Comments on Hipster Nascar: Traktion Aftermath

Snobs post wasn't a rant about the adulterating to...

2009-04-02T14:15:00.000-05:00

Snobs post wasn't a rant about the adulterating touch of capitalism.

It was about the fixed gear "culture" being a fucking pyramid scheme.

It's that simple.

I greatly enjoyed your compelling and well-articul...

2009-03-20T17:14:00.000-05:00

I greatly enjoyed your compelling and well-articulated dismantling of the capitalism/authenticity dichotomy, and essentially agree. However, I would softly resurrect a similar dichotomy in suggesting that commodity fetishism actually does distract (and therefore detract) from the enjoyment of track bicycle riding, and there is indeed, actually, an antagonism there at the psychological level.

As right as you are to point out the manner and extent to which we're all shot through with and made up of the capitalist mode of production, the fact is, brother, that after the global proletarian revolution track bikes will probably still be around, and popular imagination will be all the healthier to enjoy them with.

Thanks for the great words! An inspiring post, for sure.

good post. i didn't read too far into the comments...

2009-03-16T21:48:00.000-05:00

good post. i didn't read too far into the comments because so many were banal or incendiary.

and yeah, i think the word "hipster" in its everyday usage always smacks of a kind of Rousseauian purity even Rousseau would probably have mocked. so much for "authenticity". lol.

It just seems like a waste of energy to try and es...

2009-03-16T03:02:00.000-05:00

It just seems like a waste of energy to try and establish who really "rides their bikes". I've found that the most respectable riders, be it trick or racing, are the ones who focus all of their energy towards doing what they enjoy, not flaming noobs on blogs. And if what they enjoy IS flaming noobs, then f@#k 'em. I've got to have somebody left to hate.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I t...

2009-03-13T13:19:00.000-05:00

You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but I think you are missing the point a bit with Snob's postings. I just don't see him advocating for the "noble savage" cyclist, as you allude to in this post. Instead, Snob seems to focus more on calling out extreme examples of form over function in the cycling context.

It is hard to deny, at least IMHO, that many people who associate themsleves with fixed-gear culture do so as more of a fashion choice, rather than a deep commitment to cycling. Comments sniping at rampant connsumerism and fashion-driven materalisim are not neccessarily intertwined with disregrading the unavodiable impacts of capatilism itself on our daily lives. As many have noted, riding a fixed gear was initially driven by the search for a more minimalist experience. Sure, even those people were still forced to exist within a capitalistic medium to a certain extent. As you note, aren't we all; no matter what we do? However, calling people out for being materialistic and overly concerned with an "image" in the fixed "scene" does not neccessarily ignore that fact.

Nick:BikeSnobCapitalismMarxism???Profit (IRONY)You...

2009-03-13T09:17:00.000-05:00

Nick:

BikeSnob
Capitalism
Marxism
???
Profit (IRONY)

You know how we do...

holy shit there's a lot of commentsdid you use a r...

2009-03-13T01:32:00.000-05:00

holy shit there's a lot of comments

did you use a racial slur or something

HI SIMON WHAT'S GOING ON HERE

2009-03-13T01:31:00.000-05:00

HI SIMON WHAT'S GOING ON HERE

Pseudo-Marxist? Now you're just trying to hurt my ...

2009-03-12T23:45:00.000-05:00

Pseudo-Marxist? Now you're just trying to hurt my feelings...

Christ. I know it's trollish, but I gotta go with ...

2009-03-12T23:22:00.000-05:00

Christ. I know it's trollish, but I gotta go with the above poster: education (er, pontification?) =/= intellect. This pseudo-Marxist metaphysics of the zeitgeist is so wrought with missing-the-point, one can only gawk with amazement at its very existence.

BikeSnob is the Thoreau of the cycling world's Eme...

2009-03-12T22:13:00.000-05:00

BikeSnob is the Thoreau of the cycling world's Emerson.

"Me? pshh... I'm not a hipster.....but I'm gettin'...

2009-03-12T20:51:00.000-05:00

"Me? pshh... I'm not a hipster.....but I'm gettin' them new b43's when they come out!... maybe that sag bag too, yea I already got a chrome one but, you know...out with the old in with the new."

-CONSUMERISM

Pretty ironic how we bike to "go green" and save the environment when the average fg rider consumes 10x the amount of resources an average non-fg rider would.

The clothes, the unnecessary swapping of parts for shinier collabo parts. These parts are made in factories, these factories are vomiting tons of waste and crap yet "we're a better alternative to taking a train or bus".Imagine if everyone in NYC didnt take the bus and train and instead rode bikes... can you say traffic congestion?

Riding a bike (fg) saves money...really? spending hundreds if not thousands a year on tires, tubes, fg-specific clothes, phil hubs, sagxMASH collabo bags is helping the environment?

The fools are pumping out these ridiculous goods because somewhere in some shop an idiot, could be someone reading this right now, is buying the new phil 35th anniversary edition 3.5" flange hub and orgasmicly lacing it to the new b43 even though he has a perfectly working set on his bike. So why is he doing it then?

The fixed gear bike is supposed to be bare bones, cheap and easily maintained...so how can someone spend over $2,000-3,000 (and counting) on one? Our society's uncontrollable need to show off how rich we are and how cool we are = CONSUMERISM. So what should we do? Simply stop buying a new rim and hub every year and ride the one you have till it falls off, that could take about 10-15 years ("gasp! I'll be too old and uncool by then! omg") but thats what you get when you buy a "bombproof" hub
Off topic I know.

aronmidn: You're right, of course. There are alway...

2009-03-12T15:56:00.000-05:00

aronmidn: You're right, of course. There are always going to be proprietary assholes and elitists, in any scene.

anon at 1.52: Your comment is ad hominem and completely worthless.

anon at 2.46: Huh? I just think it's funny that BikeRadar use the word "fixie" so much. Way to completely misinterpret a simple post, dude. Haha!

"They look a little like 'cross tyres to me, and a...

2009-03-12T14:46:00.000-05:00

"They look a little like 'cross tyres to me, and apparently they're extra thick for skidding, because that's how couriers stop their 'fixies.' "

You're right to call out Snob, Simon, because you would never take a satirical stap at the connsumerist nature of your so-called "scene."

Pot meet kettle.

@anonymous:damn, somebody's disillusioned. let me ...

2009-03-12T14:25:00.000-05:00

@anonymous:

damn, somebody's disillusioned. let me guess, you dropped out of college because you thought working as a barista was realer.

i'm gonna have to disregard this comment until you can say why you feel this way.

This is the worst discussion I've read in a while....

2009-03-12T13:52:00.000-05:00

This is the worst discussion I've read in a while. Simon, you're over-educated but seriously lacking intellect - you'll do great in academia! The rest of you are seem to be either just dumb enough to think his post was brilliant, or stupid enough not to get it.

Bikesnob is the Bomb!!All you haters can suck his ...

2009-03-12T11:30:00.000-05:00

Bikesnob is the Bomb!!
All you haters can suck his balls!

way to keep it real, simon. anarcho-punx with dumb...

2009-03-12T10:22:00.000-05:00

way to keep it real, simon. anarcho-punx with dumb nice track bikes are really fun people to talk about the economics of scale with.

reposted on jitentious.blogspot.com

there's a lot of truth in both viewpoints... wheth...

2009-03-12T10:08:00.000-05:00

there's a lot of truth in both viewpoints... whether right or wrong, bike snob's 'raising the gang plank' analogy is pretty funny and completely undeniable. it happens with anything that goes from underground to mainstream. you, personally, may not be the culprit but some o.g. out there is.

precisely the response he was looking for somethin...

2009-03-12T08:57:00.000-05:00

precisely the response he was looking for something other than internet shiat talk. touche, well played

Thanks for reminding me, I have 2 PBJs for a snack...

2009-03-12T02:40:00.000-05:00

Thanks for reminding me, I have 2 PBJs for a snack tonight at work. I heard the lunch bell ringing as I was busy getting ready to leave so I asked my wife to make the sandwiches for me. In return I'll be cleaning the kitchen when I get home.

wat

2009-03-12T02:33:00.000-05:00

wat

Here's something outlandish that popped out of the...

2009-03-12T00:46:00.000-05:00

Here's something outlandish that popped out of the cereal box:

Has anyone seen that "Stanky Leg" video? Hilarious.

As far as capitalism is concerned, essentially all of our money goes towards causes none of us want to represent - whether that cause is being a "sell out hipster, " or whether it is the crisis in Darfur which is being funded primarily by China, which controls most of the Americas, which control most of the West, which rides mostly Chinese bikes, cars, technology, clothes, pretty much anything you can name. At the end of the day, most of your hard-earned money is fucking people in the ass and you don't even care because it's easy to turn a deaf ear to a sob story when you are gratifying your senses, or your "id" as the West knows it.

Humans have (and always will) created their identities based on what makes them feel "good" - we are hedonists by nature; why do you think it feels so refreshing to take a dump? Therefore, there is no "corrupted" capitalism; all capitalism seeks to gain off other's losses (whatever they may be), and the easiest way to make that happen is to make people feel "good" so they keep their eyes off reality. The interesting dichotomy is that people try to make "more" with giving "less" in such a market system - this never works, as we can tell in our current socio-economic environment with people and corporations that essentially say "fuck taxes and responsibility" but want the freedom to do as they please. Life and freedom are as incompatible as cheese and apple pie, but the West loves to put them together in the microwave at a family dinner whenever we get the chance, if you get my drift.

Cynicism aside, discussing corrupted capitalism as a catalyst for identity circumlocution is as pointless as restating the fact that all humans re-create previous identity archetypes. It's called fractals, mems, what have you; similarities in hedonistic human nature. A gander at hedonism (def. "the pursuit of pleasure; sensual self-indulgence"), then, tells us that a system such as capitalism seeks to exploit not only what "fads" are "in," but to exploit probably our biggest downfall as a species - our inability to manage ourselves relative to the best interest of others. Henceforth, we try to manage each other (like we do on blogs when we are puttin' people on blast, ex: BSNYC) by any means necessary because we are all fundamentally lacking something that someone else's identity is comprised of and we are too scared of reality that we need to constantly "save face" on something as lame, but intriguing, as the internet - a.k.a. we are cynical hypocrites by nature, as this behavior is a defense mechanism that allows us to fabricate a reality that is most pleasing to us, as more often than not we don't examine our own actions.. especially when we feel "good" about ourselves when we are behaving certain ways that we like to see ourselves behave in. We are more prone to edify ourselves in light of our desires and our short-comings than we are to examine and reflect on someone else's reality of our actions. What I sorta call the "negative edification and socialization" of the privileged human condition.

Therefore, what has hitherto been discussed is actually just nonsense in the grand scheme of the world, in the whole cosmos, and least of all the fixie culture - just like this post. It's human nature, but how is human nature going to save your ass at the end of the day? It's not going to; it's going to be someone else that does, and most of the time you'll be too busy looking at your own pile of self to realize, or even thank, someone else in your life.

All this to say, there is nothing wrong with skinny kids, who would get mashed on in real life for calling people "poseurs," acting childish and posting it on the internet. To say there is, is to say that there is something wrong with some youngster grom wanting to be like an experienced fixie rider s/he sees while walking to grammar school - e.g. the same exact individuals we try to scare away from the culture when we discredit their passion for having fun. Is it bad for one of my students to admire Obama? It's called programming; it's how we learn. Nature will run its course and weed out the insecure facets of existence.What there is something wrong with, however, is grown alpha-humans getting their undies in a grundie because they feel like their ids got trampled on by a beta-human on the internet, or that they were somehow "devalued" because noone took the time out to say "Fuck everyone, but YOU are okay in my book."

You ask me, and I say stick to your preserves, jellybelly, because someone is already in your peanut butter, and before you know it you got three people making your sandwich while you're micromanaging someone else, only to find out lunch's been eaten before you get a bite. The lunch bell is ringing; are you going to make your sandwich?

The aspect of fixed gear culture, real or not, tha...

2009-03-11T19:56:00.000-05:00

The aspect of fixed gear culture, real or not, that makes it so tempting to satirize is it's involvement with fashion. That fixed gear riding inherently reaches to fit a limited technology to other venues of riding outside the track has elicited serious criticism and poked fun.

In some people's mind, fixed gear bikes outside the track will never be anything but a fashion statement. The utilitarian aspects of fixed gears in the city (less parts to break/steal, easier to lock, etc.) gave way to people using fixed gears for mtbing, racing, touring, and now trick riding. It's hard not to concede that there are bicycle technologies better suited for these kind of riding. This isn't to suggest that applying track-technology to other kinds of riding can't be interesting or fun. But for the most part you're not going to go as fast or as high/rad.

This absurdity is going to offend and affect different people in different ways. And the varying degrees of absurdity (ie. brakes vs no-brakes, uncomfortable geometry/handlebar position, etc.) will only add/detract from their sentiment.

How are many fixed gear riders are really different than the middle-age guys riding $10k pro-level carbon racing bikes? They saw some guy on tv, or vimeo, riding one and thought they looked cool. That some folks are going to get into it out of pure fashion is going to establish a hierarchy of "cred." Can you honestly tell me that a total newb with the out-of-the-box Bianchi Pista (+front-brake) with Chrome-brand knickers and a Urban Velo t-shirt isn't going to elicit some sneers rolling up to a Mishka store pop-up party? And why is that??

A bike culture that excludes based on what brand of frame/parts, how many brakes it has, and how the rider is dressed invites both criticism and satire because it can be hard to see the bike culture through the fashion culture.

I think this is the source of most of BSNYC's pokes at fixed gear culture. It's the fashion of no-brakes, Knog lights, and ridiculously narrow bars. I don't agree that he's "reaching" in his post to convey that.

He just chooses to say that using satire instead of dissertation.

That being said, I enjoy the fixed gear riding I see, whether it's more people on bikes or track frames being tricked to their failure limits. The more this culture is about riding than runway, the better it is and longer it'll endure.

I really like this post Simon. I agree with a sent...

2009-03-11T19:51:00.000-05:00

I really like this post Simon. I agree with a sentiment already mentioned above: keep it coming! The critique of originality as a capitalist fantasy (Original Coca-Cola!) is long overdue within the communicative practices that circulate throughout this nebulous thing called "fixed-gear culture."