French Fixie Fanatics

A recent article in The New York Times discussed how fixed-gear bicycles are now all the rage in Paris.

Though the bikes have been popular for years in New York, San Francisco and London, it's only lately that they've caught on in the French capital, says author Scott Sayare:

"Suddenly, fixies -- the finicky one-speed bikes that, without freewheels, cannot coast -- seem to be everywhere: on the cobblestones of the Marais, the boulevards of the Latin Quarter, the north slope of Montmartre. They are in display windows, at fashion shoots, in women's lifestyle magazines. Aficionados of the "pignon fixe" organize alley-cat races and bike polo matches and group rides around Paris."

If you find the whole fixie phenomenon fascinating, the article is worth checking out. The French have always had a love affair with bikes; this is just another season of that romance.

Article: Fixed-Gear Bicycles are an American Fixture in Paris

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