Hey there! Story incoming.
I started riding fixed in 2008 when I picked up my Jamis Sputnik from a bike shop that was also a messenger dispatch. Rode the hell out of that bike and befriended the courier dispatcher and began doing mess work that year. PDFs, digital signatures, online government portals, etc. killed that stuff. RIP.
I’ve had a handful of bikes through the years but I’ve always held onto my first fixed gear. I stopped riding bikes and moved to smallbore motorcycles for a decade, but was chatting with a casual friend who said he needed to get rid of his old work bike because it was too small for him. I did the math in my head really quick – he’s a bit taller than me, so I asked about the bike. He sent me photos of this rusted up raw frame covered in stickers and I was like “hell yeah”.
My dude hooked it up fat. I paid next to nothing for the frame, an extra 1 1/8 cyclocross carbon fork, Chris King headset, S75 bb and crankarms, AARN chainring, and a handful of cogs and some fat tires. I was stoked. He was stoked. It was a match made in heaven.
While I was waiting for my friend to prep the package for shipping, I started digging through the bins at the local bike coop and picked up the Flite saddle, a Thomson seaport, and some 35c Gravelking+s. *back in my day* we didn’t know any better and rode 23c. I was excited to see what fatties were about.
That left few other components to shop for. I found a Thomson stem for $35 shipped on eBay because it had a scratch and a pair of Surly hubs laced to Open Pros on FB Marketplace. I owned the mavic hubs before and enjoyed them but didn’t realize that the H+S had more or less superseded them in popularity, partially because they are better accommodate fatter tires. I said fuck it and theee the Gravelking+s in my 17mm rims and it works.
We either rode clipless or MKS with clips/straps *back in my day* 👴. Platforms with Velcro straps were just emerging with MASH and John Prolly but I never gave it a try. Gotta say, I like it.
Overall this bike was *dumb cheap* and it fits me better than any bike I’ve owned before. I love the patina and I’ve really enjoyed getting back into riding. Y’all have figured out some fun stuff between front racks, wide ass bars, and fat tires through the years and I’m here for it.
TL;DR: Started riding fixed in late 2000s. Flex that I did courier work. Homie hooked up frame and some drivetrain for basically free. Bought other parts used, notably at local bike coop. Thankful that the new gen has better ideas for staying cozy in the saddle.
by electrostaticboom