When sitting around wasting time on the internet (as I often do), I inevitably end up passing through a trendy fixed gear blog. It seems like they’re waiting for you around every corner. Much of the time they’re good, honest sites maintained by people who have a genuine love of bikes. A fair few come across as a little pretentious and wanky, but I’ve always got that from edgy, trendy websites anyway. What tends to amaze me these days is that number of sites who seem to be in on this whole merchandising, limited edition, colab, colourways, sponsored event type things. Every second site seems to be tag-teaming it up with underground fashion labels or graphic designers and creating over-priced one-time-only garments or anodised components. And the thing is, it must be selling because it’s not stopping. It’s like the post-threadless design-your-own t-shirt website explosion a couple of years back. Same aesthetic everywhere, the same semi-elitist, somewhat removed and minimalist bend to posts, heavily over exposed photos with lowered saturation and odd angles, bold logos splashed across t-shirts and specially formulated jackets or new era hats. The list goes on.
How the hell do they do it? Where do these companies come from, and where the hell do they get the money to do it? The fixed gear trend has been going strong for what, six to eight years now? Have they all been around from the start, working hard with no recognition until now? Are they trust-fund projects? Are they the kids cool enough to market ideas to the advertisers and get the backing to make it happen? Maybe it’s just that fixed gear and the culture that seems to have sprung up around it is actually big enough to maintain the momentum of these companies.
It also seems as if the focus is evolving a little (or maybe it’s just me being sllow to catch on). With the spring classics filling blogs the vintage aspect that track bikes championed is expanding and covering wider ground. For a while now the vintage road bikes have been growing in popularity, and a fixed conversion isn’t always the first idea to spring to mind when a tasty lugged steel frame is spotted. It goes hand in hand with the jerseys, ‘real cycling’ and the increasing popularity of ‘hard man’ cycling and epics. Rapha’s continental series is a perfect example (though less influenced by trends and more by Rapha’s general direction I think), but it’s bee preceeded by the established Cannonball run documented by Andy and others. Now the Mash kids are out on the road, riding across California looking schmick in their nicely designed jerseys and riding sexy bikes.
What am I getting at? Fuck knows. Maybe I want in? Maybe I’m jealous that these people have the market or the savvy to be printing up t-shirts and jerseys every week while we have to scrape a little harder to make it happen. Maybe I’m confused about how exactly you tap into ‘the cool’ (not that I have any desire too, but it does appeal to my curiosity). Maybe that BnC X Obey X Nike colab that Quon keeps harping on about keeps it on my mind. Maybe I spend too much time on the internet and not enough on my bike (probably).
Either way, it’s nice being able to roll back to Bottles And Chains and find some homely, down-to-earth smack written by people with average literary skill who as a general rule are far from being cool enough to ever get in a video or be sponsored just for riding around on a track bike. Is that a little harsh? I love it!
Roll on BnC, keep it real. Hellbound and pedalling.
That said, if anyone wants to throw us lots of money I’ll get started on some t-shirt designs right away. I’m always for sale.
This post inspired by and tributed to: MASHSF X ArkitipIntel Mash X HipsterNascar X Fyxomatosis X Trackosaurus – Much love.
I take you didn’t get out much this weekend?
Oh well, back to work tomorrow.
How’d you guess? At least it gives people plenty of rot to read on a Sunday evening!
What I’d like to see you produce mischa, is gear that kinda looks like normal clothes, but handles the odd race around town without getting in my way or retaining a stench.
I like the whole Idea of appearing cool to inspire others to jump on a bike ‘cos it looks cooler than sitting in a car’ for example.
However, I seem to either go to one fundamental to the other, ie tight stretchy shit for commuting distance to keep me warm and comfortable on freezing mornings like today, or jeans/trackies/boardies + t-shirt/jumper for round town shenanigans.
The problem with either extreme is that I appear to the uninitiated to be a total fuckwit in licra, or will put them off with my sweat stains in my casual gear.
So what I’m after is some gear that is acceptable to walk into a pub/restaurant on friday night but also able to handle a ten km jaunt to get somewhere fast!
While my BnC jersey is gettin a good workout with the commutes, I dont reckon it would make many lay folk jump on a bike cos I look cool.
any answers?
Sounds good Liam. We just need some starting capital then we’ll market it as a LC Signature Series and sell it for $400 per garment.
http://www.witchhuntclothing.com/
Don’t worry too much about the explosion and underground corporate hijacking (does that make sense) of your bicycle culture, just keep riding.
The trend followers eventually leave, the corporations move onto another subculture to feed off and the riders stay.
And continue enjoying their bicycles (of whatever form).
Cheers
Dunc.
True words!
Liam, theres some genuine early 1990s Team Carrera stonewash denim jean print knicks at Uncle Raymond’s, haha.
Dunc, unfortunately often when the trendwhores leave…the rest implodes. The first death of BMX in the early 90s for example.
Anyway, 4/10 rant Misch, needs more swearing and rampant stereotyping, lol.
Good reading though in all seriousness. Like the bit about people not fixie-converting every damn old roadie in sight – something to be said for period sympathetic builds and conservation.
Just found this post. Interesting. I once had a few Hipster Nascar cycling caps made, but I’ve never gone in for the whole “collabo” thing, so I have no idea what I did to make it onto the list of “inspiring sites,” but cool, whatever. Maybe one day my blog will have enough “homely, down-to-earth smack” to justify a $210 skinsuit? I live in hope!
Haha Simon, please don’t take it personally. I’m pretty sure you only made the list because you happened to be one of the blogs I’d recently stumbled upon. Maybe the ‘Hipster’ was distorting my view. I keep an eye on your RSS feed, I quite enjoy it.
Just feel special that you’re up there with all the heavy hitters.
Nah, I didn’t take it personally, I just wanted to use that line about the skinsuits! And yes, I am definitely too small-time to be in that list, but thanks for including me anyway.
Simon, it’s $210 in Aussie Peso’s. Think that works out to be about three quid with the current enchange rate.
What size are you after?
I just traded some beads for my jersey. It came wrapped in a pelt.
Beads or beans?
Are they magic??
Dunno, I traded them all in for this lousy jersey!
Simon, I noticed you’ve been linked up on BSNYC as well, you’re working your way up!