A friend told me this would pass

Back in '07 a friend in the bike recycle/rebuilding business, told me he thought this whole single/fixie thing had about another year before it would be out of fashion. I remember thinking then, what the fuck did he mean? What fashion? He said to me, you know all these hipsters will be on to something else. He thought they might adopt cars or motorcycles or make train riding vogue. I said, dude... you don't get it. This ain't no fad.  Some people live for this. A bike isn't just an accessory, like a fancy purse. To many of us it's freedom. Freedom from oil, from city parking Nazi's, freedom from traffic jams, freedom from car mechanics, cab drivers and some smelly bastard, who will always pick you out as the person to sit next to on the bus.  I guess a guy that builds bikes but spends most of his time in a car and on expressways, can't actually understand.

One thing I know for sure. I've met more people who have freed themselves of the slavery of car ownership, than I could have ever imagined 5 years ago. I've also been contacted by countless numbers of folks who either want a fixie or want their current bike built into one. Many of those folks, like myself, don't really fit the hipster mystique. They seem to come from all walks of life actually. Small town kids, business types, moms, young and not so young.

I've got a new name for my old friend... 

Mr. Wrong