Publisher's Statement
If you follow the most popular urban cycling blogs, you’ve probably heard of the Fixed Gear Girl Taiwan blog. The tagline, “We are hot and god damn love fixed gear!” pretty much says it all, but is there more of a story?
Some people may posit that the blog offers little more than image. Afterall, they’re not racing, or pulling off extreme stunts. Yet there are probably more photos of Mao, Rita, Green, Coco and company than there are of Austin, Wonka and Shino. Their clothes don’t appear threadbare from the perils of year round commuting, and their bikes are clean and new, outfitted with the latest and greatest parts and accessories. But is that really such a bad thing?
Consider the impact of testosterone-laden extreme sports on the past two generations of teenage boys. Although most kids will never huck off anything more than knee high, the action sports industry has capitalized on the image to the tune of millions and millions of dollars. There are more dirt jump bikes and skateboards in circulation than ever before, which not only bodes well for the serious rider’s chances of scoring a sweet deal on eBay, it means that at least a certain amount of the kids who bought into that image got off the couch. In the end, Tony Hawk and Dave Mirra got millions of kids to go outside and have fun.
But how do you reach an audience who doesn’t necessarily want to compete, or risk life and limb in the pursuit of entertainment? There are certainly thousands, if not millions, of potential cyclists out there who just haven’t been inspired yet. Maybe some of them would like the idea of cruising around the city streets in style, getting pizza with their friends and goofing around in the center of town. It’s definitely a little more appealing than the gritty image urban cyclists often portray.
Not that everyone needs to follow their lead and start a blog to broadcast their Friday night rides to the world, but what could be better than thousands of women around the world forming their own cycling clubs like the ladies of Fixed Gear Girl Taiwan?
Urban Velo issue #18, March 2010. Dead tree print run: 5000 copies. Issue #17 online readership: 55,000+
The women of Fixed Gear Girl Taiwan. See more on page 50. Photo by Ellen Big