Stop that bike!

Ah, the debate on brakeless fixed gear riding came to the larger Swedish media over the weekend. One of the major newspapers here, Dagens Nyheterna, published an article (it's in Swedish, natch) in which the headline translates to "Illegal but popular to bike without brakes".

It just happens every now and again that a crack junior reporter finds him or herself at a party where the minimalistic-looking bikes piled in the corner catches their attention, a conversation with the bikes' owners ensues, knowledge base is passed and they show up to work Monday morning with a hot tip on what the kids of the city are really doing.

I'm not going to get into what people should do with their bikes and what they shouldn't. I ride brakeless and with brakes depending on how my bike happens to be set up. I also wear a helmet and ride slower than most of those spandexed carbon freaks. It's hard to say who's riding dangerously.

But the police like to stick their noses into what people should and shouldn't do with their bikes. There are laws against brakeless bikes in the US as well as here. And it's not just brakes in Sweden that the police are on the lookout for. Here's the list of what you need to coast through the fuzz:

+ at least one brake
+ front and back lights
+ reflectors on both wheels
+ and a fucking BELL

If you are stopped by the police in Sweden on your bike you will be fined 500 Swedish kronor (about $75) for every detail that's missing.

Here's what the police want us to ride:


Here's what a local Stockholm guy who organizes fixed gear events rides:


Whoops, get out your wallet.

Ring Ring! Is that a bell I hear? It must be my local post lady doing her daily rounds... Hej!

But all joking aside, I love the fact that people in Sweden and around Europe ride bikes instead of taking out the car. It's healthy and an all around good idea. But when the police get involved in what sort of bike I am allowed to ride it's a tough pill to swallow. And no thanks to Joe Blow down at the newspaper for bringing our little world to the attention of the masses and possibly authorities either.