"It's all about the tricks", a response to new york times.

(via NYT)
here's something i can relate to. when i initially got into this it was all about the speed and maneuverability of track bikes that pulled me in.  yeah i bought the messenger bag, yeah i bought into that whole culture but it seems as if now this "messenger culture" is fading, and fading FAST. in this new york times article, 2 parts of the grime crew and john prolly get into this convo. i mean, not to take away from the renown but i found that this article lacked the voices of the older messengers like austin horse. dont get me wrong wonka, prolly, and joey are great guys (i'm far from dissing them, i thoroughly respect what they do) and they have legitimate voice over what's going on in regards to the messenger culture but i want to hear from the older heads. they would have a good thought of the fixed gear culture.

i asked ted shred about this and he's all for the whole fixed gear movement. he believes that the people in the forefront of the fixed freestyle stuff are the dudes who used to be in bmx (particularly freestyle). the whole idea that bmx tricks have deeply inspired fixed freestyle is a legitimate stance. i know that's a bold statement, but in some ways i can see how that can be. take the volume thrasher for instance- mid bb, hella barspin clearance... to say that fixed freestyle is not inspired by BMX is an untrue statement.

"'Two or three years ago, people just wanted to ride and have their
messenger bag,' Mr. Wonka said. 'Now you see kids coming out with their
new trick frame and their new trick setup.'"

does anyone else find it funny that NYT says "Mr. Wonka"? i always think about willy wonka when they say it like that. but wonka has it right. the ideals have shifted greatly in the urban fixed gear movement. it's not all about going fast from point a to point b. i'm not mad or anything, that's where the appeal is. and i too have been sucked into it. i actually think it's fun. i dont think messenger culture is fading, it's simply moving away from the fixed gear notion. it's separating itself into a different entity. there's nothing wrong about that and it's not at all an epidemic. all in all, this article is a great insight.

jmik