VIDEO:	A nighttime outing with the gents of the fixty ride.

On a recent Sunday night, a group of six “fixty” riders gathered at a Fairmount home to watch a French cycling race and eat some burgers. They wore cycling clothes and cycling cleats. Chrome messenger bags were ubiquitous, as were clean, brakeless, fixed-gear bicycles.

Finding no race on, they turned to the streets and headed to an open space to play a game of “foot down,” a game where fixed-gear riders try to knock each other off their bicycles. Whoever puts his foot down loses.

The popularity of the bicycle-messenger image has not gone unnoticed by commercial interests.

Though traditionally used for bicycle races in a velodrome – a banked, oval track – fixed-gear bicycles have become popular among commuter cyclists for day-to-day pedaling. They are named for their direct-drive power, where a backward pedal moves the bicycle backward the same as a forward pedal would move the bicycle forward, much like a child’s tricycle. Fixed-gear bicycles’ popularity stems from the bicycle-messenger image that has flourished in the last few years.

Popular interest in cycling has been steadily increasing over the past decade, but it has had a solid following for years. Beginning with the emergence of Belgian Eddy Merckx at the end of the '60s, the popularity of road racing and the sleek style of the racers and their bicycles continued to grow through the '70s as cyclists took to the streets and couriers adopted the road racers’ style. Though it was feared that the appearance of fax machine in offices would put bicycle messengers out of work, the '80s proved to increase cycling’s popularity more than ever. New York City in the 1980s was the birthplace to the hip-hop and bicycle messenger styles; movies then documented these cutting-edge cultures. "Wild Style" was released in 1983, defining hip-hop style; then in 1986, "Quicksilver," a movie about a Wall Street trader who falls out of the game and becomes a NYC bicycle messenger, joining a group of hip riders–many of whom ride fixed-gear bicycles.

“Fixed has always been a thing,” said Kevin Carlson, a bike mechanic at Collins Cycle Shop in Eugene. Carlson has worked in bike shops since 1994, in Portland and around Michigan, as well as Collins for the past two years. But it was four years ago, while working at the Community Cycling Center in Portland, that Carlson first saw the fixed-gear transformation done for street use. Carlson said a kid came in with an old bicycle that he wanted to turn into a fixed-gear, and the crew at the shop used the frame and an old hub that they built into a wheel to put together a fixed-gear bicycle.

VIDEO:	Kevin converts my bike to "fixty."

“That one was a little too small, so I didn’t really get a chance to ride it much,” Carlson said. His penchant for fixed riding didn’t spark until local bike fan Drew Sprouse brought in his fixed-gear bike to Collins for a tune-up. “Drew tipped us off on fixed,” Carlson said, adding that now he almost exclusively rides around on his own fixed-gear bike.

Carlson described the attraction of riding fixed as feeling “more attached to the bike,” and he appreciates the simplicity of the single-speed wheel– “not relying on technology.” Working on the stripped-down bicycles can be easier and cheaper, he says, noting that people who have brought in old bikes have found it cheaper to do away with a broken derailleur than to fix or replace it. This is the most common method for “going fixed,” Carlson said. To meet popular demand, major bike companies have added complete fixed-gear bikes to their catalogs, but most of Carlson’s customers use existing frames and parts to put together their bikes.

“You can toy around with it,” he said. Riders can go with or without brakes, put brake levers in unusual places on the frame, cut their handlebars short or flip them up–there is plenty of room for self-expression. Carlson says that most converts are into the punk or “do-it-yourself” aesthetic associated with fixed riders and their bikes.

Sprouse, the early adopter of the "fixty" group, is one of these expressive cyclists–his gray bicycle is accented with bright blue tires, handlebars and decals.

“I like riding with no hands,” he says, swinging his elbows as he pedals, playing as if he’s running in air. “Keeps my hands free for talking on the phone or whatever.” His bike, like the majority of the impromptu “fixty" club is without a handbrake. In fact, apart from the chain, there is nothing attached to the bicycle. His shoes have cleats on the bottom that attach to the tiny, specialized pedals, which allow him to resist the forward motion of the crankshaft, slowing the bicycle to a stop.

Maneuvering these bicycles is no easy task and is not for the casual rider. There is some concern about the safety of this trend as it spreads like wildfire, especially in cycle-friendly cities such as Portland.

Last year, a Multnomah County judge essentially outlawed brakeless fixed-gear bicycles. Ayla Holland had been ticketed by a Portland police officer for riding without a brake, and she appealed the ticket. The judge denied the appeal, citing an Oregon statute that says bicycles “must be equipped with a brake that enables the operator to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level, clean pavement” (The Oregonian, 11/7/06). Holland’s defense that her ability to stop the pedals counted as the brake, and that the statute makes no mention of a mechanical device, did not hold up in front of Judge Gregg Lowe.

VIDEO:	Jordan demonstrates a controlled skid.

“The rider’s musculature is simply not a brake,” Lowe said.

Sam Adams, a Portland city commissioner, is caught up in the recent row– his chief of staff, Tom Miller, has been ticketed for not having a brake on his fixed-gear. Additionally, Adams said he has asked the city attorney to look into whether the police are properly enforcing the law.

“My advice to people is to get handbrakes,” Adams said. “I think it’s an added margin of safety.”

By outlawing the already risky brakeless fixed-gear bicycle, the city of Portland has reinforced the radical image of the “fixty” rider. The news of the verdict may or may not have made it down to the Eugene “fixty ride,” but it’s clear that it’s irrelevant as they ride down the center of 13th the wrong way, seemingly staring down the oncoming lights.