30 May 2012

Not A Hipster Fixie

I know that I've ranted and railed against "hipster fixies," espcially their garish color schemes (if, indeed, they can be called "schemes).  However, I rather liked this bike, which I saw on my way to work today:


For one thing, it cannot be properly considered a "hipster fixie."  It is indeed a fixie, but its frame is from a department-store mountain bike.  Plus, the bike is used for  restaurant deliveries.  Finally, the man who rides it is anything but a hipster:  He's a Salvadorean immigrant who was happy that I took the photo. 

I complimented the color scheme--which he did himself:  al frente, la rueda roja con la llanta amarilla; y, a trasera, al reves.  He complimented my Spanish, which makes him a truly nice man. (Really!)

Just for the sake of contrast, I propped Vera in the same spot after he left with the non-hipster fixie:




2 comments:

  1. MelissatheRagamuffinJune 1, 2012 at 10:41 AM

    Hey Justine, do you know anything about Soma bikes?

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  2. Melissa--Back in the '70's, Soma offered some really nice made-in-Japan bikes.

    The current Soma frames seem nice, too. I considered buying one of their track bikes around 2003. I probably would have bought it had I not gotten a good deal on a DeBernardi. I rode the DB for about four years, then sold it when I bought Tosca, my Mercian fixie.

    I've seen a few people ride them and have read some online comments about Somas. Riders seem to like them. From what I'm reading and hearing, a given model (e.g., track, touring, etc.) of Soma will be similar in ride and overall quality to a Surly, as they use similar materials (chro-mo steel), geometry and construction. In the reviews I've seen, the word "smooth" comes up a lot in reference to the ride--especially that of the Cross Check, which is what I'd probably get if I were going to buy a Soma now.

    Finally, if nothing else, I think Soma makes nicer-looking bikes than Surly.

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