Well, I suppose they don't really care how fast they're going anyway, as you can see from this track bike's handlebar statement. I think what is meant by this is instead "fuck multiple gear ratios and the ability to shift."
Then again perhaps I'm wrong and this person literally objects to any toothed cogs without exception... Since there's no side view of the bike, it is impossible to tell; but I hope it belongs to one of fixed-gear-riding's lesser-known fringe groups: the un-fixed riders.
Known to be vehemently against any sort of gain ratio or mechanical advantage whatsoever, the un-fixed riders will shuffle along, finally making use of their day-glo top-tube pads, while the pedals dangle arbitrarily at the side. Undoubtedly, only the most 'hard-core' of the fixter scene would be admitted to the chain-free ranks of un-fixedness.
I really hope this trend, like the pista trend, catches on. Then they can start offering free chain-removal 'upgrades' at urban outfitters, the number one inspirational source for subcultural poseurs and aspiring beatnicks alike.
(I really encourage you to follow the above link and take note that UO has attempted to re-brand itself as a bike shop; meaning they sell bar grips and knog lights in all sorts of different 'colorways'.)
Having dropped the fixies like a bunch of Fabian Cancellaras on stage seven of the tour this morning, I decided to document one of my most travelled streets in the city. Directly after a few ironic switchbacks coming off the Manhattan bridge, most everyone who isn't heading downtown rides north on chrystie st to Delancey or Houston (or beyond, but more on that in a moment). Being a bi-directional street, it has major differences between the south-bound and north-bound sides.
Riding north in the mornings along the bike lane on Chrystie is pleasant only after you pass Grand st. which is apparently the bermuda triangle for asian minivan pilots and delivery trucks (seriously, nobody at that intersection knows which way they want to go). Beyond there it is OK as long as you avoid wayward delivery salmon and, well, the bike lane.
Due to abundant debris consisting of shattered glass, twigs, trash, and rocks, the bike-lane is actually three or so feet to the left of where it has been designated on the pavement (as highlighted by the BADA55 lines). Motorists usually give you space on this side, and lacking a sidewwalk, is relatively ped-free. With the power vested in me by myself, I hereby confer upon this stretch of Chrystie St. the Bike-Lane-Rideability-Index (BLRI) grade of:
Not too bad all things considered... As I've said before and of which you may already be aware, it is a two way street and as such, warrants multiple analyses.
The SB side is almost the antithesis of the NB side; alike in kind though opposite in every positive and negative way. Where the NB side touts added width the SB side shrinks to near useless levels; where the NB side is sidewalk and parallel parking free for much of its course, on the SB side, there is no relief from jaywalking pedestrians or the door-swing-zone. Most notable are the 'rollers' along the SB bike lane; small but gentle rises and dips in the poorly laid blacktop test your bike's construction as well as your grip (not too tight, not too loose).
Though you risk being cut off by besuited station-wagoners, the SB side is the primary lead up to the Manhattan bridge and benefits from this monopoly as most people are fairly aware that during rush hour, zillions of cyclists pass through here.
Interestingly, chrystie street morphs from a two way street into south-bound-only 2nd Ave. It is at this point I have been lucky enough to witness a 'fork in the road,' so to speak, where cyclists choose either to find a legal and safe route north, or they gloriously transform into bike-salmon, fighting upstream to reach what I imagine are the UES spawning grounds. The small UES frys have been known to learn the salmoning art from their parents in the eddies of the Central Park loop before venturing down to Brooklyn when their fathers freeze the trust-fund (to teach them 'responsibility') before awarding them full partnerships in their law firms.
That's all for today, friends... ride smooth and avoid bearly cheating death by riding the correct direction.
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