Addicted to (the) speed

You know, I'm one of those single-speed band wagoneers. I just up and bought one two years ago. I was attracted to the simplicity of it. I had been a roadie, you know, the shoes, lycra, cyclocomputer and also an off-roader, front-suspended, cross country, shoes, lycra, etc. etc. etc.

I just got tired of all the stuff, of lugging shoes around, of suiting up to go anywhere, of worrying about my average speed and cadence. Sick and tired of it.

So single-speed, no clips, just made sense. And I was hooked pretty quickly. I thought originally that it was the simplicity of it, the purity that all the nerds talk about that got me. This morning I realized that it's actually the speed I'm addicted to. Riding single has made me faster. Not thinking about gearing has made me faster. Not having any components hanging on my bike has made me faster.

And I just love the speed. I love to sprint across the city, dusting cabs and commuters. I love the traffic weave. I love the twitchy steering and the lack of options. And, as I mentioned in my last post, I love the smooth, quiet hum of the straight chain.

I don't wanna talk about single vs. fixed right now. I'm not even sure it's worth talking about. If you love to ride, it doesn't matter what you ride. Ride a $6000 all carbon road bike. Ride a vintage three-speed cruiser. Whatever.

Me? I just wanna go fast.