Back to Basics: A Collection of Fixed Gear Bikes

Year-end slowdown, my brown ass! I’m the busiest I have even been at the office. I half-considered calling reception with a bomb scare, but apparently one can get arrested for this kind of thing. Who knew?

I also didn’t know what a fixed gear bicycle was until that guy Uno De Waal from 10and5.com explained it to me. A “Fixie” is a bike that has been pared down to its simplest form – devoid of gears, it’s a single-speed bike without a freewheel. Because the pedals are always in motion when it is moving, you cannot coast on a fixie. This could prove problematic to some people (me included) who want to freewheel as much as they can through life.

Why would anyone want such a thing? Apart from being excellent exercise, it’s a far cleaner mode of transport. Oh, and they are pretty to look at. See a small collection of them after the jump.

Pursuit Purple (South Korea)

Full Tilt (United K)

Europa Style (Australia)

Domenica (United States)

Classic and Classy (Australia)

City Bike (United States)

Bubble Gum 3 Speed (Canada)

Yogi’s Star (Australia)

Affinity Masterpiece (United States)

Warped Custom (Finland)

Find many more fixies at Boutique Cycles.

And if you’re in Cape Town, catch the screening of fixed gear bike movie, Revival, on December 4th, at the old Bijou Theatre in Observatory. More deets at Fixed Gear Cape Town.