Fixed Gear Flow

For decades circus performers have been using fixed gear bikes for freestyle. Back in the early 1980's a Circus freestyler named Pat Romano joined RL Osbourn and Mike Buff as part of the BMX Action Trick Team. Pat's bike was a fixie with curled bars but it was a 20 inch. Boomerangs came from Pat Romano's Freestyle. He lasted a few years in BMX and, I think, went back to join his family in the circus.

Today, there is a revival in fix gear freestyle. Although it is not a new sport, it is a new trend in biking that is combining BMX street, park, and flatland, just like back in the 80's.

In some instances, fixies make amazing flatland bikes that create a really amazing flow when the bikes are put to use. Albeit, f you weigh over 150 lbs, a fixie just can't withstand serious flatland abuse. When ridden like a BMX bike on street or in parks, they break like twigs. These mega expensive fix gear bikes evolved over time to be used as track and messenger bikes. They are designed to be durable road bikes that absorb little energy and offer lots of utility. Simple, clean, and fast, the fixie has been a staple in the bike world for almost a century.

At the same time, BMX bikes, cruisers, mountain bikes, etc have evolved to be able to handle the demands of street and park. In the early eighties bike shop owners would literally scream at us bmx kids for riding our bikes on walls, ledges, and off roofs. They weren't "designed" for it. They were right. BMX bikes were designed to be jumped on tracks. Think flow and speed. They were light and fast and as long as you didn't case, the bike was fine. But, in the early days of BMX Street, park, and flatland, we destroyed so many frames, forks, wheels and bars.

Of course, over time, stronger bikes emerged. Today, BMX bikes have influenced all kinds of street riding and the technology of BMX has been applied to Mountain bikes.

So, what is the impulse behind using a fixie to ride park or street. Obviously, a new kind of riding is emerging. But, for now it look a bit silly to see fixies in skateparks and riding street, especially when they snap in half. I can hear the bike store owners yelling at the fixie kids, "They weren't designed for that." Yup. But, that will change. Hundreds of thousands of dollars will be spent and soon we will se a whole new kind of riding emerge. For now, we get to see kids using there Rolex's as hammers, s to speak.

To check out some amazing fixie flatland, check out:

YEAAAAH!

k@nt!09HAMAbike from k@nt! on Vimeo.

BMX Scenes

Every scene in BMX centers around a crew. Of course, big scenes have lots of crews. But essentially, a BMX scene is about a crew. And, in the center of every crew are dedicated riders who make big sacrifices to bring up new guys, to keep trails alive, to keep street spots secret and shake things up with contests, clips, and everything else that keeps a scene vital. In the 1980's, Dave Voelker and Pete Augustin made the San Diego street scene legendary. Ron Wilkerson and the 2 Hip crew practically invented street jams. Even earlier than that, Maurice Meyer and Vander were at the center of the Golden Gate Park flatland scene. Kevin Jones and company made the Plywood Hoods and York, PA infamous in the late 80 and early 1990's and Ralph Sinisi and the Animal dudes continue to make the New Jersey and NYC street scene epic. Whether it PUSH Trails, Aliquippa Ghetto Street, Kansas City Night Sessions, or Back Yard BBQ's at Nasty's House, a scene needs a crew and crews need dedicated riders. Mark Potoczny continues to help the Pittsburgh scene out tons these days.

Heres the latest from Mark's trials in my old stomping grounds of Hopewell, PA. it's the Welcome Jam:

Welcome Jam 09' from Bobby Valentine on Vimeo.