My new goal is to try not to think too much when I post here. Because when I do that, I tend to get all preachy and condescending and stuff. I’m probably better off just letting half-formed thoughts slither out like afterbirth out of Octomom and see what happens. At least that way I won’t be taking a month off between posts.

So let’s talk about fixed gears for a moment. I’ve got one. I’ve got two, actually—an old Bianchi Pista that looks like it got trampled by a herd of angry wildebeest, and a new-ish Mercier Kilo TT that I bought off of Bikesdirect when I realized it was a cheaper option than buying a new fork and wheelset for the Pista. Of course I hadn’t counted on the inevitable desire to upgrade, but c’est la vie.

BMX companies have been dipping their beaks into the fixed-gear market for a while now—FBM makes the Sword, Volume sells the Cutter and the Creedence, Profile makes parts and SNAFU picks them out of a catalog. In fact, Volume, FBM and Profile all have separate sites for their fixed clientele. Guess the fixed-gear guys don’t want to even acidentally look at some stupid kid’s bike.

Well, now Subrosa has seen fit to enter the fray with their own fixed gear, the Malum Fixed, due out in July:

And then there’s SE Racing, already churning out as many no-budget Drafts as the market can bear (or that you can stuff into a shipping container), aiming more upscale with a super-limited DC Shoes collabo PK Ripper Fixed (self promotion, holla).

To be honest, the Malum looks really cool. Can’t say I’d want all that Shadow stuff—I’d get rid of that chain before I even bolted the front wheel on—but all in all, it looks like a nice bike. The SE is aimed more at the sneaker-obsessed downtown crowd, so of the 2,500 they’re making, roughly a dozen will actually be ridden. Still curious to see a real photo. It might kill Perry Kramer, though. Unless he’s getting royalties.

I suppose as long as “fixed-gear freestyle” keeps going, BMX companies will try to get a piece of that market. And who can blame them? Price points start higher, and the labor and material costs are more or less the same (insert JPR correction here). Make that money. Although I might think differently when someone orders a 700c STA.

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