Genesis, or How the Open Road Destroyed a Hipster

In the beginning...

So back in September, I went to a community bike shop conference in San Francisco. At the end of the weekend, many of the people from the conference were biking back to where I live in Santa Cruz, so I jumped at the opportunity.

Wait- Perhaps I should back up a little more.



I've been riding a either a single-speed or a fixie for two years now, and I was a big proponent of them. I found the simplicity of a fixed gear bike to be liberating and empowering. I say liberating in that one can ride a fixie without being distracted by all the bells and whistles- so to speak. There's no gears to spend time thinking about. It's just the rider and the road. And when I say empowering, I mean that a fixie, mechanically, is so simple that anyone can learn to repair and maintain them.

I rode my brakeless fixie all over town with a fierceness. With a messenger bag and I black hooded sweatshirt, I even looked the part of the urban fixie hipster. I would back away from nothing that was thrown at me- both out of a desire to challenge myself and to prove to others that hundreds of dollars worth of fancy components aren't necessary for 95% of all riding.
Now, I feel as though I've caught us up.



The ride from SF to Santa Cruz down the coast is around 80 miles. There are both steep climbs and descents, and the rest of the group was mostly on touring bikes- that is to say, bikes whose geometry and gearing make them comfortable to ride long distances. Well, to prevent this from going on for too long, lets say that I had an amazing time, and that I wouldn't recommend anyone ride a brakeless fixie down Highway 1 to SC from the city. It was challenging to say the least, but it was beautiful. I had few good conversations. I saw some of the most spectacular views. I breathed good air. I bonded with my fellow riders. If I had been on the right bike (or just anything other than a fixie or a beach cruiser), it would've been nearly euphoric.

All I could think about in the weeks that followed was getting on a bike that would allow me to tour- anything that would allow me to get out on the road and repeat that experience as much as possible. But, learning what to buy and then actually finding it- well, that's quite a task.

To be continued...