I used to write a blog about goings on in the bike trade and being salty about it, which is pretty easy as the bike trade is a horrible place. I got bored after a couple of years, as essentially, it is like shooting fish in a barrel. It was too easy; a trade that thinks adding another cog is progress is probably still in nursery school education, which is not to bad-mouth toddlers.
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Cycling, a Faustian Pact With Marketing
Today, we will carry on our look at tracklocross thinkers with a name that people in the UK have huge issues pronouncing. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is an inspirational person. A man who accomplished more in his life than many of us would accomplish in ten lives. Geothe was a true polymath, and today we will look at his poem, “Faust”, a work which is considered the magnum opus of German literature.
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Philosophy of Tracklocross – Madness and Civilisation
The philosopher with a name that is so often mispronounced in the UK, I no longer know what his real name is. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Michel Foucault. Foucault wants us to realise we should look back at history, bring back the ideas that work, and use them to question the beliefs and systems we use now. He used this argument many times to explain why the fixed gear bike was a better option than a geared bike when he looked back and did not serve our “modern” ideas.
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Tracklocross Riding Saved My Life
My undiagnosed ADHD led to a complete breakdown in my mental health. Tracklocross was what allowed me to be free again.
Anna Karenina – Tracklocross Love
In 1875, The Russian Messenger brought us a serialised version of one of the greatest novels ever, or so The Guardian tells me. They brought us Leo Tolstoy’s “Анна Каренина”. The novel is famous for dealing with the many issues of human existence, and it focuses on the affair between Anna Karenina and Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky. Due to the scandal of their affair, they had to leave St Petersburg and live in Italy, which sounds awful if you ask me. Eventually, they returned to Russia, which was an appalling idea. Apologies for any spoilers here.
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The 5 Best Tracklocross Tyres of 2023
We are rapidly heading towards the best time of year for tracklocross, at least in the northern hemisphere. Trails will get muddy, much sliding will happen, people will discuss pumpkin spice, and Danzig will come out of hibernation. Scarfs will be back, woolly hats will be on, and a lovely thick jumper will make sense. Let us then look at the tyres that will best help your tracklocross riding.
Before we begin, as usual, none of the links to tyres below are affiliate links; these are my opinion.
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The Philosophy of Tracklocross – Part 2
The other day we looked at the start of the Western tradition of philosophy. In it, we discovered how Socrates was highly influenced by riding fixed gear bikes offroad. A pastime he called tracklocrossος. Now we are going to jump a few years and land in the continental philosophy years. As someone living in Britain, I feel worried about discussing continental ideas. If I vanish mid-article, please know the Brexit police have taken me away for re-education.
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The Philosophy of Tracklocross
Many of us know the story of Archimedes and water displacement. Archimedes used water displacement in the tales to determine if traders had replaced gold with silver. The story here is a slight fabrication; the real reason was that Archimedes was the first true weight weenie in cycling. He had studied under Conan of Sanos; the first steel is real guy (not Arnold Schwarzenegger, like the movies make out). Archimedes wanted to design a lighter bike than Conan.
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The First Fiefdom Pop-Up Shop
On Sunday, 4th June, at 1 pm, we will have our first-ever Fiefdom Tracklocross popup event at Allez Allez Allez.
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Fixedgearbike.shop
Do you remember when I released this video about these two tracklocross greats above?
No, fair enough. It did, though, lead to other things, including the thing everyone told me couldn’t be done.
A tracklocross specific shop (I may also add some FGFS parts as well). I’m only going to serve niche cycle sports, and I’m claiming I’m the first. 🤣
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