Kyoto Fixie Bicycle in front of Bibliotec Cafe

カフェビブリオテク前のフィクシー自転車

The fixie craze is slowly filtering its was down from Tokyo to the provinces.

In front of one of Kyoto's better machiya cafes, Cafe Bibliotec, there was a white fixed gear bicycle parked.

The cafe is a grand old building that was renovated and reborn as a cafe and restaurant.

In keeping with its name, it is full of books and magazines.

Based on the customers there at the time, we suspect the culprit - that is, the owner of the bike - was one of the chefs.

Bibliotec is located on Nijo Dori several blocks west of Teramachi.

Information

650 Seimei-cho, Yanaginobanba higashi iru, Nijo Nakagyo-ku

075 231 8625

Hours

11:30 am - midnight



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Kyoto Fixed Gear Bicycle

京都のフィクシー

Whenever we see a fixed gear bicycle, we realize, again, that we are old.

No, not old old, but we are a middle-aged bourgeois commuter riding a mass-produced reasonably-priced Taiwanese cross bike.

And we love it. It takes the rain, the beating, and even our clumsy attempts at tuning it up.

Aside from replacing the tires once, periodic derailleur adjustments, brake pad replacement, we have done no major repair work. It keeps on rolling, day in and day out, six years on.

A fixed-gear bicycle, or "fixie," is a bicycle with no freewheel.

Simply translated, that means it cannot coast; without pedaling the bike will stop.

Thus, when the rear wheel turns the pedals will and must move in the same direction. Braking is thus done by stopping pedaling; as a result, many fixies are sold without brakes (the Japanese police frown on this).

It is also apparently possible to ride backwards.

The bikes have a clean look - no derailleur, no brakes, no wiring - and popular among young men but we still don't get it.

No coasting? No handbrakes?

© CycleKyoto.com

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Japan
Touring
Kyoto
Cycle
Fixie