John Miedema

I have only just started tweeting on a semi-regular basis. It has taken me awhile to get used to such a noisy technology. But if you have been following my tweets, you may have picked up on a tweeted only story (till now): my fascination with a very non-noisy, clean, elegant technology, the fixed gear bike. It has been something of an obsession since I first saw one in a bike shop about three months ago. I had never seen one before. For newbies like me, a fixie is a stripped down, single-speed bike, but the gear is fixed so the pedals never stop turning. It’s the choice bike of urban couriers, my dream-never-will-do job.

My biggest debate was whether to build or buy. If you know fixies, you know that building one is the way to go. Pick up a 1970s frame at Goodwill, strip it down, thrown on the gear. Plenty of street cred. Looked through some used bike shops and friend’s basements but hadn’t found the right frame yet. Then I ran across a new Gary Fisher “Gritty”. It was just what I was looking for: lightweight, thin tires, short straight handlebar, humble appearance (not a target for theft), and a very reasonable price. It’s a dream to ride, though I’m still getting used to my pedals never stopping. I sensibly kept both brakes on, but I stripped off the reflectors. Come on, give me some street cred.