Monday, November 19, 2007

So it's interesting to me to note several things that have been going on lately.

First, last week while cycling i was hit by a car. Nothing too bad, just some bruises and some damage to my bike. The woman who lives 3 houses away from me, stopped and agreed to pay for the repairs which was very nice of her to say the least. I'm sure this is the exception not the rule, i consider myself very lucky.

Secondly, some friends and i are putting on Sarasota's first alleycat race which we're very excited about. Here's the flier.




























I, at least realize that this is not going to be a groundbreaking race, and certainly won't compare to races that take place in cities like Portland, Seattle or NYC but none the less it's the first in Sarasota, but it will be really fun and we've got some really cool stuff planned and we're proud of it.


Third. I read a good bit of blogs about cycling and cycling culture and i like to keep up on what's going on around the world. But I've noticed a funny occurrence, especially in blogs that are written by guys and gals in smaller towns. It seems that they're all the same. Every blog that's smaller than the big guys seems to be very contrived and second rate. They're basically just day old copies, like reading yesterdays news paper from the trash, and they admit it. It's frustrating, how can there be innovation at a grass roots level if everyone at that smaller level is just copying what the guys in Seattle are doing? I'm sure there are pockets of really "hardcore" riders who are trying new and harder stuff, and that they'll never get the exposure that riders in bigger markets get, unless they move or come out with something truly great it seems really boring.

The problem i see with track bikes and the fixed gear culture on a whole is that it's completely limited in its scope. Guys start skidding, then putting one leg over the bars while skidding, then doing 180's in the skid, riding backwards circles, wheelies, backwards wheelie circles, ramping up stuff... how far does one take it? If you've got a bmx or flatland background this stuff come very naturally to you and you'll ride your bike accordingly. If not then you've got a lot of catching up to do. I know that these tricks and all the hype around them may be a natural progression that comes from riding on the streets but from what i can tell, the whole fixed gear "sub culture" has become only about how long you can ride a wheelie and how many bar spins you can do. It doesn't make sense. This like the Florida housing bubble is bound to burst and when it does, of course they'll be a ton of bikes and accessories up for grabs, cheap and the hopefully there'll be a few riders left who just want to ride their bicycles.

I guess I'm just tired of all of these kids viewing bicycling as a means to and end to do trick, and not taking cycling for what it is, riding the fucking bike.

I'm tired of reading blogs about the new video that was just posted, or a review of a review of a new frame. I want to read about 200 riders showing up for a critical mass in a small town, or about 3 friends who rode 300 miles in 3 days.

Which is what I'm planning to do, February 1st. Across the state and back, in 3 days. We'll see how that works out.

Call this a return to traditional cycling values.