In Seattle, as in many other cities, a fraternity of tight-pantsed, butt-crack showing, truckers-wallet toting fixie riders often gathers to work on fixed-gear bike tricks. These range from the newbie skill of the trackstand (also practical in traffic), to riding backward, to wheelies, to wheelies with handlebar spins, and so on.
Some of it is pretty impressive and fun to watch. If nothing else, the beer-fueled wipeouts can be entertaining. But after seeing the following video (via Wend), I should now say the tricks used to be impressive and fun to watch because these two riders just cranked the impressiveness meter to a whole other planet.
About the only place the hipsters can still compete is tight pants and wallets on chains. If you’re into the fashion of ass-crack and/or truckers’ wallets the video may disappoint, but for bulk of the cycling world still trying for their first track stand, prepare to be wowed. (The whole thing is good, but definitely watch from about 2:30 on)
-Tim
Definitely, Kunst (or Artistic Cycling) is a sport that needs to be more popular over here. You can find hours of videos of folks in these competitions on YouTube, but before you burn out (most of the tricks are standardized and strictly regulated, in the same way that figure skating moves and gymnastics maneuvers are), be sure to check out the international darling of the Artistic Cycling world: Ines Brunn ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiE1Qm7HSd8 ) She does it more for spectacle than competition, and there many videos of her out there, too, including some of her schooling the fixie hipsters in Cali.
Excellent, Val. Maybe this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoZZ5s3RkM4 or this (starting at about 2 min in): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YPKOEwxFrk
Woah. Never seen anything like it. Thanks for sharing!
Love it. Good find.
Nice – made me think of La Nouba. It’s not *exactly* cycling but this is one of the coolest wheeled acts I have ever seen in person: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoEcAYOkUKg
Hipsters got served! This should be an Olympic sport.
And for the truly hip kids, just throw in a trampoline: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX8HRWv4U94 Good clean fun.
I think the circulation of this video might jut put an end to hipster fixie free-styling!
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This blows all the others out of the water:
Indeed Josh. Wow.
its glorified uni cycling. i bet those gear rations are 1:1
I’m definitely not dogging their skill… that shit is awesome.