With the economy the way it is, people are looking for other forms of transportation and it seems that biking has taken the forefront. And with advantages like not having to deal with ridiculous traffic and rockstar parking everywhere you go, why would anyone not want to ride a bike?! Citizens have caught on to the effectiveness of biking, but more specifically the fixed gear craze, and can be seen roaming the streets at every corner. Kids are bombing massive hills and racing cars right off the line. The whole allure to this style of biking is minimalist aspect of not having gears to shift or brakes to depend on to stop. Instead you use your leg power to lock up the drive train causing the back tire to skid, thus slowing you down. But with this come one detail that is overlooked by many of those who try riding one, no coasting! So not only do you get around traffic more efficiently but you also get a cardio workout like you’ve never had before.

But just riding a fixed gear bike around isn’t what keeps most of its riders hooked. It’s the collective bike community made up of all different sorts of people who all share the same love for cycling. Organized bike rides have taken over your weekly bowling night and the bike culture is stronger than ever with progressive riders from coast to coast. Midnight Ridazz hosts info on almost every ride imaginable in the SoCal area. Find meet up spots and times to each ride and even check the pace for each ride. Also be sure to check out Prolly’s blog to get the latest news on what’s going on on the east coast and hit up Tracko to get the updates on the westside. Both of these guys are big voices in the cycling community and they both tell it as it is. Together, the bike community works diligently to improve roadways to accommodate bike lanes, update bike laws to provide better protection for cyclists on the road, and to have more bike racks installed around the city. So whether you’re riding a fixed gear, road, bmx, or any other bike in the city you can appreciate the road we all share and the camaraderie of being on two wheels.