Long live the fixie, urban panache on two wheels

20.05.78

Perhaps it’s a stage of life, but when my head turns these days it is usually to look at a bicycle. More often than not, it is a attached-gear bike, or “fixie.” Popularized by bike couriers as a fast, austere way to charge around town, the fixie has become the ride of choice for young downtown cyclists – a live statement and urban art form in one.

Source: Globe and Mail

Bike slowly

28.07.11

One of the things I like about urban biking in the summer is that people go slower: no one wants to appear at their destination a sweaty and disheveled mess. When bikes go slower, that’s safer for everybody, chiefly pedestrians. And it’s much more pleasant for the bicyclist, too. If you take your time, and you’re not always in a rush, stopping at red lights is no longer an pique: it’s an opportunity to cool down a little look around, learn about your city. I like the factors that my bike is faster than a car for most New York journeys. But that doesn’t mean I’m in a type.

Source: Reuters Blogs (blog)