fixed gear rider no longer

September 19th, 2007

I sold my Surly Steamroller for three reasons. First and main reason is that lately riding fixed has hurt my knees in a bad way. So much so that I had to cut back on mountain biking and bike commuting. I genetically have loose joints, so I wasn’t too surprised. I’ve stopped riding fixed for about a month, and my knees are so much better, even without lowering my mileage.

Second reason is because I’m being motivated by watching my cousin, Moses, as he prepares to do a triathalon this coming Sunday. Go Moses! And another friend of mine just did one and swims at the UCI Masters team where I used to train. I’ve been thinking about jumping back in the water. And I want a road bike now, to be able to commute faster and compete in a tri. I do feel like I’m betraying myself and the sport of mountain biking. A good friend and roadie convert told me to be ready to spend more money on bibs,shorts, shoes, jersey, helmet… I was like, “Yeah, right”. I’m gonna get a road bike, but I’m gonna ride in my mountain bike gear! I’ll look stupid and feel stupid, but I won’t feel like I’m betraying myself outright. It’s like going to the dark side - little steps at a time down a slippery slope. Next thing you know my fat ass is going to be spilling over in one of those really tight shorts.

And the third reason i wanted to sell the bike is that fixed gear riding wasn’t the niche of odd duck, skilled riders that it used to be. Now it’s become this hipster fad, where people who have no idea how to ride/control a bike are riding them, AND wearing really strange clothes to boot. I must be getting old. But that’s also why I was able to make money on the bike. Perceived value of these bikes, especially authentic fixed gear bikes, has gone way up. And that’s it. I’m no longer a fixed gear rider.

And as a final barrier to selling it, I listed the price on Craigslist $50 higher than what I bought it for, and figured if I could sell it for that price then all’s good. And it worked!