Does London have a distinct fixie style?

I spent an hour or two browsing the Paris crew's Pignon Fixe site and it really brought out some of the contrasts to me.

The French are much more into their old road bikes (they have much more of a bike culture after all) and from what I could tell conversions and vintage track frames had a lot more tell there.

Over here in the UK, which had more of a BMX infection, arrospoks and powdercoating are much more popular, hence the HHSB - but we're torn (being a mongrel nation ;-) ) and some are more continental in their tastes.

We're also more puritan I think - in the French bike porn thread they had nice old geared bikes, whereas here we'd pour scorn on such posts (wrong forum!) but we love our old path racers and grass track frames built for 27 inch wheels. Oh, and Nervex lugs.

Welding is more of an issue here too - in the US I think people overlook shitty lugs on a cheap stiff frame (Leader), but here we'd pour additional scorn on the shitty welds. Puritanism? I dunno.

We also have a bit of a bling/anti-bling thing going on. Like, HHSBs are cool because they're ironic even if they're bling, whereas crass shininess - Bianchi Pista anyone? - is frowned upon.

In a nutshell - we're screwed up and schizo :-)

What H2o said.

I'd like to think we're more pragmatic. But that's utter tosh isn't it?

Perhaps we're just not loud ;)

I refer the honorable gentleman to the cycling device owned and ridden by one Mr Todd.

Case closed.

Bang on the gates of the carbon factory, says I!

see thread 'condor has landed' for confirmation of this alarming phenomenon.

I know . . . cant believe some of the shit people are trying to pull off these days . . what a cunt

this country has a history of fine bikes, bike builders, and cyclists.
but as with a lot of 'culture' in britain we prefer to look to japan and america for inspiration in a misguided belief that what they have to offer is better, it's as if rarity and foreignness is more alluring.

this country has a history of fine bikes, bike builders, and cyclists.
but as with a lot of 'culture' in britain we prefer to look to japan and america for inspiration in a misguided belief that what they have to offer is better, it's as if rarity and foreignness is more alluring.

'are'.

+racist.

+possible bender.

stop trying to groom me tynan
i'm not a toilet trader.

I know . . . cant believe some of the shit people are trying to pull off these days . . what a cunt

;)

this country has a history of fine bikes, bike builders, and cyclists.
but as with a lot of 'culture' in britain we prefer to look to japan and america for inspiration in a misguided belief that what they have to offer is better, it's as if rarity and foreignness is more alluring.

Reminds me of Pistanator, he likes his japanese bikes and is currently having an online relationship with an american part scottish person.
See bike porn thread.

what's your profession BMMF?

The oldest one in the world. I'll suck your wheel for $5.

The oldest one in the world. I'll suck your wheel for $5.

i haven't had my wheel sucked for weeks!

Everyone knows it's all about the blue Ribble winter bikes with mudguards and broken spokes.
Fixed is so 1903.

nobody post here - it's being read by specialized's marketing team

haha... funny you should mention that.
I clicked onto this thread because i noticed it's constantly being viewed by Google and Yahoo spiders. They show up as such if you look under the later pages of guests online.

It's a bit spooky but do you thinks 'london fixed gear' is probably a massively searched term now.