Wikipedia

Freestyle fixed gear

Freestyle fixed gear is stunt riding on a fixie. It is an extreme sport where the stunts share elements from BMX, artistic cycling, dirt jumping, and trials. The flat ground style of tricks, similar to artistic cycling, is called Trick-Track or Tarck. Street and park riding, that is more similar to BMX, is generally called FGFS (Fixed Gear Freestyle).[1][2][3][4][5]

Freestyle fixed gear
Michael Chacon
NicknamesFGFS, Tarck, Trick Track
Characteristics
TypeCycling
Equipmentfixed gear bicycle
Presence
Country or regionWorldwide

History

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Freestyle fixed gear riders style can be generally described as doing "BMX-style tricks on their fixed-gear bikes".[2] The sport was "born from the fusion of freestyle BMX and track cycling".[3] As early as 2007 people "started to see how rad they could get on a track bike, it started with skids and progressed from there."[6] Fixed gear tricks are very impressive because they require riders to always be pedaling.[7] A 2015 poll of international fixed gear riders found that 11.9% report the use of fixie for tricks.[8]

The earliest bicycle tricks were done on fixed-gear bicycles.[9][10] However, most modern disciplines of freestyle cycling utilize a freewheel type mechanism; a notable exception is artistic cycling riders also still uses a fixed-gear bicycle. The fixed connection between rider and wheel enables stunts that are difficult or impossible with a freewheel.[11] The most basic trick called a trackstand is generally done only by riders on fixed-gear bikes.[12]

Bicycle messenger culture in the late 20th century and early 21st century is a major influence to freestyle on fixed-gear bikes. Fixed gears date to the mid-19th century, and bike messengers in New York have long found them to be dependable and practical machines for tough city streets. But it is only in the past few years that riders, inspired mostly by skateboarding and BMX, began to push the limits of doing tricks on a fixed-gear bike.[13] The sport has mostly stayed underground, however, the mainstream Hollywood movies Quicksilver (1986) and Premium Rush (2012) contain stunts done by bicycle messenger characters using a fixed-gear bicycle "showing off stunts and deviant riding".[14][15]

Tricks done on a fixed-gear bicycle appear in the movies Rad and Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Red Bull held an annual fixed freestyle competition from 2011 to 2014.[16][17][18][19] Specialized offered a fixed gear freestyle specific bike called the P.Fix.[20][21] In the 2001 X Games Trevor Myer used a direct drive bmx to compete in flatland freestyle.[22]

Equipment

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Bikes

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Freestyle fixed gear bikes are typically 26" or 700c and are strengthened and optimized for tricks.[20][21][23]

 
Typical example of a 700C fixed gear bike for Trick Track
 
Typical example of 26" FGFS bike
 
Visual differences between Freestyle Fixie and Normal Bike

Tricks

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Trick Name Description Examples
Track Stand The act of balancing motionless on a bicycle is called a "track stand".[24] Johnathan Ball[4]
Wheelie Front wheel comes off the ground. Tyler Johnson death truck wheelie[4]
Fakie aka "Riding backwards". The rider uses fixed gear drive train to ride bike backwards.
  • Johnathan Ball.[4]
  • Niedert starts first bike trick movie with a fakie[9]
Skid The rider locks the rear wheel by using pressure on the pedals or straps.
  • Johnathan Ball demonstrates various skids[4]
  • MASH SF. (2007)
  • MACAFRAMA (2009)
Pogo Hop up and down on the back wheel. Johnathan Ball[4]
Pole Dance Doing a wheelie, take a hand off to grab an obstacle to go in a circle around. Johnathan Ball[4]
Keo Spin From rolling backward, taking off one arm to get momentum into a back wheel spin. Named after Keo Curry. Johnathan Ball[4]
Fish and Chips aka Fishy Whip. Fakie slider while holding the saddle. Invented by Dylan "Fish n' Chips" Hurst. Johnathan Ball[4]
Big Spin aka Prolly Spin, Blog Spin. Back wheel spin from rolling forward.
  • Johnathan Ball[4]
  • Keo Curry in MACAFRAMA (2009) no handed big spin called Keo Rock/Min Spin
Foot Plant Spin aka Toe Keo, Tokyo, Death Spin. From rolling forward wheelie, fast foot plant to get into a back wheel spin. Johnathan Ball[4]
Surf Riding forward with no hands while rider stands on various parts of the bike. Matt Spencer frame surf[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "FGFS - Fixed Gear Freestyle (bicycles) | AcronymFinder". www.acronymfinder.com. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  2. ^ a b Wilding, Natalee. "SLC's fixie bike gang is more extreme than you". Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  3. ^ a b "Fixed-Gear Freestyle: What Is This Cycling Trend? (Ultimate Guide)". brooklynfixedgear.com. 2024-02-06. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l JBall (2020-03-23). "KNOW YOUR FIXIE LINGO (Part 1)". Suck My Cog. Retrieved 2024-07-06.
  5. ^ "Fixie & Single Speed Cycling Glossary | Brooklyn Fixed Gear". fixedgearfocus.com. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
  6. ^ Regenold, Stephen (2012-05-18). "Seriously, What's Up with Fixed-Gear Freestyle?". GearJunkie. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  7. ^ Lingelbach-Pierce, Zander (2024-02-29). "There Will Never Be Another Fixed Rider Like Tom La Marche". BikeMag. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  8. ^ SÁNDOR, BÉRES, BENCZENLEITNER OTTÓ, and BERKES TAMÁS. (2015). "FROM THE VELODROM TO THE STREETS--THE RECREATION SCENES OF FIXED GEAR BIKES. A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON HUNGARIAN AND FOREIGNER FIXED GEAR BIKERS". Studia Universitatis Babeş-Bolyai, Educatio Artis Gymnasticae. 60 (4): 47 – via ResearchGate.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ a b "Bicycle trick riding, no. 2". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2024-03-31.
  10. ^ "Fixed gear trick riding not as new as you think". BikePortland. 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  11. ^ US11590797B2, Engel, Nicholas Redmond, "Freewheel assembly switchable between fixed-gear and freewheel modes", issued 2023-02-28 
  12. ^ McFarland, Matt (August 26, 2015). "How fixed-gear bikes can confuse Google's self-driving cars". The Washington Post.
  13. ^ McCrea Jones, Raymond (July 10, 2009). "A Meeting of Dervishes With Fixed Gears". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Maximilian, Hoor (2020). "The bicycle as a symbol of lifestyle, status and distinction. A cultural studies analysis of urban cycling (sub) cultures in Berlin". Applied Mobilities. 7 (3): 249–266. doi:10.1080/23800127.2020.1847396 – via DepositOnce.
  15. ^ Regenold, Stephen (2012-06-03). "Hollywood Milks Bike-Messenger Culture in new Feature Film". GearJunkie. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  16. ^ "Red Bull Ride + Style 2011". FIXED GEAR ARCHIVE. 2021-07-12. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  17. ^ "Red Bull Ride + Style 2012". FIXED GEAR ARCHIVE. 2021-07-14. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  18. ^ "Red Bull Ride + Style 2013". FIXED GEAR ARCHIVE. 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  19. ^ "Red Bull Ride + Style 2014". FIXED GEAR ARCHIVE. 2021-07-16. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  20. ^ a b "Complete Bikes". FIXED GEAR ARCHIVE. 2023-06-22. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  21. ^ a b "P.Fix". www.specialized.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  22. ^ "* 2001 X-GAMES @ 23MAG BMX". www.23mag.com. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
  23. ^ "Thrasher | Volume Bikes – 700/26". 2011-10-01. Archived from the original on 2011-10-01. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
  24. ^ "Fixed Gear Bicycles for the Road". sheldonbrown.com. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
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