FREE Track bike culture - Summer 2008 - www.fixed-mag.com
Go Play in Traffic...
n Cardiel.
ing with Joh
ood: rid Two Wheels G
Setagaya Park: Tokyo’s newest riding spot Who the hell is Supe rted? ris. n invades Pa iale: Londo Entente Cord Kyle Kelley: The brains behind Trackosaurus
+
Rex.
Between the Lines/Bike Polo/From Hanoi to Hackney/ Word To Mother/What’s up, Huf?/Most Wanted/ Jonathan Burkett Bike Check and the best cycling photos out there...
1
Startline. We are often unkind to new creations, new talent and the new in general but the new needs friends... Hi... Glad you could make it; you are looking at the first issue of Fixed Mag. I’m typing this before it’s even finished and I’m already excited - and we know you will be too. We had a lucky start, with riders contributing from all over the world and we want Fixed to become even more international... We’ve heard whispers of fixed scenes rising in many small, far away cities and we want to help bring those riders to a common, welcoming new arena. We’re at the beginning of something very new, which promises to be the most significant and amazing time. This is the ‘no holdsbarred, anything goes, let’s do this and don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks’ stage. Believe me, the ‘don’t give a fuck’ mentality has brought this magazine a long way already, and is propably a large part of why you are where you is! There is more than enough time for this evolving culture to branch out and sprout more specific sub-cultures, but just hold on a minute - there ain’t no rush! Slow down, enjoy the ride and take a look at who is riding next to you. Andy Ellis, Fixed Mag London, June 2008
Fixed-magazine Editor: Andy Ellis andy@fixed-mag.com Art Director: Viktor Vauthier viktor@fixed-mag.com Publishing Editor: Ian Sansom ian@fixed-mag.com
Contents.
Senior Photographer: Cedric Viollet cedric@fixed-mag.com Production Manager: Nastassia Conquet nastassia@fixed-mag.com Contributing Writers Sebastien Carayol, Andy Ellis, Will Harmon, Kyle Kelley, Tom LaMarche, Max Lewis, Louis-David Najar, Burd Phillips, Sebastien Renard, Ian Sansom, Patrick Straub, Minh-ai Ton, Odge Wong, Pete Yak. Contributing Photographers Ben Broomfield, Jonathan Burkett, Sebastien Carayol, Andy Ellis, Massan Fluker, Ken Goto, Steve Hartley, Marcel Lammerhirt, Jose Martinez, Tom James, Max Lewis, Benedict Radcliffe, Steve The Slabco Robot, Ian Sansom, Andrea Schilliro, Mickey Spence, Patrick Straub, Rose Wind, Lazer Comodore. Fixed magazine is published four times a year by Death Trap Publishing and is available free from select bike shops around the world. Single copies and subscriptions are available on payment of the appropriate fee – please go to www.fixed-mag. com for more information. If you’d like to stock Fixed magazine in your shop, please contact us for details Advertising Please address all advertising enquires to ian@ fixed-mag.com – We can take care of you Contributors We welcome contributions, but do not accept responsibility for unsolicited contributions. Please contact us to discuss your ideas before sending anything in – andy@fixed-mag.com
Fixed magazine is printed on unbleached, 100% recycled paper using vegetable oil inks
Image : Cedric Viollet.
Thanks to everyone who made this possible, you know who you are. And thank you for taking the time to read Fixed. No, really.
38. 42.
Tracko.
56.
(Setagaya) Park Life.
Inside the brains of Trackosaurusrex
Superted.
Edward James, please stand up
Tokyo’s fastest growing spot uncovered
72.
From Hanoi to Hackney.
76.
Les Rosbifs au Pays des Grenouilles
What’s fun in one life, is essential in another
Fixed Gear London in Paris
80.
Huf.
What’s up, Huf?
Startline. Let’s get this party started
6
Contents. A point of reference
8
Hot Air. News and views from the track bike world
16
Ratios. Damn lies and statistics
20
Instants. Moments in time
24
Antivelo. A day in Sacto with John Cardiel
28
Duality. Friends who ride together
30
Subscribe. Get Fixed sent straight to your door
32
Between the Lines. Odge Wong looks into the future
36
Frames. The world’s finest riding photos
62
Flip Flop. UK artist Word to Mother talks
82
Most Wanted. Product to stoke you out
84
Polo. Snapshots from the courts
88
POV. Evolution - where are we headed?
90
Bike Check. Jonathan Burkett’s ride
92
Lookout. Upcoming riders under the spotlight
94
electronics %
" " #
$$$ $ !
"
HOT AIR. STIVAL
BICYCLE FILM08 FE
Photos: J Martinez
16
Fixed
There’s a (bike) party going on... photos by www.negativo.org
Entering it’s eighth year, the Bicycle Film Festival celebrates bicycle culture of all kinds with a unique global tour of bikerelated movies. With 17 stops in cities around the world, the event kicked off in NYC on 29th May and featured a full program of bicycle movies (including Fast Friday as the headliner!), related fun, riding and yes, even a little partying. The ‘Dear Velo’ art show went down well and threw up all manner of cool weirdness and the Bicycle Block Party, in association with Trackstar, provided raucous street fun. Next stop on the tour is Toronto, with further events scheduled for Minneapolis, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Tokyo, Austin, London, Vienna, Zurich, Paris, Sydney, Melbourne, Milan and Portland – check www.bicyclefilmfestival. com for dates and schedules and we’ll see you there!
HOT AIR.
Items of interest - for up-to-the-minute news go to www.fixed-mag.com
This is the ill shit To celebrate the 2008 Bicycle Film Festival, the organisers have hooked up with Brooks England and released a special, super limited edition version of the world famous Swallow saddle in a beautiful British Racing Green. Limited to just 100 pieces, every one comes with a unique serial number (from 1 to 100, you can even choose the number you want as long as it hasn’t gone already) and is on sale from the www.brooksengland.com shop, or by clicking through from www.bicyclefilmfestival.com. Priced at $250/€159/£129, these ain’t cheap, but then the best never is...
`Fixed shoes from Vans? As if producing a range of shoes using artwork from four of Iron Maiden’s finest ever albums wasn’t badass enough, Vans will be releasing their first fixed gear specific shoe later this summer. The Era Fixed from the Volt range comes complete reflective accents and a tool bag that fits under your seat to keep your essentials safe. But this looks like it’s just the start of something. Rumours have it that Mash SF’s Gabe Morford have been hard at work developing something a bit special... www.vans.com
New bikes from Charge One of the first bike companies to get their heads around the fact that riders like good looking complete bikes, Charge from the UK will be introducing two new models to their range this summer, to join the best selling Plug. The Plug Freestyler comes with transparent red frame and Deep V style rims and riser bars, while the Plug Racer features a chrome frame and drops. Geometries on the Plug range are a little more relaxed than true track bikes, which makes them a little easier to ride on city streets. Go to www.chargebikes.com and while you’re there, search out the video clips if you haven’t seen them yet.
Cooler It seems like every newspaper in the world has run, or is preparing, articles on Fixed Gear bikes and despite the inevitable ‘no brake madness!’ headlines that are springing up, some journalists are actually doing their homework rather than simply typing ‘fixed gear’ into Google. Cooler, a European girls action sports mag, just ran a five page piece which, spelling mistakes and over use of the word ‘fixie’ aside, is actually pretty decent – www.coolermag.com. They’ve run shots of an all-girl crew The Trixie Chix who get together every week to ride, play polo, learn tricks and have as much fun as they can – check them out at www. trixiechix.com Tonite, Tonite
Profile These new Profile fixed hubs showed up just before we went to press. Superted laced them into his Charge rims right away and has been out shredding them for the last few days. The verdict? ‘Sweet! They roll really smooth...’ With a long history in BMX, their first fixed hubs look like a winner – durable, beautiful and bombproof. They’re currently shipping a fixed/free version, but the fixed/fixed version is expected this summer. Seven colours are available right now, with new colourways – and special limited editions – being introduced all the time. They’re on to something good, we think... For more information, check out the Profile site at www.profilefixed.profileracing.com
18
Fixed
Check out this awesome hat we just found. Tonite are a small brand inspired by the likes of Prince, Frank Frazzeta, Metallica (Cliff Burton Era!), 80s Skate Graphix, The Second Summer Of Love 1988, Keith Haring, Punk, Funkadelic, The Boredoms, Etc. and were established to present streetwear made with real Love that was for the ‘People’. During their journey, they’ve worked with the likes of Royal Trux, Chrome Hoof, Soulwax, to name a few and there’s plenty more to come. Go to their new website www.tonitesite.com to see their wares for yourself, where you can also be enlisted to the Tonite Fanclub where you can become part of TEAM TONITE. You will receive cosmic transmissions with further info...
Ratios. Facts, figures and crap we just Photo : Massan
made up…
Ten things you did not know about Trackstar – compiled by Patty Bowman (trackstarnyc.com)
Ten all time favourite tricks… (In no particular order)
1. Zach wore sweatpants until he was 13 2. They secretly hate everything about track bikes 3. They’ve traded bikes for tattoos in the past 4. They have a courier service 5. They used to pay their messengers in sparks, and wisdom 6. Zach emits filth from his body at all times and sometimes smells like urine, he’s not allowed to touch any thing in the shop that’s white 7. Zach, contrary to popular belief, does not eat baby’s hearts 8. Customers who are persistent enough can sometimes actually buy stuff 9. They excel at running race checkpoints 10. Brad hit on Mr. Sugino’s wife
1. Nose wheelie 2. Crank grind 3. Backside disaster 4. Lipslide 5. Bar spin variations 6. The spin 7. Wheelies anywhere 8. One handed wheelies anywhere 9. Pop-up’s (no handed) 10. Pop-up wheelies
Ten tricks you should have down by now 1. Backward circles 2. Pop-ups 3. Leg over bar skids 4. Switch skids 5. 180 skids 6. No handed skids 7. No handed trackstands 8. Hop skids 9. Skids anywhere 10. Barefooted trackstand
20
Fixed
Fifteen (plus one more) fixed specific websites that rule 1. Trackosaurusrex.com 2. Mashsf.com 3. Bootlegsessions.blogspot.com 4. Cadenceclothing.net 5. Pedalmafia.com 6. Trackstarnyc.com 7. Hkfixed.com 8. Londonfgss.com 9. Fixedgearlondon.com 10. Bicyclefilmfestival.com 11. Macaframa.com 12. Wolfpackhustle.com 13. Fixedgeargallery.com 14. Fbmfixed.com 15. Fastfridaymovie.com 16. Profilefixed.profileracing.com
The Numbers game/ Global statistics compiled.
London. Compiled by Andy Ellis (fixedgearlondon.com) 1 – number of days it took to shoot all Ted’s photos for his interview (see page 42) 6 – number of bikes stolen from or otherwise ‘lost’ by Ted in 2007 2 – estimated London hipster population in 2004 2000 – estimated hipster population today 4 – Aerospoke wheels known to exist in London in June 2007 200 – Estimated amount of Aerospokes now 70 – average gear inch ridden in London 2426 – number of members on the London forum (www. londonfgss.com) as of 1st June 2008
Paris. France - Compiled by Louis-David Najar (madbrosrecords.com) 2 – total number of Aerospoke wheels known to exist in Paris as of 1st June 2008 10 – Parisian freestyle fixed riders. Maybe less. 60 – average speed (in kilometres per hour) of the Thursday pignonfixe crew ride 64 – average gear inch ridden in Paris 345 – Parisian forum members (pignonfixe.com) 75 – number of Parisian fixed riders seen on the streets on a regular basis 10 – number of new bikes being ordered from Cyclope – the only fixed-specific bike shop) every week
Fixed
DRAFT LITE
Philadelphia. PA. USA – compiled by Tom LaMarche (bootlegsessions.net) 1 – number of days it took to shoot Tom’s photos for his Lookout(see page 96) 80 – average gear inch ridden in Philly 200 – number of Aerospoke wheels not on the track in 2007 700 – approximate number days that Brooklyn Machine Works frames are on back order
Los Angeles. CA. USA – compiled by Kyle Kelly (trackosaurusrex.com) 236 – number of Track Bikes in LA before Orange 20 opened (134 of these were mine) 2,360 – Track Bikes in LA after Orange 20 opened 365 – the days you can ride a bike in LA a year without seeing clouds or rain 366 – number of days you can ride a bike in LA every leap year without seeing clouds or rain 2 – mountains in LA you can ride a Track Bike up without changing your gear ratio 3 – estimated number of EAI Gold Medal cogs on conversions 5 – number of Taco Trucks you will see on your way home from anywhere 12 – estimated number of Aerospokes on conversions 73 – average gear inch being ridden in LA (by the smart people)
*All fact and figures on this page were discussed and researched thoroughly. Where a fact didn’t serve our purposes, we substituted it for something that did. 22
/," 1 °°°Ê THE
- ĂŠ-*
&YDMVTJWF 6, %JTUSJCVUPS 'PS 5SBEF 4BMFT BOE UP ĂśOE ZPVS OFBSFTU TUPDLJTU DPOUBDU 4IJOFS -UE -BXSFODF )JMM #SJTUPM #4 +# 5FM F NBJM JOGP!TIJOFS DP VL XXX TIJOFS EJTUSJCVUJPO DP VL
INSTANTS get lifted... 24
Fixed
I worked as a courier in London for a while, riding all over the city and delivering packages to some of the wealthiest companies in the world. Every day, I’d have to use all kinds of elevators, in some of the most amazing buildings the city had to offer. Most of them have CCTV cameras to make sure you don’t fuck about, especially if they are government buildings... It’s impossiblle to just relax, if you catch my drift, so I’d spend my time in doing one of two things... either standing there, bored or taking pictures on my camera phone... Words and photos by Andy Ellis
Antivélo.
with John Cardiel A Sacramento Saturday night Words & photo by Seb Carayol
Y
ou always say yes. Always. Skateboarding legend John Cardiel’s energy is so communicative, you never think twice. Whatever it is, you’re down. Try a new Matte tea? Check. Learn how to mix properly a Beres Hammond vocal into the Morgan Heritage one? Check. Go ride a fixed gear bike all night in the Sacramento traffic? Hell yeah! Then, and only then, you remember – the ‘no brakes’ thing. The fact that John’s legacy got built on 360ing Marseille skatepark’s huge transfer on a broken board, or dropping Portland Burnside’s highest wall. Plus, oh yeah, no big deal, but it just occurs to me that I’ve never, ever ridden a fixed gear bike. Just a bunch of shitty Peugeot or Fuji 10-speeds, and that’s it. Before the reality check even kicks in, we’re heading towards a nearby sandy track. “Easier to learn to skid,” John explains. After a few stiff attempts, finally, my back tire scratches the surface and it feels like that first 50-50 on a skateboard. By the time passersby are done figuring out what two guys on bikes can be doing on a runner’s track, and why one of them gets so hyped up, yelling “Yeeeaaah, Seb!”, here come the first skids on actual asphalt. No real time to work on my stance so it doesn’t feel like my hips are gonna pop out of their sockets when I brake, we’re already going upstream in traffic in downtown Sac. The skidding technique comes fast when you have no other choice. As expected, John skates these streets he knows
the same process used on Indy’s. How much more skateboard can you get? Cardiel got classically-BMX trained, and it shows. He put a PK Ripper sticker on his white Bianchi Concept frame, which raises a lot of questions. Some dude at a bar: “Oh do they do PK Ripper fixies now? I mean, with all the hype around these things these days…” Whatever. Hype or not, it doesn’t look like too many bike messengers are out in the city at 10 at night – not sure you need their bags to carry your Starbucks cup – what really counts is how much fun you have. John doesn’t really give a shit about the whole ‘trend’ thing. For one, he builds his bikes with mountain bike stems and straight bars, and doesn’t understand the whole pursuit look people are after. “You can’t see anything, you can’t jump, it just sucks, dude”, he thinks. I’ll have to agree. I thought we were just going to give riding a shot tonight, but it’s already midnight and we’ve hit so many spots, among them, a skate video premiere in the alley behind a skate-shop. Newly-fixed local heroes Matt Rodriguez and Omar Salazar show up. Yes, for those who have seen Omar skate, he’s got a bike now. Imagine that. John doesn’t want to stay too long, as he’s never at ease with the ‘legend’ status he’s acquired over the years, so instead we zip off through traffic, skidding away. Cardiel wants to show every parking entrance, every slick sidewalk. He eats it skid-slaloming between three granite balls in front of some hotel, gets his wallet chain stuck in a tree grid. He grins. Tears the
John doesn’t really give a shit about the whole ‘trend’ thing. For one, he builds his bikes with mountain bike stems and straight bars, and doesn’t understand the whole pursuit look people are after.
by heart, only the medium has changed. You’ve seen Mash SF, right? Bunny hops never look the same after you‘re actually riding a murdered-out, perfectly painted black track frame – John took this one to the Independent skate trucks factory, where it got painted with
28
Fixed
chain and takes off. A security guard manages to remove the remaining piece, two inches of now-useless wallet chain. John gives it to me. “So you’ll remember your first time riding one of these”, he laughs. It’s two in the morning. My legs ache for the next three days.
Fixed
29
DUALITY. Photos : Cedric Viollet
& Andy Ellis
Sebastien on
Riding with friends means learn their every move and how they’re going to react to different situations. Patrick Straub and Sebastien Renard describe their experiences on the streets of London town
30
Fixed
Patrick
ebastien
Patrick on S
Patrick, a.k.a. Patman! He’s a cool kid, a good rider and he’s fast and fun to be with on the road. We hang out a lot and ride everywhere around London together. It seems the two of us are always in a rush somewhere, loving the traffic jams and passing cars. Patrick is a free spirit and I like his chilled out attitude. I would say that his style goes between crazy sided skids, wheelies at high speed and kicking random objects that happen to meet his wheels. A player in everything, really, so ladies beware! Enough now, let’s roll Pat!
Seb is your typical French dude… always passionate, slightly arrogant and he loves to talk – but on his bike, he is one of the gnarliest guys I know… I don’t think we have ever ridden in a calm or relaxed manner. Seb loves to rag it everywhere and the more traffic, the better! Except for talking, his favourite hobby is pissing off other road users… We have a lot in common (not the talking bit) I always find it fun to ride with him and it’s good to know someone has your back, if you get into a situation. Pull a wheelie mista!
By Sebastien Renard.
By Patrick Straub.
Fixed
31
SUBSCRIBE!
Can’t find Fixed magazine in a bike shop near you? Then subscribe! You’ll get four issues of the magazine delivered straight to your door as soon as it makes it off it’s co-operatively owned press –100 + pages of recycled, unbleached, vegetable inked goodness – full of the best stories and the sickest photos from the world of fixed gear cycling! UK and European subscriptions: £10 a year (four issues) US and Rest of the World subscriptions: £20 a year (four issues) UK and Europe single issue price: £4 US and Rest of the World single issue price: £10 To subscribe, go to www.fixed-mag.com and hit the subscription button. Alternatively, download the mag for FREE from www.fixed-mag.com
BETWEEN THE LINES. Words by Odge Wong Photography by Ben Broomfield
In a short film about NYC Messengers, director Joshua Frankel said that “riders can see fifteen seconds into the future”, highlighting their relationship with the contemporary city in which they operate. And it’s true – practised individuals can act and react with ease in situations where others find difficulty. Riding a fixed gear bike, like in skateboarding, surfing or snowboarding, gives you freedom in the route you choose, but it is the experience and dedication of these individuals that permits them to defy rules with pleasure and excitement. Unlike other sports, cyclists have to contend with traffic, whether human or vehicular. Despite the many irritating obstacles you may face in a day’s ride, there is a certain sense of satisfaction from attacking the city’s streets. During certain times of the day, even when buses and taxi drivers are not enough, there are even battles amongst our own, cyclists versus cyclists. Although it can be denied, the feeling of winning against each other appeals to the competitive nature. The finish line may not be a common one, but while you ride together you gather what energy and courage you have and pedal your damn hardest. Most cyclists follow the path that is presented to them by road rules and traffic, but fixed-gear riders look for gaps and utilise the entire road in order not to stop. We dictate our lines. The choices we make detemine the flow. When riding in a pack of friends, we all know our destination, yet the route there is wide open – If you know a shortcut, you take it. What you try to avoid is to be left behind, to avoid feeling envy as your compatriot effortlessly takes a perfect line and zips past you and the traffic to gain those extra yards. You know you have to pedal again, and pick up speed just to gain back your lost ground. Sure, you can make up for it, but you promise not to make the same mistake twice. To sceptics, the brakeless fixed-wheel rider is considered a danger to the public, but the average cyclist depends solely upon their hand brakes to slow them down. The very mechanics of fixed-wheel bikes allow the rider to manoeuvre through the traffic with much more control. The direct drive-train provides momentum, pushing us along when picking up speed, yet when you apply resistance you immediately begin to decelerate. The feeling of unity with your bike is achieved as you stop relying on the use of a finger-brake and depend on your legs. Due to the absence of a brake, riders are forced to become more aware of their surroundings and anticpate what will happen next. It is all about the approach. If you are faced with sudden obstacles, knowledge of skidding will aid in avoiding it. With these learned techniques, fixed-wheel riders can be confident and defiant in their journey through the city. With increased experience the awareness of your surroundings grows, the faster you ride, the further you can see into the future...
36
Fixed
Fixed
37
I
f you are interested in a subject, even if it’s something as absurd as collecting toenail clippings that resemble dead celebrities, then it is an absolute guarantee that you will find 50,000 internet blogs written by people who are interested in the exact same thing. It is also true that there is almost certainly one specific blog that you and the rest of your fellow dead-celebrity-toenail-clipping collectors regard as the main source of information about your pastime, the “top dog blog”, so to speak. For people into fixed gear bikes, particularly those who are into pushing the limits of what can be done on one, that blog is most likely Trackosaurusrex.com. Tracko has somewhat become the epicenter of the English-speaking fixed gear world. If you want kids to learn about your shop that just opened, or see your new video, or come to an event that you’re pushing, then the first thing you do is send the info to T-Rex and hope that they post it. If they do, then you’re pretty much golden. Despite what you might think, running a blog is not easy. You have to put a tremendous amount of time into it in order to generate enough content to keep your readers coming back on a regular basis. Whatever you’re blogging about has to be more than just something you do for kicks – it has to be an obsession. There are plenty of people who are obsessed with track bikes these days, but probably few more so than Kyle Kelley, the main man behind Tracko...
Burd - You live in LA, but you’re not originally from there. You grew up in Southern Indiana, then lived in Chicago for a while, correct? What made you move to LA? And you’re not allowed to say sex, drugs, or rock-and-roll. Kyle - I grew up in Evansville, IN and later moved to Bloomington, IN (REFUND!) to attend college. The time I spent in Bloomington has a lot to do with who I am today, because it made me fall in love with bikes again. I lived in Chicago for a while, which cannot be beat in the spring and fall, but the winter was depressing for me. I always knew I wanted to be in California and had originally planned to move to San Francisco, but then I got a job offer in LA. I’ve been here for about three years – I cannot think of any place I would rather be at this moment in my life. A lot of people hate on LA, but I think the bike community here is extra great for the simple fact that we really need to stick together in a city like this. Anytime someone is hating on LA, I think of the chorus of To Live & Die in LA... ‘It’s the place to be/You’ve got to be there to know it...’ I had my doubts, too, but now I know. Burd - Bloomington is obviously famous for the Little 500 and for being the setting for the movie ‘Breaking Away’... Did you start riding fixed when you got there? Or did that start in Chicago or LA? You used to skate too, right? Did you stop skating when you started riding more? Kyle - I saw ‘Breaking Away’ before I moved to Bloomington, but my first fixed gear was built after reading an article in Stance Magazine. Right before I moved to Bloomington the only bike I had was a custom dual slalom mountain bike that I didn’t want to leave locked up anywhere. The Stance article was about how to convert old road bikes and it seemed like an affordable solution for my situation. My mother’s old road bike became my first fixed gear. I built the bike for transportation, but it quickly became a much bigger part of my life. Growing up was mostly about BMX for me, but yes, I also rollerbladed. Am I allowed to say that? I stopped skating around the time I moved to Bloomington, but that had more to do with my interest shifting to filming rather than riding. Burd – You’re probably going to catch some flak for admitting that... but do you really give a crap about catching flak from people? You always seem to post things on T-Rex with a pretty positive spin, even if they are things that you probably know will generate hate from a lot of the people who post on your site. Does it ever get you down or make you not want to post certain things? Or do you just chalk it up to ‘teh internetz’ and not worry about it? Kyle - Yeah... Whatever. I could have been born in a velodrome, ridden a track bike my whole life and I would still catch flak. I rode BMX, mountain bikes, snowboards and rollerbladed growing up. I think they call it “freestyle rolling” these days. So, no... I don’t really care about catching flak from people.
Kyle Kelley. Words by Burd Phillips Photos by Steve the Slabco Robot & Mickey Spence
« There are so many types of people riding now that track bikes can’t be defined by one thing; they all bring different influences and styles »
It seems like a positive spin is a must with all the hate these days. If it is individuals doing something, I don’t think there’s any room to hate. That said, there are certain things I won’t post, even if it is individuals doing their best because I know that if I’m not feeling it, the shit talking will go nuts and for me, that’s not what the site is about. I try to keep things honest and positive. I am usually only negative when I feel like someone is jumping on the Track Bike Freak Out, just trying to make money or a better name for themselves. It’s the interweb – don’t worry, just be happy! Burd - So how did the whole T-Rex site get started anyway? What gave you the idea? Kyle - Trackosaurus Rex came about a few years ago when a friend and I started talking about doing a magazine. It was going to be track bikes, track bikes, track bikes – everything track bikes and the website originally started as a way to build interest in the project. We ran into some troubles getting the magazine going, but the website was successful in building interest. And as time went on, the site became the resource that I had originally hoped the magazine would be. I have a lot of ideas about what I want Tracko to be, but as it has done since the beginning, it will continue to evolve on its own. ‘Coming out the gate like two bears in a Buick regal’...Kanye was into Tracko since day one. If you don’t believe it, take a look back at the first post ever. Burd - I did go back and look at that first post, and you’re right, the first comment you ever received was from someone who listed his name as Kanye West. Obviously it wasn’t the 40
Fixed
real Kanye, but that’s pretty ironic considering the mild stink that was generated after it was revealed that he had purchased a custom built Brooklyn Machine Works Gangsta that looked like it would glow in the dark. How do you feel about that sort of thing? Does it bother you that track bikes are becoming more prevalent in certain segments of pop culture? Kyle - Wait a second, you’re telling me that wasn’t really Kanye? I am pretty much for anything that brings cycling greater exposure in the media because it helps make the masses more aware of cyclists and maybe, just maybe, it will also get someone on a bike. I am not into the fact that the Track Bike has become an accessory for some people, no different than a pair of sunglasses or a handbag. Those people buy what they think is cool and then post it up in their home waiting for someone to ask about it at their next dinner party. What I really love more than anything is the pure joy I see in someone’s face riding their bicycle down the street. The big smile... like they don’t have a care in the world. That’s what keeps me going, that’s what makes it all right. More and more people are riding bikes everyday and that’s all that matters. As for Kanye’s bike, I think it’s great that it glows in the dark. If it didn’t, he’d probably get hit riding home from one of those big concerts he performs. Burd – Yeah right... I’m guessing that the first thing Kanye did when he got that bike was to check to make sure it fit in the trunk of his limo, because that’s probably the only way it will ever be on the road. Then again, maybe I’m just bitter
because he can afford a custom BMW and I can’t. Moving on... it seems to me that the fixed gear thing is starting to move away from the whole messenger fashion thing and is somewhat turning into a retirement home for skateboarders. John Cardiel is a good example of that, and I’ll admit that I personally fit that description as well. Do you think that’s going to push the fixed gear phenomenon in a completely different direction? And would that be good or bad? Kyle - You never know...Kanye is pretty unpredictable. There are so many types of people riding now that track bikes can’t be defined by one thing; they all bring different influences and styles. Skateboarding is one of them, and it has been on the scene for a while. Jovante Turner and John Igei have styles that I think could only have come from skateboarding. But overall I don’t think skateboarding alone has, or will, change the direction of the Track Bike Freak Out. It seems to me that right now BMX is a bigger influence on track bikes and what is being done on them. You can see it in some of the new frames that are being produced, the way people are building their bikes and in the tricks people are doing. I think its important to remember that the aspect of track bike culture we’re talking about here is just one piece of a bigger picture. All the different aspects and people are the reason I have something to post about everyday on Tracko.
Q - Tom LaMarche gets irritated when I refer to him as the fixed gear poster boy. Is it OK if I call you the fixed gear Larry Flint? Kyle - You can call me anything you like as long as you replace “fixed gear” with “track bike.” Q - How many pairs of shoes do you own now? And be honest. Kyle - I have a pair Sambas for riding hills, some Vans for everyday use, some moccasins for hanging out, running shoes for running and hiking boots for hiking. I sold all my shoes to buy bike parts. Oh... I forgot about my two most important pairs of shoes – my Sidi’s for cyclocross and my Northwaves for the road bike.
Check out trackosaurusrex.com for the most up to date track bike information there is. And try not to hate on the message boards; let’s not forget that we’re all riding track bikes and all progression is good.
Fixed
41
Superted. Yak Words : Pete
let
y : Cedric Viol
/ Photograph
Interview
I
t’s a regular night in the Fixed Gear London studio. This shared, ex-industrial factory space has in recent months become something of a regular stop-off point for the growing community of fixed gear riders in London’s East End – and tonight is no exception. While someone is changing a wheel, another bike enthusiast is using his numerous contacts to try and source a pair of those elusive white Vittoria tyres that everyone is after at the moment. A third tells a story of a relentlessly unyielding taxi driver who got his come-uppance when approaching the bottleneck that is Old Street roundabout. Calm, serene and seemingly oblivious to all the ferreting going on around him sits perhaps the most celebrated of all the riders in today’s London community. Edward James, or Sup erted, as he is fondly known, has been riding for such a long time that he is one of the few who makes it look like his bike is an extension of his body. Like a master samurai whose skill is born out of discipline, respect and knowledge of his tool, Ted’s mastery has been developed and painstakingly honed over time. Getting to be this good on a bike can be something of solitary mission, with constant practice being the lynchpin for success. Being noticed, and the respect of others, is something that still surprises him, as a recent visit to Paris proved.“It was kind of strange because we got treated like royalty out there” he recalls. “The first night was pissing with rain, but about 20 people came out. Some of the guys had been riding fixed for two years without anyone to ride with, but everyone came out of the woodwork and by the time we left there were so many riders that we didn’t have time to meet them all. There are more and more people riding right now and that can only be a good thing”. Ted picked up sponsorship from bike company ‘Charge’ almost a year ago. “Their bikes are
44
Fixed
Fixed
45
ÂŤ I wanted a stripped-down bike for street riding and was ready for a new challenge Âť
good, really strong” – a pre-requisite when someone like Ted is on the bike. “I’ve got a slightly shorter stem now, which is better for tricks. I got some wider bars, and put some Charge cruiser forks on it, too… The Plug is a great bike for the money, but I’m hoping to design a bike based around it, which will be tweaked for trick riding”. It is apparent that Ted always looks to modify what comes off the production-line and this constant desire to transform goes back to his childhood – in order to train for mountain bike racing, Ted would ride the famed open-air, concrete velodrome at Herne Hill – the last facility from the 1948 London Olympics that is still in use today. “I used to go every Saturday morning” recalls Ted. “I was about twelve when I rode my first fixed bike down there… My dad was a cyclist and riding a bike is one of my first memories,” he explains. “He would do charity bike races and rides and I would watch, although I wasn’t allowed to ride until I had taken my cycling proficiency test, which you can only do when you’re nine. My brother did his the year before me and as soon as I was old enough I passed, too, then did a thirty-mile ride and wanted to ride home afterwards.” The effervescent passion for two wheels lights up Ted’s face, but this is no nostalgia trip, as the glint remains when remembering a more recent event, the Salisbury winter challenge, when he took it upon himself to ride the 50km fixed, on his Charge Plug, which had been adapted with a front brake. “Really hard work, that one. Then I did the Spring Series Round 3 on the Charge Stove, also fixed with a front brake and I chose the wrong gear,” laughs Ted “Really painful” he adds matter-of-factly. A few years ago, while working at a bike shop in Waterloo, Ted observed the steady increase in couriers who would ride fixed gear bikes, for speed and swiftness. “I thought it was a good idea for the street,” remembers Ted. “Couriers
48
Fixed
Fixed
49
50
Fixed
Fixed
51
Superted is one of the few who makes it look like his bike is an extension of his body
did it because it got them from around fast, but I wanted to do it because it made sense to have a stripped down bike for street riding and I was ready for a new challenge… I got a cycle speedway frame with a really relaxed head-tube angle, which made it really comfortable to ride. Soon after, I moved into a house with my friend and we started to build fixed bikes from old road frames. It’s not like we had an agenda to start what is now Fixed Gear London, we just liked riding and building bikes. Back then we used to ride with horns on our bars, honking at people as we went past. It’s come a long way but it’s always been fun”. ‘Back then’ was about two and a half years ago, when Fixed Gear London was an idea waiting for its time. The reality today is that Ted still has fun with bikes, whether it’s building them up from scratch, fixing them for the stiffs down at City Hall or just simply thrashing the crap out of them in an event, it is done with a lot of vigour and a liberal sprinkling of fun. Drawing by Fran.
Aside from all of this, the multi-faceted Superted also builds and mends bikes for the London Ambulance Service. “A guy that I know from my days working at Condor started up a company called ‘The Bike Doctor’ and through that got a contract with the Ambulance Service and various others. We’ve actually just serviced loads of suspension forks for them... We’ve also been teaching them how to fix their own bikes – it’s a great feeling when you see someone understand what you’re teaching them and then they can work out problems for themselves” he grins. To finish up, we’ll leave it to the man himself to describe how he got his adoptive name. “About four years ago I was working at a welding company. I’d lift these heavy beams on my own and the guys decided to call me Superted… And then, when I was working at Evans cycles guys called me that whenever I fixed a bike… ‘That guy Superted can fix any bike, whatever the problem!’ Amen to that!
Getting this good on a bike means constant practice as the lynchpin for success
54
Fixed
Park Life.
(Setagaya Crew)
mmerhirt g : Marcel La photo openin photo crew/words : Max Lewis
When the sun sets over Tokyo, track bikes descend on the city’s Setagaya Park, where they circle like sharks. The Setagaya Crew don’t have a set time to meet, but when their day’s chores are over they go and ride. And that’s really what its all about – track bikes bringing people together, on the paths around the park where they can cruise, popping wheelies and backwards circles till their heart’s content. Every week, more riders from West Tokyo come, just guys looking for a no-hassle spot to ride at and fellow riders to talk with and learn from. The park is full of fresh riders who are keen to practice and push themselves, thriving on the environment and who will soon be a regular part of the scene. Because it’s not all about the tricks and skills for these guys, it’s about what they’re creating, the styles they’re setting and the fun they’re having doing it. Check ‘Setagaya and Destroy 2’ when it drops later this year and a big thanks to Koske for getting everyone together for the photos...
Nakam.
ano.
Toshihiko Nak
Yuji.
Bike check Giro Favourite spot Honey Drippin’ Favourite phrase Coke please, Akira Why did you start riding? Through KD! What is the future for track bikes? It’s a super environmentally way to live and travel
Bike check Ghetto Bike 555 Favourite phrase “Snow man” Why did you start riding? I thought it would get me closer to heaven What is the future for track bikes? Good – I wonder how far this can go?
from 104 Film and minor league production Bike check Gan Well with aero finn Favourite spot Streets of Shibuya and Setagaya Favourite phrase Minority Why did you start riding? Minority What is the future for track bikes? The future is so bright it is shining!
inaga.
Tadashi Tom
a.k.a. Tommy from the T19 crew Bike check I ride a Hetchins Favourite phrase Nothing to lose! Why did you start riding? It reminded me a lot of skateboarding What is the future of track bikes? At the moment, it looks like track bikes are going to be moving away from the track
58
Fixed
Minato. Bike check Kamikaze Favourite phrase Information gathering Why did you start riding? My friends got me interested What is the future for track bikes? There will be even more fun riding
Fixed
59
Toku.
Yushi Aoki.
Koske.
Bike check Alan C Frame Favourite phrase? Play both ends against the middle Why did you start riding? Through friends What is the future for track bikes? Bright
Bike check Bridgestone Favourite phrase Skateboard Why did you start riding? It looked like fun, so I tried it What is the future for track bikes? More fun!
Bike check The OFF TRACK prototype Favourite spot Setagaya park and Komazawa streets Favourite phrase Work hard and trust Why did you start riding? I was inspired by Mash, T19 and Kalavinka What is the future of track bikes? The future is bright, but beginners need to practice hard…
Hajime Takeuchi.
Full.
Bike check BB Favourite phrase Way of life Why did you start riding? I watched Keirin racing when I was younger and it grew from there What is the future of track bikes Track bikes forever
Bike check BS, Bridgestone Favourite phrase I’m thirsty Why did you start riding? I wanted some excitement and track bikes looked like they’d give it to me
Yohei Ogawa. Bike check My bike is called Fujimi-kun, It means the Undead. It’s a Remington with a Zipp 440 Favourite phrase A class bitches Why did you start riding? I started riding with friends What is the future for track bikes? It’s a really ecological way to live, so the future is good
Gekishi. Bike check No brakes Favourite phrase Cat Why did you start riding? I lost my love and needed something to replace it What is the future for track bikes? I want a public track bike park in Tokyo!
Kota. Bike check Cinelli Vigorelli Favourite phrase Love How did you start riding? Through my friend Hiroshi Fujiwara What is the future for tracka bikes? Love 60
Fixed
Fixed
61
Frames. 62
Fixed
Image : Cedric Viollet
Images : Cedric Viollet
Fixed
63
Image : Andrea Shiliro.
64
Fixed
Fixed
65
Image : Cedric Viollet
66
Fixed
Fixed
67
68
Fixed
Image: Ben Broomfield
Image: Andrea Shiliro
Fixed
69
Image : Lazer Comodore.
70
Fixed
O
n the day I got my first fixed gear bike, I carefully rode it home, excited to show my mum – I had been trying to explain what fixed gear was and had failed quite miserably (it occurred to me later that I had never had say ‘hub’ in Chinese before). When she finally saw my lovely, brilliant white bike with its shiny silver parts, her reaction wasn’t what I expected; she started laughing… a giggling, mocking laughter
From Hanoi to Hackney. one gear’ thinking spans the globe
n
By Minh Ai To
“What’s wrong? What’s so funny?” I asked defensively. “Are you mad?” she shouted (not because she was angry, Chinese women only have one volume – loud) “We used to ride these in Vietnam, but only because we couldn’t afford any better” She continued, laughing, shouting… “What do you mean?” I asked “Well, they’re stupid, you can’t even stop pedalling!” “But that’s why they’re good!” I said, starting to realise I was fighting a losing battle “You kids today” she said sighing, chuckling…. “You don’t realise how lucky you are...” My parents grew up in Hanoi during the Vietnam War. My mum and her family were typical of most poor Vietnamese; living in the suburbs, riding their bikes, loaded with produce from the family’s land to sell in town. Anything from vegetables and fruit, to animal feed and large sacks of rice; they carried as much as they could. I went there in 2003 and it was chaotic. Actually, it was insane. The streets were loud, aggressive, grey, dusty and heaving with people – but somehow it worked. I had never imagined that my mum would have ridden a fixed gear bike, but their well known
benefits – simple, reliable and cheap – are even more valid in rural Vietnam than they are in major cities around the world. I imagine her rushing to catch the early morning shoppers, weaving through a city that resembles a shambolic Critical Mass; where every lane is a bicycle lane and every colour light means ‘go’. Just one of hundreds of bicycles mixed with rickshaws, mopeds, people, cars, oxen and carts. Every day she’d force her way through rough, corroded and disordered streets on a rusty old bike with one gear that she couldn’t stop pedalling. And as she remembers it, it wasn’t exhilarating and it certainly wasn’t fun. That made me think about the way we ride the streets of London, as bold as our bikes. We see their reflection rolling along the smooth surfaces of our own specially painted lanes. The only thing we have to worry about is dodging a few potholes, drains and the odd car. I think about the organised rides and how empowering and liberating it feels to ride with big groups; like the first warm day in spring when cyclists are
‘I had never imagined that my mum would have ridden a fixed gear bike’
out in force. There is no sense of unity amongst the cyclists in Hanoi. There is no social Internet forum where they can discuss their bike-related annoyances and what actions they can take to resolve them, just a daily commute on the train in rush hour; crammed together, claustrophobic and irritated, or stuck in traffic sitting side by side. Riding a fixed gear bike was my mum’s only option. It was a chore, but was (and still is) an essential part of life and survival in many parts of the Majority World. Her bike had bells and a basket – not for decoration, but out of necessity. It had a fixed gear – not because it made for a more enjoyable ride but because her family couldn’t afford a free wheel. Fixed gear bikes were a symbol of the poor. In the same way that children would laugh at the smelly kid in school, neighbouring kids would jeer at her: “c’mon, hurry up! Pedal, pedal, pedal!” they’d shout as they coasted past; fast and freely down hill on their way to school. It was all she could do to
arse – it has broken down more times than my bike; and it can’t be repaired with a puncture repair kit. I have struggled to understand my parents over the years as they have struggled to understand me – not surprising, given the massively different surroundings in which we were brought up. But in writing this, I have found something that we can both relate to. We appreciate our bikes for essentially the same reasons – they serve us well and they save us money. The difference is that my mum rode her fixed gear bike because she didn’t have any other choice. I ride my fixed gear bike because I enjoy it. There’s a long, winding, quiet stretch of road near my parents home in England that I love to ride down. It’s an idyllic road for cyclists; with a slow, slight incline and is lined with oak trees that separate the road from the lush green fields behind them. On one recent evening I was riding down that road, speeding towards the sunset,
‘That made me think about the way we ride the streets of London, as bold as our bikes’ watch them fade into the distance; envious of their ‘better’ bikes. My mum didn’t have any kind of sentimental attachment to her bike “It was reliable and easy to look after. Even if we could have afforded a car, we couldn’t keep it going. Gas, parts, who would fix it?” She had a point… cars are expensive to maintain. I know that mine is a pain in the 74
Fixed
trees rustling as they flashed by me in a blur, the wind flowing through my hair. It was one of those rides that just felt great, the same feeling you got when you stuck your head right out of the car window as a kid, except all over your body. It was exhilarating. I felt free. And as I rushed down that hill, I thought to myself ‘how lucky am I?’
Fixed
75
I
n April 2008 Fixedgearlondon decided to take a trip to Paris to ride the city and check out the scene. After bullshitting about it for a while, eleven riders actually got it together to make the trip, which is a small miracle in itself. Andy, Odge, Pouya, Nordine, Sebastien, Benedict, Ted and Tom all made the trip one Sunday morning, with Max, Patrick, and Jody due to arrive on the following Tuesday. Here are excerpts from their diaries.
From Andy’s journal.
Les roastbeef au pays des grenouilles. on in Paris ...
Fixedgearlond
Photos by Benedict Radcliffe, Patrick Straub and Tom James
I wake up early. Didn’t sleep much. We are due to leave at 10am and I’m expecting everyone to be late… which they are. We get out of the door at 10:20 and it’s raining, ten minutes later we are at King’s Cross station, ready to get the Eurostar train that goes from London to Paris. It takes just two hours, much less time than it would take to go to the airport, check in, wait around, fly, deal with customs and then get into the middle of the city. We are running low on time, so everyone frantically starts taking apart their bikes and packing them away, ready to put on the train. Seb is the last one to arrive. The hardest part of the journey is walking from passport control to the train – we each have a big bag of clothes and a bike bag, making moving very difficult. Once on the train though, everything is cool – we’re all excited about the trip! The route cuts through the southern England countryside and as we get to the coast it starts snowing… What!? While the southeast of England is hilly and grey, as we emerge from the tunnel, France is flat, dry and even sometimes sunny! We arrive in Paris at about 1pm and start to put our bikes back together on the station platform. People look at us in strange ways and some stop to ask what we are doing. One dude walks around in circles with his dog, scratching his head. He follows us outside and asks a lot of questions. He looks like a homeless person, but we find out he’s just English.
Paris is a welcome change from London. It’s sunny and warm. We ride through the streets trying to adjust to travelling on the opposite side of the road. Wheelies and skids all up in them streets, blood! I think I’m going to have some tyre issues real soon. We ride to our friend Alice’s place on Place St George, she lives above a restaurant, up a hill near Môntmart, and we are so lucky to be staying there… thank you, Alice! We dump our stuff and head out to explore, Louis our French Fixedgearlondon ambassador is the tour guide for the duration of our trip. The Eiffel tower is the first stop, then we head up to the Trocadero, which has some good sets of steps, a few banks and the floor is completely smooth. Tom rides backwards down an eight set of stairs, which we are all surprised about seeing as he has only been riding fixed for a week – he’s been riding BMX all his life, though. Afterwards, we head to Palais de Tokyo, which I have seen in countless skate videos over the years. It feels strange to be there on a bike! The skaters are quite accepting, which is a surprise… We decide to head to a local BMX spot and see the first fixed gear bike of the trip. It turns out he was waiting for us to show up! His name is Romain and he co-wrote an article for Cream BMX mag called ‘Fixed vs BMX’ which we contributed towards… The mag is cool. We talk for a long time about riding in the city, I ask him about a spot we had seen in a BMX video Fixed
77
hard to find, but it’s stocked full of loads of good stuff. I think they have more frames than there are riders in Paris! It’s such a good setup, a bit underground – just like the scene – and as the scene grows, Cyclope will be at the heart of the community… but on an immense scale. I can’t believe there is no shop like this in London! Tuesday. We decide to explore on our own to get footage and photos. It’s an amazing feeling to be riding through the unknown with your close friends. We end up back at the globe – Ted and Tom are first to session the spot and they ride it like it’s nothing. This thing is so tight it makes you dizzy after a couple of times around. We spend two hours riding, get some good footage and a couple of snaps for the picture book. While we are there we see a guy getting knocked off his moped, right in front of a tram… two minutes later everything was back to normal! In London it would have taken hours to sort that out…
– a bowl with over-vert and the map of the world on the surface – and he knows exactly where it is. We ride for 15 minutes to get to this amazing spot, which looks like a sculpture, but is actually made to skate and ride! We don’t get to ride for long as it’s dark and starts to rain. Palais Royale is a square where most of the fixed gear community meet, once a week. Rumour had got around that we were in town and slowly but surely, riders come out of the woodwork. Some people had been riding in the city for a year or more, but had never met! Soon there are around 30 people hanging out, riding and talking. The Parisian community are all surprised to see so many people out that night, it’s raining a hell of a lot and this would usually be a sign for most to not come out. 78
Fixed
We ride around doing tricks, instigating some street Keirin and building obstacles out of wood… Tom and Ted get up to some crazy stuff over a hip we build and the session turns into a bit of a demo. We really get to know the French riders, the scene is so young but they are all super into riding, building stuff and having fun on their bikes. One difference is the gear ratio they are riding… most of the UK crew are on around 64 gear inches, Paris is on 80 plus! My rear tyre is looking really bad, so I speak to the guys from the only shop in town and arrange to get one the next day. Cyclope does not usually open on a holiday Monday… but they do for us. When we arrive, the shop is packed full of the people we had met the night before – a really good atmosphere. Cyclope is on a back street and in a basement. It’s a bit
The next couple of days are blighted by rain and late nights out, so there’s nothing more to see from me.
Palais Royale is a square where most of the fixed gear community meet, once a week. Rumour had got around that we were in town and slowly but surely, riders come out of the woodwork.
Fixed
79
with a little help from Oko and Medi we walk past the fifty people waiting in line and straight in to the club. It is a rad night and we definitely recommend Paris Paris! It’s a miracle that we all make our train back to London the following morning, with nobody MIA. We are so stoked on Paris. It’s an amazing city, both to ride and party in. Although the fixed scene is small compared to London, it’s growing fast and we’re looking forward to the next trip! Thanks to everyone for looking after the us while we were there, we are coming back sooner than you think!
www.myspace.com/cyclopebikes www.pignonfixe.com www.fixedgearlondon.com
Trocadero is amazing, with marble ledges everywhere. Even the floor is marble, but it rained most of the time making it too sketchy to ride. Patrick’s Journal. We meet at Louis’ house bright and early on Friday morning (12pm or so!) to get in as much as we can on the last day. Tom isn’t feeling stoked and with the lack of organisation from the rest of us decides to explore Paris on his own. He ends up sleeping in some woods not far from Louis’ house. Meanwhile, the rest of us drag ourselves to Trocadero to meet Oko/ Poisson Poulet, a photographer who works with Pan au Chocolate. We meet up at the Eiffel tower and then bomb the hill, Oko on his skateboard and in pink pyjamas! Trocadero is amazing, with marble ledges everywhere. Even the floor is marble, but it rained most of the time making it too sketchy to ride. 80
Fixed
We spend the rest of the day seeking shelter in various bars and generally being flakey. We pay a quick visit to Cream magazine to meet some people and then a longer visit to a bar to meet some beer. Later we meet at the Fixedgearlondon Paris HQ (a.k.a. Alice’s house) for food and vodka, then the Pan au Chocolate crew take it upon themselves to take us to Paris, Paris, one of the city’s most fashionable nightclubs. I’ve never seen so many people dressed to kill in my life, it is amazing! We turn up at the entrance, half of us on bikes and the rest on skateboards, looking a little scruffy to say the least. Rafsha’s trousers are in three pieces from his crash and I am bleeding all over the place from mine, but Fixed
81
HUF. Keith Hufnagel interview by Will Harmon Photography by Ken Goto
B
est known for his jaw-dropping abilities on the skateboard or nearly as famous as the owner /creator of the store HUF in San Francisco, it is safe to say quite a few have heard of the name “Keith Hufnagel”. If you’ve ever seen his feats in his skate video parts or how much HUF apparel resells for on ebay, then you know the guy is doing something right. Hailing from the East (NYC), but now residing out West (San Francisco) Keith spends most of his time skateboarding, hangin’ with his friends, running his three HUF stores, and developing the HUF brand. But a couple of years ago Keith picked up a new hobby to rob him of some of his precious time. Yep, you guessed it, not only does he fly down those SF hills on his board, but on one of dem bikes wit no brakes, too! Did you used to ride a bike around NYC when you were a kid? Yeah I used to ride my Hutch Trick Star when I was a kid. I was into racing and freestyle BMX. When did you first get the idea to get a fixed gear bike? Massan introduced it to me. He was working in the store and showed me it. Then he built three custom bikes about 4-5 years ago. They were Pistas Concepts that we painted and put the HUF logos on them. No one bought them in the store, so Massan, Nao and myself ending up purchasing them. What’s it like riding a fixie in San Francisco? What do you do about all the hills? It can be scary and fun. On the hills you either need to lock it up or go for it. Lots of serious decisions to make.
What’s the difference between riding a bike and skating? You can go a lot faster on a fixed gear but a skateboard lets you do way more tricks. Does riding your bike help with skating at all? Not sure. Maybe in endurance, it would suck to get hurt on your bike and not be able to skate. I know you carry MASH gear at HUF, do you see a lot of the fix gear community intertwining with the streetwear world in San Francisco? Yeah there seems to be a weird streetwear fix culture. Not sure if it is good or bad. What’s up with Hufnagel Bikes? I just heard of them, my brother met the guys in Portland and showed me their link. Looks cool. Do you think recent surge in the amount of fixed gear riders is a passing trend or it’s here to stay? I think it will stay. They are really fun to ride and they look super clean. And finally, skateboard or bike, how do you decide what to grab when you leave the house in the morning? I usually just grab my board these days. Trying to film for the Real video so I am putting the bike to rest till I am done filming. See what Mr. Hufnagel has been up to at: http://blog.honeyee.com/keith/ http://hufsf.com/
82
Fixed
Give us the history of Word to Mother I started writing in 1998 but after studying illustration I began to shy away from graff and push things in another direction. I started to call myself ‘Word To Mother’ when I made the distinction between graffiti and what some people call ‘street art’, or whatever – to me it’s just art. Being involved with the Stolen Space gallery means my work has a certain association, but that isn’t a bad thing at all. I’m happy to be involved with that group of people because it helps everyone… the big names help the smaller ones.
Word to Mother. ric Viollet Images : Ced Words : Pete Yak
E
nter the world of Word To Mother, a 24 year-old artist who cut his teeth as a graff writer on the south coast of England. His loose style draws its influences directly from vintage advertising (think Theodore ‘Dr.Suess’ Geisel’s early advertising campaigns for General Electric and NBC), social commentary and the seaside. I caught up with him while he was in the middle of producing a body of work for his second solo show “Til The Hot Runs Cold’ at East London’s Stolen Space gallery (www. stolenspace.com)
How did being taught illustration help your progression? At University, we were torn apart and taught to draw what we were seeing, not what we thought we were seeing. And that was a turning point for me, because it took a couple of years of me hating my shit and drawing and drawing and drawing before I started to progress. It’s like it has always been in me to draw this way, but it was a journey to get here. Was it a struggle to get to the point where you are comfortable with how you work? Definitely… I like to observe people and the people are interpretations of moods. Its social observation, really, and realising that what my relevance is to it at that given time… its also observing myself and recording and documenting everything that is around me. How often do you sit and draw? Every day, man. I may not be into the shit that I’m drawing at any given time and I might draw a hundred things before I’m happy with one or two. And those are the things that I take on and develop. I’d just like to add for the record that Nas’ ‘Illmatic’ is the best album ever made and was played back to back during the production of this body of work. Make sure this goes in, it’s important. When did you get your first fixed gear bike? Probably about eight months ago…I’ve been rockin’ no clips for the last four or five and have been really unlucky with punctures… a combination of bad luck and riding on Brick Lane which I’m sure has the biggest concentration of broken glass in the whole of London. My chain might be as baggy as anything, but without that bike I’d be fucked… Most people ride their bikes in their spare time but for me its different…I draw in my spare time…I paint in my spare time…I see my girlfriend in my spare time. My bike facilitates those things, gets me from A-B quickly and it’s fun and fast. I just like to ride. I love the sense of freedom on a fixed gear bike. Put it this way, I hate it when I have to get on the bus and deal with an irate bus driver and the members of the public that don’t want to be there, either. Back to your work – what’s next? Keep drawing, man. That and hopefully have a show in Europe, the States or both. To make more links with more interesting people and continue doing what I’m doing. I prefer the more patient, natural approach and I feel if that I continue in the same vein that I have done in the last couple of years then I don’t have to force anything. www.myspace.com/wordtomother
2.
1.
5.
6.
7.
8.
3.
Most Wanted. ses racing
A few products that get our pul
1. Fabric Horse U Lock holder www.fabrichorse.com Sitting in the ‘why-didn’t-somebody-think-of-this-before?’ category comes Fabric Horse’ U Lock holder. which slips onto your belt to securely carry your Mini Evo, without having to put it in your back pocket and blowing out the seams.Fabric Horse take seatbelts from cars found in their local junkyard and stitch them together to make a product that is well built, functional and great value for money. 2. Archies Grobags Ninja www.archiesgrobags.co.uk Archies Grobags come out of London, England and are just one of the growing number of small, high quality, hand made custom bag operations. Their line includes two amazing courier bags and the Ninja – a hip pack that is plenty big enough for tools plus extra storage space for everyday use. With a removable waist strap, clips to attach it like a micro messenger bag and even belt loops to slip onto your own belt, the Ninja is nothing if it’s not adaptable.
86
Fixed
4.
3. Knog Frog Light www.knog.com Using a super bright LED and a unique, bracketless design that allows you to attach it almost anywhere, the Frog is one of the lightest and easiest to use lights we´ve seen. Two settings, constant and flashing ensure that you’re you can be seen in most conditions. The rear light is the same shape as the front (with a red light instead of white, duh), which makes them ideal to slip into your bag, onto a karabiner or just in your pocket when you head out. Recommended. 4. MKS chain tug www.mkspedal.com We love Japanese made stuff and not just when it has that little NJS logo that drives people wild. What appeals to us is the fact that it’s almost always well engineered and made beautifully – and the MKS chain tugs are no exception. Available in both 3mm and 8mm drop out versions, with Allen key or hex nut fittings; the MKS tugs are made cast aluminium for strength and durability. Setting them up is a cinch and when done right, they offer you perfect chain tension on your ride. Cheap, strong and work well.
5. Park Tool Patch Kit www.parktool.com There’s a lot to be said for the traditional ways of doing things – where would we be without lugged frames? – But there’s also a lot to be said for convenience and not fucking about. Punctures are a daily fact of life on these gritty, shitty streets of ours, so it stands to reason that we need a way to fix them quickly. While regular puncture kits do the job well, they’re messy – pre-glued patch kits, such as the Park Tools GP-2, speed up the time it takes to repair a puncture and keeps things nice and clean. Just whip out the tube, find the hole, roughen the area and stick on the patch. Park Tool have been in the business of bicycle tool manufacture since 1963 and make the majority of their products in the USA. 6. FBM Crown Royal stem www.fbmbmx.com Before anyone comes kicking our door in with blazing torches in their hands, yes, this is a BMX stem. Sorry. The FBM Crown Royal is available in a 47mm reach to keep things tight for bar spins, but there’s also a 52mm version should you need a little more length in front. It’s CNC machined from a solid lump of aircraft grade aluminium for lightweight strength and large areas of metal in non-essential areas have been machined away to reduce weight still further. BMX handlebars are 22.2mm diameter, not the 25.4mm that is most common to road bikes. so your choice of handlebars is limi-
ted to mountain bike jump riser bars (or BMX bars, but they look kinda retarded). Go to www.fbmbmx.com and while you’re at it, check out FBM’s first fixed gear bike, the FBM Sword at www.fbmfixed.com 7. Vans shoes. www.vans.com In 1966 there were only three companies in the US who were making Vulcanised shoes and they were all major players. Vans were the first of the independently owned shoe brands and they quickly grew popular with skaters and surfers for their tough build quality and the excellent grip that Vans’ waffle sole gave. Fast forward 40 years and the sole is just as grippy as it ever was, and the thick sidewalls are strong enough to last for months. Possibly the best to ride in are the slip-ons, which have no laces so you’ll never know the embarrassment of having to pick yourself off the floor and try to get your tangled laces out of the drive train. 8. The North Face Cipher jacket www.thenorthface.com The North Face make a huge range of technical outerwear for foul weather conditions. Take the Cipher jacket, made from Gore Tex’ softshell; slim cut, yet waterproof and breathable it’s perfect for the days that try to soak you to the skin. Not cheap, but then good things never are and with quality of construction that The North Face can offer, it should las for years, meaning that you won’t have to buy another for a long time.
Fixed
87
Polo. d.
By Rose Win
88
Fixed
Every Sunday, the basketball courts at the top of Brick Lane in the East End of London, England are filled with bikes, bags, beers and cyclists from all over the city. It was originally intended that people would meet at two to play, but now it’s more like three or four and half the court is filled with people drinking beer or doing tricks, while the other half is used to actually play polo. I don’t really play, so it’s been cool just to come, hang out and meet new people. On my last Sunday in London I snapped these shots. It’s definitely a really good thing and something I was glad to be a part of. Fixed
89
The Evolution will be
televised.
Movements evolve – sometimes awkwardly – but without growth, stagnancy sets in. The bile that gets posted on blogs about track bike movies constantly amazes us and we’ve got no time for the haters who bitch things out for no good reason. It’s true that the qualilty of some movies and clips is questionable, but progression doesn’t come without a few faltering steps and track bike culture is no different. Some say that fixed freestyle is wrong and that tricks should be only done on bikes built for the purpose – BMX’s, in other words. But if messengers hadn’t pushed outside their boundaries, none of us would even be riding track bikes on the road and then where would we be? What if Mark Gonzales had decided he should only skate where his board was designed to be skated – sidewalk surfing when the waves were flat? Street skating would never have been born and everyone would still be skating slalom around cones. Mash (www.mashsf.com) started the movement for widely available track bike movies. There’s almost an hour to the main film, a large amount of extras and a photo book for the case and – most importantly – it’s rad. Mash opened the door to the potential of what could be done and it’s still the
90
Fixed
yardstick by which all others are measured. Drawing contributions from riders around the world, Bootleg Sessions (www. bootlegsessions.net) came next, and using footage from local rider’s own sessions, Burd Phillips brought them all together and released the clips as a single movie – the first time it had been done. The freshly-released Bootleg Sessions 2 steps their game up hugely – the riding is better, the filming is slicker and the editing tighter. It’s a massive improvement and a sign of things to come – especially when you consider it’s been less than six months since the first one was released. Macaframa (www.macaframaproductions.com) promises to evolve the medium still further. Their approach to production and promotion has taken the lessons learned from their predecessors and they’re fully utilising blogs around the world to release snippets, teasers and trailers. Interestingly, they’ve opted for Vimeo (www.vimeo.com) to host their movie clips, which offers double the resolution (and hence, better image quality) than the more common YouTube. With a late summer release date, Macaframa looks like it will be the next big step. We can’t wait to see what comes next...
Bike Check JONATHAN BURKETT
Name: Jonathan Burkett Age: 26 Where are you from: San Diego Current Location: San Francisco until May, Berlin, Germany after that What do you do for a job: Graphic Designer Sponsors: Sponsors? Nothing is free Height: 1828.8 mm Frame: 57ish Cannondale Fork: Steel Crank/chainring: Sugino and corresponding 49t chainring Bottom Bracket: Only Phil Wood Pedals: I used to ride cheap MKS Sylvans – expensive pedals are over rated – but now I’m running Speedplay Clipless. Hubs: Phil Wood! Rims: Velocity Deep V Spokes: I think 14g Double butted, but honestly don’t really remember Tyres: Front is Vittoria Rubino and rear is always a Randonneur Cog: Phil Wood 16t Bars: Nitto Horns Stem: Salsa Front loading for easy swapping to drops Grips: Some cloth tape Headset: Chris King Seat: Selle Italia Turbo Seatpost: Cheap Soma seatpost Anything else: Stickers. They hold the frame together
“ It’s a bike, not a fashion statement ”
Describe your bike set up in ten words or less: All quality, no flash What part do you wear through or break the quickest? Tyres obviously. But I don’t abuse my bike anymore, so I try and take pretty good care of it all. Though I have replaced almost everything at one point or another, except for the Phil Wood and Chris King parts. Those are built to last Why did you choose the colour for your bike? It’s a bike, not a fashion statement. Though I guess the stickers may be a scheme. But it happens when you make friends travelling – stickers are kind of like the international token of friendship How often do you get flat tyres and do you patch tubes or throw in a new one? I have been lucky lately. Haven’t had a flat in a long time. Though I usually just throw a new tube in What do you have in your personal tool kit when you ride? Allen wrenches, tire levers and some CO2 in case of a flat How often do you do bike maintenance? I try and keep it lubed and riding silent, so weekly or at the longest biweekly What do you never leave home without? My helmet How many miles do you ride every week? On a good week 250, on a bad week it’s closer to 100 Favourite trick, and why? I honestly think most tricks on a track bike are ugly or just silly. Just my opinion there, but if there is one trick it would be bunny hops done right. Gabe Morford has that on lock What do you do for an every day job? I try to make things look good for people, and if I am lucky there is some meaning behind it.
Fixed
93
Romain
Camus. ric Viollet
Photos : Ced
Name: Romain Camus Age: 24 Gear ratio: 46x20 Years riding Fixed: 0 (about 5 months) Favourite place go ride: South Bank What inspires you to go ride: Weather Worst injury: Fils de pute Person to ride with: Myself I don’t leave home without: My keys When you aren’t riding: It seems like I’m working instead...
LOOK
OUT For the latest track bike news, check :
www.fixed-mag.com
Name: Tom La Marche Age: 18 Gear ratio: 76 gear inches Years riding Fixed: 2 1/2 I think.. Favourite place go ride: FDR, but I’ve been getting into a lot more off road stuff recently What inspires you to go ride: Having fun, learning new tricks, pushing limits, watching others. Worst injury: I nose dived trying to jump stacked cinder blocks into a bank and landed flat on my back. That took me out for a couple months. Person to ride with: Friends I don’t leave home without: Tools, and other essentials for bicycle repair. When you aren’t riding: I’m either with the lady, drawing, at school, or wishing I was riding.
Tom Lamarche. Photo : Steve Hartley
OUT
.co.uk
LOOK
NEXT...
Fixed mag issue two drops on 30th August 2008, featuring... Making of a monster: the story behind Macaframa Ich Bin Ein Berliner - Track bikes in Germany’s capital city Dustin Klein: on Cadence, Fast Friday and the future plus much more... Check out www.fixed-mag.com for the latest news... Want to stock Fixed mag in your shop? Email ian@fixed-mag.com for more details