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Disclaimer: Yes, I typed a lot but it was the only way to explain it properly. I can find threads on forums with 100+ pages of people complaining about "played out fixed gears" and it seems many are passionate (and just LOVE to complain!) about this issue.

This forum needed a little lively discussion anyway.

I've been on a few forums and many have this so "Track bikes/fixed gear bikes are so 2007" like a bunch of high school girls on Instagram talking about their new favorite fashion accessories and making a big deal about what's "out."

To me I see a lot a lot more adventure bikes, camping/trail bikes, racks/pannier bags, etc..

I'll admit my stripped down Pista gives me some of most enjoyment in a very long time. It reminds of my old 80's Ciocc.

The odd thing is that if I rode any of my previous bikes (1996 Klein Adroit and 80's Ciocc), I would have never got the "OMG, that bike was cool 10 or 20 years ago...did you step out of a time machine????!!"

Guess I don't understand this odd attitude towards track bikes...just that whole "I liked those bikes when they were underground/not popular....you're way late on the bandwagon!!" type attitude I constant see on other forums.

If anything, aren't the people that are still riding/buying these bikes the types aren't part of the bandwagon since everyone has pretty much moved onto camping/trail bikes?

I'll most likely buy an older Klein again (most likely a Rascal) and more modern road bike in the next year...but my stupid Pista will still be the bike that brings me the most enjoyment. At one point I'll switch the frame out with a nice Samson.

So do you think the whole Japanese NJS steel track bike movement is dead in the US?

What's funny is if you go on UK fixed gear forums, the attitude is totally different...they still love the absurd fixed gear street bikes and rarely see this holier-than-thou attitude like a bunch of fashion obsessed teenagers.

Hopefully this topic doesn't turn into the "Who can come up with the snarkiest comment" to get e-high fives.

eastbay71

I beat the rush and hated them from the start. Nothing dumber than a fixed gear in SF.

neamatoad

it has nothing to do with the track bikes. it's just fashion, trends come and go

hardboiled718

seau grateau

I think a lot of people just branched out into other kinds of riding. The elitism is pretty standard fare. And these days, the market is so flooded with cheap fixed gear bikes that people who want to start riding them just buy a $300 fixie rather than build up a track bike or convert a road frame, which were kind of the only options before off-the-peg fixed gear bikes became common.

hueyhoolihan

the ennui is palpable.

nightfly

Mumonkan

welcome to the internet.

prooftheory

Are beards no longer cool?

sbdark

I am constantly scolded by LBS employees and gearies for enjoying fixed gear, but that doesn't faze me. The smile on my face is worth more than the acceptance of an elitist.

Life is too short - If you enjoy NJS, ride NJS.

Cyril 

jacobversus

It's funny, on the internet, I hear a lot of negative opinions on "fixies". But in person when I'm passing people that are on their $8k S-works Tarmac, Shiv, etc. I dont hear many bad things about them. In fact in person, people only say great things about my bike.


EDIT: Maybe my post doesnt really comply with what you're writing.

50voltphantom

The reaction I typically get when I tell people what I ride is usually something like "Man, really? Huh. (bummed face, except for one LBS employee who then showed me his SS Ti Mariachi)" haha.

EDIT: Seriously though, if this is something you're spending time thinking about you're probably not riding enough. Ride whatever makes you happy.

pitbullfan

It has totally died out...and those of you that now have a highly unfashionable NJS in size 59ish CM, should give it to me so I can be unfashionable and you won't have to worry about no longer being in fashion

RISKDR1

at 70 years old I tend never to get caught up in whats cool or the hottest thing. I still ride my mid 80's Medici (owned since 1986) and a bike I built for comfort on a Velo Orange Pass Hunter frame. I call it my "Fred" bike. I do have a Gianni Motta track bike that I raced until 1992. I ride it once in a while but with a freewheel now. I have my 1985 Specialized Stumpjumper and a nice Trek Fuel 80 that I think I may have bought in the 90's. I think folks should ride bikes that give them pleasure to ride and not pay so much attention to fashion trends. Perhaps they will have a bit more longevity in the sport if they do. I have been riding seriously since about 1980.

Here is what I think about single speeds and fixies. They are nice to ride. Something pure and simple about them. Kind of elegant. Nimble. Those are the reasons to ride them. Totally internal. Not because they are fashionable.

Huffandstuff

Njs bikes aren't cool anymore but I still see some pop up on CL for cool guy prices. I never was into njs bikes but sometimes I convince myself I want one.

TejanoTrackie 

I've always yearned for an njs unicycle.

hueyhoolihan

people are much more verbally aggressive on the internet than in person. probably something about the fact that they know they can't be suddenly grabbed and throttled.

79pmooney

Some of us missed the njs fad completely. I was riding road fix gears for decades before it started and still am. I did have a custom fix gear made, but it too is far, far from a track bike. Perhaps some of the njs crowd has figured out that in the real world of roads, road dropouts are easier to deal with and road geometries (with high enough BBs) are better rides. (And if you have outgrown your teen years - either chronologically or maturity-wise - it is possible you might find riding in non-flat terrain a lot less adrenaline fueled and a lot more "I want to do that again" when not riding on brakeless or one brake bikes.)

Ben

johnnytheboy

mid 90s road bikes with dura ace 7700 are the new njs track bikes.

SCK

I'm not riding an NJS track bike, but do thoroughly enjoy riding both of my fixed gear track bikes. I put far more miles on them than I have my on either of my road bikes. Granted my new-to-me road bike is a new acquisition, I still find myself hitting the streets on my fixed gear bikes more often than not. I've never heard anyone talk down based on my choice, more so on the internet.
I'll be content racking up the miles on my track bikes, however.

IFPCL

my pedals are njs. it is not dead.

but my dog is - this thread killed it

ufbeans

You know what's cool? Any bike that the owner has put the effort into to customize and build to their specific needs with thoughtful components/accessories selected with meticulous attention to detail down to the gram and the millimeter. You can't buy your way into the cool club with a Chrome bag and a light weight Italian or Japanese frame set. You earn it. A poser on an NJS track bike can be spotted a mile away. It's the way you ride not the decal on the bike.


Edit: Oh and those NJS frames are old tech flexy linguine's made for 120 lb Japanese men. That is all.

Kindaslow

Depends.....



Is said beard on my face or yours?

Kindaslow

+1