Fixed-Gear Article in the Observer 9th March

tallsam [quote]Momentum The popularity of fixed gears in the UK (and everything that goes with it) is lagging a couple of years behind the US. Judging by what has been going on in the US, I'd expect to see a lot more of this sort of shit for a while as more and more people get involved.

How do you mean exactly? Do you mean more ppl (as in a higher percentage of the population) are riding fixed wheels?
Do you have any proof of this? Its not that I don't believe you, just wondering how true it is (I don't doubt it is true btw).

[/quote]

I don't want to come across as a dick or some kinda OG poser, but over the last four years that I've been riding fixed gear I've seen a big change here in London. When I started here it was mainly messengers and a few bike geeks of various kinds riding fixed in London. I'd read all the arguments about hipsters and posengers on US forums but it didn't relate. Over the same period there have been an increasing number of articles about fixed gears in US papers which are all pretty similar (they're cool, they're brakeless, how to match one in with your catalogue bought lifestyle etc) and all get the same, outraged reaction from people who ride.

The popularity of fixed gears here has increased steadily and it is starting to get to the levels it was in the US a couple of years ago (there was a really noticeable increae in the number of people riding fixed wheels last summer). So I expect that there will be another big increase in people riding fixed this summer and a lot more inaccurate articles about it as various trendspotters/lifestyle magazines pick up on it.

I'm gonna buy one of these and be ahead of the next trend