Fixed Gear Bikes

Summary:

An exploration of the bicycle and why sometimes simpler is better.

Website:

http://www.weightshift.com/work/dirty_chicago_crew/

Additional Credits and Funding:

Edited by David Krasnow.

Timely on:

July: Summer, Tour de France

Tones:

Contemplative, Intriguing, Sound Rich

Language:

English

Description:

If you've spent any time in a city in the last five years, you've probably seen a fixed gear bike. Popularized by bike messengers, the fixed gear bike strips down the modern bicycle to its origins. With only one gear, often no brakes, and no freewheel, the mechanism that allows a bicycle to coast, fixed gear bikes offer what some riders say is a closer connection to the road. In this piece, Chicago graphic designer and fixed gear enthusiast Naz Hamid (NAHZ  HAH-mihd) explains how a bicycle works...and why he loves to ride its most basic model.

Originally aired on Studio 360 July 1, 2005.

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