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FAQ: fyxomatosis
What is fyxomatosis?
A play on Myxomatosis (Mick-so-mar-toe-sis).
I had a pet rabbit when I was a kid (contentious whether I still am) which was infected by a wild rabbit. 'Myxo' slowly took over my pet, making its eyes swells and bulge, losing its ability to hear, and constant heavy salivating. Makes them easy prey.
A band from oxford also made a song titled 'Myxomatosis'.
I started riding track bikes in London when the slowest courier in the city rode one for a month and won his first (of many) alleycat. I thought there must be something about them if he could win so I got my first track bike for 50 quid. A vintage holdsworth. 57x54.
Now all I seem to ride is track bikes. On road, off road, street, track. Im known to ride a 'townie' too, cause townies are the new fixed.
Why do you wear such colourful clothing which doesn't go with anything?
Im colourblind.
Get dressed in the dark.
Shop alone.
Should I ride old skool cages, or new school pedal tecknology?
Bikeforums.net for all your trainspottin ponderings.
I'll be riding while youre wondering.
Why dont you have brakes?
It's a common question asked.
For the most part, onlookers stare deeply, knowing that what they are seeing is unusual but can't say why.
Here's a little background on how I got 'infected'.
Way back when (aka 2000) I raced a fellow messenger in london down the treacherous Piccadilly. My pimped out, carbon 'Giant' mountain bike was street equipped with disc brakes, and slick tyres. I thought I was pretty fast back then, and then, this little fella on what looked like a road bike with one gear pulls alongside...
A brief conversation ensued, and turns out he's from 'In Zed' or New Zealand for the masses. I asked if he was saving up to purchase gears for his bike.
That was the last of our brief conversation before he starts cranking and disappearing between black cabs, double deckers, and latte weilding peds.
I caught up with him again on Regent st, me being exhausted and visibly short of breath. Whatever 'one' gear he had was better than any of the 27 between my legs.
I saw another 'quick' bloke around town stopped one day and see that he also has 'one' gear on his bike. We chat over a cuppa tea and he offers me a ride on his bike.
Sure. Why not?
I step over his bike, a good two sizes or so too small, and start to turn the cranks. I make it about a turn and a half and realise that it wont stop...
'WHATS UP WITH YOUR BLOODY BIKE MATE?!'
'It's a fixed gear.'
'A wot? Whatever it is I dont like it much. Thanks anyway.'
The straw that truly broke the camels back was seeing a messenger on 'one' of these 'one' bikes, trackstanding in the middle of a VERY busy interesection, with no hands on the handlebars, and a closer look, no brakes at all on his bike. In his hands was a large box. Trucks, taxis and cars flew past in both directions while he waited for a gap in the traffic, and when it came, his vanished between two cars and was gone.
What the?
The hunt didn't last long for my first ride. I asked the kids at the local bike shop and sure enough, a 6' 4", 19 year old has his 'junior' track bike lying around that he'll take 50 quid for. All I can say is this kid was a big boy from a young age.
True track bikes are not drilled to accomodate brakes. My first track bikes fork had been swapped and a brake installed. I rode for two years with a front brake. A few close friends in London started riding 'sans' brakes and I thought they had a death wish...
One day my trusty holdsworth had to go to the doctor, so I rode my other track bike. VERY slowly at first. I changed the track gear to a smaller gear and voila! No brakes no more.
The rest is history...
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