The 26″ urban singlespeed machine is a minority within a minority. It’s so rare you’re more likely to spot a panda hangin out at your favorite coffee spot. So every time I see a 26″ conversion I know it’s time to take a closer look. I didn’t get disappointed when I spotted dis ride here:

Someone must have had a strong vision with this one and although I can’t really understand it, it kinda intrigues me. It’s like seeing a strangely appealing woman in a freakish robe where you can’t stop wondering what drove her to dress like that and why you actually find her attractive enough to even give a shit. Let’s take it from the top:

Ok, absurde cockpits are always worth the investigation. Simply using a short stem and some risers doesn’t seem to be custom enough so the owner went for one of them tilty stems and a flatbar, so far so good. He also managed to mount the brake levers in a decent, symmetrical position but doesn’t seem to give a shit about grips or bar tape. I thought that was a means to boost the fixed gear gangsta‘s hardcore level, you know, keirin bars without grips or tape, so I’m kinda confused here. But anyways, the story continues:

We all know it’s very smart to use a frame with dropouts that don’t allow for chain tensioning for a singlespeed conversion. Thank god the industry reacted quickly to that nonsense hype and brought us those stupid, easy to mount chain tensioners that will make your chain fucking slip every time you try to accelerate. Good luck if you overslept and have to hurry to get to work in time. But there’s more to come:

Lighting is a crucial thing if we’re talking commuting. And those magnet powered, axle mounted blinky lights are supposed to be the shit, right? Never mind they’re not bright enough and sitting in a position where noone will notice in the first place. The combination with the quick release is top notch of course, especially if you need to change your tube quickly while you’re late for work.

So much for the technical highlights. Now let’s get down to the shit that really matters:

Of course the color is what sets your ride apart from the insignificant rest. But it’s not as easy as you might think. In these modern times you gotta go that extra mile to be unique. Spraypainting the shit out of your ride isn’t enough, you have to take it even further. Like actually gluing some gold foil on your lugs. I mean I’ve seen people put digi camo stickers all over their fixed gear gangsta bikes but gold foil on this one? I still don’t get the owners vision and I still don’t understand why this bike caught my attention. All I know is that he must have spent quite some time to bring his vision to life. Just imagine him repainting that thing and going: ‘Hmm, dig that beige/green combi, but somethings missing..I know! Gold foil!!’.

That’s right, make that thing fucking shine..

• 26, cockpit, gold, singlespeed, unique, urban, vision
• Top