Fixed gear bikes and cycling are hot. Freddie Mercury knew it, colleague Tom Palmaerts knows this, Nalden has been blogging about it (and dutchmen know their bikes I might add) and a couple of weeks ago On-Point also ran with it, featuring a great documentary on the lives of New York bicycle messengers. It are these messengers who are know world wide for their neck-breaking bicycling trips, often on fixed gear bikes, throughout the city. Having told you this, you just know its got to be true that fixed gears are the way you should be rollin’ in 2009.

To get back on track (get it, little wordplay goin’ on over here ), I read today that the European Cycle Messenger Chamionships started over in Berlin. This is like the freakin’ olympics for fixed gearheads as they’ve got different disciplines going on next to a main race. They’ll be holding team, sprint, uphill,…  races but also host a specific fixed gear track with a best trick, a skid battle (I read helmets are mandatory for this one ) and a bike polo competition next to many others.

The first ever championship was held in Berlin back in 1993. At that point it still consisted of a small community but throughout the years it emerged as a real hardcore sport it seems and this years edition will once again bring hundreds of professional bike messengers, with their unique profession and lifestyle, from across the globe together for three days of races and crazy battles. The organisers state that: “Non-messengers are as always tolerated at this event, although leave the excessive posing to the professionals, thanks.“.

If you’re interested in more info check out the events website and pay some special attention to their “German for Beginners” section  where you can find classic expressions such as “Ich bin in der mood für love” which they state “might just get you laid“.

If you’ve got some time and digg good docu’s check the clips I added. The first one is the documentary On-Point featured. This is a must see, as the bicycle messenger’s life has been captured in a wonderful way. The second clip is the trailer for what seems to be a full length documentary called ‘Murder of Couriers’. I stumbled upon this trailer couple of weeks ago and taught the time was right to share it with you all.

Messenger from Kalim Armstrong on Vimeo.

All I can say is that its great to see how the whole culture is spreading throughout Europe and with the popularity of fixed gear bikes being on the rise I’m curious to see if it will get picked up in BE and turn into its own scene.

Let us know what your thoughts are on fixed gear bikes, the vids and our blog in general. Out.

(post inspired through bigup.)

Tagged: berlin, Documentary, fixed gear bikes, madness, on-point