I mean really, look at that. Chilly here was parking her car and was kind looking at my bike and I just asked her straight up if she minded having a pic with my bike. Little did she know that I thought her sandals where very very "my bike". On the other hand the pic of Lucy in white here was an obvious Friday afternoon in the park sort of thing, in fact Lucy came and met a bunch of after work Bike Couriers and hung about a bit had a bit of coopers and just chatted with a few of us in the park.
Lots of my guy mates say it is hard to meet ladies in Sydney but I think they have a hard time saying HELLO to anyone they do not know.
I have noticed in the last week a whole bunch of new style bikes around Sydney. What is a "new style bike" I hear you ask. Simple if its retro or has curves or is rebuilt and looks old or is fakenger looking , oh hold on that would be courier looking but thats not really accurate cause I know plenty of bike couriers who use gears but the fakenger look is single of fixed. I guess its called MESSENGER STYLE.The Fixie is really being brought back in a huge way. I was down at bondi and snapping pics of bikes and I came accross a group of 3 unlocked bikes, all of them fixies and ll of them definatly not a working messenger bike a Soma, a Tommasini and a red bike with flat bars. all had toe straps and all no brakes. I thought "cool" so I snapped a few shots with the digi cam and a moment later I was riding off and took another few shots of bondi beach when I noticed the 3 bikes going past me. In a rush i put away my camera and then caught them up. "Can I take a group pic of you guys" I ask. I get the massive DIDNTHEARNOTHING" look from 2 of them whilst one slowed and said sure.
I yelled at the other 2 "HEY FAKENGERS" they noticed me this time as I made myself in thheir faces, once agin I ask if I can take a group shot and still one of them ignores me.
I mean really, if your gonna dress like me and my mates and your gonna ride bikes like me and my mates let me and my mates say "hello" at least.
I used to think the most stuck up group of riders where roadies then Triathletes and then most frindly are the MTB crowd. Now there is a new bunch. The poser fakengers with fixed gear bikes that look great.
Now I dont care what you ride , as long as you enjoy it, In any week I will ride MTB, urban, dual, Fixed and a roadie. I get along with everyone cause I just like to ride. these guys really pissed me off. Additedly one of them did say "hey come for a ride on wednesdays from the Cricketers" (he might have said from 7 but I am not sure about that) cause he said he had to catch up.. but even I could keep up on my fat nobbys about 5 seconds later. but really these guys where just rude and rode bikes I would love, well one of their frames perhaps. perhaps one day I can look as good as them.bahhhh they suck.
here(left coloum of 3 above) is their bikes so you too can call them bitches and slag them off.
On the other side here is ED, you can find Ed at RUBYS DINER, aCAFE on Bronte Rd just up from the police station on the same side, great coffe and sometimes some very nice bikes parked out the front, the half link black thing is his. I think it is a felt single speed but he loves it so all is well.good coffee and good food. I met Ed at a Cycle Mafia event that finnished at deus a white ago.
The whole movement of THE FIXED GEAR BIKE has suddenly appeared here in Sydney and came as a shock to the "bike messengers" here. Bike messengers (I rather call them couriers as that is the local term) feel a bit jipped off. Originally they had the idea that They where the trend setters and that it was theirs. I myself was a nay sayer and said, how can you work on a bike like that, blah blah blahhhh... Its bad for your knees and this and that. Now I ride a fixed gear bike (amongst others) and I really enjoy it. I do not know if I was a working messenger if I woud ride every day on one but I can definately see why they like them.
Another thing that pople dont thank bike couriers for is the enurance racees like 12 and 24 hour MTB racing. 10 years ago there where no long off raod races like that, bike couriers used to hold these events as a picnics, it became popular. you often see strong groups of riders from these backgrounds. On the few events that I have been involved with in one way or another they have always had a strong presence (the bike couriers) and where sometimes even admired as riding for 12 hours was the norm. I even went in a 12 hour race with a "Courier class", the pre-requisite to race in this class was to wear a bag whilst racing.
When I was in Japan last year I noticed how many fixed gear bikes there where that looked like bike messengers but where not. They really made stylizing their bike an art form, some of the riders could not ride down a hill or even get up a gutter.some cool fixed things to do are skids and backwards circles, then there are more advanced things to do like bar spins and perhaps POLO on your fixed gear bike. Ideal because you can go backwards.
I still ride my geared bikes a lot but it takes me while to remeber that I CAN stop pedaling when I do ride other bikes.
Testing the glasses.
if you have had eye sergury or laser treatment they say to use polarized lenses. I have had neither but my new glasses come with them. Super clear and comfy on the eye. I can see the wind on the water and see how the cats claws strike the water. However, when riding diagonally behind a car ... a problem happens. You cant see in the car. What you do see is the darkening of the windows of the car and sometimes a checkerboard pattern or diamond pattern. its a multi coloured effect that stops you from looking in on the driver. Infact I would even say it is dangerous. you can not see the driver, you cant look into the wing mirrors to see the face of the driver and you sometimes cant see anything inside fro right next to the car.
