Exhibition: Amsterdam, Mediamatic Bank
Sur Place
An ode to the fixed gear bike
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8
May
2010
22
Aug
2010
Mediamatic Bank, Vijzelstraat 68, 1017 HL, Amsterdam (view on map)By
On the 8th of May, an exhibition on fixed gear culture will open at Mediamatic Bank. Fixed gear bikes are straight-forward bicycles: they have no gears, no freewheel and often no breaks either. The exhibition offers a view on the urban subculture and the origin of the bike. There will be a display of special bikes and art installations. Movies will be projected, and a range of salons and workshops will be organised. And you can visit on bike!
Information
The exhibition can be visited at Mediamatic Bank from the 8th of May (the day the Giro starts in Amsterdam) until the end of August 2010. Via this website we will keep you informed about all new developments. On our blog, we share the best of our fixed gear finds.
Sur Place
Sur Place is a French translation of track stand, one of the basic bike tricks. The idea is to stay balanced on a bicycle by holding one's weight equally on both feet and while moving only minimal distances.
Trackstand at Long Beach Bike Festival 2009 -Photo made by Sarah Bennett found on Flickr.
Fixed gear bikes
Fixed gear bikes are straight-forward bicycles: they have no gears, no freewheel and often no breaks either. The pedals are directly connected to the rear wheel: when you don’t want to stand still or go overhead, pedaling is what you ought to do. Once you’ve had it taped however, a fixed gear can take you as fast as lightning, on - and backwards. Of course it is also a good-looking, clean bike that, thanks to its minimalism, does not require a lot of maintenance.
History
The very first recognizable bikes were fixed gear. The first cyclists conquered the peaks and valleys of the Tour de France on fixed gear bikes, and circus artists used them in daring tricks.
First bike trick ever - Thomas A. Edison
More and more, the fixed gear was rejected for street riding in favor of a more complex bicycle with freewheel, brakes and gears. This model proved more ergonomic and safe for most people. However, all along the fixed gear remained the secret weapon of track cyclists, for whom brakes are a nuisance and speed is a must.
In the eighties, the same need for speed and agility moved a number of bike couriers in American metropolises to the rediscovery of the street fixed gear. This bicycle enhanced the nonconformist profile of the messengers and cranked up the hype around their culture. After the messenger bag, the fixed gear was eagerly picked up by outsiders. The fixed virus quickly spread over cities outside the USA, and gained numerous and diverse fans.
Bicycle culture
For bikers of the first hour, the fixed gear bike is perfect in its simplicity. Young people see the fixed gear scene as a street culture they can identify with. They blog about the newest facts and events, play bike polo with friends, fix their bikes and create together. Adrenaline hunters get a kick out of the speed and the alleycats: messenger races during which a package must be delivered at a certain point as quickly as possible. Then there are the design lovers, who cannot resist the formal purity of a fixed gear. Last but not least, the fixed bike of course persists as the faithful workhorse of contemporary bike messengers, track racers and artistic cyclists.
Some fans fit within nearly all of these profiles, others identify manifestly with one single aspect, but all share a certain passion for the bike. The Mediamatic exhibition keeps the pedals at rest or, in bike language, ‘sur place’, and reserves four months to offer the audience a taste of this multifaceted cycle culture.
