March 15th update – They made it!

Check out the latest videos here.

SXSFixed at the State Capitol

March 13th update – They are on the road!

The Dallas SXSFixed gear gang has taken to the road.  We’ll post updates over the weekend but you can follow their progress on the SXSFixed.com site, you can also follow them on their Twitter page, and there’s more – Laceof Base is providing video updates here!

Support truck (click for their entire photo page)

Saturday morning (click for the entire photo page)

The Big Event

SXSW (south by southwest) is a music conference and festival being held in Austin from March 12th through the 21st. The annual event showcases bands from all over the country. This is where the music business and artists go to network, find talent, be found, show off, live excessively, and swap spit (just kidding, they don’t really show off).  They have live performances, films, workshops, classes, you name it and it’s happening at SXSW.  It’s also has a great film festival.  I can’t compress all the details in one paragraph, so just trust me, it’s a huge music thing, ok?

The Bigger Event

What I’m more excited about is how some of our very own cyclists are getting there.  So far about 16 or so Dallas folks will be trekking to SXSW in Austin and back, on bikes.  Their website is called SXSFixed and they’re not taking road bikes, not fancy schmancy mountain bikes, not single speeds that can coast, no, on March 13th at 8am (sharp) the Dallas crew is headed to Austin on fixed gear bikes.

From left to right: Jacob, Dallas, David, Nate, Alicia, Randall. photo by Jacob Williams via SXSFixed.com

Alicia Pol and Thomas Pearl, two fixtures on the Dallas fixed scene. photo by Raul Bonifacio

So, are they about to embark on the journey of their lives, or will this be  the death march to happiness?  Who the hell knows but we’ll have fun rooting for them all the way to Austin.

Speaking of rooting, I heard a film crew and a few photographers will be following along and documenting the events as they unfold.  I would imagine we’ll see some twitter and other live, online  action too.

Their website is a hoot and you can read it all in 10 minutes.  There is a bio for each rider, a proposed route map and a scouting report or two are also published there.  They even have a live timer that’s ticking off each second of the Count Down to Glory.  They have some current sponsors and they indicate they could use additional support.  I’ve written to find out what needs they still have, surely we can find ways to help them safely make it to Austin and back.  I’ll post those details as soon as I know them.

This ride could garner a considerable amount of publicity for the local fixed scene in Dallas so we’re going to do what we can to help promote the cause.

The Bikes

SXSFixed proposed route

Fixed gear bikes (sometimes called “fixies” come in two flavors, track bikes like those you see racing at the Frisco Superdrome, and conversions that were once bikes with gears and/or a freewheel that have been removed in favor of a cog that screws directly to the hub.  This means  fixed bikes don’t coast, therefore if the bike is in motion so is the rider; you can’t rest while pedaling a fixed gear bike.  This is why track cyclists have elephant thighs.  Riding fixed for “normal” distances is physically challenging, riding from Dallas to Austin is an epic undertaking.

More Local Fixed Resources

And if you need another local fixed fix, drop by Fixed Dallas.com for a yet another clean, stylish and easy to read blog promoting fixed riding in Dallas. My buddies at Pedallas ride fixed gear bikes too (they ride everything on two wheels, actually) and their site sports an online forum where I notice a lot 0f threads dedicated to fixed gear riding and the culture that goes with it. I check their site daily, it is yet another easy to read, easy on the eyes bike blog.   Dallas has a cool fixed scene, so visit a few sites and feed your brain.

Onward!

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