stickman Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Pitchfork isn't all bad...the availability of tour dates as well as some of the more "breaking" news stuff is pretty key. That isn't to say that they don't subscribe to and propagate the current hipster trends. Here in Santa Barbara, hipsters definitely ride fixies. I don't really understand fixed gears. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 More taking hipsters to school http://lookatthisfuckinghipster.tumblr.com/Those Marist kids? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Here in Santa Barbara, hipsters definitely ride fixies. I don't really understand fixed gears.What's to understand? You turn the pedals, the bike goes. You stop turning the pedals, the bike stops. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dondoboy Posted April 20, 2009 Author Share Posted April 20, 2009 Bicycle "gangs" are a pretty hip trend here. Loads of tanked up hipsters cruising from Hamtramck to Detroit or around Ferndale. They name themselves, and at least a couple have jackets. They bemoan the loss of Polaroid, drink lots of PBR and generally annoy this shit out of me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I have seen this in my small town up north. I find it funny how the hipsterization has even grabbed hold of the youths. I find so many (at least to my eyes) 10-14ish young lads dressed in obnoxiously bright colors, all listening to Vampire Weekend and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and most importantly, visiting pitchfork.com God are people still bitching about Pitchfork? Its been around since 1995. Get over it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 What's to understand? You turn the pedals, the bike goes. You stop turning the pedals, the bike stops. LOL. pretty much. I dont ride fixie, but I can understand the appeal (at least until your knees give out from braking). Theres virtually nothing that can break on it, so the only maintenance is keeping the chain clean. They're cheap. They're super quiet. You dont have the added weight of lugging around 20 gears you dont use (In a city like Chicago, theres no reason you need a ton of gears...). It helps you establish a proper cadence. A lot of people like the minimalist look. And it greatly increases your strength and endurance..thats why a lot of cyclists use them as training bikes. Its obviously not something you would use for cross-country treks, but for hopping around the city it makes a lot of sense. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I ride a fixie, and I'm about as far as you can get from a hipster. I ride it with a brake. The advantages for me are that it's really light, I can go as fast as I want, and I love the added control over snow and ice; brakes don't work as well in slushy weather, the last thing I want to do is need to stop with brakes while coasting over a patch of ice. I bought it off a hipster who thought his bike was stolen (turns out he left it in a friend's garage when he was drunk one night). He built a neat-o replacement bike he didn't need, and sold it to me for cost. I love nerding it up on some cool kid's ride, but mostly I find it to be a bike that does everything I need and nothing more. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I ride a fixie, and I'm about as far as you can get from a hipster. I ride it with a brake. The advantages for me are that it's really light, I can go as fast as I want, and I love the added control over snow and ice; brakes don't work as well in slushy weather, the last thing I want to do is need to stop with brakes while coasting over a patch of ice. I bought it off a hipster who thought his bike was stolen (turns out he left it in a friend's garage when he was drunk one night). He built a neat-o replacement bike he didn't need, and sold it to me for cost. I love nerding it up on some cool kid's ride, but mostly I find it to be a bike that does everything I need and nothing more. Yea, plus a lot of fixies allow you the ability to flip the rear hub and turn it into a coaster if you dont feel like riding "fixed" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Yea, plus a lot of fixies allow you the ability to flip the rear hub and turn it into a coaster if you dont feel like riding "fixed" This sounds dirty. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NightOfJoy Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 Louie B's right..........the Baffler blew the cover off the hipster lifestyle/corporate co-opt back in 90 or so with an edition titled "Your Lifestyle Sucks". IIRC, one of its main points was that corporate marketing was going to stealthily co-opt fashion and lifestyles of the hip in order to move product. Maybe they werent the first to say that but boy oh boy were they right. I should dig that one out, its a good read (bunch of U of Chicago folks put it out). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I ride a fixie, and I'm about as far as you can get from a hipster. I ride it with a brake. The advantages for me are that it's really light, I can go as fast as I want, and I love the added control over snow and ice; brakes don't work as well in slushy weather, the last thing I want to do is need to stop with brakes while coasting over a patch of ice. I bought it off a hipster who thought his bike was stolen (turns out he left it in a friend's garage when he was drunk one night). He built a neat-o replacement bike he didn't need, and sold it to me for cost. I love nerding it up on some cool kid's ride, but mostly I find it to be a bike that does everything I need and nothing more. well, i ain't no hipster either. too old and too damn busy, but, a fixie sounds really cool. how much are they? in my town, the kids go from bar to bar and wear scarves around their necks. i'm happy to see any type of counter culture that's not violent. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
deepseacatfish Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 one of its main points was that corporate marketing was going to stealthily co-opt fashion and lifestyles of the hip in order to move product.Always happens with any fashion/art movement! (much as I cringe at calling hipster styles a "movement") Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 well, i ain't no hipster either. too old and too damn busy, but, a fixie sounds really cool. how much are they? in my town, the kids go from bar to bar and wear scarves around their necks. i'm happy to see any type of counter culture that's not violent. I got mine for cost at $350, but I replaced the tires with kevlar ones, upping the full cost of the bike to $440. You can find fixies on Craigslist for anywhere between $150 and a go-zillion dollars. There are quality new ones (Surly Steamroller, Bianchi Pista, Redline 925) for between $475 and $800ish. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 A lot of people just buy cheap old ten-speeds and convert them to fixed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 A lot of people just buy cheap old ten-speeds and convert them to fixed. That's what mine is. A gorgeous blue Firenze frame with a matching blue chain. The guy who sold it to me had a maroon frame/chain set up and his girlfriend was riding a gold/gold bike. THey were so precious I could puke. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vacant Horizon Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 I got mine for cost at $350, but I replaced the tires with kevlar ones, upping the full cost of the bike to $440. You can find fixies on Craigslist for anywhere between $150 and a go-zillion dollars. There are quality new ones (Surly Steamroller, Bianchi Pista, Redline 925) for between $475 and $800ish. thanks for the info! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sureshot Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Its weird, even Trek and Schwinn are now selling fixed gear bikes trying to cash in the craze (after years and years of trying to squeeze as many gears onto a frame as possible) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Louie B's right..........the Baffler blew the cover off the hipster lifestyle/corporate co-opt back in 90 or so with an edition titled "Your Lifestyle Sucks". IIRC, one of its main points was that corporate marketing was going to stealthily co-opt fashion and lifestyles of the hip in order to move product. Maybe they werent the first to say that but boy oh boy were they right. I should dig that one out, its a good read (bunch of U of Chicago folks put it out).Wow, someone who has heard of the Baffler. At this stage of the game it is pretty clear that there are NO authentic original counter-culture. None. We are all bound to some sort of invented culture that was created by the mass communication industry. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Wow, someone who has heard of the Baffler. At this stage of the game it is pretty clear that there are NO authentic original counter-culture. None. We are all bound to some sort of invented culture that was created by the mass communication industry. LouieBDidn't Joe Strummer sing "Turning Rebellion into Money" on (White Man) in Hammersmith Palais? This is what happens when something underground becomes mainstream. Punk wasn't invented by the mass communication industry - they just brought it to the suburbs. Life Magazine didn't invent the Summer of Love, they just brought it to the rest of the nation, etc. etc. etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NightOfJoy Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Wow, someone who has heard of the Baffler. At this stage of the game it is pretty clear that there are NO authentic original counter-culture. None. We are all bound to some sort of invented culture that was created by the mass communication industry. LouieB Hooray for the Baffler! I feel sorry for the kids today struggling to find an identity of their own. If they are conscious of the corporate influence hoisted upon popular culture in order to sell products, its gotta be tough and disheartening. Or maybe they just dont care, I dont know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Hooray for the Baffler! I feel sorry for the kids today struggling to find an identity of their own. If they are conscious of the corporate influence hoisted upon popular culture in order to sell products, its gotta be tough and disheartening. Or maybe they just dont care, I dont know.Everything felt co-opted and shitty when I was in high school, and I can only appreciate now looking back how much I was able to experience some cool shit. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Everything felt co-opted and shitty when I was in high school, and I can only appreciate now looking back how much I was able to experience some cool shit.A-men. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I don't know what a hipster is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HungryHippo Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 i'm torn b/w this whole ordeal. it just occurred to me that we, possibly, tend to romanticize the past more and more as the years pass. we hand down these wild stories from generation to generation for inspiration, to give them something hip to aspire to, pardon the pun, and if that's the case, its only natural to feel as though something is lacking from the current generation. sure, some generations did go through a lot, certain things played out in quick progression which, ultimately, had to lead to quick change. however i don't think its fair to knock one generation as they're all equal in the grand scheme of things. as i said, this thought just occurred to me and is in complete contradiction to what i was feeling 5 minutes ago, lol. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
anthony Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I don't know what a hipster is. Ha. This is a good point. I really don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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