Spotted in Birmingham...

guy on a bianchi pista overtook me on my blasted polo bike this morning on the route 5 before cannon hill park. appeared to be fixed with no foot retention or front brake - anyone?

could have been me, but i have a front brake,

just saw a dude riding an orange fixed gear bike, no brakes, black hair, in hall green. I should really do some work...

Where were you all today? The sun was shining and I was looking for skidderz.

http://www.wikio.co.uk/video/specials---ghost-town-404360

i was in gosta green, also colmore road, then new street sipping the worst coffee ive had at pret a manager or whateter its called and then digbeth, and then mosley to see friends where i fell to sleep on there couch and have just woke up in the same place!

I too had a coffee in pret on new street, it was also shit.

£1 can't argue though ennit!

I saw a guy ride past Mission Print (when I was in the office) around mid-day on a red frame, drops, fixed..

2 spotted's in 10 minutes on my drive into town today! Both 9:50/10:00ish

Fixed/single speed heading into town down the Bristol Road

Then Fin track standing at a red light next to the violin shop on the corner of the Custard Factory looking serious!

Guy doorstepping for Labour party council candidate in Moseley and Kings Heath on a black fixed with fluorescent rear rim. Swayed my vote!

saw some bloke with a new era cap on yesterday about 2 in digbeth outside salt and papper with green rims on a fixed

The NEC/Airport out in the stix near the motorway for best access for people travelling there.

Nearest suburb is Hay Mills, then Tyseley, Then Small Heath before you get to inner City Birmingham.

The "Dual Carriageway" type road, is probably Coventry Road (A45) which puts you right between Coventry & Birmingham. You can totally cycle on it, there is even a cycle lane on parts of it. But for the busy part which is 60mph limit, it is pretty fucking sketchy.

When it turns in coventry road as you come into the suburbs of Birmingham it turns into a regular 30mph shopping high street. The Tyseley/Hay Mills end is pretty run down & shabby. Small heath has a lot of south asian supermarkets and fast food shops. With a strange mix of super islamic stuff like a Madrasa, Mosque, islamic conference centre, islamic book shops etc with a Massage Parlour Plonked right in amidst it all.

By the time you get to the end of Coventry road you will pass the Birmingham City Football ground, then face a mighty difficult roundabout setup as watery lane which is part of the ring road which surrounds the city centre.

Once you get across it you will be on Digbeth High St and it will be plain sailing from there. You will pass hip brummie locations like the Custard Factory, scummy club/pubs like the Rainbow (most people actually really like it) before getting into the city centre.

You will pass both "on your bike" and "sprocket cycles" on your way to the city centre, but you wont see them as they are on back streets.

Ha ha - Your last comment is still echoed by myself! Where are you from originally Goodhead?

If you want stuff to do and stuff to see - get out of the city centre. Moseley and Kings Heath offer (in my opinion) a better introduction to Birmingham folk. Better pubs with nowhere near as much "high-street" food outlets.

Thanks for the info guys. DFP - you've described exactly my journey from the city centre to work on the Coventry Road. I started off by staying close to work in a B&B in Sheldon but decided to move more to the city centre - has been a good move.

I really have to get my bike up here with me but i'm back in London every weekend so it's a bit tricky.

Will check out the places you have recommended - Mosley & King's Heat. Also any recommendations for food would be good. I'm near Chinatown & have been to Red Hot (good) & Peach Garden (fucking awesome).

II guess I should go to the balti triangle so any recommendations there would be good. Also DFP my bus was pasing through Small heath - looked interesting food wise - what's the crack there?

Finally - 2 spots. Yesterday from 57a bus, asian guy with white bike in Olympiad (?) in Small heath with greenish messenger bag around 6.30.

Today guy called Neil on blue Charge Plug which I think he said was brand new, by that roundabout with a pagoda in the middlle of it near chinatown. You seemed a little freaked out by me telling you to flip your wheel and go fixed so sorry.

hey, yeah... i know neil! hes cool. he owns a massive sound system called Trigger. was with him yesterday. he wares a helmet and yes...he is to scared to go fixed! lol

II guess I should go to the balti triangle so any recommendations there would be good. Also DFP my bus was pasing through Small heath - looked interesting food wise - what's the crack there?

Finally - 2 spots. Yesterday from 57a bus, asian guy with white bike in Olympiad (?) in Small heath with greenish messenger bag around 6.30.

Asian guy is probably me. I have a white & blue bike. And a green bag (although its a rucksack). I was there yesterday too, I thought it was earlier than 6.30, but it would be a big fucking coincidence if it was somebody else.

The food places on coventry road are not really worth bothering with unless you are there anyway/passing. The whole place has a grotty feel. The shops are mainly fried chicken shops, nothing to write home about.

Ladypool Road in Balsall heath has lots better places, so does stratford road in sparkhill although they are more spaced out.

The Balsall heath/Small Heath/Sparkhill end of Birmingham is mostly Pakistani/Bengali. Good for meaty food.

If you head up to more "northern" Birmingham like Handsworth, you will find more Indian stuff, much more variety of vegetarian things. Much better Samosa's, Pakora's etc.

Cheers for the info DFP. Spot probably was earlier than 6.30 - saw the bike 1st propped up against the window inside a shop that I think was a hairdresser's?

I'm definitely going to try & bring a bike up next week.

btw - am still after a room till mid-June so if anyone knows of anything please let me know. Not too fussy just need somewhere I can crash & cook really. Am not after a freebie - cash paid!

DFP, were you rolling along the Stratford Rd earlier today, say about 3pm?

saw some guy pulling out of new street this evening on what looked like a black fixed, i was waiting for my green light...we exchanged nods! anyone here?also took this pic of a nice conversion i saw locked up in new street today...i dont think it was the same bike as the guy who nodded.... anyones ride?...

that is my friend antonias bike ahah
il tell her tomoro lol

You might also want to tell her to lock her bike up properly. Unless you don't get bikes stolen in Birmingham..

lol. Yeah...that was the reason i was checking the bike out as i saw the lock from a distance and wanted to take a pic for the 'how not to lock your bike' section but had sympathy when i noticed it was a nice fixed!

that is my friend antonias bike ahah
il tell her tomoro lol

Tell her she'd her bike would work better with a rear brake and/or toe clips.

Pistaboy:

Indeed that was me, mightve looked a bit bedazzled.

Saw Andy later on in the same journey.

Thought it was you. Hood up. Ghetto gangsta....
Got your text the other day. Shoulder still playing up huh?

Thought it was you. Hood up. Ghetto gangsta....
Got your text the other day. Shoulder still playing up huh?

Indeed, will pop you a pm..

OK - so I reckon I should be able to get a bike up with me next week.

So question still stands - is there a birmingham drinks?

If not can we start one? I'm more than happy if this revolves around food as much as drinking.

yeah im sure we could start one, i mentioned it in another thread. just been so busy the past few weeks havent had the chance to go out. i rode past a real good looking pub called The Crown [U][/U]downtown on station road (near new st station). Anyone been there or have any other ideas? somewhere with benches outside would be good...

Yep - sounds good. I am really rating Pearl Garden for some proper cantonese b4 or after if anyone's up for it.

Come on brummies - you should have a love in meet up.

blowieben and pistaboy tried this before, but there's no reason it couldn't work now.

i'd be up for it, although post-work is way more convenient than say 8-9pm as a meeting time i reckon. several people work/commute in/via central brum, and almost nobody lives there.

also, polo regularly attracts 6-9 people, maybe drinks after that could work?

the crown by new st is a nice building but a pretty crappy pub in my experience. the victoria is way better in that area, but it's digbeth all the way in my opinion - spotted dog, anchor and white swan are all proper pubs...