Bristol based charity Sustrans received a wopping £50m grant to improve cycling conditions in the city. This is great news for environmentalists and I’m sure we’ve all seen a marked increase in the “one less car” stickers on display. However, the impending improvement of cycle routes will also benefit the new breed of cyclists on our streets. All the twenty-something riders I know are shedding their gears and breaks for an altogether smother, sleeker and sexier bike. A more minimalist form of riding has emerged. We now see riders track-standing at traffic lights, ready to go without their feet touching the floor. Gone are the days of the monotony of breaks, here are the days of skid stops, as less on you’re bike means less can go wrong.

The new craze is still relatively small on the Bristol streets, but interest is growing as more and more fixed gear bikes appear. Fixedgearlondon.com shows images of guys with the kind of effortless cool we’ve come to associate with bmxers, the Bristol equivalent portrays a slightly less thrill seeking bunch, taking part in organised cycle rides with scheduled cake stops; however, things are changing. Bristol fixed gear riders are getting younger and they have a passion for their bikes, which is a force to be reckoned with.

When I spoke to a couple of riders they explained that the aim is to strip the bike down to its bare essentials, they said they would feel stupid on a road bike with loads of gears. Fixed gear bikes are inspired by the New York and London couriers who are able to dart in and out of traffic and are one of the fastest forms of transport in cities. But it’s also about the thrill; bike courier is one of the most dangerous jobs around.

But for the Bristol riders it’s not a job it’s a passion. Their bikes get simpler and simpler, and when pressed about why they choose to ride fixed gear they admit, it just looks cooler.

www.fixedbristol.org.uk

Jessica Pennock