A little more with a little less....

I'm going on a mini overnight tour with my girlfriend this weekend. We're staying at a 50s cottage at Crystal Cove. I've been debating which bike to bring. The Xtracycle is great, but I will be packing light and would rather not be carrything the extra weight. So I figured I'd try taking my fixie.

Fixed gear bikes probably aren't the first thing that comes to mind as a touring bike. Mine has no eyelets for fenders or a rear rack. I went to a local bike shop and bought this seatpost rack by Delta (the Delta PostPorter). This particular model has a frame that pannier hooks can attach to. It's weight limit is 25lbs.

I tested it out today running some errands. I attached a basket to it and bought some groceries. Later, I took it out for a quick assignment, strapping my Bogen 3031 tripod to it (not the lightest tripod). So far it has performed admirably. The true test will be this weekend when I will have two panniers on it.

Fixed Gear Gallery bike #5042!

If you ride fixed and have access to the internets, you've probably been on Fixed Gear Gallery. It is a great repository of images of fixed gear bikes around the world. Today, my Surly Steamroller has joined the Great Archive as bike number 5042 (42! for you Douglas Adams fans).

The New York Times recently ran a story on fixed gear bikes. The online version has a great slideshow with audio with different people talking about bike culture.