I know that this is what most of you are looking for anyway, so you’ll be glad to know that I got a lot of pictures of a lot of bikes. Despite the Chinese market waking up to the concept of Super Cool Urban Fixxter riding, almost all the bikes made by the upstarts were set up as free wheel singlespeed, although one was a coaster brake. There is deifnitely a pervasive aesthetic going through these things, but the number that were around that WEREN’T at the major companies was cool to see. Look out, speedcat/airwalk, cheap alternatives appear to be on the horizon. Let’s not kid ourselves here,  a LOT of these were heavy as shit.

Selling a lifestyle, despite not actually have any fixed gear bikes at this booth.

Bianchi. Great bikes. But what the FUCK is up with that stem?

Special props go to my favorite, “Jetson’s Bike.” There were actually four of ‘em, I guess Rosie has to pound pavement while the rest of the family rides around taking Astro for a walk.

Let’s look at this goofy-ass Tange!

You know what? You know what you’re looking at here. If you’ve got any questions about brands, I might have ‘em written down, put something in the comments.

Yep, it finally happened.

The ” Big Box ” stores are selling fixed gear bikes ! Walmart and Target are first on the scene, but I can guarantee that there will be many more soon.

So far these bikes don’t look too bad . . Especially for the price.  Seriously, check out these specs :

First we have the Schwinn bike, readily available at Target.  You can check out the store link HERE, though it might not do you any good since there are no Targets in China . . Bummer.  Though I’m sure that at the fast Chinese consumer culture rate there will be fakes floating around the streets in a matter of days !

Men’s Schwinn Courier Road Bike – Green (700c) (Available at Target)

• Bicycle Frame Height: 19″
• Bicycle Frame Material: Aluminum
• Seat Features: Adjustable Seat Height
• Wheel Height: 18″
• Rim Material: Metal Alloy
• Tire Type: 700c
• Tire Width: 1″
• Brake System: Linear
• Gear Speeds: 1
• Used For: Commuting
• Manufacturer Suggested Age: 15 Years and Up
• Includes: Kickstand
• Care and Cleaning: Wipe Clean With a Damp Cloth
• Dimensions: Height: 46.0 “; Length: 68.0 “; Width: 25.0 “
• Product Weight: 26.0 Lb.

You can pick up this bike, ready to ride, for just 260 US Dollars.  Yep, that’s about 1,770 RMB.  Chances that it’s better quality than an Airwalk bike ? Pretty high.  The only downside about this bike is that those handlebars are so huge that you can probably herd cattle with them . . But hey, for that price, I’m tempted to order one myself !

Next we have the 700C Men’s Mongoose Cachet Fixed-Speed Bike, available at Walmart.  This one might be worth looking into, since there are a few Walmarts scattered around Shanghai and the rest of China.  Though upon first glance, I’m not too sure I’d be trusting this bike to mash through traffic just yet . . Those cranks and that chain are looking pretty weak . . But here it is regardless – link to Walmart HERE.

700C Men’s Mongoose Cachet Fixed-Speed Bike

This post was originally written by John Watson, and can be found on Prolly is not Probably HERE

When 700cmx is No Longer 700c: the 26″ vs. 700c Debate

LSD Bikes is a bicycle shop / company based out of Seoul, Korea. They specialize in fixed gear bikes / parts / merchandise, and carry everything from Japanese imports, to American imports, to European imports : truly covering the full spectrum of fixed gear stuff available.

Taken from their website, ” We believe that fixed gear bikes have similar psychedelic effects and addictions as lysergic and diethylamide. ” I couldn’t agree more !

Like most other fixed gear cultures around the world, the guys and girls at LSB bikes are really pushing for Soeul to be the next bicycle kingdom : ” Have you ever ridden a fixed gear bike on the Han River Drive in Soeul City ? Then you have no idea where we are coming from. ”

They just released their new custom fixed gear frames, the Dolphin and the 38 Destroyer. Seriously, these frames look awesome ! See for yourself :

The Dolphin, pictured above, has a unique bend in the top tube while the 38Destroyer has a bent seat tube, allowing the wheel to be slammed to the bottom bracket shell.  Hit up their website for all the details HERE, or shoot them an e-mail HERE.  Do it, now !

Do you like to look cool while you ride your bike ? Are you in need of a new messenger bag or a pair of Vans slip-ons ? Feeling that urge to dish out on the latest flash-track-jacket ? Then look no further ! Welcome to 190 Changle Lu, Shanghai . .

The entrance to 190 Changle Lu Underground Market

190 Changle Lu is THE underground market where all the cool-kids are shopping.  Essentially it’s an underground maze of independent retailers, all trying to make a dime off of the latest and greatest fashions.  You can find everything from Vans, to Element, to Manhattan Portage, to Incase, to Levis, to Adidias, to Nike, to Supreme, and just about everything in between.  Japanese imports, American imports, and all the goodies from Hong Kong !

We took a trip there this past weekend to scope out the goods.  The best part ? Everything is negotiable ! O how I love China !

Descending into a world full of great deals !

We’re constantly getting e-mails asking where you can buy a messenger bag, tight jeans, or cool shoes in Shanghai . . We’re not saying this is the end all be all of places, but it’s definitely a good place to start.  I mean hey, check out this super-flash track jacket.  It’s sure to make all of your friends jealous !

Sebastian, making all his friends jealous.

If you plan on going to check out the market, be sure to give yourself plenty of time.  There are so many shops, all completely crammed with stuff, that you’ve really got to take your time to look around.

Half-cab shoes !

Neon shoes !

Messenger bags !

See ? You’ve really really got to search through the piles of stuff.

Shark hats anyone ?

More shops . .

Kool-Aid shoes ?

More messenger bags !

Anyways, you get the idea . . Lots of stuff, great prices, and conveniently located in the French Concession !

click on the flyer for full resolution

” Get a bicycle.  You will not regret it if you live. “  ~Mark Twain

People’s Bike is proud to announce the 1st Ghetto Fabulous Fixie Competition ! So here’s the deal . .

We want YOU to go build yourself a fixed gear bike, and use as little money as possible ! Really, the rules are that simple :

1. Build a fixed gear bike in China

2. Spend as little money as possible

3. Post your photos and documentation online ! (HERE)

Could it get any easier ? Probably not. You must post all your documentation and photos online by March 31st, and then we will judge your stories and finished products to determine a winner ! Here’s what we’ll be looking for, and how we will judge the submissions :

1. The complete price breakdown of the bike you built – keep it as cheap as you can !

2. Full documentation of where you bought all your parts, and how you put it together

3. The final quality of your fixed gear bike

4. The final appearance of your fixed gear bike

5. The stories and ideas behind your finished product

6. How ghetto fabulous is your new bike ??

See? Super simple ! The only minor details are that you must build this bike within China, and you must submit your creations by March 31st, 2010.  All submissions must be posted in our forum, HERE.  That means you’ve got to be a member on the forum to register !

Not sure where to start looking for parts ? Try checking out our Guides Section for a list of localized bike shops. This would also be a good place to start looking : Bicycle Graveyard

And finally, did we mention that there’s a sweet prize up for grabs ?? Yep, a limited edition ONEWAY Shanghai Alleycat Messenger Bag !! Check out these photos :

You’ve really got nothing to lose, so get out there and start building yourself a ghetto fabulous bike !! We look forward to seeing all of your submissions, and of course, if you have any questions just post them here on in the forum !!

Fixie Friday is a weekly People’s Bike column posted at the end of every week.  Fixie Friday serves as a recap for all of the best fixed gear news from around the world.  Photos, videos, interviews, events : find it all in one big post !

View last weeks post HERE

NEWSforFEB 6 – 12, 2010

The Taiwan Fixed Gear girls are at it again, taking new photos and continuing to ride through the city and document it all.  Here are a few of our favorite shots that we found online :

Chud City has released a new cycling sweater, and it looks great !! Even for a first edition of the model it looks very promising. Check out all the details HERE.

There is an unspoken marriage that exists between tattoos and cycling culture . . We’re working on a piece that will be published next week that tries to explain it all, but for now check out these awesome drawings done by artist Matt Taylor.  You can view his site HERE.

Paper Labels is a new collaboration company that is trying to push new ideas of cycling and messenger design.  They’ve released shots of their first bag, which looks great !! Check it out below :

The much anticipated Kilroy frame from Gorilla has finally hit Asia : in Taiwan to be exact.  There were 25 limited edition models sent out worldwide, and the lucky guys down in Taiwan managed to get their hands on a few.  They look beautiful, just check out the pictures below !

Add it to the list : another company has released pedal straps . . Yep, Burro Bags has jumped on the bandwagon and made a version of their own.  Chances that soon one day everyone will be using straps instead of toe clips ??

14 Bike Co recently launched their clothing brand 4TN Clothing : very casual, retains the functionality of sportswear, but the texture and shape have been produced to last. More details can be found HERE.

Transient has released a new messenger bag as well, and it’s huge !! This photo says it all, but have a look on their flickr account for yourself HERE.

Pretty sure that everyone’s familiar with Reload Bags . . Well, they’ve got some sample shots up of their much anticipated chain cover. Check out their site HERE if you have never heard of them before – great stuff !

Gran Royale has released a new version of their well respected drop bar.  This time it has a built in stem : supposedly for aesthetic AND functional purposes.  Looks great ! (How long until they are copied here in China?)

Four fixed gear riders from Beijing have been sponsored by Adidas to go cycle from Osaka to Tokyo next month. Jealous? I know we are . . They’ll be dressed in the new Adidas OT Tech series, and the entire trip should last about 7 days : averaging about 6 hours of riding a day.  The total trip will be about 500 KM – which doesn’t seem like a lot in retrospect to the trip we at  People’s Bike have been planning to ride – Shanghai to Hong Kong, early March 2010.  Watch out for it !

The main idea behind the Beijing riders going to Japan is to try and explore their culture through the lenses of a Chinese citizen, while obviously promoting Adidas.  You can check out the link HERE.

As if the fixed gear scene hadn’t been penetrated by the fashion industry enough already, Uniqlo has jumped on board and is starting to promote their ‘ Fixed Gear Girls’.  Don’t believe us ? Check out these photos :

Finally, some more straps.  These ones actually look very promising.  You can view all the details on the Resistant site HERE.

As promised, I will be doing a weekly column on Custom Frame Builders from around the world.

I first learned about Custom Builders was back in the late 80s, i was living near Boston, Massachusetts area. Also at around that time, titanium tubings were making a big impact on the frame building scene.

While browsing a local bike shop, I was introduced to Merlin Metalworks Inc. The company was founded by Gwyn Jones, Gary Helfrich, and Mike Augspurger in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1986 to manufacture bicycle frames and racing wheelchairs constructed from titanium, being the first to do so. The first bike Merlin built was a mountain bike frame for the the defending National Mountain Bike Champion, Joe Murray. Later, the company began its strong relationship with Tom Kellogg who helped them design their first 3/2.5 titanium road bicycle frame.

Saucony acquired Merlin in 1998, 2 years later, Merlin Bicycles was sold off to the American Bicycle Group who relocated the company to Chattanooga, TN

These days Merlin can’t compete with titanium builders like Seven, Litespeed and Moots

First Merlin mountain bike frame

1991 Merlin print Ad

1991 Merlin print Ad

1991 Merlin print Ad

I was lucky enough to own a Merlin road frames (very similar to the one above), they were not custom at that time. I didn’t really like the feel of a titanium bike. I kept my frame for nearly 20 years then i sold it last year!

Tom Kellogg

Early Merlin frames were fitted with “Press fitted bearing BB” then later on they introduced “GREASE GUARD BB, but both versions were not service friendly.

See that headline up there?  No, not the 30 Seconds to Mars one - they suck and can basically go fuck themselves - I'm talking about the So Grate part.  Anyways, you're probably wondering what that means, and if you're not wondering what that means please take my 30 Second to Mars advice and apply it to yourself.

HA!  No, just kidding, I appreciate all my readers - basically me and the sit e admin, judging from comments.

Ennihew, it means that my rants will now be in a thematically concise weekly column.  Weekly column.  Weekly.

Yes, let it sink in.

So today we're talking about a band that I've already expressed my feelings about (just there in the very first sentence), ladies and gentlemen, please don't get up for

30 Seconds To Mars

We're this smug 'cause we all have hemorrhoids

Now, I’m not going to review the whole [inexcusable] existence of this middle of the road dipshit band – that’ll take too many curse words and way too much blog space.  I am only going to review one song of theirs.

This has nothing to do with cycling Riaad – I hear you whine.

Don’t worry, it’s coming – sheesh!!!!

The song I want to talk about is:  Kings and Queens by 30 Seconds to Mars.

Still no cycling reference right, well now you can watch the video at the top again – if you already have, don’t watch it again, it might destroy you.

See how I care about my readers – fucking youku video man, not blocked youtube – YOUKU MARTHA FARKARS!!

If after this, you’re bleeding from your eyes and ears, welcome to my side of the world.  If after this, you have a tear of inspiration in your eye and your feet are tapping in an odd melancholy way – YOU DESERVE TO… – no, seriously, it’s not worth it, just not worth it!!

Back to the video.

Did you see that?  What a pile of feces.  An absolutely horrible song that has nothing whatsoever to do with cycling, all of a sudden features each and every hipster bike rider in some obscure city with a sour anus look on their faces trudging through the streets behind what is clearly a very sexually confused lead singer of an emo band that would be better of at the botom of the ocean!

Any video that begins with a sunset or a sunrise majestically silhouetting the band on some hill needs to be burnt if you ask me.

"ooh, look, we're on a hill, this means we overcame adversity"

Then the lead singer, in a sign of unity with their fans, lifts his finger to the sky, pointing at some god’s anus and salutes the sun.  IDIOT!!

The song carries on in a cacophony of oral violation and all of a sudden – CYCLIST FROM THE DAMNED!

Look, we're dressed up and painted, like hipsters should be!

WTF!!?

Am I the only one bothered by this?

I can just see how they came up with this video idea.

“Hey guys, so we need to do a video for Kings and Queens, you know, our other shitty song”

“Yeah, what can we do?”

“Well, this magazine says fixed gear bicycles are really in – let’s use that”

“The song has nothing to do with bicycles”

“Blah, menah, boobies!!”

“Yeah, fixed gears it is!”

Just ridiculous!

So you have them all riding through the city, there’s a little crash scene, but no one really cares –  a hipster’s lack of a soul make it impossible for them to show emotion.

And then this:

A FUCKING HORSE!!

Yes, A FUCKING HORSE!!!

Nothing to do with bicycles, nothing to do with the crap music they make and nothing to do with kings and queens – except that many of them, may at some part of their lives have rubbed their private parts against a horse.

Now, if that’s not random, I have no idea what is!

This video is shit!  30 Seconds to Mars is just about as bad as Black Eyed Peas and if you think otherwise – shut up and eat your spandex HIPSTER!

I’m so… OOUGGHH!!!!!

I’m not even going to continue!

Next week hopefully I won’t be so vitriolic – but who knows – as I’ll be discussing why The Shelter hates you.

Until next time – keep it real!

Riaad

FAST FRIDAY is documentary by David Rowe, which follows the growth of Fixed Gear culture in Seattle, Washington. Dustin Klien, a local fixie rider, began track bike get togethers in his studio where he also ran his clothing company, Cadence Clothing. The events were held monthly with riders competing in track stands, quick stops, tricks, and races. Within little more then a year, the scene caught on and Fast Fridays went from a few friends hanging out in Dustin’s studio to huge events made up with hundreds of riders from all over the state and even some from other parts of the country.

Watching this movie makes you want to call up your buddies, grab a couple beers and hit the streets to enjoy everything that makes cycling enjoyable. This film captures just that. We here at PPLS say it and so does the film, cycling is way more than just a form of transportation. I was snooping around Tudou and found found the full Fast Friday movie. So you can all check it out!

A few weeks after seeing the film I thought it would be cool to do an interview with the director and after a nice little email; here we have it! David also mentioned that he has a new fixed gear documentary coming out called TO LIVE AND RIDE IN LA. I decided to ask a few questions about that as well. Unfortunately there are no video posts that can be viewed in China so I have a couple of screen shots from both flicks to go along with it interview

So here it is… Thanks David!

PPLS: What got you interested in making a Documentary about the Seattle bike scene?

DAVID: It was really the community that got me interested. There’s not many sports or hobbies that bring together people from all different backgrounds like this one was doing. It was like a club for people who like to drink and ride bikes, that’s a club I would’ve belonged to in High School, but all they had was tennis.

PPLS: How did you hook up with the Fast Friday / Cadence crew?

DAVID: I was actually shooting a documentary on the Seattle Hip hop scene at the time and a friend of mine was just getting into track bikes and attended his first Fast Friday. He was so excited about it and had such a good time that he convinced me to come to the next one and film it. Once I was there and met everyone I became really interested in the event and decided to keep shooting.  I really liked the vibe of what everyone was doing, just getting together as friends and everyone was welcome. I became good friends with Dustin Klein so it was really fun to just hang out and shoot with him and the event that he started.

PPLS: Fast Friday grew from an event in Dustin’s shop to hundreds of people gathering to hang out and compete. Why do you think these events grew so large?

DAVID: I think people were really having a good time at such a fun organized bike event. Once they realized how chill it was and how it was more about having a good time than it was a competition, they started telling their friends and it became a regular thing to do for a lot of people. The word just spread and everyone wanted to be a part of it. Fixed gear cycling was just starting to get popular then too so more and more people were riding and looking for others who rode too.

PPLS: This film seemed to be pretty organic in the way the fixie scene grew. Did you have any expectations or a vision for the film when you first started filming?

DAVID: I had no expectations or goal when I first started shooting. I thought maybe at most I would make a sort of commercial for Dustin, something to put on youtube and spread the word, but when I saw how popular it was becoming and how there was a demand for more and more video on the subject I decided that maybe this was an opportunity to make a movie and get it out to an audience. Now since I filmed most of it without any expectations or vision to begin with I was left with a lot of hours of aimless footage which really proved to be challenging when it came time to edit and try to make sense of it.

PPLS: Fast Friday has become a must see film for Fixed Gear riders. What do you think of the recognition that the film has gotten?

DAVID: Since I had no expectations with this project to begin with I decided that if I made something that the riders of Fast Friday themselves enjoyed then I would be happy, but I never imagined it would be as successful as it has been. It really blows me away when I hear from people all over the world who are inspired by the movie or the event itself, I’m just glad to be a part of something so positive, it’s great to be able to show the world the event that Dustin created.

PPLS: What do you want people to take away from Fast Friday?

DAVID: That cycling is fuckin’ rad! Doesn’t matter what type of bike you ride or who you are, this movie shows that people of all types can get along and do something positive together with this mode of transportation in common. I love when friends or family who don’t ride watch the movie and tell me it made them want to get back on a bike, and even if they don’t ride again, they now have a new respect for the cyclists they share the streets with.

PPLS: You have a new fixed gear film on the way. Can you give us a little pitch about what this one is all about?

DAVID: I think the title says exactly what this movie is about: “To Live and Ride in LA.”  It’s getting a view of Los Angeles from a cyclists perspective, exploring the different areas, races, and events of LA through the people who live here and  also getting a visitors perspective.

PPLS: Why did you find it important to highlight another fixed gear scene?

DAVID: I recently moved here to Los Angeles and was pretty shocked at how dominated this town is by cars, it’s absolutely unfriendly to cyclists and pedestrians, I’m not used to a place where sometimes sidewalks just don’t exist and you’re forced to walk in a street with no shoulder and cars blowing by at 50mph.  Riding is almost worse, the roads are so fucked up everywhere and drivers are the worst here, it made me want to find out more about the people who ride these streets everyday in the different environments.  LA is so spread out, and every different area has it’s own characteristics, advantages and disadvantages for riding.

PPLS: Do you have a vision of where the fixed gear scene is going or how you hope it progresses?

A: It’s a bit of a trend right now and that’s some people’s only reason for riding, but people will always ride bikes and track bikes have great advantages to them.  The more people on bikes, the less people in cars, it’s better for the environment and better for our bodies. A lot more people are seeing the advantages of getting on a bike and that’s a good thing. People have their own reasons for riding fixed gear, if it’s strictly a trendy thing and they’re only doing it to be cool, well that sucks, but at least they’re on a bike so it’s not all bad. Fixed gears were the first bikes invented and have stuck around this long so I don’t imagine them going away any time soon.

PPLS: What’s the best part of being involved in these scenes?

DAVID: When you’re in a big group of people on bikes no one gives you shit for drinking beer on the street! And if the cops try to stop you, you just jump on your bike and bounce, they can’t catch all of you.

PPLS: Favorite pre-ride / in-ride drink?

DAVID: Beer. Nothing quenches your thirst like an ice cold beer, it’s just like water but it gets you drunk. The only shitty part is when it starts to come back up when I’m killing myself on the long hill back to my house.

PPLS: Your most epic bail?

DAVID: Somehow I ran into my own apartment building once, I don’t know how it happened, it’s not like it jumped out at me, it’s a damn building. Must’ve been the beer.

PPLS: Favorite riding music?

DAVID: I listen to so much music when I’m indoors that I prefer to hear the sounds of the city when I ride. Sirens, helicopters, gunshots, usual things you hear in nature.

That’s all folks!