Simplicity

One beautiful thing about bicycles is their simplicity. Admire a $15,000 dollar race machine with its specially crafted carbon fiber tubing made to be aero, stiff, and light. Add to it carbon fiber wheels that are wind tunnel tested to smooth the airflow around them and ceramic bearings to reduce rolling resistance. And finally, add a tiny computer mounted on the bike giving precise real time data on the elevation, power, heart rate, and many other measurements to analyze a rider and the ride. Still, there is a core of simplicity inside all this technology.

I can still take apart a bicycle to its basic pieces. This is ultimately the heart of simplicity. That these pieces can be reassembled with a few tools into a vessel that is powered and controlled by your physical self to reach great speeds and distances. This is what attracts me to more than just the physical benefits of riding and racing. It's the love for the simplicity and fascination with tinkering and improving. It is amazingly satisfying to know you can fix almost any problem you encounter with a bike.

My latest project has been an exploration in simplicity. My fixie. No shifters or derailleurs, it is the essence of simplicity. Its only purpose is to cruise and look sexy. No worries about it being the lightest and fastest. Simply, be sexy and unique. Fixies are a wonderful expression of creativity and individuality. My fixie has gone through 3 phases already and I think it has reached supermodel status, very sexy.
1.

I love track bars. I think they have a great allure to them. First build was with track bars but for an urban cruiser they are extremely impractical. Someday I hope to have a full on track bike which I will mount those sexy bars on.

2.

I then went to bullhorn bars which are extremely fun for a fixie that you cruise around on. I originally set it up in true fixie style without brakes, cool but not practical. Again, this will have to wait for the track bike some day.

3.

Finally, I added brakes and I have to say I love this bike. It is a lot of fun to cruise to the corner store or get together with the guys and ride downtown to find some tiny watering hole. Mad love to Gunnar for their sexy Street Dog steel fixie frame. It is truly simplicity at its best