Two wheels and a Brooklyn accent
….or: The 5 Boro Fix and the Practical Bicycle
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The idea was simple enough: do a “long” ride on a fixed gear.
By long, the intent wasn’t so much a gargantuan distance, a century, an 85-mile haul. Rather, simply a group ride of decent duration, longer than the short jaunts most fixed gear rides ended up being – often 20 miles or less. So I decided to take a fixed gear bicycle on the 5 Borough Bike tour. A fixed gear bicycle does not coast. That meant for all 43 miles through all five boroughs of New York, my feet would be moving. No rest. And no disconnection from the road.
The bike was simple enough; a Fuji hybrid frame built into a fixed gear tourer, with drop bars, front and rear cantilevers hooked to Shimano 105 aero road levers, and 42x16 fixed gearing. Original plans were 18x46 but as my wheel with the 18-tooth cog was a bit out of true the bike ended up being rebuilt the afternoon before for 42x16, which worked admirably well.
[above: fujifix and me, Battery park, post-ride]
Getting to Battery Park, start of the ride, was an adventure. A car ride to Newark Pennsylvania Station and a Path train to the WTC. After the first few stops, the train was crammed with bikes, with others waiting to get on – a hint of things to come. I had never seen so many people on bicycles in one place. The murmur of voices filled the cars of the Path as everyone had a bike and the interests were common. Cheers of “make way” and “tighten it up” let out when the train pulled into another stop, and some enterprising cyclists tipped their bikes on end to permit yet more bike riders to board.
The raucous mood dimmed almost instantly when the train pulled into the World Trade Center. Although many had seen the Ground Zero site since the terrorist attacks leveled the Twin Towers, for some – including myself – it was the first time seeing the site in the flesh since before that sad day. Then, the doors opened, and the cyclists disembarked – excitement in the air. Waiting in the rain for the ride to start, all sorts of bikes were evident. High-tech Cannondale roadbikes; mountainbikes with air shocks; inexpensive department store bikes; old road bikes from makers as varied as the riders, some of whom hailed from places as far away as PA and Maine. Soon, it became quickly apparent that we had been misled by the weatherman. Instead of partly cloudy with clearing rain, the skies darkened and the rain intensified. After three false starts, under grey skies, approximately 35,000 bicycles moved forward, to the cheering of bystanders, bored looks or pedestrians, and the blaring of loudspeakers. With so many diverse bicycles – Cannondales, Schwinns, Nishikis, Bike Fridays, Bromptons, Sevens, recumbence, Dahons, tandems, and hand-powered cycles, my homebuilt Fuji fixed gear did not appear to stand out. Already I was beginning to have second thoughts about doing all 5 boros, though. Standing still for nearly an hour in the rain, my hands and legs had gotten exceedingly cold. How would I feel once I was riding? Fortunately, the ride proceeded with a series of starts and stops after the initial few miles, at such a pace that the wind whistling through my soggy digits was not a concern.
By the time we reached Central Park, we were thoroughly drenched; as we cleared the Park, the rain let up and we found ourselves moving through storefronts, neighborhoods, the city pavement under the wheels. Rounding a corner onto a slight incline, a ride marshall shouted to the group “shift down, hill”, to which I politely commented “I can’t, I have no gears”. I heard him mumble “Okay…!” and then I was gone and on the bridge.
At the Astoria park rest spot – the only place I really stopped – I spotted a few fixed gears and a passel of singlespeeders, including a brakeless track bike, and an IRO setup with a freewheel. After a pit stop, I was back on the road again. Riding along I found it surprisingly easy to keep up with the other cyclists – even those moving at a goodly pace -- and was surprised at my good fortune in getting no flats. However, credit for that miracle must go to the Continental Duraskin tire!
Crossing the bridges was a sight to behold – bikes against the skyline with the blue clearing sky in the background. So, the weatherman hadn’t abandoned us after all! With a strong wind in our faces, we boarded the ferry after a good long wait – there were several fixed gears with me, including a brakeless retro conversion, and a stealth black Cannondale track running brakes and what looked like Phil Wood hubs. The ferry crashed a bit when docking -- sounded as if we'd hit an iceberg -- but no one was hurt and it was rather exciting.
[above: The fujifix at Ground Zero. This was my first time at the site since 9-11, and it was a very sad thing to behold in person]
For those who say the fixed gear is not a practical bike, I must argue it is indeed. The 5 Boro was not only more interesting on a fixed gear, but safer in the stops and starts. Except for the slightest taps, I only really used my brake a handful of times all 43 miles, despite being surrounded by a weaving, dodging crowd. Indeed, observing others slam on their brakes, I finally began – after several years of riding fixed – to appreciate the practical advantages of the fixed gear bicycle.
Coming back on the train to Newark Penn Station, two guys sitting across from me were lookin' at me bike. "Where'd you tour from?" asked the first guy -- a tall, heavyset fella who was dressed like a rapper. "Oh, just round NYC" I said. We briefly discussed bikes, and he commented how one day he'd like to ride again, as he hasn't since he was a kid. His friend who has older and somewhat thinner looked at my bike and remarked, "that's one of those bikes you can't stop pedaling" -- and a brief talk of fixed gears ensued. I was shocked, the old guy apparently knew a great deal of these bikes. It was a cool ending to a cool day.
[above: Citizen titanium that accompanied me on the ride, along with the fugly-looking vest]
The fixed gear not only performed admirably in the ride, it was actually more practical than many of the geared bikes, whose riders were slamming on brakes, loosing momentum, or weaving from side to side to keep upright. Plus, it was a lot more fun. And if that isn’t practical, what is? -- Elvis
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