interestingly enough, the luster seems to be fading from the fixed gear mania here in chicago. i work in the streets, and so i spend a lot of time scoping the bikes folks ride. (so much so that i think people think i'm checking *them* out!) as bikes become more and more popular for joe b. commuter, i see lots and lots of "bros" (identified purely by dress code, haircut and/or millinery) riding slick, brand-new, store-bought single speeds. two years ago, it was fixie conversions. last year it was store-bought fixies (schwinn madisons, raleigh streets, etc.). but this year, i've noticed that they all have single-speed freewheels... which makes the bike even *more* of a fashion statement: "i've got the look without the trade-off!"

but shit, that's fine by me. because i know that these dudes (and yeah, it's mostly dudes, but that may be the result of where i work more than anything) aren't riding wildly inappropriate bicycles--thereby endangering themselves and others.

my guess is that the local shops' sales forces got wise. probably after a bunch of disappointed yups-to-be traded in their rear wheels.

of course, the flip side of the increasing number of jane q. citizen bike commuters is the dilution of solidarity amongst cyclist. not until this year have i been yelled at by bike commuters when i'm working my pedicab, and this season, it's happened twice... but that's a different story entirely.*

-ben in chicago

*one that ends with the full-force application of my brakes, a mild rear-ending, and "if you're going to tell me how to ride my bike, at least give me a safe following distance, ya knob!" hee.