when
a friend and I started talking about doing a magazine. It was
going to be track bikes, track bikes, track bikes – everything
track bikes and the website originally started as a way to
build interest in the project. We ran into some troubles getting the magazine going, but the website was successful
in building interest. And as time went on, the site became
the resource that I had originally hoped the magazine would
be. I have a lot of ideas about what I want Tracko to be, but
as it has done since the beginning, it will continue to evolve
on its own.
‘Coming out the gate like two bears in a Buick regal’...Kanye
was into Tracko since day one. If you don’t believe it, take a
look back at the first post ever.
Burd - I did go back and look at that first post, and you’re right, the first comment you ever received was from someone
who listed his name as Kanye West. Obviously it wasn’t the
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real Kanye, but that’s pretty ironic considering the mild stink
that was generated after it was revealed that he had purchased a custom built Brooklyn Machine Works Gangsta
that looked like it would glow in the dark. How do you feel
about that sort of thing? Does it bother you that track bikes
are becoming more prevalent in certain segments of pop
culture?
Kyle - Wait a second, you’re telling me that wasn’t really
Kanye?
I am pretty much for anything that brings cycling greater
exposure in the media because it helps make the masses
more aware of cyclists and maybe, just maybe, it will also
get someone on a bike. I am not into the fact that the Track
Bike has become an accessory for some people, no different than a pair of sunglasses or a handbag. Those people
buy what they think is cool and then post it up in their home
waiting for someone to ask about it at their next dinner party.
What I really love more than anything is the pure joy I see
in someone’s face riding their bicycle down the street. The
big smile... like they don’t have a care in the world. That’s
what keeps me going, that’s what makes it all right. More
and more people are riding bikes everyday and that’s all
that matters.
As for Kanye’s bike, I think it’s great that it glows in the dark.
If it didn’t, he’d probably get hit riding home from one of
those big concerts he performs. 
Burd – Yeah right... I’m guessing that the first thing Kanye
did when he got that bike was to check to make sure it fit in
the trunk of his limo, because that’s probably the only way
it will ever be on the road. Then again, maybe I’m just bitter
because he can afford a custom BMW and I can’t. Moving
on... it seems to me that the fixed gear thing is starting to
move away from the whole messenger fashion thing and is
somewhat turning into a retirement home for skateboarders.
John Cardiel is a good example of that, and I’ll admit that
I personally fit that description as well. Do you think that’s
going to push the fixed gear phenomenon in a completely
different direction? And would that be good or bad?
Kyle - You never know...Kanye is pretty unpredictable.
There are so many types of people riding now that track
bikes can’t be defined by one thing; they all bring different
influences and styles. Skateboarding is one of them, and
it has been on the scene for a while. Jovante Turner and
John Igei have styles that I think could only have come from
skateboarding. But overall I don’t think skateboarding alone
has, or will, change the direction of the Track Bike Freak
Out. It seems to me that right now BMX is a bigger influence
on track bikes and what is being done on them. You can
see it in some of the new frames that are being produced,
the way people are building their bikes and in the tricks
people are doing. I think its important to remember that
the aspect of track bike culture we’re talking about here is
just one piece of a bigger picture. All the different aspects
and people are the reason I have something to post about
everyday on Tracko.
Q - Tom LaMarche gets irritated when I refer to him as the
fixed gear poster boy. Is it OK if I call you the fixed gear Larry
Flint?
Kyle - You can call me anything you like as long as you replace “fixed gear” with “track bike.”
Q - How many pairs of shoes do you own now? And be
honest.
Kyle - I have a pair Sambas for riding hills, some Vans for
everyday use, some moccasins for hanging out, running
shoes for running and hiking boots for hiking. I sold all my
shoes to buy bike parts. Oh... I forgot about my two most
important pairs of shoes – my Sidi’s for cyclocross and my
Northwaves for the road bike.
Check out trackosaurusrex.com for the most up to
date track bike information there is. And try not to hate
on the message boards; let’s not forget that we’re all
riding track bikes and all progression is good.
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Superted.
Yak
Words : Pete
let
y : Cedric Viol
/ Photograph
Interview
I
t’s a regular night in the Fixed Gear London
studio. This shared, ex-industrial factory
space has in recent months become
something of a regular stop-off point for
the growing community of fixed gear riders
in London’s East End – and tonight is no
exception. While someone is changing a
wheel, another bike enthusiast is using his
numerous contacts to try and source a pair of
those elusive white Vittoria tyres that everyone
is after at the moment. A third tells a story of
a relentlessly unyielding taxi driver who got
his come-uppance when approaching the
bottleneck that is Old Street roundabout.
Calm, serene and seemingly oblivious to all
the ferreting going on around him sits perhaps
the most celebrated of all the riders in today’s
London community. Edward James, or Sup
erted, as he is fondly known, has been riding
for such a long time that he is one of the few
who makes it look like his bike is an extension
of his body. Like a master samurai whose skill is
born out of discipline, respect and knowledge
of his tool, Ted’s mastery has been developed
and painstakingly honed over time. Getting to
be this good on a bike can be something of
solitary mission, with constant practice being
the lynchpin for success. Being noticed,
and the respect of others, is something that
still surprises him, as a recent visit to Paris
proved.“It was kind of strange because we got
treated like royalty out there” he recalls. “The
first night was pissing with rain, but about 20
people came out. Some of the guys had been
riding fixed for two years without anyone to ride
with, but everyone came out of the woodwork
and by the time we left there were so many
riders that we didn’t have time to meet them all.
There are more and more people riding right
now and that can only be a good thing”.
Ted picked up sponsorship from bike company
‘Charge’ almost a year ago. “Their bikes are
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« I wanted a stripped-down bike for
street riding and was ready for a new
challenge »
good, really strong” – a pre-requisite when
someone like Ted is on the bike. “I’ve got a slightly
shorter stem now, which is better for tricks. I got
some wider bars, and put some Charge cruiser
forks on it, too… The Plug is a great bike for the
money, but I’m hoping to design a bike based
around it, which will be tweaked for trick riding”. It
is apparent that Ted always looks to modify what
comes off the production-line and this constant
desire to transform goes back to his childhood
– in order to train for mountain bike racing,
Ted would ride the famed open-air, concrete
velodrome at Herne Hill – the last facility from the
1948 London Olympics that is still in use today.
“I used to go every Saturday morning” recalls
Ted. “I was about twelve when I rode my first
fixed bike down there… My dad was a cyclist
and riding a bike is one of my first memories,”
he explains. “He would do charity bike races
and rides and I would watch, although I wasn’t
allowed to ride until I had taken my cycling
proficiency test, which you can only do when
you’re nine. My brother did his the year before
me and as soon as I was old enough I passed,
too, then did a thirty-mile ride and wanted to ride
home afterwards.”
The effervescent passion for two wheels lights
up Ted’s face, but this is no nostalgia trip, as the
glint remains when remembering a more recent
event, the Salisbury winter challenge, when he
took it upon himself to ride the 50km fixed, on
his Charge Plug, which had been adapted with
a front brake. “Really hard work, that one. Then
I did the Spring Series Round 3 on the Charge
Stove, also fixed with a front brake and I chose
the wrong gear,” laughs Ted “Really painful” he
adds matter-of-factly.
A few years ago, while working at a bike shop
in Waterloo, Ted observed the steady increase
in couriers who would ride fixed gear bikes, for
speed and swiftness. “I thought it was a good
idea for the street,” remembers Ted. “Couriers
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Superted is one of the few who makes
it look like his bike is an extension of his
body
did it because it got them from around fast, but I wanted to do it
because it made sense to have a stripped down bike for street riding
and I was ready for a new challenge… I got a cycle speedway frame
with a really relaxed head-tube angle, which made it really comfortable
to ride. Soon after, I moved into a house with my friend and we
started to build fixed bikes from old road frames. It’s not like we had
an agenda to start what is now Fixed Gear London, we just liked
riding and building bikes. Back then we used to ride with horns on
our bars, honking at people as we went past. It’s come a long way
but it’s always been fun”.
‘Back then’ was about two and a half years ago, when Fixed Gear
London was an idea waiting for its time. The reality today is that Ted
still has fun with bikes, whether it’s building them up from scratch,
fixing them for the stiffs down at City Hall or just simply thrashing the
crap out of them in an event, it is done with a lot of vigour and a liberal
sprinkling of fun.
Drawing by Fran.
Aside from all of this, the multi-faceted Superted also builds and
mends bikes for the London Ambulance Service. “A guy that I know
from my days working at Condor started up a company called ‘The
Bike Doctor’ and through that got a contract with the Ambulance
Service and various others. We’ve actually just serviced loads of
suspension forks for them... We’ve also been teaching them how
to fix their own bikes – it’s a great feeling when you see someone
understand what you’re teaching them and then they can work out
problems for themselves” he grins.
To finish up, we’ll leave it to the man himself to describe how he got
his adoptive name. “About four years ago I was working at a welding
company. I’d lift these heavy beams on my own and the guys decided
to call me Superted… And then, when I was working at Evans cycles
guys called me that whenever I fixed a bike… ‘That guy Superted can
fix any bike, whatever the problem!’
Amen to that!
Getting this good on a bike means constant practice as
the lynchpin for success
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Park Life.
(Setagaya Crew)
mmerhirt
g : Marcel La
photo openin
photo crew/words : Max Lewis
When the sun sets over Tokyo, track bikes descend on the city’s Setagaya Park,
where they circle like sharks. The Setagaya Crew don’t have a set time to meet, but
when their day’s chores are over they go and ride. And that’s really what its all about
– track bikes bringing people together, on the paths around the park where they
can cruise, popping wheelies and backwards circles till their heart’s content. Every
week, more riders from West Tokyo come, just guys looking for a no-hassle spot to
ride at and fellow riders to talk with and learn from. The park is full of fresh riders
who are keen to practice and push themselves, thriving on the environment and
who will soon be a regular part of the scene. Because it’s not all about the tricks and
skills for these guys, it’s about what they’re creating, the styles they’re setting and
the fun they’re having doing it. Check ‘Setagaya and Destroy 2’ when it drops later
this year and a big thanks to Koske for getting everyone together for the photos...
Nakam.
ano.
Toshihiko Nak
Yuji.
Bike check
Giro
Favourite spot
Honey Drippin’
Favourite phrase
Coke please, Akira
Why did you start riding?
Through KD!
What is the future for track bikes?
It’s a super environmentally
way to live and travel
Bike check
Ghetto Bike 555
Favourite phrase
“Snow man”
Why did you start riding?
I thought it would get me
closer to heaven
What is the future for track
bikes?
Good – I wonder how far
this can go?
from 104 Film and minor league
production
Bike check
Gan Well with aero finn
Favourite spot
Streets of Shibuya and Setagaya
Favourite phrase
Minority
Why did you start riding?
Minority
What is the future for track bikes?
The future is so bright it is shining!
inaga.
Tadashi Tom
a.k.a. Tommy from the T19 crew
Bike check
I ride a Hetchins
Favourite phrase
Nothing to lose!
Why did you start riding?
It reminded me a lot of skateboarding
What is the future of track bikes?
At the moment, it looks like track bikes are
going to be moving away from the track
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Minato.
Bike check
Kamikaze
Favourite phrase
Information gathering
Why did you start riding?
My friends got me interested
What is the future for track bikes?
There will be even more fun riding
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Toku.
Yushi Aoki.
Koske.
Bike check
Alan C Frame
Favourite phrase?
Play both ends against the middle
Why did you start riding?
Through friends
What is the future for track bikes?
Bright
Bike check
Bridgestone
Favourite phrase
Skateboard
Why did you start riding?
It looked like fun, so I tried it
What is the future for track bikes?
More fun!
Bike check
The OFF TRACK prototype
Favourite spot
Setagaya park and Komazawa streets
Favourite phrase
Work hard and trust
Why did you start riding?
I was inspired by Mash, T19 and
Kalavinka
What is the future of track bikes?
The future is bright, but beginners
need to practice hard…
Hajime Takeuchi.
Full.
Bike check BB
Favourite phrase Way of life
Why did you start riding?
I watched Keirin racing when I was younger and it
grew from there
What is the future of track bikes
Track bikes forever
Bike check
BS, Bridgestone
Favourite phrase
I’m thirsty
Why did you start riding?
I wanted some excitement and track bikes looked like
they’d give it to me
Yohei Ogawa.
Bike check
My bike is called Fujimi-kun, It means the Undead. It’s
a Remington with a Zipp 440
Favourite phrase
A class bitches
Why did you start riding?
I started riding with friends
What is the future for track bikes?
It’s a really ecological way to live, so the future is good
Gekishi.
Bike check
No brakes
Favourite phrase
Cat
Why did you start riding?
I lost my love and needed something to replace it
What is the future for track bikes?
I want a public track bike park in Tokyo!
Kota.
Bike check
Cinelli Vigorelli
Favourite phrase
Love
How did you start riding?
Through my friend Hiroshi Fujiwara
What is the future for tracka bikes?
Love
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Frames.
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Image : Cedric Viollet
Images : Cedric Viollet
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Image : Andrea Shiliro.
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Image : Cedric Viollet
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Image: Ben Broomfield
Image: Andrea Shiliro
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Image : Lazer Comodore.
Frames.
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O
n the day I got my first fixed gear
bike, I carefully rode it home,
excited to show my mum – I had
been trying to explain what fixed gear was
and had failed quite miserably (it occurred
to me later that I had never had say ‘hub’ in
Chinese before). When she finally saw my
lovely, brilliant white bike with its shiny silver
parts, her reaction wasn’t what I expected;
she started laughing… a giggling, mocking
laughter
From Hanoi to Hackney.
one gear’ thinking spans the globe
n
By Minh Ai To
“What’s wrong? What’s so funny?” I asked
defensively.
“Are you mad?” she shouted (not because
she was angry, Chinese women only have one
volume – loud)
“We used to ride these in Vietnam, but only
because we couldn’t afford any better” She
continued, laughing, shouting…
“What do you mean?” I asked
“Well, they’re stupid, you can’t even stop
pedalling!”
“But that’s why they’re good!” I said, starting to
realise I was fighting a losing battle
“You kids today” she said sighing, chuckling….
“You don’t realise how lucky you are...”
My parents grew up in Hanoi during the
Vietnam War. My mum and her family were
typical of most poor Vietnamese; living in the
suburbs, riding their bikes, loaded with produce
from the family’s land to sell in town. Anything
from vegetables and fruit, to animal feed and
large sacks of rice; they carried as much as they
could. I went there in 2003 and it was chaotic.
Actually, it was insane. The streets were loud,
aggressive, grey, dusty and heaving with
people – but somehow it worked.
I had never imagined that my mum would have
ridden a fixed gear bike, but their well known
benefits – simple, reliable and cheap – are even
more valid in rural Vietnam than they are in major cities around the world. I imagine her rushing
to catch the early morning shoppers, weaving
through a city that resembles a shambolic
Critical Mass; where every lane is a bicycle lane
and every colour light means ‘go’. Just one of
hundreds of bicycles mixed with rickshaws, mopeds, people, cars, oxen and carts. Every day
she’d force her way through rough, corroded
and disordered streets on a rusty old bike with
one gear that she couldn’t stop pedalling. And
as she remembers it, it wasn’t exhilarating and it
certainly wasn’t fun.
That made me think about the way we ride the
streets of London, as bold as our bikes. We
see their reflection rolling along the smooth surfaces of our own specially painted lanes. The
only thing we have to worry about is dodging
a few potholes, drains and the odd car. I think
about the organised rides and how empowering
and liberating it feels to ride with big groups; like
the first warm day in spring when cyclists are
‘I had never imagined that my
mum would have ridden a fixed
gear bike’
out in force. There is no sense of unity amongst
the cyclists in Hanoi. There is no social Internet
forum where they can discuss their bike-related
annoyances and what actions they can take to
resolve them, just a daily commute on the train
in rush hour; crammed together, claustrophobic and irritated, or stuck in traffic sitting side by
side.
Riding a fixed gear bike was my mum’s only
option. It was a chore, but was (and still is) an
essential part of life and survival in many parts
of the Majority World. Her bike had bells and a
basket – not for decoration, but out of necessity. It had a fixed gear – not because it made
for a more enjoyable ride but because her family
couldn’t afford a free wheel. Fixed gear bikes
were a symbol of the poor. In the same way that
children would laugh at the smelly kid in school,
neighbouring kids would jeer at her: “c’mon,
hurry up! Pedal, pedal, pedal!” they’d shout as
they coasted past; fast and freely down hill on
their way to school. It was all she could do to
arse – it has broken down more times than my
bike; and it can’t be repaired with a puncture
repair kit.
I have struggled to understand my parents over
the years as they have struggled to understand
me – not surprising, given the massively different surroundings in which we were brought up.
But in writing this, I have found something that
we can both relate to. We appreciate our bikes
for essentially the same reasons – they serve us
well and they save us money. The difference is
that my mum rode her fixed gear bike because
she didn’t have any other choice. I ride my fixed
gear bike because I enjoy it.
There’s a long, winding, quiet stretch of road
near my parents home in England that I love
to ride down. It’s an idyllic road for cyclists; with
a slow, slight incline and is lined with oak trees
that separate the road from the lush green fields
behind them. On one recent evening I was riding
down that road, speeding towards the sunset,
‘That made me think about the way we ride
the streets of London, as bold as our bikes’
watch them fade into the distance; envious of
their ‘better’ bikes.
My mum didn’t have any kind of sentimental attachment to her bike “It was reliable and easy
to look after. Even if we could have afforded a
car, we couldn’t keep it going. Gas, parts, who
would fix it?” She had a point… cars are expensive to maintain. I know that mine is a pain in the
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trees rustling as they flashed by me in a blur, the
wind flowing through my hair. It was one of those
rides that just felt great, the same feeling you got
when you stuck your head right out of the car
window as a kid, except all over your body. It
was exhilarating. I felt free. And as I rushed down
that hill, I thought to myself ‘how lucky am I?’
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I
n April 2008 Fixedgearlondon decided to take a trip to Paris to ride the city and
check out the scene. After bullshitting about it for a while, eleven riders actually
got it together to make the trip, which is a small miracle in itself. Andy, Odge,
Pouya, Nordine, Sebastien, Benedict, Ted and Tom all made the trip one Sunday
morning, with Max, Patrick, and Jody due to arrive on the following Tuesday. Here
are excerpts from their diaries.
From Andy’s journal.
Les
roastbeef
au
pays
des
grenouilles.
on in Paris ...
Fixedgearlond
Photos by Benedict Radcliffe, Patrick Straub and Tom James
I wake up early. Didn’t sleep much. We are due
to leave at 10am and I’m expecting everyone to
be late… which they are. We get out of the door
at 10:20 and it’s raining, ten minutes later we are
at King’s Cross station, ready to get the Eurostar
train that goes from London to Paris. It takes just
two hours, much less time than it would take
to go to the airport, check in, wait around, fly,
deal with customs and then get into the middle
of the city. We are running low on time, so everyone frantically starts taking apart their bikes and
packing them away, ready to put on the train.
Seb is the last one to arrive.
The hardest part of the journey is walking from
passport control to the train – we each have
a big bag of clothes and a bike bag, making
moving very difficult. Once on the train though,
everything is cool – we’re all excited about the
trip! The route cuts through the southern England countryside and as we get to the coast it
starts snowing… What!? While the southeast of
England is hilly and grey, as we emerge from the
tunnel, France is flat, dry and even sometimes
sunny! We arrive in Paris at about 1pm and start
to put our bikes back together on the station
platform. People look at us in strange ways and
some stop to ask what we are doing. One dude
walks around in circles with his dog, scratching
his head. He follows us outside and asks a lot of
questions. He looks like a homeless person, but
we find out he’s just English.
Paris is a welcome change from London. It’s
sunny and warm. We ride through the streets
trying to adjust to travelling on the opposite side
of the road. Wheelies and skids all up in them
streets, blood! I think I’m going to have some tyre
issues real soon.
We ride to our friend Alice’s place on Place St
George, she lives above a restaurant, up a hill
near Môntmart, and we are so lucky to be staying
there… thank you, Alice! We dump our stuff and
head out to explore, Louis our French Fixedgearlondon ambassador is the tour guide for the duration of our trip. The Eiffel tower is the first stop,
then we head up to the Trocadero, which has
some good sets of steps, a few banks and the
floor is completely smooth. Tom rides backwards
down an eight set of stairs, which we are all surprised about seeing as he has only been riding
fixed for a week – he’s been riding BMX all his life,
though. Afterwards, we head to Palais de Tokyo,
which I have seen in countless skate videos over
the years. It feels strange to be there on a bike!
The skaters are quite accepting, which is a surprise… We decide to head to a local BMX spot
and see the first fixed gear bike of the trip. It turns
out he was waiting for us to show up! His name
is Romain and he co-wrote an article for Cream
BMX mag called ‘Fixed vs BMX’ which we contributed towards… The mag is cool. We talk for
a long time about riding in the city, I ask him
about a spot we had seen in a BMX video
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hard to find, but it’s stocked full of loads of good
stuff. I think they have more frames than there
are riders in Paris! It’s such a good setup, a bit
underground – just like the scene – and as the
scene grows, Cyclope will be at the heart of the
community… but on an immense scale. I can’t
believe there is no shop like this in London!
Tuesday. We decide to explore on our own to
get footage and photos. It’s an amazing feeling
to be riding through the unknown with your close
friends. We end up back at the globe – Ted and
Tom are first to session the spot and they ride it
like it’s nothing. This thing is so tight it makes you
dizzy after a couple of times around. We spend
two hours riding, get some good footage and a
couple of snaps for the picture book. While we
are there we see a guy getting knocked off his
moped, right in front of a tram… two minutes
later everything was back to normal! In London it
would have taken hours to sort that out…
– a bowl with over-vert and the map of the world
on the surface – and he knows exactly where it
is. We ride for 15 minutes to get to this amazing
spot, which looks like a sculpture, but is actually
made to skate and ride! We don’t get to ride for
long as it’s dark and starts to rain.
Palais Royale is a square where most of the
fixed gear community meet, once a week.
Rumour had got around that we were in
town and slowly but surely, riders come
out of the woodwork. Some people had
been riding in the city for a year or more,
but had never met! Soon there are around
30 people hanging out, riding and talking.
The Parisian community are all surprised
to see so many people out that night, it’s
raining a hell of a lot and this would usually
be a sign for most to not come out.
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We ride around doing tricks, instigating some
street Keirin and building obstacles out of
wood… Tom and Ted get up to some crazy
stuff over a hip we build and the session turns
into a bit of a demo. We really get to know the
French riders, the scene is so young but they
are all super into riding, building stuff and having
fun on their bikes. One difference is the gear
ratio they are riding… most of the UK crew are
on around 64 gear inches, Paris is on 80 plus!
My rear tyre is looking really bad, so I speak
to the guys from the only shop in town and
arrange to get one the next day. Cyclope does
not usually open on a holiday Monday… but
they do for us. When we arrive, the shop is
packed full of the people we had met the night
before – a really good atmosphere. Cyclope is
on a back street and in a basement. It’s a bit
The next couple of days are blighted by rain and
late nights out, so there’s nothing more to see
from me.
Palais Royale is a square where most of the fixed gear
community meet, once a week. Rumour had got around
that we were in town and slowly but surely, riders come out
of the woodwork.
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with a little help from Oko and Medi we walk
past the fifty people waiting in line and straight
in to the club. It is a rad night and we definitely
recommend Paris Paris! It’s a miracle that we
all make our train back to London the following
morning, with nobody MIA.
We are so stoked on Paris. It’s an amazing
city, both to ride and party in. Although the
fixed scene is small compared to London, it’s
growing fast and we’re looking forward to the
next trip!
Thanks to everyone for looking after the us while we were there, we are coming back sooner
than you think!
www.myspace.com/cyclopebikes
www.pignonfixe.com
www.fixedgearlondon.com
Trocadero is amazing, with marble ledges everywhere.
Even the floor is marble, but it rained most of the time
making it too sketchy to ride.
Patrick’s Journal.
We meet at Louis’ house bright and early on
Friday morning (12pm or so!) to get in as much
as we can on the last day. Tom isn’t feeling
stoked and with the lack of organisation from
the rest of us decides to explore Paris on his
own. He ends up sleeping in some woods not
far from Louis’ house. Meanwhile, the rest of
us drag ourselves to Trocadero to meet Oko/
Poisson Poulet, a photographer who works
with Pan au Chocolate. We meet up at the Eiffel tower and then bomb the hill, Oko on his
skateboard and in pink pyjamas! Trocadero is
amazing, with marble ledges everywhere. Even
the floor is marble, but it rained most of the time
making it too sketchy to ride.
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Fixed
We spend the rest of the day seeking shelter in
various bars and generally being flakey. We pay
a quick visit to Cream magazine to meet some
people and then a longer visit to a bar to meet
some beer. Later we meet at the Fixedgearlondon Paris HQ (a.k.a. Alice’s house) for food and
vodka, then the Pan au Chocolate crew take
it upon themselves to take us to Paris, Paris,
one of the city’s most fashionable nightclubs.
I’ve never seen so many people dressed to kill in
my life, it is amazing! We turn up at the entrance,
half of us on bikes and the rest on skateboards,
looking a little scruffy to say the least. Rafsha’s
trousers are in three pieces from his crash and
I am bleeding all over the place from mine, but
Fixed
81
HUF.
Keith Hufnagel interview by Will Harmon
Photography by Ken Goto
B
est known for his jaw-dropping abilities on the
skateboard or nearly as famous as the owner
/creator of the store HUF in San Francisco, it is
safe to say quite a few have heard of the name
“Keith Hufnagel”. If you’ve ever seen his feats in his skate
video parts or how much HUF apparel resells for on ebay,
then you know the guy is doing something right. Hailing
from the East (NYC), but now residing out West (San
Francisco) Keith spends most of his time skateboarding,
hangin’ with his friends, running his three HUF stores,
and developing the HUF brand. But a couple of years
ago Keith picked up a new hobby to rob him of some of
his precious time. Yep, you guessed it, not only does he
fly down those SF hills on his board, but on one of dem
bikes wit no brakes, too!
Did you used to ride a bike around NYC when you
were a kid?
Yeah I used to ride my Hutch Trick Star when I was a kid. I
was into racing and freestyle BMX.
When did you first get the idea to get a fixed gear
bike?
Massan introduced it to me. He was working in the store
and showed me it. Then he built three custom bikes about
4-5 years ago. They were Pistas Concepts that we painted
and put the HUF logos on them. No one bought them in the
store, so Massan, Nao and myself ending up purchasing
them.
What’s it like riding a fixie in San Francisco? What do
you do about all the hills?
It can be scary and fun. On the hills you either need to lock it
up or go for it. Lots of serious decisions to make.
What’s the difference between riding a bike and
skating?
You can go a lot faster on a fixed gear but a skateboard lets
you do way more tricks.
Does riding your bike help with skating at all?
Not sure. Maybe in endurance, it would suck to get hurt on
your bike and not be able to skate.
I know you carry MASH gear at HUF, do you see a
lot of the fix gear community intertwining with the
streetwear world in San Francisco?
Yeah there seems to be a weird streetwear fix culture. Not
sure if it is good or bad.
What’s up with Hufnagel Bikes?
I just heard of them, my brother met the guys in Portland and
showed me their link. Looks cool.
Do you think recent surge in the amount of fixed gear
riders is a passing trend or it’s here to stay?
I think it will stay. They are really fun to ride and they look
super clean.
And finally, skateboard or bike, how do you decide
what to grab when you leave the house in the
morning?
I usually just grab my board these days. Trying to film for
the Real video so I am putting the bike to rest till I am done
filming.
See what Mr. Hufnagel has been up to at:
http://blog.honeyee.com/keith/
http://hufsf.com/
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Fixed
Give us the history of Word to Mother
I started writing in 1998 but after studying illustration I began
to shy away from graff and push things in another direction.
I started to call myself ‘Word To Mother’ when I made the
distinction between graffiti and what some people call ‘street
art’, or whatever – to me it’s just art. Being involved with the
Stolen Space gallery means my work has a certain association, but that isn’t a bad thing at all. I’m happy to be involved
with that group of people because it helps everyone… the
big names help the smaller ones.
Word
to
Mother.
ric Viollet
Images : Ced
Words : Pete Yak
E
nter the world of Word To Mother, a 24
year-old artist who cut his teeth as a graff
writer on the south coast of England. His
loose style draws its influences directly from
vintage advertising (think Theodore ‘Dr.Suess’
Geisel’s early advertising campaigns for General Electric and NBC), social commentary and
the seaside. I caught up with him while he was
in the middle of producing a body of work for
his second solo show “Til The Hot Runs Cold’
at East London’s Stolen Space gallery (www.
stolenspace.com)
How did being taught illustration help your progression?
At University, we were torn apart and taught to draw what
we were seeing, not what we thought we were seeing. And
that was a turning point for me, because it took a couple
of years of me hating my shit and drawing and drawing and
drawing before I started to progress. It’s like it has always
been in me to draw this way, but it was a journey to get
here.
Was it a struggle to get to the point where you are
comfortable with how you work?
Definitely… I like to observe people and the people are
interpretations of moods. Its social observation, really, and
realising that what my relevance is to it at that given time…
its also observing myself and recording and documenting
everything that is around me.
How often do you sit and draw?
Every day, man. I may not be into the shit that I’m drawing at
any given time and I might draw a hundred things before I’m
happy with one or two. And those are the things that I take
on and develop. I’d just like to add for the record that Nas’
‘Illmatic’ is the best album ever made and was played back
to back during the production of this body of work. Make
sure this goes in, it’s important.
When did you get your first fixed gear bike?
Probably about eight months ago…I’ve been rockin’ no
clips for the last four or five and have been really unlucky
with punctures… a combination of bad luck and riding on
Brick Lane which I’m sure has the biggest concentration of
broken glass in the whole of London. My chain might be
as baggy as anything, but without that bike I’d be fucked…
Most people ride their bikes in their spare time but for me
its different…I draw in my spare time…I paint in my spare
time…I see my girlfriend in my spare time. My bike facilitates
those things, gets me from A-B quickly and it’s fun and fast.
I just like to ride. I love the sense of freedom on a fixed gear
bike. Put it this way, I hate it when I have to get on the bus
and deal with an irate bus driver and the members of the
public that don’t want to be there, either.
Back to your work – what’s next?
Keep drawing, man. That and hopefully have a show in Europe, the States or both. To make more links with more interesting people and continue doing what I’m doing. I prefer
the more patient, natural approach and I feel if that I continue
in the same vein that I have done in the last couple of years
then I don’t have to force anything.
www.myspace.com/wordtomother
2.
1.
5.
6.
7.
8.
3.
Most Wanted.
ses racing
A few products that get our pul
1. Fabric Horse U Lock holder
www.fabrichorse.com
Sitting in the ‘why-didn’t-somebody-think-of-this-before?’ category comes Fabric Horse’ U Lock holder. which slips onto
your belt to securely carry your Mini Evo, without having to
put it in your back pocket and blowing out the seams.Fabric
Horse take seatbelts from cars found in their local junkyard
and stitch them together to make a product that is well built,
functional and great value for money.
2. Archies Grobags Ninja
www.archiesgrobags.co.uk
Archies Grobags come out of London, England and are just
one of the growing number of small, high quality, hand made
custom bag operations. Their line includes two amazing
courier bags and the Ninja – a hip pack that is plenty big
enough for tools plus extra storage space for everyday use.
With a removable waist strap, clips to attach it like a micro
messenger bag and even belt loops to slip onto your own
belt, the Ninja is nothing if it’s not adaptable.
86
Fixed
4.
3. Knog Frog Light
www.knog.com
Using a super bright LED and a unique, bracketless design
that allows you to attach it almost anywhere, the Frog is one
of the lightest and easiest to use lights we´ve seen. Two settings, constant and flashing ensure that you’re you can be
seen in most conditions. The rear light is the same shape
as the front (with a red light instead of white, duh), which
makes them ideal to slip into your bag, onto a karabiner or
just in your pocket when you head out. Recommended.
4. MKS chain tug
www.mkspedal.com
We love Japanese made stuff and not just when it has that
little NJS logo that drives people wild. What appeals to us
is the fact that it’s almost always well engineered and made
beautifully – and the MKS chain tugs are no exception.
Available in both 3mm and 8mm drop out versions, with
Allen key or hex nut fittings; the MKS tugs are made cast
aluminium for strength and durability. Setting them up is a
cinch and when done right, they offer you perfect chain
tension on your ride. Cheap, strong and work well.
5. Park Tool Patch Kit
www.parktool.com
There’s a lot to be said for the traditional ways of doing things
– where would we be without lugged frames? – But there’s
also a lot to be said for convenience and not fucking about.
Punctures are a daily fact of life on these gritty, shitty streets
of ours, so it stands to reason that we need a way to fix them
quickly. While regular puncture kits do the job well, they’re
messy – pre-glued patch kits, such as the Park Tools GP-2,
speed up the time it takes to repair a puncture and keeps
things nice and clean. Just whip out the tube, find the hole,
roughen the area and stick on the patch. Park Tool have
been in the business of bicycle tool manufacture since 1963
and make the majority of their products in the USA.
6. FBM Crown Royal stem
www.fbmbmx.com
Before anyone comes kicking our door in with blazing torches in their hands, yes, this is a BMX stem. Sorry. The FBM
Crown Royal is available in a 47mm reach to keep things tight for bar spins, but there’s also a 52mm version should you
need a little more length in front. It’s CNC machined from a
solid lump of aircraft grade aluminium for lightweight strength
and large areas of metal in non-essential areas have been
machined away to reduce weight still further. BMX handlebars are 22.2mm diameter, not the 25.4mm that is most
common to road bikes. so your choice of handlebars is limi-
ted to mountain bike jump riser bars (or BMX bars, but they
look kinda retarded). Go to www.fbmbmx.com and while
you’re at it, check out FBM’s first fixed gear bike, the FBM
Sword at www.fbmfixed.com
7. Vans shoes.
www.vans.com
In 1966 there were only three companies in the US who
were making Vulcanised shoes and they were all major
players. Vans were the first of the independently owned
shoe brands and they quickly grew popular with skaters
and surfers for their tough build quality and the excellent grip
that Vans’ waffle sole gave. Fast forward 40 years and the
sole is just as grippy as it ever was, and the thick sidewalls
are strong enough to last for months. Possibly the best to
ride in are the slip-ons, which have no laces so you’ll never
know the embarrassment of having to pick yourself off the
floor and try to get your tangled laces out of the drive train.
8. The North Face Cipher jacket
www.thenorthface.com
The North Face make a huge range of technical outerwear
for foul weather conditions. Take the Cipher jacket, made
from Gore Tex’ softshell; slim cut, yet waterproof and breathable it’s perfect for the days that try to soak you to the skin.
Not cheap, but then good things never are and with quality
of construction that The North Face can offer, it should las
for years, meaning that you won’t have to buy another for
a long time.
Fixed
87
Polo.
d.
By Rose Win
88
Fixed
Every Sunday, the basketball courts at the top of
Brick Lane in the East End of London, England are
filled with bikes, bags, beers and cyclists from all
over the city. It was originally intended that people
would meet at two to play, but now it’s more like
three or four and half the court is filled with people
drinking beer or doing tricks, while the other half is
used to actually play polo. I don’t really play, so it’s
been cool just to come, hang out and meet new
people. On my last Sunday in London I snapped
these shots. It’s definitely a really good thing and
something I was glad to be a part of.
Fixed
89
The Evolution will be
televised.
Movements evolve – sometimes awkwardly – but
without growth, stagnancy sets in.
The bile that gets posted on blogs about track bike movies
constantly amazes us and we’ve got no time for the haters
who bitch things out for no good reason. It’s true that the
qualilty of some movies and clips is questionable, but progression doesn’t come without a few faltering steps and track
bike culture is no different. Some say that fixed freestyle is
wrong and that tricks should be only done on bikes built for
the purpose – BMX’s, in other words. But if messengers
hadn’t pushed outside their boundaries, none of us would
even be riding track bikes on the road and then where would
we be? What if Mark Gonzales had decided he should only
skate where his board was designed to be skated – sidewalk
surfing when the waves were flat? Street skating would never
have been born and everyone would still be skating slalom
around cones.
Mash (www.mashsf.com) started the movement for widely
available track bike movies. There’s almost an hour to the
main film, a large amount of extras and a photo book for the
case and – most importantly – it’s rad. Mash opened the
door to the potential of what could be done and it’s still the
90
Fixed
yardstick by which all others are measured. Drawing contributions from riders around the world, Bootleg Sessions (www.
bootlegsessions.net) came next, and using footage from local
rider’s own sessions, Burd Phillips brought them all together
and released the clips as a single movie – the first time it had
been done. The freshly-released Bootleg Sessions 2 steps
their game up hugely – the riding is better, the filming is slicker and the editing tighter. It’s a massive improvement and
a sign of things to come – especially when you consider it’s
been less than six months since the first one was released.
Macaframa (www.macaframaproductions.com) promises to
evolve the medium still further. Their approach to production
and promotion has taken the lessons learned from their predecessors and they’re fully utilising blogs around the world
to release snippets, teasers and trailers. Interestingly, they’ve
opted for Vimeo (www.vimeo.com) to host their movie clips,
which offers double the resolution (and hence, better image
quality) than the more common YouTube. With a late summer
release date, Macaframa looks like it will be the next big step.
We can’t wait to see what comes next...
Bike Check
JONATHAN
BURKETT
Name: Jonathan Burkett
Age: 26
Where are you from: San Diego
Current Location: San Francisco until May, Berlin,
Germany after that
What do you do for a job: Graphic Designer
Sponsors: Sponsors? Nothing is free
Height: 1828.8 mm
Frame: 57ish Cannondale
Fork: Steel
Crank/chainring: Sugino and corresponding 49t
chainring
Bottom Bracket: Only Phil Wood
Pedals: I used to ride cheap MKS Sylvans – expensive
pedals are over rated – but now I’m running Speedplay
Clipless.
Hubs: Phil Wood!
Rims: Velocity Deep V
Spokes: I think 14g Double butted, but honestly don’t
really remember
Tyres: Front is Vittoria Rubino and rear is always a
Randonneur
Cog: Phil Wood 16t
Bars: Nitto Horns
Stem: Salsa Front loading for easy swapping to
drops
Grips: Some cloth tape
Headset: Chris King
Seat: Selle Italia Turbo
Seatpost: Cheap Soma seatpost
Anything else: Stickers. They hold the frame together
“ It’s a bike, not a fashion
statement ”
Describe your bike set up in ten words or less:
All quality, no flash
What part do you wear through or break the quickest?
Tyres obviously. But I don’t abuse my bike anymore, so I try
and take pretty good care of it all. Though I have replaced
almost everything at one point or another, except for the Phil
Wood and Chris King parts. Those are built to last
Why did you choose the colour for your bike?
It’s a bike, not a fashion statement. Though I guess the stickers
may be a scheme. But it happens when you make friends
travelling – stickers are kind of like the international token of
friendship
How often do you get flat tyres and do you patch tubes
or throw in a new one?
I have been lucky lately. Haven’t had a flat in a long time.
Though I usually just throw a new tube in
What do you have in your personal tool kit when you
ride?
Allen wrenches, tire levers and some CO2 in case of a flat
How often do you do bike maintenance?
I try and keep it lubed and riding silent, so weekly or at the
longest biweekly
What do you never leave home without?
My helmet
How many miles do you ride every week?
On a good week 250, on a bad week it’s closer to 100
Favourite trick, and why?
I honestly think most tricks on a track bike are ugly or just
silly. Just my opinion there, but if there is one trick it would be
bunny hops done right. Gabe Morford has that on lock
What do you do for an every day job?
I try to make things look good for people, and if I am lucky
there is some meaning behind it.
Fixed
93
Romain
Camus.
ric Viollet
Photos : Ced
Name: Romain Camus
Age: 24
Gear ratio: 46x20
Years riding Fixed: 0 (about 5 months)
Favourite place go ride: South Bank
What inspires you to go ride: Weather
Worst injury: Fils de pute
Person to ride with: Myself
I don’t leave home without: My keys
When you aren’t riding: It seems like
I’m working instead...
LOOK
OUT
For the latest
track bike news,
check :
www.fixed-mag.com
Name: Tom La Marche
Age: 18
Gear ratio: 76 gear inches
Years riding Fixed: 2 1/2 I think..
Favourite place go ride: FDR, but I’ve been getting into
a lot more off road stuff recently
What inspires you to go ride: Having fun, learning new tricks,
pushing limits, watching others.
Worst injury: I nose dived trying to jump stacked cinder
blocks into a bank and landed flat on my back. That
took me out for a couple months.
Person to ride with: Friends
I don’t leave home without: Tools, and other essentials for bicycle repair.
When you aren’t riding: I’m either with the lady, drawing, at school,
or wishing I was riding.
Tom Lamarche.
Photo : Steve Hartley
OUT
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NEXT...
Fixed mag issue two drops on 30th August 2008, featuring...
Making of a monster: the story behind Macaframa
Ich Bin Ein Berliner - Track bikes in Germany’s capital city
Dustin Klein: on Cadence, Fast Friday and the future
plus much more...
Check out www.fixed-mag.com for the latest news...
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