Surprisingly pro-transit L.A. Times article

[pithecanthropus]

Yesterday's Times had a front page feature on the life and history of Crenshaw Boulevard, and I was pleasantly surprised to read a couple of passages that seem to be strongly pro-transit. I encourage everyone to read it because it gives a good feel for how transit can work for a local neighborhood, so I'm not going to post excerpts verbatim.

The first thing that caught my eye was a color picture of the Expo Line overpass, of which the caption said that the line had been steadily attracting customers since opening in April¹. (Hey, I don't even know if that's true, but I'll take it!). The second item was even more surprising--it quoted some older teenagers who said they really weren't that interested in driving, what with high gas prices and everything. The kids would rather work on their "fixies", or fixed gear bikes--"working on" apparently includes not only mechanical repairs and improvements, but also paint and other cosmetic touches. Seventeen year old kids who'd rather work on and ride their bikes than drive cars? It's the strangest thing I've seen or heard since the day I took the train downtown to watch the Kings' victory parade².

¹The photo I'm referring to might not be available in the online article, but was in the print edition I bought yesterday.

²National championship in a snow-belt sport or riding the train to the parade, I don't know which of the two is more atypical of the L.A. most of us have grown up with.

[ieko]

Los Angeles has a very strong young bike culture, I sort of ran into it earlier this year and am hooked myself!

[pithecanthropus]

I'm curious--can you tell me what "fixed gear" means? Does the bike have only one speed like an old-fashioned coaster bicycle, or is it something in relation to the way shifting works on a multiple gear bike?

[LAofAnaheim]

Sept 18, 2012 1:17:34 GMT -8 ieko said:

Los Angeles has a very strong young bike culture, I sort of ran into it earlier this year and am hooked myself!

Very true; as a near daily biker who commutes to/from the Expo - Culver City station to work in Santa Monica, the amount of bicyclists over the years have increased in LA. I've been biking for 3 years and I truely believe that cicLAvia has brought a culture change in Los Angeles. People see bikes as a way of commuting short distances, that hasn't been seen before. You can see more bike racks popping up in places.

Next cicLAvia on October 7th...........this time, it connects with Expo Park! If you haven't been, it's a sight to see and now THE EVENT in Los Angeles.

[bzcat]

Sept 18, 2012 9:41:35 GMT -8 pithecanthropus said:

I'm curious--can you tell me what "fixed gear" means? Does the bike have only one speed like an old-fashioned coaster bicycle, or is it something in relation to the way shifting works on a multiple gear bike?

Yes, fixed gears means exactly what you think it is

Bikes that has only 1 set of gear ratio, old school style. But the term "fixies" refers to a particular style of fixed gear bicycle. Generally speaking, when people say fixies, they mean something like this:



A speed or touring bike that has been modified with a single gear set and often with colorful wheels/tires.

[pithecanthropus]

I have noticed a few of these bikes around town, and walking past a couple bike shops from time to time I've also noticed a lot of very retro-looking bikes too, with fat tires, wide saddles, and metalwork reminiscent of 1950s automobile styling.

[carter]

Sept 18, 2012 13:44:39 GMT -8 pithecanthropus said:

I have noticed a few of these bikes around town, and walking past a couple bike shops from time to time I've also noticed a lot of very retro-looking bikes too, with fat tires, wide saddles, and metalwork reminiscent of 1950s automobile styling.

The key mechanical feature of a "fixie" is that the gear on the back wheel does not spin freely when you stop pedaling. As long as the wheel is turning the pedals will turn and vice-versa. This means you can uses your pedals to break by locking your legs, and you can also pedal backwards.