Fixie zen...

[tredder]

I have been drooling over the fixie's on 'fixedgeargallery' and have noticed two things... 1) some bikes seem to have beer mats (or equiv) wedged in the spokes and 2) some bikes have a leather strap wrapped around the top tube.

Any clues as to what this is all about?

 

[Joe24]

The beer map is like a spoke card i think. They are pretty cool to look at when you are riding along, and if you have someone behind you i have been told they look good when they go round.
The leather strap is there to proctect the top when getting on or off, to cover the decals and to stop the top tube hitting a vital bit on a man body when doing rear wheel skids.
Thats if i remember right.
I once made up a cyclechat spoke card with the logo and had it in my spoke fo a while, it was a good thing to watch in the shadow or to look down on when i was going. The wheel never seemed to be going as fast as i thought.
Its a styling thing. The spoke cards came from alleycat races or something so the riders didnt have numbers on them and they could be indentified when the bike was stopped. Search it on wikipedia. There are some cool designs about, its a messenger thing i think.

 

[feckless]

The leather strap is there to proctect the top when getting on or off, to cover the decals and to stop the top tube hitting a vital bit on a man body when doing rear wheel skids.

I think that's what long top-tube pads are for (aside from attracting the ire of Bikesnobnyc).

The little leather or cloth straps towards the front are to protect the tube from dings and chips if the handlebars swing around. Well, that's what I think they're for anyway.

f

 

[rustychisel]

1) bits of rubbish caught in the spokes
2) to protect the top tube from the handlebars on bikes with free swinging forks

 

[spandex]

Sorry joe the cards are flyers for gigs that are going on and the strap is to stop the handle bars denting the top tube.

 

[Joe24]

Sorry joe the cards are flyers for gigs that are going on and the strap is to stop the handle bars denting the top tube.

Yeh, as soon as it was put about not denting the top tube i remembered it.
Wiki is wrong about spoke cards though.

 

[andygates]

So correct it.

 

[spandex]

So correct it.

Why its fine!

 

[skwerl]

Wikipedia is right about the playing cards thing but people have also taken to ramming flyers in their splokes as well. Not to promote gigs but to look "kewl".

IMO 99% of it is all arsey hoxton fakenger hanging around coffee shops reading kafka "courier chic" crapola nonsense

 

[zimzum42]

The leather strap is for impromptu bondage sessions

 

[skwerl]

unfortunately 'tis true. I've often wondered why these media types would want to emulate couriers. Nothing wrong with being a courier but it seems a bit odd.
Stand around town long enough at start/end of day and sure enough you'll see plenty of fakengers. Have a wander 'round Soho and you'll see fixies in every agency foyer (and they're not owned by the guy dropping off a parcel).
I s'pose there's nothing wrong with riding a certain type of bike as a lifestyle choice but a bike's primarily a tool for a job. Substance over function never made much sense to me.
This whole concept of fixie zen, be at one with the bike, doood, etc. doesn't help dispell the myth that riding a fixie somehow makes you slightly better than other cyclists and part of some underground club that actually doesn't exist.

 

[feckless]

But what about us media types who just want to ride fixed because it appeals to some misguided sense of simplicity?

 

[spandex]

Thats up to them and if it gets them from a car to a bike all the better.