look171

Walked into my buddy's shop (haven't been in a bike shop in a long time) in Pasadena today. I notice he now has some real nice steel English track frames with very traditional head badge and colors sitting on top of his show case. Your typical red, green, and blue frames. Very nice looking frames. I made some noise about people are buying steel tracks bike for the velodrome and not carbon? His reply was, no but the rich fix gear crazy kid will.

max5480

alright!

kyleisntwild

Its so annoying. Seattle and Portland are full of these hipsters. Cant find any vintage bike on craigslist, even the crappiest, heaviest, oldest junk for less than 150 cause these kids will buy them all up for hundreds.

Soma Roark

Same reason why there is a CV forum... traditional steel is beautiful? =7 And I really don't get the hate. They bought them for what they think they are worth, and most importantly, they are riding them! Isn't that the ultimate goal? Unless they just spray paint over them then that's just sad, but that tends to be among the younger ones. The older "hipster" just ride the original from what I can tell.

sillygolem

Now that the fixie trend has been long enough for manufacturers to catch up, a new bike can be had dirt cheap which has cut out the low end conversion market. Now if you go for a conversion, you're going to do it with something nice.

On the other hand, it also means people aren't giving old 10 speeds neon rattle can paintjobs and stripped down compontent setups to sell for $200+.

mkeller234

That sounds more like a case of sour grapes. I get that though, everyone likes a good deal and they are getting harder to find.

There aren't a lot of cyclists around my area so I tend to embrace anyone interested in bikes. We tend to get sensitive if someone looks down on our old bikes, we should remember that before we look down on other groups. My brother might be a bit of a hipster, I still think he is a good guy.

LesterOfPuppets

As for old steel track frames for fixed on street, some people just like 'em. Leader, Cinelli, Fuji, etc. seem to sell quite a few Aluminum and carbon track frames that folks ride on the streets also. Just a matter of taste I guess.

The allure of old steel road frames for conversions is obvious - they are easier to convert to fixed than more modern aluminum/carbon frames because the old stuff has horizontal dropouts.

zandoval 

I imagine that all of us have had at least one steel Fixie Hipster or not...



Long as your riding alls OK with me...

RaleighSport

I would think if anything the C&V crowd might find it flattering the fixie crowd wants nice old bikes for their trend instead of spray painting 10 speeds etc... but hey that's me.

look171

No hate here, well maybe way in the beginning when this fix gear deal started, but have gotten used to looking at them here in Los Angeles. My question is why the old fashion traditional bikes usually from the 70s-80s and why not something from the late 90s to today. They seem to like the Bianchis and other famous Italian frames which I could not afford when racing during college.

look171

HE told me that there are weeks where he can't keep enough of them in stock. I remember talking to him about the fix gear trend a few years ago and suggested he carry some of the bike or convert some of them to fix gear and the kids will come. His reply was, most of these kids have no money to buy a mid level bike to hack up. He is primary a race shop that supply the local hammer heads, but the business has changed a bit over the years.

I don't understand why is it difficult to convert from a modern bike vs an old steel. Pop in a fix cog and there you go. I did it 20 years ago on a Medici riding through winter to build miles and spin away. Ah, it just hit me, there is no way to tension the chain. Is that why?

LesterOfPuppets

Yep, vertical DO frame conversion requires tensioner, eccentric BB or magic ratio.

Heatherbikes

Ah, my beef is that all the beautiful bikes are getting snapped up and turned into fixies-meaning people looking for a decent vintage bike are having a hard time finding anything and everything is overpriced. People even advertise as 'good for fixie conversion", and sometimes these are higher end bikes that have beautiful parts. And then what happens? the kids realize they need gears or move to Europe and need some fast money and try sell their bianchi for $$$ that they stripped all the parts off of. grumble grumble
Good that they are riding and getting the cycling addiction but alas...

frenchbikefan

all the fixed gear stuff here in phoenix seems to just sit on cl forever. sometimes I go to load cl and it looks like I have already been to half of them, even if its the first time I have looked that day. I just don't like fixies when they cut off cable guides and rd hangers, otherwise single speeds/ fixies are great fun.

LesterOfPuppets

I think conversion mania peaked a few years ago here. Now that you can get ready-to-roll fixed bikes for just a little more than the cost of the wheelset, cog, chainring and chain it just makes less sense to put the effort into a conversion.

look171

Still, Idon't understand why they are so drawn to the old classic bikes of a certain era beside the horizon drop outs?

LesterOfPuppets

I've met a few roadies that don't understand why I like my '80s Pinarello.

Same thing with my steel MTBs from the 90s.

Why ask why.

bbattle

How about checking out the SS/FG forum right here: https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...amp-Fixed-Gear

You'll find most of them riding BD, or Surly, IRO, Bianchi. Quite a few SS/FG riders here in the C & V, too.

embankmentlb

I think it's a style thing. A fad in a way. Folks just trying to be a little different. I think it's all good.

RobbieTunes

I say, "Why not?"

There's an LBS here, sells Trek, Specialized, and GT. The business is steady, the bikes all look alike.
Toss in the occasional steel bike, well equipped for a decent price, and it sells just as fast.

Color it celeste and put Bianchi on the side, it's gone.

Some people just like the looks of those steel bikes, more than others.

Last fixie I built was a polished aluminum Caloi with phuglimonious welds. Sold before it was done.
I've yet to build one that wasn't sold before it was done, steel or not. Some riders just really like them.

bbattle

When you can't remember what it's like to be young, you have officially become old.

Velognome 

And the kids are whining, " all the old guys are buying up all the good frames to hang their vintage gears on them"

As my kids say, " somebody call the wambulance"

Having converted a C&V to a fixed gear (gasp) I can tell you my motivation was only partly style driven. I wanted a nice steel frame, a cherry vintage frame was a fraction of the cost of a new frame. So now I have yet another reason to post this..........

lostarchitect 

Because they ride well and look great?

Anonymoose

Yup, they all want to be different by looking exactly the same. They are form over function people. The same reason you see most fixies in the city without brakes. Trend followers.

Anonymoose

That is a nice looking conversion and nothing anybody would sneer at.