I took my fixed-gear bike out for a ride recently. The bike I’ve been using since autumn had finally hit the point where it was too dirty to be seen with in public. And I didn’t want to use my summer bike because my indecisiveness about tubeless versus tubed means it won’t have tyres on it anytime in the foreseeable future.
When my gaze fell on my fixed bike (you may call it a “fixie” if you prefer, but know that I’m judging you), I thought, why not? The fashion for riding them round London with no brakes and claiming, “It makes you feel at one with the city,” is long enough passed that it felt like time to reclaim fixed for decent citizens.
