Fixers: a bicycle is not about not having enough money for a car

Fixie Gear bicycles have long ceased to be just bicycles, their appearance is tied to much more – philosophy, movement, the opportunity to find friends and like-minded people, to make a conscious choice in favor of a two-wheeled friend. We can talk long and tediously about the behavior of fixies on the road. The main thing I realized during the interview is that a fixer will never hurt himself. These guys have long ago made cycling culture a part of their lives, they have their own driving ethics and desire to make cycling safe, convenient and absolutely normal daily ritual for all people.

Not so long ago I had a chance to meet Lina and Maxim from Moskovstyle team, who returned from a trip to the most prestigious fixie race Red Hook in Milan. Especially for our material Lina Nevskaya en Maxim Karginov told “Championship” how the Moscow fixer party lives, what you need to do to get to Red Hook, and how to choose the most fashionable merch for traveling around the city.

– Guys, tell us, why did you choose a fixed gear bike?

Lina: Like most of those who ride fixies nowadays, I originally rode a different bike. all I remember about it was that it was very heavy and something broke in it all the time. in 2012 I started to see track bikes more and more often on the internet, which were raced by guys in japan, states and europe, their design seemed to be a solution to the problem: less parts – less repair. the frames were searched for in those cities of russia where there were sports schools, so the first fixies were all built on the basis of soviet and ukrainian frames.

Maxim: I learned about this from a friend with whom we worked together. He built a bike in 2008 from some very ordinary Soviet frame and invited me to go to one of the night races. We went for a ride, and at that point I wasn’t really into it. Then a few years later I tried it, put the bike together and about four years ago I started riding.

– Apart from the fixed gear, what other parameters distinguish your bike?

Maxim: It is as light as possible. Mostly on such bikes are ridden on the cycle track, so it is shorter and more maneuverable than usual. Because of this it was once loved by bicycle couriers, it is convenient to ride in the city, because it is maneuverable and does not break.

Reference: the fixie movement was born in Japan in the 70s, when Tokyo couriers started using track bikes to deliver goods. A fixed gear bicycle is a bicycle that has no freewheel and pedals constantly if the rear wheel is spinning. There are no hand brakes on a classic track “fixie” bike

– How did your participation in competitions start?

Lina: Guys in Moscow, in the manner of foreign ancestors, started doing events, competing among themselves. Races are always held in a very friendly mode, nobody proves anything to anyone, everyone races together for prizes from sponsors, which are found by the race organizer. We take part in all the events that take place in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Minsk, Lviv, and we go to races in Europe.

– How often are the competitions held?

Maxim: If we talk about competitions on the street, they are usually independent of each other. There are certain people who wanted to organize something, wrote in social networks, everyone got together and organized a race. There are larger Moscow competitions, they are organized by Dima Kunst – a race on the Moscow Raceway in Volokolamsk, a race on the track in Tula. And in general we have made a common calendar with guys from St. Petersburg, Ukraine, Belarus, we adjust the events so that they do not overlap, so that we can go to each other. It’s very convenient, so, for example, in August we had competitions every weekend.

Lina: Plus every city has sacred events like the season opening and closing. They’re the biggest in terms of participation. Everyone is always excited to rush in when the season is just starting and a little bummed when it’s over. There is actually plenty of racing to go around. It’s great that there are people who commit to the organization, we really appreciate it. Dima, thank you.

– How many people are in your team?

Lina: Maxim, Lina, Edik, Fedya, Artik and Kolya are in the army. It turns out to be six.

– Tell us about your trip to Red Hook, which took place recently.

Maxim: We got together as a team last year and decided to go to Barcelona for Red Hook. It’s the most prestigious race and a very cool competition in a hangout that favors fixed gear bikes. Barcelona is warm all the time and has a very cool atmosphere: all the people are one big family for the duration of the race. Then we were a bit shocked by the atmosphere, the organization and decided that we should definitely go again.

Lina: This year we also had to consider finances and visa. Because the other two cities where stages of the race are held, besides Barcelona and Milan, are London and Brooklyn. We planned the trip in advance because we needed to decide on the final team lineup.

It seems like it’s all kind of crazy, but it’s not. The guys ride during the race using certain tactics. They think through every move, they roll with each other. It stopped being a joke and fun a long time ago

We also had to agree on sponsors, our idea of promoting cycling appeals to many people and some are willing to support us in this. This year we had help from the guys at the Black Co-op. We did a series of weekend rides with them in the spring and summer.

They want to get the word out about coffee culture and we want to spread the word that bicycling is cool. Biking isn’t about not having enough money for a car. It’s a conscious choice. We did joint rides with the Cooperative, came up with scenic routes, and invited people to ride with us. Thanks to these events, we met a huge number of people from different spheres. You can and should come on any bike that makes you smile. Through it, you can start your Saturday differently, make new friends, stop being afraid to ride your bike around town.

It’s a feeling of being cool, taking care of your health and riding around summer Moscow.

We managed to gather an audience of people around us who support us. We’ve always made sure that nobody breaks the rules, because we don’t need to. So we got sponsors, advertised that we were going to Red Hook and finally went there.

Milan is one of those cities where the authorities are going to pay its residents to give up autos in favor of cycling. Milan is one of the cycling centers of Italy, which allowed it to host the most prestigious fixed gear bike race, the Red Hook Crit, for the eighth time.

– What do you need to do to qualify for the Red Hook?

Maxim: registering for Red Hook is very exciting because everyone wants to get there. Everyone is waiting for the news about registration to be posted on Instagram. It’s like you want to buy Supreme. It’s important to register in time there, as many of the team as can make it, that’s how many will go. The rules of the race are such that you don’t necessarily get into the same qualifying group. Ideally, at least two people from the team should be able to help each other on the track, i.e. they should be in the same group.

Lina: Red Hook organizes a huge staff of very cool and experienced people. They realize that if they don’t limit us with rules and put us in different groups, we’ll get together in groups of eight and take each other out. They create a competitive environment in this way, it’s very right.

– How to prepare for the race?

Maxim: You have to prepare for Red Hook in a certain way, because it is a very peculiar discipline. Even not all professionals who come there can show a great result. For example, this year in Brooklyn, the Rio Olympic champion in track cycling participated. He ended up not even qualifying for the finals. It’s a very unpredictable race.

– How often do you train? And how does it happen in general?

Maxim: In winter, it’s the cycle track. Now it’s two or three times a week on the cycle track. In summer we actually meet when we have time.

Lina: Everyone has work, so it’s hard to organize joint training. But everyone has a bike rack at home, and we train by ourselves. Everyone realizes that if they don’t train, they will let the team down, and why should they.

– How to choose the right equipment for a bicycle? Are there any peculiarities, can you advise something?

Maxim: There are quite a lot of resources on the Internet. The market is growing now, it’s getting beautiful. There are already brands and projects that are thinking not only about making it practical, but also beautiful. For example, the designer Wood Wood has launched his line of cycling clothing in Denmark. It’s as cool, beautiful and functional as possible.

Lina: Red Hook has its own requirements. You have to be in cycling shoes, contact pedals only, a cycling uniform and a helmet. When you enter the trail area, the bike is definitely checked. If there are any lights or anything else, they can injure another competitor in the event of a collision. They check the competitors as well. In general, no one will let you race in jeans.

The most important thing is a helmet. It is better to ride in ugly overalls, but the best helmet. This is what is necessary, and we all in the team, unfortunately, made sure of it.

Maxim: As for equipment and cycling, cycling shoes, cycling shorts, helmet, goggles, bike and contact pedals are the standard set of a cyclist. Almost all of this can be bought in Moscow. If you are a beginner, you can find everything in stores. If you are experienced and you realize that you are not satisfied with the quality of the equipment, you can order special professional equipment.

Lina: Really many manufacturers make beautiful cycling uniforms. All the guys who ride fixies live the culture from the get-go. Teams make their own gear and merch so you can see “your own” in the crowd (smiles).

A lot of people are releasing collabs with brands. Everything has taken on a huge scale. But the most important thing is the helmet. It’s better to ride in an ugly jumpsuit, but a better helmet. That’s what’s needed and we all on the team have unfortunately made sure of that.

– Where is the paradise for cyclists? Which countries or cities are best suited for cycling?

Maxim: I think it’s Europe and the States. In Europe, everywhere loves bicycles. It’s a normal choice for the average person.

Lina: I agree, they love it initially. I just got back from Berlin. There you feel like you have a voice on a bicycle. The bicycle lane in that city is defining, no kid runs out there by accident. You can see bike jams of people rushing from work in suits and dresses, with long scarves and coats, no special bike uniforms. This is what we want to change in our country. We think that bicycling should become an important part of life, so that you don’t think about what you’re wearing and where you’re going, so that it becomes part of you.

We would like to thank DRoP! store and our correspondent Yana Trandafilova for help in organizing the interview.