FIXIES :_ FAD OR FOREVER.

Greeting me on my doorstep this afternoon, among the leaves and surry hills dust, was a copy of Central, ‘the news magazine for metro life’. As I flicked through resident rants about proposed developments and council ads alerting me to the drilling that is due to take place just outside my bedroom window over the coming months, I saw a dude with a cheeky grin and a fixie in his hand. Curiosity lured my attention away from a Contours ad, promising to help me loose years off my ‘bioage’, and directed me to the article opposite, “Bike Riders in a Spin”. For the most part the article was pretty neutral, boring even. But there were pockets of anti-fixie sentiment that pricked my attention. As I read on, I soon learnt that I wasn’t just being paranoid when I interpreted the occasional furrowed brows of other riders on the road as a symbol disapproval at my choice of bicycle. Some people really don’t like fixies. Take Edward for example, he seems to think fixies are impractical “because you just can’t coast and it is pretty hilly around here”. I don’t know what routes Ed chooses, but most directions I travel in have both “hilly” and non hilly options. So here’s a tip: If you do find yourself at the bottom of Foveaux St., staring up into a sea of black tar, pedal the extra couple of minutes it takes to get to Devonshire St. and you will find yourself a much mellower climb.  As for not being able to coast – I see that as an asset, not an impracticality. It’s the rhythm of a fixie, the whir of the pedals and smoothness of the rotations, that makes it such an enjoyable ride; meditative even. But not according to Nick, who seems to think “people spin a lot of s… about it (fixie riding) like it is a Zen-like sensation”. I myself am partial to a bit of meditation – usually traditional style; feet firmly stationed on the ground, breath slow and even – so I am familiar with what it’s like to be transported from the everyday to a state of peace. Other than laying belly up in the ocean on a calm day, fixie riding is the closest thing I have experienced to “a Zen-like sensation”.

The general sentiment of the article is that fixies are just too impractical and too dangerous. Since when was bike riding simply about being practical and staying safe? Sure, bikes make for good transport, but since when was getting from A to B, with as little effort as possible, the be all and end all of cycling? Maybe I’m just a product of the ‘me generation’, but I demand more from my collection of two wheeled machines than just transport. I want adventure, community, and yes, even a little ‘Zen-like’ experience.

Anyways, I think I’m done; opinions expressed, thoughts vented. But before I depart, please take heed: This little piece isn’t meant to incite conflict or divide the bike scene, it’s just a chance for this fixie rider to exercise her right of reply.

- le Pista Resistance.