Reading and riding can seriously damage your health

07 SPRING 2011-3/ 3.5/$5

Fixed Females Looppedalers Chris Akrigg Red Bull Mini Drome Grime NYC Massan

07

Most Wanted Shop Review Bike Check Flip Flop Instants Hot Air Frames

FIXED-MAGAZINE.COM

EVERY PAIR TELLS THEIR OWN TALE.

THIS IS OURS: SK8-HI Navy

WHATS YOURS?
www.vans.com/classicstales

2011 Vans, Inc.

Frames | Full Bleed

Photo: Dani Padgett

Photo:Yasin Rahim

Photo:

Photo: Ian White | Seabase descending the Stelvio

Photo: Dave Noakes

Photo: Jonathan Winstone | One polo match among many in London

Photo: Trace Taylor | Kareem Shehab

Photo: Michael Martin | San Fransisco from above

INTRODUCING...
THE FIXED ADVOCACY NETWORK?

Winter is over. Long live the spring! Its real hard to keep motivated in the cold months of winter, cycling goes into hibernation and when it is quiet you question yourself. What am I doing? Who am I? But then there is always someone to go out and ride with. Its your friends that keep you going and its hard to get through this time without them. Even if you are just looking out of the window reminiscing about the summer and planning for the next.

One thing about riding Fixed gear that I have been thinking a lot about is the way it makes you see your surroundings. If you are active on your bike whilst riding places, youre getting out of the saddle and carving around traffic, always trying to find the good lines and all at the same time noticing all the little faults in your direct path.
You begin to see more than any one out there. Yes the regular Joes see it differently, they see it the way they are conditioned to see the road. By the rules. Riding a freewheel bike is just a form of exercise, I see people on their way to work almost completely asleep. Then at the end of the day they wake up a little and race each other because they cant wait to get home...

Photo: Mikey Merkenschlager | Oscar Khan

This to me, is why riding Fixed advocates of a way of life. Fixed makes me focus, feel in tune, feel the road and keeps me awake. It is a way of thinking differently. - Andy Ellis | Editor

CONTENTS
Fixed Magazine Issue Number 7 Spring 2011

FEATURES
Catching up with Massan Red Bull Mini Drome Fixed Females Grime NYC Chris Akrigg Worldwide Top 3s

REGULARS
Frames - Photo gallery Hot Air - News from around Instants - Stone Pinging Duality - Looppedallers Flip Flop - D*Face Shop Review - Tokyo Fixed Bike Check - Steve Brezovec Most Wanted - Product

Cover Photo Inspired by the famous Ali shot, Jonathan Winstone, high & on time. Contents: Kareem Shehab getting around a curved wallride. Photographed by Trace Taylor

Welcome to Hot Air, this section brings you exclusive product reviews and tests, gives you the low down on events as well as previews that will feature in the next issue of Fixed Magazine.
CHROME KURSK Pro.
RRP 76.00 www.shiner.co.uk Chrome sent a pair of their cycle shoes to us the other month and I was immediately excited and impressed. They look nice and are made from some super tough material. An important feature of cycle specific shoes is a stiff sole, these shoes more than meet that requirement.

HOT AIR.

This issue we have an exclusive look at the Hiplok, Chrome Kursk Pro shoes, get a sneak preview of a new venture from Patrick Seabase, plus a whole lot more!
DN

I rode with them for a few days with cages and for the past few months I have been using them with my Time ATACs and I cannot begin to explain how impressed I am with them! You can see the positive effects that an input from messengers has had. They are so comfortable and extremely solid! Ive worked 11 hour days on the bike and have got home and not even felt the need to take them off. They also rule if you wanna ride with cleats and go out in the evening without wearing spaceman shoes. I am sure that these shoes are going to last me for years, my Sidi Dragons have been put into retirement! DN

I have been putting these through the messenger test for the last few months and Im really impressed.

HIPLOK.
RRP 69.99 www.hiplok.com Never heard of HipLok before? You are damn right. This is what everyone has been waiting for. As of now you can go into a shop and pick a waist lock that will fit around your waist no matter the size. Its not some cheap ass lock either, this is Sold Secure rated Silver toughness. The Padlock is shaped to fit around you and its hella comfy to wear. The cover is washable, removable and comes in 5 colours too. This is gonna be very popular because we just cant fault it. Out now!

PATRICK SEABASE. www.patrickseabase.tumblr.com

Im always chuffed to see people riding and working hard, Patrick sent us a couple of snaps from his Stelvio outing, they are sick so we have them both in this issue. Check out page #11 for an awesome riding shot, and just feast your eyes on the amazing picture below! Now take your eyes off the scenery for a second and check out Patricks prototype bike and how ridiculously sick it is! Youll have to wait for the next issue of Fixed Magazine to get the full details and the thinking behind the design process.

Well...what can I say! If you havent seen the Seabase Vs Stelvio video check it out now http://vimeo.com/14930896 (well, after youve finished reading this issue of Fixed). This is truly inspiring, the scenery looks amazing, the filming is awesome and....well what can I say about the location apart from I WANT TO RIDE THERE! This film just makes you want to ride. I really cannot put into words how much I like it and how it makes me feel.

Writing this Im struggling to convey just how sick and inspired I am. Patrick is riding his custom carbon frame in the film, its all very hush hush at the moment so for now a couple of snaps will have to suffice. Have a look at the snaps, watch the edit and go bomb a massive hill and have fun...I cant write anymore because Im itching to ride now.... DN

Web: cyclingsportsgroup.co.uk Tel: 01202 732288

GUSSET.
www.gussetbikes.com

Gusset have a load of new products out, we were chuffed when we received a little goody package containing bars, crank arms and chain rings.

Wharf Fluro Bars Nearly everyone I know is using Gusset bars so they must be good. These however are different...this is the Wharf bar they are aluminium, shorter than the Open Prison bars. The 3 rise helps give extra leverage for nose manuals. Available in a variety of colours,You cant go wrong with a pair of these.

Woodstock 853 Crank arms These are the Gusset Woodstock crank arms. Made from Reynolds 853! Just look how fat the arms are! Sick! We didnt have time to test these for this issue of Fixed so youll have to wait until the next issue of Fixed before you find out if they are as sick as they look.

Woodstock 7075 TG Chainrings These chainrings are wicked! Available in red, blue and black in 25 and 28T for 48S spline drives they look just as solid as the crank. The woodstock 4 arm 104 BCD spider also fits the 853 crackarms. I cant wait to slap this on and test it out.

CARHARTT.
www.thecarharttstore.co.uk Mini lock I love this mini lock its tiny. Its similar to the padlock Kryptonite do and it feels just as hardcore. The size does restrict what you can lock your bike to, but if youre just popping out and dont want to take a giant lock with you then this is for you. Iphone 4 case The HD camera on the iPhone 4 is sick! I use mine loads...though I also drop it a lot, this hard case will protect your phone from those little knocks and scrapes.

EDITORIAL Andy Ellis - andy@fixed-magazine.com DESIGN Andy Ellis - andy@fixed-magazine.com PHOTOGRAPHIC EDITOR Jonathan Winstone Johnny@fixed-magazine.com STAFF WRITER Dave Noakes - DN dave@fixed-magazine.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Laura Mellor, Andrea Schiliro, Henrik Kurschner, Ed Laforte, Monique Kawecki, Agata Woznicka, Katrina Medina, Cara Notestine, Kat Moder, Christina Pantaliodis, Devon Council, Mike Merkenschlager, GRIME, Steve Brezovec, Steve Bryden, D*Face, John Prolly Watson, Juliet Elliott, Marvin Kramer, Oscar Khan, Jacopo Volpe, Michael Martin, Andre Thurm, Nicholas Platzer. CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Jonathan Winstone, Dave Noakes, Dani Padgett, Yasin Rahim, Ian White, Trace Taylor, Mike, Luca Benedet, Stephan Doleschal, Cedric Viollet, Massan, Louis David Najar, Lisa Medina, Brett Edmonds, Sam Needham, Doug Dalrymple, Dylan Bigby, Merkenschlager, Keith Gallagher, Michael Martin, MASH, Andy Ellis Fixed is published quarterly by DeathTrap Publishing and is available from selected bike shops worldwide. Also as a downloadable PDF via: www.fixed-magazine.com ADVERTISING Please address all advertising enquiries to andy@fixed-magazine.com DISTRIBUTION Want to stock Fixed-magazine? Please contact info@fixed-magazine.com Thanks to everyone that believes in us, you know who you are
Fixed-magazine is printed on unbleached 100% recycled paper using vegetable oil inks. Printed by Calverts 9/10 The Oval, London E2 9DT Tel: +44 (0) 20 7739 1474

HOT AIR.
It is in no doubt that fixed freestyle is blowing up! A sign of this is that more and more comps are being organised. There are two comps coming up one in Paris on the 27th March and the other in Lisbon on the 19th and 20th March. Unfortunately I cant get to both but Im excited about heading out to Paris. I cant wait to see how the level has progressed since Death or Glory in Rotterdam.

Competitions are a great way to hang out and catch up with people and have a good old session. There have been a few now and they are just getting better and better. But it is not only the comps that are progressing, the riding is progressing at an amazing pace! People are getting seriously sick, going bigger and doing gnarler stuff all the time. The trick scene is evolving away from the keo spins and fixed gymnastics and becoming more serious and hardcore. People are doing handrails and massive drops, frames have larger clearance for bigger tyres. New 26specific frames are being built to cater for those who dont want to ride 700c, peg specific hubs... the lot...things are moving forward.

Right now whilst this is being written Oscar, and Sol are repping 14 Bike Co, Fixedgearlondon and Death Grip in Lisbon at the West Jam Fixed comp along with Greg Falski from Stoked on Fixed Bikes so Im sure well see some banging pictures! I cant wait to find out what went down and see some of the edits that emerge. The guys from Geometricks are organising the Paris comp Trick Trick Boom . Its going to be held at the Skate Park De Paris and the place looks sick! But youll have to wait until the next issue of Fixed to get the lowdown on both the comps.

W W W . T O K Y O F I X E D G E A R . C O M

S2

T R AC K F R A M E BU I LT W I T H COLUMBUS THRON TUBING METALLIC SILVER / PEARL WHITE

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FRAME & FORK

CUSTOM BUILT R OA D B I K E S & SINGLE SPEEDS

Cinelli MASH Bartape.

www.cinelli.it Win win situation right here. Cinelli make damn good cycling kit, MASH have real high standards when it comes to collaborating. Tried and tested Cork bartape with subtle MASH & Cinelli logos. Comes with black end caps too!

LEEDS FIXED T-shirt.

www.fixedgearleeds.blogspot.com Having being surrounded by the various scenes in and around London, it was refreshing to see good things coming from my neck of the woods, Leeds. The t-shirt was released last year, coming only in black on white, with the Leeds fixed gear logo nice and clear, centre point. This release established Leeds as a prominent fixture within the world of fixed gear bikes, with only many more things to come.. One being a t-shirt collaboration with fellow Yorkshire based Re-Strap next month. LM

VAG X Urban Rollbag.

www.vagx.co.kr This is a big bag! We managed to cram 180 copies of Fixed into it. With a 37 litre capacity and umpteen pockets for anything you might carry with you, this is an ideal bag to just throw all you gear into and go away for a couple of weeks. The main compartment section is A3 sized which is very handy. Available from Tokyo fixed for around 120.

FREITAG F48 Hazzard.

www.freitag.ch This F48 Hazzard bag comes in a range of Colour ways and has some nice features. This is designed as a commuter bag, it can be used as a back pack or as a satchel type thing. Its waterproof which is handy and has a neat feature where the straps that are not in use can be tucked away. Check out the Freitag website for more details and products. DN

HOLD FAST Oscar Khan Straps

www.holdfastordie.com Hot out of the FedEx parcel a few days before we went to press, these Hold Fast straps with the 2 sides of Oscars face appeared. Oscar has been ripping it up since day one and as we type this he is flying out to Portugal for the WestJam... With we hear a new prototype ESB frame hand built by SuperTed. We are pretty confident that Oscar Khanage will commence and he will come back with another 1st place! We are taking bets too.

Fixed Magazine & R.Newbold.

www.rnewbold.com Last year we were asked by R.Newbold to make a collaboration on some specific products. These are the first glimpses of what is to come. R.Newbold is regarded in Japan very highly with a long history, so it was with great honor that we took on this project. The full collection features 4 t-shirts, a waterproof chino and shorts, a backpack, a hip pack and a belt. Pictured here is the linked Tokyo and London map t-shirt, the Fixed smudge t-shirt, the water proof chino and the Lock holster belt. Expect more details about this project in our next issue. At the time of writing this the Earthquake and Tsunami has just happened in Japan. Our thoughts are with you in this tough time...

Stone pinging
Words |

You know what stone pinging is right? If you do, skip the next paragraph. For those of you that dont read on.
Let me introduce stone pinging, you know when you are riding along and you run over a stone and it suddenly spews out as fast as a bb gun pellet hitting the first thing that gets in its path. That is a stone ping. These usually happen without you realising but there are ways to influence such a practice. Good or bad here it is. I cant remember my first stone pinging, but I do remember the last. It was yesterday (not on purpose) I was riding slowly up the inside of some stopped traffic and two women suddenly stepped out in front of me, I had to skid stop a little to slow myself down and right before I slowed to a stop I felt a stone under my front wheel and sure enough, it pinged out and hit a near by car panel. It was pretty loud because the women eeked when they saw me and then they ducked when they heard the ping on the car panel. Thats pretty much the best Ive had happen to me.
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Some people I know have smashed windows and can make this happen on demand... well if there are some stones on the road. If you make sure your tires are pumped up to the maximum pressure, you can get amazing pings. Most people are running big fat tires with half the amount of pressure required, so no stone pinging for them. When you get a good ping, its a really good feeling. Maybe it makes you feel a little bit more powerful on your bike. I know a lot of riders who would love to feel like they have a bit more power on the road when riding in busy traffic.

We asked some influencial riders within the fixed gear scene, what would be your top 3... Ways to say hello? Watcha. Word. Waaaaaaaaaaanker. Breakfasts? Porridge. Tea. Coffee. Bikes you own? All black FGL/Edwardes. Polished Cinelli Vigorelli. Honda CB550 Cafe Racer. Weather conditions to ride in? Rain, Shine or grime. Places to ride at? Studio, home and Inbetween Things you got coming up this year? Going Nowhere Fast Temporary Metropolis Kangol Role models?! Anyone who is testament to doing it yourself, especially against adversity... Things people dont know about you? Ive 3 wives. Shoes to ride in? Redwing on the Honda. Vans on the cycle. Saddles? Yes, unless its been stolen. Routes to ride? The quickest route from my home to studio, which changes based upon my boredom threshold. Cities you have been to? Im privileged, to have travelled a large part of the world with my work, from Quito to the Arctic Circle. Things you want to get done this year! Dominate. Relax. Run Riot. www.dface.co.uk

London

Photo | Cedric Viollet

Ways to say hello? Sup? Hey man... DBG Breakfasts? Juan in a Million breakfast tacos, grits with pulled pork and bagels with lox! Bikes you own? Eddy Merckx MX-Leader road, Eddy Merckx SLX Pista and Geekhouse Woodville Weather conditions to ride in? Texas Winter, NYC Spring, Tokyo Summer Places to ride at? Ditches in Austin, Philly, Brooklyn Banks R.I.P. Things coming up this year? Signature goods, touring on my bike, incorporating the brand Role models?! Dr. Tony Fast, Dr. Eric Puckett, Dr. AJ Austin

Things people dont know about you? Safety Hippo, I secretly hate the internet and I have 30 people employed full-time... Shoes to ride in? Sidi road, Nike SB / DVS fixed freestyle Components on your bikes? White Industries pedals, Chris King road hubs (touring bike) and Profile racing cranks (fixed freestyle) Saddles? Cinelli Unicanitor #2, Selle Turbo, the Prolly Viking Charge Bucket ;-) Routes to ride? The dam loop, Terrace Mountain, Westlake Hills - all in Austin Things you want to get done this year! Tour from Austin to ?, finally get back into Architecture, build shit! www.prollyisnotprobably.com

Austin

Milan

Ways to say hello? BELLA! Breakfasts? Eggwhites and hazelnuts . Bikes you own? Bianchi, 3Rensho njs, DODICI Super stainless steel Weather conditions to ride in? All conditions but nice weather is more fun. Places to ride at? Milano country side and the city at night. Things you got coming up this year? Official 26 polo frame, 26 fixed trick frame (9mm), a carbon frame, 2 new rim designs, www.dodicicicli.com bigger world wide distribution.

Role models?! Jason Jessee, Mike Ness and then many more for the different things I like to challenge myself into. Shoes to ride in? Samba and Sidi spd Components on your bikes? On my everyday ride: Dodici super stainless steel frame, Dodici prototype rims Dodici riser bar. Saddles? San Marco rolls are the best Routes to ride? Go around , have fun, doesnt matter. Cities you have been to? Nyc, loved Portland a lot, SF. Things you want to get done this year! want to make Dodici bigger and stronger!

Ways to say hello? whats hattnin, whats crackin, konnichiwa Breakfasts? Ham, egg and cheese on a buttered crossaint, Chinese omelette, Bread and Eggs Bikes you own? I only own my yo Mang Weather conditions to ride in? The warmth Places to ride at? Brooklyn Banks (RIP), San Jose, Bercy in Paris Things you got coming up this year? Sadio Grime World Tour, Big 360s, Mega Down Rails Role models?! Mat Hoffman, My Mom, Oprah Things people dont know about you? I have a twin I use girl deoderant I cant feel the right side of my face and head from nerve damage

New York

Shoes to ride in? Nike all day Components on your bikes? Sadio spark hub 14mm Sadio booster fork Y-Not black and yellow Ed Wonka straps Saddles? The Sadio saddle is a butt cushion Routes to ride? My house to the Grime store Cities you have been to? Tokyo, London, Seoul Things you want to get done this year! Tailwhips, Pro Hubs, Push fixed gear freestyle www.grimebikes.com

THREES...
San Francisco
Places to ride? Bay Area Streets, roads, and trails. Things coming up this year? Opening a little shop here in SF. Role models?! Michelles little brother has been really sick, so seeing him fight for his life has been inspiring. Reminded to really live every day. Things people dont know about you? I try to live a simple life, and spend time with friends, and family. Im also a producer, and enjoy making projects happen with friends. Components on your bikes? Cinelli MASH bar/stem/tape, Sugino 75s,Vittoria tires, Izumi chain, Time Atac pedals. Maybe a Campy headset someday. A friend in Auckland fabricates a front Chris King disk shells into bolt on rear track hubs. 2 years on the streets so far. Clearly not recommended, but do hope King produces a fixed rear someday. Shoes to ride in? Sidi Dominator 3s maybe? I dont know for sure. I could use a 1/2 size bigger next time. Routes to ride? SF Commutes, City loops, Golden Gate park trails, and the Golden Gate Bridge that takes you to another world. The weather, Geography, and Culture are what make the Bay Area an ideal living / cycling destination Cities you have been to? Last summer my family stayed in Amsterdam for a month. My wife is a teacher, and has summers off, so we are hoping to continue to apartment swap for part of each summer. Things you want to get done this year! What time will allow, one step at a time. The list is long, so I just chip away on one thing at a time. Lots of energy into MASH in 2011. First is to open a small shop here in the city. Next is a book for the fall. mashsf.com martinclothing.com michaelmartin.com

Ways to say hello? Something inspired from Northern California beach culture. Bikes you own? Cinelli MASH 2011 sample, a geared CX bike, and a rain bike.

Vienna
Components on your bikes? Business Card from a Hooker Michael Steinkellner frame 22 Apehanger handlebars Role models?! Lil Wayne, Mike giant, Sonny Barger Shoes to ride in? Nike Air Max 1 INOPERAbLE edition Nike Air Max 1 with Neon Yellow sole (Rad Rowdies!!!) Nike Rongbuk for shitty weather (Thanks Nike for the hookup) Routes to ride? Vienna to Bratislava (PIRATISLAVA!!) Home to work on a Greenwave Shortest one to the bar Cities you have been to? Rio de Janeiro, Chicago, Paris Things you want to get done this year! INOPERAbLE Online shop Make the Rad Rowdies world famous Big Murals in Vienna INOPERAbLE - www.inoperable.at Rad Rowdies bike club - www.radrowdi.es

FIXATOR-RRbc
Photo by Stephan Doleschal

Ways to say hello? Hallo Bitte!!?! Wass geht ab Digga What up?

Breakfasts? Cereal, Pancakes, Cereal. Bikes you own? Michael Steinkellner Porno track bike, Tallbike, Lowrider Weather conditions to ride in? First snow, hot enough to ride somewhere to swim, really thick fog Places to ride at? Anywhere with the Rowdies, Between traffic, Prater Hauptallee Things coming up this year? 5 years anniversary of INOPERAbLE Best Friends Wedding Dvd release of Rad Rowdies Sauf Velo

Milan
Ways to say hello? Ciao,YO!, Ciao Breakfasts? Bread Butter & Jam, Pasta Carbonara Yogurt with Cereals Bikes you own? Downhill, Fixed And the new comer Race Bike!! ;) Weather conditions to ride in? Sun, No rain, Fresh Things coming up this year? Perth 2 Melburn just done in January Ride more and more Ironman 70.3 in June Things people dont know about you? No Driving License, Straight Edger Way Too Active!!

Shoes to ride in? Nike Lance Armstrong Carbon Sidi Mtb Nike TIempo Rival Components on your bikes? Carbon Frame and Fork, 165 Crank Whatever comes 4 free!! Saddles? Smanie is the best!, Selle Italia, Fizik Routes to ride? Great Ocean Road in Victoria OZ Milano-Lecco-Ghisallo-Milano Everywhere with my friends Things you want to get done this year! CMWC, TriStar Sardinia Travel More and More www.siberiateaches.com

Photo by Luca Benedet

Ways to say hello? Nabend !, gday, a big hug Breakfasts? Full english, cereals or 2 litre jug of Sunzest orange juice Bikes you own? Vigorelli, Specialized tarmac, Mash Vigorelli ( coming up ;)) Weather conditions to ride in? 20C sunny, Places to ride at? Australia, France, Germany Things coming up this year? Trying to get into more running and swimming and maybe do a mini triathlon Role models? My dad, my mom, Hime Herbert

Photo | Luca Benedet

Berlin
Shoes to ride in? Sidis,Vans, Nikes Components on your bikes? Sram wheelset (s60, ordered), Saddles? San Marco Zoncolan, San Marco Zoncolan, San Marco Zoncolan Cities you have been to? Tokyo, Melbourne, Paris/London (tie) Things you want to get done this year! More riding, more mountain training and see a stage of the tour life www.thesoulsearchers.de

London
Ways to say hello? WAGWAN YA BUMBACLAT Luv u <3 Fucking taxis Breakfasts? ISPO breakfast was pretty good, meat and cheese everyday Teds bacon sarnies Wine Bikes you own? I only own one...ESB Weather conditions to ride in? Snow is fun for about 10 minutes Twilight, whatever it is at 4am Places to ride at? ROADTRIP, foampit FGLDN secret training facility Shoes to ride in? VANS,VANS,VANS

Things coming up this year? NY 2 LA via greyhound Makin money! Meeting grime THEY R MAI HEROS Things people dont know about you? Im really kind and nice Im really funny and interesting Im quarter Pakistani Components on your bikes? New SADIO hubs, feather, new P35 Velocity Rims Routes to ride? To a spot, in and on the spot, home. Cities you have been to? LONDON, Milton keynes, Swindon Things you want to get done this year! Get paid, make Andy laugh & get married. www.fixedgearlondon.com

Words Andy Ellis Photographs & Jonathan Winstone

Early in December 2010 we were asked if we would like to be involved in the up and coming UK version of the Red Bull Mini Drome. We said yes of course! What follows is Andys account of how it all went down...
Flights were booked just before the Christmas break, we were going out to Bremen in Germany to where the track was being built.This was around the time of when the crazy snow took hold of Europe and all flights were grounded. The trip was re scheduled to happen a week later. I was really excited about this trip as I had heard that the track was not going to be anything like the track built in New Zealand. I woke at 3:30am and had a taxi booked to get to Stanstead for around 5:30am. I was in plenty of time

An hour and a half later the rest of the crew arrived, this comprised of Conrad Johnson(commentator) Richard and Nina (Redbull) and Grace (with her film crew). We jumped on the plane and I remember thinking how cold it was that morning 2 hours later and we land in Bremen, I remember thinking then that London wasnt that cold after all! Walter from Velo Track came to pick us up in his minibus, we drove for about 30 minutes to a small industrial town where Walters house and Velo Track are situated. I was ready to get on that track right there and then! We walk over to the building that they build the tracks in only to find out that its not built. They had to film it being built up, which made sense. This is about when the lack of sleep started to catch up with me. I went back over to the Velo Track office/house and took a nap on the floor. Four hours go by very quickly when you are asleep. I awoke just in time to see the final piece being put in place.
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I wanted to go and get my bike and build it up. But there was a schedule we had to stick to that was dictated by the filming crew. After another hour, I was allowed to start building my bike up. I wanted to get on the track straight away but I had to wait for the film crew, so they could film my first lap around. I could not wait and I pushed off whilst no one was looking. I had about 2 laps and got shouted at for not waiting. It was worth it. The track felt great, it really hugged you in the corners and made you feel ,even at low speeds, like you were going quite rapidly around it... I set up at the start line again and wait for the film crew. Now I start getting nervous, as everyones eyes are on me at this point. 10 laps were on the counter, the bell rang and I was off.You think you are going faster than you are at first, mainly because you are concentrating so hard on the task at hand. Those first 10 laps went on forever and as soon as I stopped, I was feeling queazy. This felt really hard to do!

pictures of the mini drome before we arrived, but nobody was next to it. It was hard to get the scale of it via a small picture. This mini velo drome had been hand built to such tight tolerances and was a thing of beauty. It was really amazing to be in this big hanger-type factory in the freezing cold with all of this freshly cut wood making up a track this small and perfect. It was so new and I didnt even want to step on it out of respect! The first thing I did was get in the middle and walk around the inside whilst running my hand along the joins to see If I could feel what it was going to be like.This is when reality started to set in This was small. What gearing would I use? Would I fall out or in? How fast could I go? So many questions running around my head. I felt slightly nervous for the first time.

Before Bremen I had seen some phone

We didnt get much time on the track that evening, we were tired and thought the best thing to do was to get an early start in the morning. The hotel was a 30 minute drive away and Im not a fan of them either, I stayed at the family home and after we had eaten a lot of pizza it was time for some sleep. Next day at 10am were on the track again. This time with heating and some energy in our bodies. Conrad and I took turns at timed laps trying to beat our fastest times and trying not to crash. We didnt crash, we got dizzy and came off the inside once or twice but that was as close as we came. It was a huge relief as we had seen many people come off at the New Zealand version. I have no idea of how many laps we had done by the end of the day, I can say that I was glad to be finished riding round it after 7 or 8 hours!
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14th January York Hall, London

The day before the main event, Johnny and I were at Yorke Hall documenting the setup. Rigging the lights took most of the day and everyone was waiting for the mini drome to start taking shape.Yorke Hall has and still is where boxing matches and other such events happen on a regular basis. The raised seating for 250 people is something you just dont get anywhere else. It was hard to imagine what it would be like crammed full of people, with spot lights all pointing at the Red Bull Mini Drome. 2pm came around and the 1st pieces of the track started coming in, Id missed the original setup as I was asleep. So this was good to see, it was also a learning process for the guys employed to take the track to other cities in the UK.

Walter the owner of Velo Track was telling me about how all the wooden tracks are free standing and that when riders are really shifting at speed, the track moves with them. Especially if you have a motorbike derny pacer on there. Most tracks can move/sway up to 30cm?! For the mini drome he expected it to move up to about 5cm. A red felt oval carpet went down first, this will be the exact position of where the track will be. Then the triangular frame work gets put down. When placed in the correct order these make an undulating visual line of how the track will look. Now you can get an idea of scale and how it might finally look. These triangular pieces are fixed around the circumference and then the first boards of the track can be laid down.

Part one of the cover shot story:

Once a third of the track boards had been put down the riggers were all but done and had to go up in the ceiling for a final time. We had seen them up in the ceiling all morning. Johnny decided we had to get up there for an Ali overhead shot. So when the rigging guy came down we asked him if he could get us up there. Health and safety was the issue and we were briefed and led up carefully. To get the shot Johnny had to lean over the edge with the rigging guy holding onto the back of his Dickies, we got back down and looked at the shots. Somehow we had to get up there tomorrow night for the main event...
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15th January Main event.

People started showing up early and by about 1pm the first riders to set qualifying times had arrived. I had the chance to look at the list of riders and my bet to win was on Chris Akrigg from the start. 100 riders were on the list and the 10 timed laps would set the standings. The top 32 would qualify and be put into a pursuit style knockout battle.

Of the 105 that tried to qualify around 20% of those crashed out, most of the time quite spectacularly. The amount of concentration needed to stay on was the downfall of most. Once you were used to it, this was not an issue. But for some it was going to take more than 10 laps to get comfortable. It was nerve wracking, edge-of-the-seat type stuff watching it all happen.
Some riders would start off looking real good and then at about lap 7, BAM! off the side and into the crash mats. Some would not make it past the first 3 laps. The most spectacular was the guy who rode off the deep end and nose dived off a 5 foot drop. The strangest crash was some guy who ended up doing an X-up whilst coming out of a bend, how?! After the first qualifying bracket the 32 riders went head to head to get down to the top 16. Juliet Elliott was up against Chris Akrigg, Juliet was out unfortunately. Christian Volmer and a few other riders proved to be the riders to beat from early on. This was all about who could adapt to the task at hand in the fastest possible time.

The amount of people increased in the venue as did the the intensity of the atmosphere. Competitors were nervously awaiting there turn trackside. The reaction between spectators and the riders was electrifying at times. Everyone could not wait to see the out comes of the races and each time those riders were better and faster at getting around the Mini Drome.

Conclusion...

We missed a large part of the proceedings because of our blatant disregard of health and safety that could have cost our lives, the jobs of all the security people and I dont even want to think about what would have happened if Johnny fell 60ft into the middle of the mini drome, with 600 hundred people watching anyway.
The last head to head knockouts went by fast and in the end there was only one winner Akrigg had beaten all comers and ran over one of them on the way (dont worry he was fine) 2nd place went to Christian Vollmer and 3rd was Matthieu Trinquartt. The fastest laptime was set by Akrigg with a time of 0:03,232. (thats over one lap which is 30 metres)
50-51

I have said this before and I will say it again, this was one of the best events I have had the pleasure of being involved with. Even though I did not get to race, the atmosphere between the competitors and the spectators was amazing. I dont think you could get another event where everyone is so close to the action. Bravo Red Bull and thank you to everyone involved in making this happen.

Part 2 of the Ali shot story

We tried to get up to the ceiling once before on event night, but security was tight we made another attempt and we made it. This was a real covert mission, no one saw us get up top and we had experience of what we had to do from the previous day. Sick! This time we made a harness from some rope and secured Johnny to a post. 20 minutes go by and we are all good. Then some one calls my mobile and says... are you up in the ceiling? Erm.. yes Security is on its way! Shit! I tell Johnny and we are packed up and out of there on our way down in about 2 minutes. Just as we get to the last door 4 burly looking security guys block our way and start shouting at us. For a minute we were being kicked off the premisis and banned for life! We talked a lot and apologised to all the right people (It was like being at school again) But we didnt care too much, it was worth it we had our cover shot.

We believe that this could go on to become another facet of Fixed gear culture, just like Rollapaluza, alley-cats, skid competitions and of course the freestyle trick competitions. We have heard there are a few more Red Bull Mini Drome events planned this year, we hope it comes back round again to London. Remember, stay on the red line!

Looking for the spot in Chinatown.

I caught up with one of the most respected/stylish riders to ever grace the streets on a fixed gear bike.The ever elusive Massan, tells us about whats going on with him right now. It is just as hard to get an interview with him, as it is to try and catch him on a bike...
Questions - Andy Ellis | Photographs & Answers - Massan Fluker

I have not spoken to you for a while now and I keep hearing all these rumours about projects you maybe involved in...whats going on with you right now? I live in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, Im still married to my bike and Im still taking photographs. So between those 3 things, theres a lot happening.
Are you still riding a Leader? They have gotten really big now, I see new people on the team all the time! I havent ridden a leader in about a year. Its a really cheap, mass-produced bike so youll definitely see a lot of little kids on them. So which bike are you riding? Have you still got the Cannondale and will you be riding for any bike companies in the near future? 1.) Affininty Kessena 2.) 2009 Trek Madone 3.) Macaframa x Raleigh 4.) FIT BMX (Edwin D.) I sold that blue Cannondale to Yim in 2006. I dont know what the future holds as far as riding for someone, but I WILL be riding until my exit date. The reason I ride bikes, is because I love to ride bikes. Theres no other reason. I think Id like to own one of those Cannondales one day... Yeah the turn over of riders is on, everyone is in so much of a hurry to get theirs It sometimes makes you feel like whats the point! Its hard to stay focused and keep doing what you believe in whilst there is this whirlwind going on all around you! How is the Macaframe? I used to have Raleighs growing up, they were the bikes to have. I know its different now but something like the Macaframa Raleigh has got to be a bit different, right? I dont know how that Raleigh rides, to tell you the truth. Its on my wall for the winter because theres too much filth, salt and snow on the streets. When spring/ summer hits Ill give it a spin.

Yes, I think there is something very unique about Aluminium that you cant get with anything else. From your point of view how do you see the track/trick scene progressing? How has it changed in the last few years? I know your trick is going fast, but you must see a lot of riders fully going for it on trick specific fixed gear bikes... Doing tricks on a fixed gear bike is like doing tricks on a Razor Scooter. If youre a kid I guess its fine, but if youre over 21 doing tricks on a fixed gear, you should know better. Most of the riders I know on track bikes are pretty quiet, it reflects the temperament. You dont want to be riding in the city, through traffic shouting your head off and busting tricks everywhere. Its all about being stealth and unseen. That is harder for people to be into because its kind of introverted I guess. The way I see it is, you only have to flinch and everyone takes notice, whereas most other riders are out there shouting, not getting noticed. Everyone wants to see your next move and you never give any hints as to what it might be! I never thought of it that way. Interesting. Its really hard for everyone to see what its like riding fast through traffic, it is even harder to market that to younger riders too. It has to be contained to make it viewable. Do you think the division between ok trick riders and damn good trick riders will get so vast, that the ok riders will just transfer to riding real track bikes? Well I would hope that once a kid realizes that riding a fixed gear around town with riser bars and a slammed seat is not comfortable, he/she will start to explore everything else that cycling has to offer. Road, Touring, BMX, Track etc.

54-55

What are your hopes for this year coming? Do you want to travel, if so where to? I plan to see the entire world before I die. Its on my bucket list. Who have you been riding with in the last few weeks? Have you got go to friends who ride all the time? I know you have friends who ride different types of bikes like BMX and road bikes. Well in the last few weeks, its been so cold, no one goes on rides for pleasure. Just business. When the weather permits I ride with the usual suspects. What is the longest period you have gone without riding? Do you get on other forms of transport when not on your bike? The longest Ive been off a bike in recent years is probably 2 weeks when I dislocated my knee. I still skate from time to time, but I really enjoy lurking around on foot. After you ride a bike for days on end, if you take a break and just walk around for a day, youll realize you can walk an impressive distance. Bring a walkman.

Which new up and coming kids do you like? Do you pay attention? I like the riders I pass regularly on the road. I know theyre riding everyday and they know the same goes for me. Ive thought about some cyclist I know and thought Ive never seen that person without their bike. I want people to have those same thoughts about me. What do you think of the world today? Brooklyn is the Planet Any shout out you wanna give? Bloodz On Bikes Snakes San Francisco Brooklyn Affinity Cycles Brooklyn Massansf.com

Barry Mcgee hand painted GT frame.

Looppedalers Bochum-Germany

Marvin Kramer on Andre

It was 1997 we first met at a Hip Hop/Graffiti Jam. Since then I know that he is a hard working, multi-talented guy and I have never met anyone else that has as much energy. Andre is a full-time cook at a local theater and he does his job with more than just passion. Apart from getting us the best dishes, his heart and soul are into different things. Sneakers, clothing, vinyl, graffiti and bikes, bikes, bikes. I think he would share his bed with his bike if he had no girlfriend! He is also part of the almighty Streetwear Today Crew. Four years ago, when Andre moved to next door town, Bochum was the point where we all started to ride fixed. Now he rides his bike everyday no matter what whether conditions. He has no driving licence thats why every ride, long or short distance, rain, snow or beautiful sunshine gets done with one of his fixed gear bikes. His experience helps him to dash even through rush hour traffic. Its quite hard for somebody to keep up with him, thats why I love to ride with him so much. Andre loves everything to do with bikes and is deep into developments and custom bikes. Next to a Cinelli Mash bike, he cant wait to complete his new handmade frame which was made to fit him by framebuilder Sven Krautscheid, which is just amazing. He is the founding member and driving force of the Looppedalers crew. Have fun and greetings from the hospital, also dont trust a thin cook!

Andre Thurm on Marvin

Oh Dude after all these years I need a minute to choose the right words to describe this. Actually it was in the summer of 1997. At that time we got in touch over a mutual friend. First I did not like him at all and I can say we disliked each other. After several journeys we realized that our friendship just needed some time to grow and with time he became the little brother I never had. Over the past 14 years we have shared diverse passions like being crazy sneaker collectors. We have been hunting for rare records and have been spinning them in endless sessions, sure we went out often to party hard. We have also been out all night long armed with spray cans to adorn our environment. That said, we always have been accompanied by our bikes. Nowadays he is one of the founding members of our fixed gear crew called the Looppedalers. But what is so special is more obvious if you get the chance to ride with him. He is always one step ahead as his x-ray eyes scan quickly in heavy traffic. Marvin is one of the most loyal and genuine humans I ever met. Dont forget that guy knows how to rock a party hard, thats why I call him Marvin van Marzz!!

Check Facebook for looppedalers.

By Juliet Elliott.

Half the girls population get overlooked in more than one domain. In an effort to redress the balance and inspire a new generation of female riders, we spoke to a selection of women from around the world who are not letting the small matter of gender stand in their way...

Agata Woznicka settled firstly in Lon-

don and then in Paris after she left her native Poland. Never short on wit or charm, Agata makes friends wherever she goes and is a polo player to be reckoned with.

Home town Gdansk, Poland When did you start riding fixed? After London Calling 07 Are you into other bikes too? Anything with 2 wheels What kind of riding do you like best? Polo and road racing. Why? Adrenaline and crashes, in both cases What was the first trick you learnt? Flying over the handlebars. Damn you, front brake! Whats the next trick you wanna learn? Fuck polo tricks, lets just play. How often do you ride? Almost every day How often do you play polo? As often as my bike and the snow allow me. Tell us about your team! Nothing permanent right now. My heart still belongs to Team Trouble Stelle and Muna. Never seen such mayhem like the 3 of us on the court with all the plastic roses, blood and layers of skin left on tarmac. Whats the first bike you had? Foldable Pelikan - huge, but bizzarely you could actually fold it in half. How many bikes have you got? 4 What was the most sketchy moment youve had? Every day theres a new one. Who do you rate? My friends are pretty amazing, I feel quite blessed. Why do you think more girls dont do tricks or play polo?I I guess its intimidating with so many experienced guys around. Also with polo its definitely a fear of injury and scars.

Does it bother you that its always a sausage fest? No, but its a good time to change that. What do you do apart from ride? Cook, dive, travel. Im always on the road! Even my family never know in which country to find me. Brakes or no brakes? Brakes. Recently the XTRs Ipod or silence? What do you listen to? Ipod. Anything with a good beat, unless Im messengering - then its calmer to balance out the adrenaline

Favourite food? Does whiskey count as food? Tell us a secret! I broke a record by falling asleep in every class in high school. Even PE. How many miles do you ride a week? About 150. What do you do on a rainy day when you cant ride? Plan next adventures Cats or dogs? Cats Any shout outs? London, I love you.
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Photo: Louis David Najar

Katrina Medina

from Long Beach was busting out bar hops at the age of 16. Enough said.
When did you start riding fixed? I started riding fixed in 8th grade, so 2009. Are you into other bikes too? I also ride bmx. What kind of riding do you like best and why? I like tricks and riding fast, Tricks because its fun to learn new tricks and I feel accomplished when I land them. As for riding fast, I like the adrenaline rush. Did you ride bikes as a kid? Yes, but not nearly as much as I do now. What was the first trick you learnt? Barspins Whats the next trick you wanna learn? Feeble grinds How often do you ride? I ride everyday. Whether its doing tricks or riding to school, I will always be on my bike at least once a day. What was the first fixed gear bike you had? I started out with a conversion, but the first freestyle fixed frame I had was a Volume Cutter v5 How many bikes have you got now? I have two; one fixed, one BMX. 26 or 700? I ride 26s

Photo: Lisa Medina

Do you get scared trying new tricks for the first time? I was never really intending on doing any tricks, I was just gonna ride but then I wanted to try something new. I was scared the first time I tried tricks simply because Id never done it before. How did you get over that? By just doing it! Why do you think more girls dont do tricks or play polo? I think girls dont trick or play polo because theyre so worried what everyone else around them thinks. I still feel that way just as much. Does it bother you that its always a sausage fest? It doesnt really bother me, I dont let it phase me, but when it comes to competition and having to compete against men, I get intimidated. What do you do apart from ride? Besides bikes, I film and edit, I hang out with friends and mess around. Plus I go to school.

Brakes or no brakes? I started off with brakes for about a week but now no brakes Ipod or silence? What do you listen to? Its either or but a few artists I like are Two Door Cinema Club, Tegan and Sara, and the Black Keys. Favorite food Definitely sushi. How many miles do you ride a week? I ride about 40 miles a week just around were I live. It depends on the season though. What do you do on a rainy day when you cant ride? When I cant ride I clean up my bike and sit inside being bored. Any shout outs? Ive most definitely got to shout out to Devan C, my parents for supporting me and Isyar for supporting me and supplying me with great bike parts.

Cara Notestine

caught my eye with her first edit which wound up all over the blogosphere. Filmed over a couple of days in her home town of Memphis, Caras edit showcased her killer wheelies and clear love of riding.
When did you start riding fixed? In December of 2008. I used my Christmas money to buy a fixed wheelset on Craigslist. Are you into other bikes too? Im into trying all kinds of riding, its just been a matter of getting my hands on different kinds of bikes. The next thing I want to try is BMX. What kind of riding do you like best? Tricks, but I really enjoy going on long night rides with cool people and having fun riding until the sun comes up. Did you ride bikes as a kid? I went through phases growing up when I wouldnt be riding, but for the most part bikes have always been a part of my life. Whats the first bike you had? I was about four years old and I got it for Christmas. It was red and purple and had those streamer things in the handlebars. My first fixed gear was a janky Univega conversion What was the first trick you learnt? I guess track stands and skids, but the first trick I felt really proud of accomplishing was wheelies. Whats the next trick you wanna learn? Ive been working on nose pivots a lot lately, but after I get those I want to work on hitting some bigger gaps and ledges. How often do you ride? I try to practice tricks everyday, even if it just means messing around a parking lot by myself, During the week I try to ride at least a few miles on the road bike. What was the most sketchy moment youve had? Getting my front wheel caught in a train track going 20+ miles per hour. My face slammed against the street and broke my nose, but I rode the rest of the way home. Who do you rate? All the girls out there riding. Its so cool to see what other women have accomplished in the sport; they give me goals to strive for. Devan Council, Christina Panteliodis, and Juliet have especially motivated me to get out there and ride.

26 or 700? If I had the choice to make myself taller and ride 700c on a bigger bike, I would. But since I ride a smaller frame, 26 wheels are much more manoeuvrable and dont limit me because of my size. Do you get scared trying new tricks for the first time? Yes, for sure. Thats one thing that Im still working on as far as tricks go.You just have to have the balls to go for it and accept the fact that you will most likely fall the first time. How do you get over your fear? I need to work on not thinking about how to do things so much and just suck it up and do it. And get used to falling down more. Why do you think more girls dont do tricks or play polo? FGFS is relatively new. Like any other physical activity or sport, more dudes get involved than girls at first. I think the only way to get girls to take part is them seeing other girls do it first. More and more girls will pick it up for sure. Does it bother you that its always a sausage fest? It bothers me when dudes cant look past physical appearances. I hate seeing half naked girls pose in photos with bikes that dont even belong to them. Im not saying all guys like that stuff either, but sometimes dudes can be sexist without even realizing theyre being sexist. The boys are really ahead of the game compared to the girls though and I look up to them for motivation. Favourite food? PIZZA Tell us a secret! I eat pizza almost everyday, For real. Any shout outs? All-City and Outdoors Inc. Bike Shop 60-61

Photo: Brett Edmonds

Christina Panteliodis is arguably one of the most progressive female fixed gear riders. Hailing from Baltimore, Christina is constantly upping the game and her no bullshit approach means her riding speaks for itself.
When did you start riding fixed? A year and half ago Are you into other bikes too? Im into all kinds of bikes.. road, cross country mountain, beaters. What kind of riding do you like best? Tricks the most, polo sometimes and riding fast Did you ride bikes as a kid? Every now and then. I was a skateboarding kid. Whats the first bike you had? A red bmx I got from a yard sale from a neighbour is my earliest memory. What was the first trick you learnt? Barspin or track strands Whats the next trick you wanna learn? 180s What motivates you to keep pushing it? The sensation of landing something that I havent landed. How often do you ride? As much as I can but life gets crazy. On a good week almost every day, on a bad week twice a week If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be? Wow! Thats a loaded question! Maybe lowering the cost of living ;)

What was the most sketchy moment youve had? Biking or in life? I currently live in Baltimore so that changes daily. Come visit! Who do you rate? Everyone. Why? Cause we are all worthy. 26 or 700? 26. Im to short for anything larger! Do you get scared trying new tricks for the first time? Of course but that fear is also exciting too. Why do you think more girls dont do tricks or play polo? Because both can be quite intense, it requires a very specific type or personality for both sexes. Does it bother you that its always a sausage fest? Haha! Luckily for me the guys I ride with are not just guys I ride with. They are great pals and very supportive so gender doesnnt get in the way. What do you do apart from riding? Im currently studying for my bachelors. Ipod or silence? What do you listen to? I dont like freestyle riding with an iPod as it can get distracting but any other type of riding music is great! Favourite food Ill have a medium rare burger with bacon and gouda! Tell us a secret No! You tell me one first. What do you do on a rainy day when you cant ride? I usually find a way, Unless Im too tired. Then I sleep. Any shout outs? Thanks Julliet Elliott for inviting me to be a part of this! Thanks for all the support from Bmore fixed, Hold Fast,Velocity,Milwaukee bikes, Profile and Loose nuts bike shop and everybody else who supports!!!

Photo: Keith Teket

Kat Moders

name came up repeatedly when I was asking about which female polo players people rated. Based in Munich, she spends her time thrashing other people at the game.

When did you start riding fixed? In 2008. Are you into other bikes too? Yes. For Polo I got my single speed polo bike, two fixed gear bikes for everything else and a hardtail mountainbike for trail riding. What kind of riding do you like best? Polo but also riding fast, tricks, and mountainbiking. Everything then? Well I like polo best because I enjoy team sports and because polo is a combination of most other kinds of riding I mentioned. How often do you ride? I ride everyday. How often do you play polo? I play about three times a week. Tell us about your team. Poloholica is Munichs all girl bike polo team. Weve been playing together since 2008. Were not only team mates but were also good friends, we go out together, meet for lunch a few times a week and play all kinds of other sports together too. The reason we are an all girls team is that none of us wanted to get stuck in goal. A lot of female polo players in mixed teams get stuck in goal. What was the most sketchy moment youve had? Sitting opposite the doctor at hospital after breaking my wrist and having to let him reposition my crushed wrist without any sedation. He didnt manage it properly and it didnt relocate properly. 26 or 700c? It depends on the bike. 700 for polo and the road bikes and fixed gear bikes.

Why do you think more girls dont do tricks or play polo? Maybe there are still role models missing? Although at least in polo thats not as true as it used to be. Does it bother you that its always a sausage fest? It feels pretty normal to me as I usually prefer hanging out with guys anyway unless its my team mates and or a couple of other people. What do you do apart from ride Im currently preparing my PhD thesis and trying to get a scholarship. Do you ride with brakes or without? With brakes Ipod or silence? What do you listen to? Silence when concentrating on things. Old School Hardcore bands, when I want some music. And some other stuff too. Favourite food? Ketchup with French fries - not French fries with ketchup. What do you do on a rainy day when you cant ride? I also ride on rainy days, we even play polo at minus 10C! Cats or dogs? Cats of course.

Devan Council has been tearing

up the street of Nashville on her new Volume Thrasher, nailing banging trick and huge stair sets as well as finding time to study and race about on her Cinelli.

When did you start riding fixed? I started two years ago, when I switched my single speed to fixed. What kind of riding do you like best? I love fixed freestyle but I also love going on longer rides either on my track bike or my road bike. Did you ride bikes as a kid? Yeah, my best friend and I used to build tracks in my backyard and would race our BMX bikes for hours. What was the first bike you had? A mongoose BMX. When I started riding again in high school my first bike was a Trek 1000 road bike. What was the first trick you learned? The usuals: leg over bar skids and barspins.

Whats the next trick you wanna learn? I have quite a few Im trying to get down. Nose pivots and 180s mainly though. How often do you ride? Daily How many miles do you ride a week: Lately, Ive primarily been riding fixed freestyle, so my miles are solely coming from my commute and riding between trick spots, so only about 50. How many bikes have you got? Currently 5:Volume Thrasher, Cinelli Vigorelli, Cinelli Mash, Masi Speciale Fixed, Cinelli XLR8R4 What was the most sketchy moment youve had? Ha! I ran into a pole, busted my face, and knocked my teeth out last May. Who do you rate? Why? All the great riders who have been pushing the sport for the past few years. And the female riders who are really stepping up the game. 26 or 700? Both. Im running 26s on my Volume Thrasher at the moment and love it. Im a pretty small rider, so the smaller wheel size definitely helps. But Im also planning on building up some 700s soon. Do you get scared trying new tricks for the first time? Not really, It depends on the trick though. I was definitely terrified when I went for my first 5 stair. Ive never really had the mentality of giving up on something if its scary. Ipod or silence? What do you listen to? I rarely ride with headphones on. Part of it is a safety thing, Why do you think more girls dont do tricks? There are a lot of contributing factors. Getting into fixed freestyle can be intimidating. For some, there is the added pressure of being the only female to step in with the guys. Beyond that its just the difficulty in really pushing yourself, toughing it out, and sticking with it. Does it bother you that its always a sausage fest? Not really. I usually have way more guy friends than I do girl friends anyways, so Im pretty used to it. I would really love to have more girls to ride and trick with though. Favourite food: Chicken Tacos, Green Peppers, Redbull, and Reeses. Tell us a secret: Im really clumsy. What do you do on a rainy day when you cant ride? Say fuck it and ride. Any shout outs? Just have to give a big thanks to all my amazing sponsors whove been so supportive and great to me:Volume, Burro, Velocity and Profile.

Photos: Keith Gallagher

Yuki is the fastest female messenger in

Japan. She is from the Yamanashi district. Shes 100% hardcore messenger who travels to compete wherever the messenger competitions may be in the world.
When did you start riding fixed? The summer of 2005. Are you into other bikes too? I ride a Cannondale road bike. What kind of riding do you like best? Tricks? Riding fast? Polo? Everything? Riding fast! Why? Im interested in tricks and polo but Im a messenger so if my bike breaks or I get hurt and cant ride it effects my job. Did you ride bikes as a kid? In Japan, schools tell children they must stay within the neighborhood and not venture out on their own, but I used to ride way past the boundaries. What was the first trick you learnt? Standing Whats the next trick you wanna learn? Wheelie How often do you ride? Everyday, basically. How often do you play polo? If Im at an event, I might grab a mallet for fun. Tell us about your team. Cyclex, WBASE. Whats the first bike you had? A cyclocross bike by Bianchi. How many bikes have you got? Four. What was the most sketchy moment youve had? When I was rear-ended on a national road. Who do you rate? SUPANOVA from my crew Why? Hes got love and says were all family in our company. Super cool. 26 or 700? 700 Do you get scared trying new tricks for the first time? I get scared! How do you get over that? Ride on sand. Doesnt hurt as much as concrete. And the tires last longer. Why do you think more girls dont do tricks or play polo? Theyre afraid theyll scar their face and end up a spinster.

Does it bother you that its always a sausage fest? Sausages are simple so theyre easy to work with. The more simple, the better. What do you do apart from ride Tai Chi Brakes or no brakes? Brakes Ipod or silence? What do you listen to? I listen to everything but I like techno the best. Favourite food Natto Monjya Tell us a secret Dont have any. How many miles do you ride a week 400km What do you do on a rainy day when you cant ride? I put my rain gear on and ride! Gotta work!! Cats or dogs? Dogs Any shout outs? Super Ted! Congrats! How is the baby?

Photos: Toy Dog

Juliet Elliott is rad! She has been riding

fixed for years and has inspired loads of people to give fixed freestyle a go, myself included. Though her talents are not just restricted to kicking ass in the freestyle scene, she rides anything with wheels and does it damn well! She has done more in her life than most would dream of. Juliet is definitely a rider that is pushing the boundaries of fixed gear riding. She is smart and has a level head and does what she believes in. Juliet does, and will continue to inspire and rip it for many years to come.

Interviewed by DN Location London When did you start riding fixed? 2008...I think Are you into other bikes too? Hell yeah!! I think Ive got 6 bikes, a cross country, a jump bike, road bike, bmx, my trick bike...Charge 26 or 700? Scissor, and my fast bike. 700 baby!! Ive tried 26 and it didnt really What kind of riding do you like? work out and Im pretty stoked to be back on I like going really fast on my fast bike, doing tricks the 700s. The 26s didnt work out because my on my trick bike, and riding my bmx...all equally. Charge Scissor is designed for 700s so the botDid you ride a bike as a kid? tom bracket was too low, now Im back on the I had a bike as a kid but I wasnt more into it than 700s I prefer it because you can go faster and other kids. I had my brothers hand me downs, I bigger in my opinion. wanted to do bmx racing like my brother but wasnt Do you get scared of doing new tricks allowed because Im a girl! Look at me now! hahaha for the first time? What was your first bike? Yeah sometimes, but if Im not feeling it I just I had a Raleigh Burner dont do it, if I want to do it I just do it! OccaWhat was the first trick you learnt? sionally I guess I think about how good it would Do skids count? make me feel if I did land the trick successfully. No! Why do you think more girls dont do Leg over the bar skids hahahahahaha tricks? Whats the next trick you want to learn? Well Ive gotta be honest here with the risk of Dont know....whatever...I just want to go really big offending girls all over the world! hahaha! Alot and really fast and do gnarly stuff! of girls are more into shopping and makeup How often do you ride? than they are crashing and hurting themselves. I ride all day everday as Im working as a courier, Does it bother you that its always a and on my days off I ride my trick bike and my bmx. sausage fest? How often do you ride tricks? No! Not at all! Ive always been friends with I havent ridden tricks for ages really because I have loads of boys, I like riding with people who are been injured since last year, so at the moment not fun to ride with and it doesnt make any difvery much. ference whether they are male or female. I do What is the sketchiest moment you have like seeing girls doing tricks though because it had? inspires me to progress. Well...nearly getting squashed between cars and How does being such an inspiration to buses isnt very nice, falling off ledges and slamming so many people in the scene make you your face into the floor isnt nice either...its pretty feel? hard to pick one sketchy moment. Am I? Well thats really cool. Who do you rate and why? What do you do apart from ride? I have never been into pegs on fixed gear bikes but Sleep and eat! I just saw a bunch of sequences that the GRIME sent through to Fixed Magazine so Id have to say Im rating those guys.

Brakes or no brakes? No brakes baby!! Apart from on my BMX. Ipod or silence? Silence, riding is sketchy enough already in London without cutting off one of your senses. What does it feel like to have 4000+ facebook friends? Hilarious! All my friends take the piss out of me for it! You have like a million jobs....can you list them? I have my own company Final Agency we do PR and events, I also put on parties in East London, Im a contributer to Lodown Magazine, Cooler Magazine, Fixed Magazine, Ala Champfest Magazine, I have my own t shirt label, Im a bike courier and I think thats it! Oh and Im also working with Vice vbs.tv on a possible bike show. Favourite food? Pizza or sushi Tell us a secret Im actually a boy hahaha nah...ok....I used to be in the Lightning Seeds.

How many miles do you ride a week? I have no idea...I only started as a courier 3 weeks ago and its quite hard to gauge. Probably about 220 miles...ish What do you do on days you cant ride? Get really grumpy! Or battle my hangover Cats or dogs? Stupid question....cats!!! Any shoutouts? Thanks to Charge Bikes,Vans, Carhartt, Les Ettes and Sofus Francisco. What are your plans for the future? Gonna play that one by ear. Fancy a ride? Yeah lets go! Which bike shall we ride?
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Photos: Dave Noakes

Does Mr Akrigg require an introduction? Not really. Mike caught up with him to shoot the breeze whilst he was winning the mini drome event in London...
Where have you come from in cycling? My roots are motorcross and that turned to cycle trials where i competed at a World and British level, I was 6 times British Champion as a trials rider and got a few podiums at world events. Then I had a fade out period and picked up downhill and suspension bikes. I started riding for Mongoose they were sending me bikes so I began to experiment a bit.

Interview Mike Merkenschlager | Photographs Sam Needham

The first time i saw you ride was in your Mongoose fixed edit, do you enjoy making those videos? Doing videos really saved me from stopping riding, I mean I still would have ridden but now with videos I can ride different bikes and take the fundamental skills Ive learnt in trails and put them to use in all types of riding. Mongoose started making fixed wheel bikes and I got hold of one and they asked me to put an edit together. At the start I wasnt too keen but I went to the warehouse which was the first time Id ridden one and had a little play about. I couldnt believe how difficult it was. I think thats what really got me going, I like a challenge and I was like wow Ive been riding a bike for years and years and suddenly bunny hopping a curb is hard. I got the basics down and started to think what was possibe. I put the video out and it got a really good response, I didnt realise how big the fixed scene was. What sort of reactions did you get from the different bicycle scenes? Yeah it was quite funny because some people that know my background like all the trials and suspension riding and others dont. Some people were like what you doing on that bike? and all Id say is dude get on one and give it a try. Do you think there is a lot of snobbery in the fixed gear scene, like the way its looked at by different types of cycling? I dont really know anything about the fixed gear scene so I dont really care, Im happy as long as Im having fun. It looks like you can transfer your skill to any kind of riding, I saw your freewheel edit and that was really inspiring. Ive never seen anyone do anything like that. To be fair that edit was a bit of a funny one for me. It felt like the pioneers of mountain biking when they first got a bike and they were flying down hills and that and doing stuff it wasnt designed for. I got a picture a long time ago for an advert and it was like you can do things on a bike that it wasnt really designed to do. Do you think fixed has restrictions and is there going to be a peak to the riding? I think everything evolves, mountain biking evolved, trials evolved. I dont know how much further it will go. Looking at the bikes now they are basically 29ers, Ive had a go on a couple of bikes and it just feels like a 29 inch mountain bike. So Im not sure where its gonna go from that, the bikes are getting a lot smaller too.

Are you gonna do any big jumps stair sets in your next edit? I havent thought about it too much really, its probably going to be more about location. The times Ive done fixed gear edits it has been really last minute. I think for me to get something out of it and to progress anymore I need to spend more time on it. Im just really busy at the moment so finding time for all types of riding is hard. So are you planning on putting out another trials video? Trials is really close to my heart, Im currently working on a trials video but the weathers been a bit nasty. Ive got a trip to Spain planned so I can get some nice weather, I might take my fixed along too. Do you think riding fixed is going to be one of the things that everyone wants to try out or is it just a fad? I think for some part its a fad. Its a lot like other sports like bmx and skateboarding - some jump on for fashion and there are the hardcore. I dont really know enough about them and still dont completely know what it is all about. I think it is a lot about the purity of the riding. Yeah anyone could just jump on a bike and just ride it. Its like skateboarding and rollerblading, with rollerblades you can just strap them on and jump up a curb and with a skateboard you have to learn. I challenge any decent rider to jump on a fixed and try to just hop a curb. You seem to progress really quickly. People that know me, know that I pick things up pretty quick. its a good test of a rider to see how quick you can adapt. You won the cobble wobble - did you think about the set up of the bike or did you just pick one and turn up? You can see from the set up of the bike that some thought was put into it,. Nick from Charge rang me up and asked if I wanted to do it, I said yes. So I changed a few things on my bike, put carbon cranks on it and slick mountain bike tyres. It was good fun. So do you think youre going to keep one in the shed and keep riding? Yeah, I just got sent a new bike from Mongoose and Im planning on doing a little edit. Its quite good fun, Im probably gonna leave it a little while but Im definately going to do it. www.chrissakrigg.com www.mongoose.com

All Photographs | Doug Dalrymple - Ed | Barspin

Its what is happening now. Aint no other crew out there that has the same attitude and drive right now, listen and learn. Grime is taking over, not slowly and surely... more like Tasmanian devils on fixed gear bikes.

Who is involved in Grime and how did you decide to make it happen? Grime is owned and operated by Mike MTS Schmitt, Joe Krillz, and Ed Wonka LaForte Who rides for Grime? Mike and Ed Wonka are both pro-riders and designers. Anthony Combs is our new addition to the AM team. Nobody knows that yet. And many many more friends and family involved and flowed out as much as possible. Grime Affiliates Everywhere. How did the name come about? When I think of the word Grime, it reminds me of Ghostbusters, NYC and the slime down in the sewer... is this part of how you see NYC or do you see it different to me!! We probably see NYC a little differently than you but Yes! MTS came up with the name. Ed and Joe had something different at first but the sewer slime image is maybe exactly what we were trying to convey. We think of ourselves as grittier side of the bike industry so it made some sense. We feel the industry was lacking any real east coast style grit. Oh yeah, we are actually doing a Slimer tee also!

Mike | Feeble

Ed | 180 Feeble Half Cab Bar

How is NYC for spots? I have heard from skateboarding that its hard to find good spots, is there a lot more stuff to ride on a bike? Lots of stuff downtown. Marble ledges, stairsets, benches. The Banks are closed now, so no more brookyn banks, but theres a ton of hidden and not so hidden architecture to rip on. Expect alot of rails in future GRIME edits. G.oing O.ver A.ll T.errain.

Grime is perceived as really raw in Europe, how do you make things happen yet keep it looking raw? Who is making things happen in all of this? We just do what makes sense. None of us read a business book or went to school. We all play our part, Krillz is more back end, Mike does most of the design as well as riding with Wonka, who both offer invaluable expertise when designing parts with SADIO. We basically just created a brand that we would be stoked on. Someone we would wanna ride with, watch on tv and get down with. Grime is 100% real. True NY street style.

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Mike | Gap to Double Peg

What are your daily routines? Do you get loads of emails to answer everyday? Yes we spend about 3 hours or more daily just answering emails and we still miss some! We all pretty much get up early. Get the shop open and hopefully get some riding in when we arent on the road or recovering from filming. Theres a park up the street weve been ripping up. We plan on getting a real scene built here in NYC this summer and encourage people to come hang with us at the shop.

How did the shop go down when you opened up? We have only been a brand since February of 2010. So we are a very very young company. We partenered up with SADIO who is producing all of our components for us. (saddles, hubs. bars, pro-parts etc) We have complete design control and are very excited about whats about to be released. We needed a place to showcase what weve got going on as well as a location to act as headquarters and clubhouse! Kind of a center of operations. Theres tons more stuff than whats in the webstore alone. Its the SADIOxGRIME home base.

Mike | Smith Between Bench

I think you guys were the first I saw that went out riding with BMX riders... Is there alot of hate when you are out riding? Or do they accept the fact now?! No, all the hate is on the internet, not from these smart-dumb cats on the net.You cant really talk badly on someone doing tooth-hangovers down tensets on a fixed gear. We ride regularly with real bmx riders who know, accept and respect the GRIME and our abilities. If there is ever any doubts, our riding shuts mouths.

How many Hop Barspins does Wonka do a day? Only as many as we caught on film! How can people get Grime products overseas? I know I kinda like the fact that its hard to get hold of a Grime frameset, makes me want it more. Depends on your country. We have distrbutors in Japan and Thailand and alot of shops in between who carry us. We also ship direct to most other countries almost every day.

Ed | Double Peg transfer

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Ed | Gap to Double Peg

What do you think about all the HD filming of stuff with all the slow mos and panning on dollys? Do you wish people would go back a little bit and just film with whatever they got you know? Focus on the style and not the function... Too much slowmotion silhouette shots of kids trying to be pretty. Just get real with it! If the trick is gonna hit em with it, it will transfer to film, but if you have to start playing with all sorts of angles, colour correction and 2000 fps, then youre ruining the essence of it. That being said, beautifull photography is one thing. But filler shots are boring. maybe we just have way too much a.d.h.d. What would be your dream crew/session to ride with/in, you can choose anyone from all over the world?! Mat Hoffman, Edwin DeLaRosa, Mike Hoder, Steven Jensen, Oscar Khan, Tom LaMarche, and the Cookie Monster in Barcelona with the GRIME fam.

I know you are traveling a lot this year to loads of competitions, where are the best ones happening at? West Jam in Portugal, and then Trick Trick Boom in Paris. Gonna kill it. What up Paris! What up Felix! What do you hope to achieve with Grime this year and for the future? We have so much in store its hard to say. We just want to continue making ground breaking parts and frames and exciting FREE web edits. Any last shout outs? Every single company in the industry with the same vision as us.

LETS DO THIS! :)

Ed | Tooth Hangover

Can you give us some history about yourself/DFACE? Im afraid I cant. Its a high security government project and Im sworn to secrecy. Ill be able to divulge the nature of the project in 25 years when its been declassified. I plan to write up my memoirs then and sell the story to the Daily Mail or the National Enquirer or even better get the cover story of OK with a 20 page editorial of me relaxing candidly in my studio. Did you get involved in that hoo haa with the Exit Through the Gift Shop film? Nope, I have some work featured in it and had been filmed a few times by Thierry whilst out and about, but Im glad I avoided the whole thing and that footage got left in the archive wastelands. No disrespect to Banksy or what he does, but Im happy treading my own path. What drives your work and where do you get inspiration from? Im not sure what drives my work. Obviously Im passionate about what I do and its taken alot of energy and time to get me to this point, so thats the biggest drive, keeping on keeping on.You know, Im privileged to live as an artist doing what I love, that in itself is a strong driving factor. So I guess my drive is purely a spirit and desire to push myself further, explore new and old techniques, cook up some daft ideas and execute them, be that in the street or in a gallery. My inspiration, that comes from whats around me, be that cycling to my studio, like this morning and seeing a beautiful wind torn, sun bleached billboard that had an aesthetic to it that would be impossible to achieve manually or the mash up of stereos you hear cycling passed cars in traffic on a summers day, to the things I grew up seeing; the artwork of Jim Philips, Vernon Courtland Johnson and John Pound the album art of the Dead Kennedys, Bad Brains... pretty much Thrasher Mag 1980 - 1990s.

Photographs: Jonatahan Winstone

When did you get your first fixed gear bike and did it change your view of cycling? You built it... about 3 maybe 4 years ago... at first I was pretty dismissive, Im heavily into motorbikes and had this mental 1000cc street bike at the time, so pedal power seemed a bit tame, but I borrowed my mates fix to pop to the shops, I came back and said to him thats it im getting one... it was like skateboarding and cycling combined... Id also just moved closer to my studio so the motorbike was just wasted, Id ride it in and never leave first gear... so I got you to build my first bike... and since then I cycle to my studio every day, rain or shine... about 14 miles. Its totally changed my view on cycling, I like the fact its gone against the grain of all the lycra wearing, gear changing, light stopping cyclists. Back to your work, what are you working on right now? Im working on a new body of work for a solo show in LA at Corey Helford Gallery, that opens on the 9th April, so thats kept me pretty stacked, its been my focus for a good 6 months, Im also doing an installation show in LA in May. Outside of that a project with Kangol and a few other things, street installs and some other stuff thats being cooked up... www.dface.co.uk

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SHOP REVIEW

Tokyo Fixed has been open just over a year now. Coming from a humble webshop starting way back in 2006 the shop has taken giant steps since then.
Based in the heart of Londons Soho area on a quite street is a place where many dreams are realised! The shop consists of 2 floors filled with all the crazy bike porn you could ever want and all the stuff that goes with it.

The staff know their stuff when it comes to custom bikes, whether you want a touring bike, lightweight road racing bike or a mean track bike to ride around town, anything is possible. The products they stock is always the hard to find/quality/things you need type of stuff. You cant go wrong! Mark Skulls is the mechanic and he can pretty much fix anything, he also has tons of different bikes and experience so his knowledge is vast.

Max and Megumi run things and constantly continue to amaze us with new products and collaborations they are working on and realising. The new S1 prototype steel track frame is looking really amazing, I dont think we have seen such detail and finish executed as well as this. Steel is real dont you know... Expect good things in the future from Tokyo Fixed. They have a bigger picture in mind and are more than just a shop.

For more information:

www.tokyofixedgear.com email: info@tokyofixedgear.com

Or if you are in London:

Tokyo Fixed 4 Peter Street, London,W1F 0AD Tel: +44 (0) 207 734 1885
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Photographs: Jonatahan Winstone

BIKE CHECK

Steve Brezovec - Macaframa

Frame: Raleigh Macaframa Team Issue. Atomic 13 SL Butted Alloy Fork: Raleigh, carbon track. Crank/chainring: Omnium 165 / 48t ring Bottom bracket: GXP outboard Pedals: Suntour Superbe or Time ATACs Foot retention: Doubled-up Toshi singles Sprocket: Im guessing this means cog? EAI 17t Locking: Wow thats meticulous. Must be a Huffy. Chain: Izumi: Track Pro I think Wheelset: Cane Creek Track Vs 30mm deep rims Tires: Michelin Pro Race front / Randonneur rear Bars: Pro Vibe Carbon monocoque Track Bars. I highly recommend them if you have the means. Stem: No-name Alum, -14 drop Grips? Nope. Knurled grips in the drops, oh yeah. Saddle: San Marco ASPide Seatpost: Thompson 27.2 Brake? Wakefulness. Anything else?! Carbon Nike MTB shoes with a nice Superfeet footbed are my salvation for long rides. Thanks Nike for the shoes, Ben S. for throwing me the stem and Jack at Shimano for the bars. Special thanks to Colin and Dylan for all the work theyve done to keep us outfitted in nice stuff. Bikes are expensive! I also want to give a special mention to my Lightning - shes on hold while I break in the Raleigh but shell always be my #1. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

Photographs: Dylan Bigby

www.raleighusa.com www.hplusson.com www.tlevelstore.com www.boxdogbikes.com www.cadencecollection.com www.macaframa.com

Name: Steve Brezovec Age: 38 Where are you from? Manhattan Beach, California Current location? Oakland, CA Do you have any sponsors? Macaframa, Raleigh, H+Son, T-Level, Box Dog Bikes. Cadence has been very generous as well over the years. What do you do for a job? Architecture for the underdog. Describe your bike in 10 words or less? Stiff, light, lively, red. Which parts do you wear through or break the quickest? I havent had the Raleigh together long enough, but on my Lightning Ive been through three sets of Toshi Doubles, a dozen toe clips, broke the fork, bent the drop bars, and broken both the front and rear wheels. How often do you get a flat? Do you patch or throw in a new tube? Ill usually go six months without and then get three in a week during a rainy spell. Im a patcher, definitely, maybe 2x per tube. What do you have in your toolkit? Pedros Trixie Track Bike Mutlitool, Topeak Mini 6, 2 tire levers, patch kit, Topeak Micro Rocket What do you never leave home without? Helmet. Well almost never. Once in a while Im bad. How many miles roughly do you ride a week? Varies wildly. I was up around 120 this past summer, Im probably riding around 20 right now. Do you favourite tricks? If so why? Less than I used to, but only because my body cant take the wrecks like it used to. Father Time is telling me to focus on speed. But wheelies never stop being fun. Smooth fluid whip skids always have a place.
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MOST WANTED.

Cadence Collection Lorem Ipsum

Cadence is coming on strong, Dustin is already on his 10th collection! I love the theory that backs up everything Cadence produces, Its legit. This collection spans over more products than ever before, Im especially feeling the Sprinter zip fleece, perfect for the spring months when you just need a t-shirt and a hoodie. With ample pocket space you can take all of your essentials with you with no need for a bag. A couple of nice details are the magnetic catches on the rear pockets and a hood that you can close up high and tight to stop the wind. Up until this new collection I had been using my trusty key strap type thing, (Id put my own caribiner on there) then the new Link Caribiner turned up, much beefier than before and all murdered out in black, I switched that straight away ;) Also the Function T-shirt is pretty dope, reflective screen printed lozenges on all the prominent parts, subtle and understated. Overall we were really impressed and we cant wait to see whats coming up next from Cadence.
www.cadencecollection.com

Alkr Urban Messenger Bag

The Urban Messenger is a neat and versatile bag from Alkr. Theres a multitude of different sized zips and pockets housed within the waterproof Condura outer (London weather approved) including two ridiculously fluffy compartments to keep safe your laptop and phone. Simple and subtle from the outside with a bright blue interior theres a feeling of real attention to detail throughout. This offering from Alkr is a comfortable, practical bag with a lot of usability and features for the price, its good.
www.alkr.com

Charge Bucket Saddles

Charge has recently been colloborating with other brands to create some unique buckets. Here are 2 of those, the Prolly is Not Probably and the Red Bull.You can buy the Prolly saddle so you can spend the day sitting on his face.The Red Bull saddle was limited to 32 pieces for the qualifiers Mini Drome event, so if you want one of these youll have to do what I did and enter the next Red Bull Mini Drome and win one.
www.chargebikes.com

14 Bike Co 16 Tooth Sprocket

Tried and tested by the likes of SuperTed and Oscar Khan, 14 bike cos sprockets are made in the UK from hardened steel. super clean design and fits a track chain perfectly!
www.14bikeco.com

Gusset Open Prison Riser Bar

These bars are tried and tested and are used by most fixed freestyle riders across the world. If you are using these bars then you should be riding them uncut! Gusset have released a new colour way so you can have your bike all pretty and matching like.
www.gussetbikes.com

Phoenix Straps
There are a few strap companies putting out decent products at the moment. Phoenix is one of these. I slapped a pair of there new v2 straps for a bit and they are solid. Theres not a great deal to say except for they are reasonably priced, look good, and they do the job they are supposed to.
www.pheonix2009.com

Knog USB Lights

We seriously love these lights! They are super bright they have 6 different settings, they come in loads of colours, the battery life is good and the best bit is they are USB rechargeable. I have been using these for work and as a courier, Lights are a very useful piece of kit, the annoying thing for us is that they are always running out of battery power and this just adds extra cost. These lights eliminate this problem, simply pull them out their rubber waterproof case and slap em in a USB port, they will flash green after about an hour which means they are ready to light up.
www.knog.com.au

Knog Locks
Knog released their new range of locks a few months ago. In London they work well as a extra bit of security. I use mine for locking the wheel to the frame on those nights when you know your gonna be in the pub for a while. If you dont live in a big city where bike theft is a problem then these locks are fine. They are light weight, well made and come in a range if colours.

We are on the move.

Photo by Mike Merkenschlager

New shop opening soon...

www.14bikeco.com
Photo by Mikey Merk

TOKYO FIXED
Tonic Supernaught test - I specified every part on this build. The starting points to build it began with Tonic Supernaut 53cm frame and the wheelset, Low flange 28 hole Dura ace track hubs laced 2X to Broby carbon fibre clincher rims. Everything else on the bike is tried and tested stuff such as Thomson stem, seat clamp and seat post, SRAM omnium track cranks, EAI sprocket, Continental GP400 tires, sells italia titanium Flite saddle, (my favourite saddle of all time) all normal stuff...except for the bars! Profile carbon fibre Cobra Wing bull bars, damn, damn, damn. Best bull bars I have ever ridden. Pretty pricey at 250.00 but if you know what you like. These are them. On my wish list now!!! I picked a quick route that I knew would have a mix of different traffic situations starting from Tokyo fixed... Turning right out of the shop I took the quiet road that noone goes down, just to get aquainted with the the setup, everything felt great (Id already setup the bar angle and seat height) first up was the cobbled road test. Not as bad as Id expected, but then again Im used to this type of setup. I rode up to Carnaby street, weaved in and out of a couple of hundred peeps, left then right onto Regent St, up to Oxford Circus and made a left on Oxford Street. This is where some heavy traffic at a moderate speed test began. The gearing felt a little light, but with this wheelset and the bull bars this bike felt like nothing I have ever ridden before. With a push on the pedals and a pull on the bars, the bike just moves like you just put your foot down in an F1 car! Super responsive, stiff and light... I made a left at Marble Arch onto Park Lane and bombed it all the way down to Hyde park corner. I over took Ferraris, Porsches and loads of super cars (all of those dealers are based on that road, so in theory I overtook them) It felt fast! After a loop of Hyde Park Corner jumping every set of lights I bombed down, then up Piccadilly ending up in Piccadilly Circus. I have not had that much fun on a bike, like that for a while. I was out of breath, this bike just wants to make you kill it everywhere. I want this bike. The Tonic frame is so stiff, the rear stays are beefy as hell. The pedal overlap is not bad either. This setup does not come cheap. I dont know the exact price but its over 2500.00 and probably approaching the 3k mark. Its worth every penny. www.tokyofixedgear.com

FIX - G

Track or Trick as long as its Fixed...

SUBSCRIBE.
1 year subscription / 4 issues. - UK.............20.00 For all subscription enquires, email: info@fixed-magazine.com www.fixedmagazine.com