BIRMINGHAM’S THIRD ALLEYCAT IS READY

£2 entry fee.

digital camera or camera phone required

A-Z or other indexed map required

Use any bike, fixed singlespeed or gears

Approx 10 checkpoints around city centre edges

Cash prize

**********************************************

RIDE CAREFULLY, RIDE SENSIBLY, WEAR A HELMET, BE VISIBLE, STOP AT RED LIGHTS, DON’T TAKE STUPID RISKS… BE SAFE.

**********************************************

I’ve had e-mails from a few new visitors, so welcome to y’all. Scroll down to read about the latest Birmingham fixed gear rides, races, news, out of town events, and all that. To make navigation easier, you can view the site by category (see the Category section on the right) to exclusively view events, fixtastic bike rides, and stuff for sale. Contact us with any news, suggestions or if you have any fixed stuff for sale, and feel free to arrange a ride in the ‘arrange a ride‘ section.

“Fixie punks love cycling, and they love it enough to integrate it with their daily lives. They ride nothing but what roadies deride as “junk miles”: not a heart rate monitor in sight, no sausage-casing of spandex outlining the genitals, not training for anything, but riding in the moment. Riding to work, to a bar or coffeehouse, to a concert, to a party, or just to ride. Wearing clothes that are recognizable as shirts and pants, or even skirts or dresses. I don’t think they need role models–I think they are role models. People who ride as part of their daily lives. Only an idiot would call those “junk miles.”"

Click here to read the full article.

Address: Feckenham Rd, Headless Cross, Redditch, B97 5AQ

Contact Ken Tye on 01527 541026 for more details.

Photo by C Keller-Jackson

So, some geezer has destroyed the Rollapaluza record. A tenth under 18 seconds, will any of the Birmingham fixed gear crew be able to test this badman?

If you’ve not had the chance to try roller racing, I definitely recommend that you take the opportunity if and when it arises. It’s really a form of self-abuse disguised as some sort of ‘competetive bicycle race event’ which will leave you feeling physically and mentally destroyed but thirsty for more punishment. Rollapaluza has been in Brum at least twice, but that was during work hours.

Rollapaluza in Brum (photo by Jono)

I hope we can get them in Brum city centre somehow – maybe at the Custard Factory outside Ideal on a sunny Summer afternoon – who noze.

Photomontage by Westcoastmess

This is a messenger-run, fixed-only event that takes part in Glasgow and the Isle of Cumbrae.

Last year’s event (see site) in Millport (see tourist site) looked ace (see photos), I fancied going up last year but was put off by the long-ass train journey and the fact that I would have had to have time off work to enjoy the whole weekend. This year… who knows. Maybe some of the Birmingham fixed gear crew will be willing to sit on a train for six hours just to punish themselves at the say-so of hard Glaswegian bicycle couriers.

Birmingham’s biggest bike ride starts at Solihull Sixth Form College and from there heads along beautiful country lanes across the Cotswolds to Oxford.

At the Finish you’ll find refreshments, music and a beer tent to welcome you.

Start time is between 7:15am and 9:00am. Coaches run from Oxford back to Solihull all afternoon. Entry is £15 (or £14 each for a team of six or more riders), and you are encouraged to raise money for donation to The Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy, from sponsors.

More info here

Starting from Cannon Hill Park the route takes you on 55 miles of varied scenery. Once out of Birmingham you’ll pass through quiet lanes to the Roman town of Alcester and on to the “Jewel of the Cotswolds” – the picturesque village of Broadway. A climb onto the Cotswolds gives rewarding views before the sweeping descent into the spa town of Cheltenham and the Finish at the Pittville Pump Rooms.

I’ll be lost in Belgium by then but I thought others might be interested.

Start time is between 8:00am and 10:00am. Entry is £15 (or £14 each for a team of six or more riders), and you are encouraged to raise money for donation to The Foundation for Conductive Education, from sponsors.

More info here

I Bike MCR presents “a weekend of Alleycat Races, Fixed Gear Competitions & Bike Polo Tournament.”

As part of the annual super-long northern bikefest that is I Bike MCR, the magnificent Yo Fixie! event will be occuring on Saturday 18th April at 4pm at the Sugden Centre Carpark, off Oxford Road. It’s about half a mile from Piccadilly station, it’s so easy to find that even I managed to find it in about 5 minutes. Bear in mind that I get lost in my own house sometimes and need a map to find my way out – this is why I’m late for work every day (ahem).

In 2007 it cost £20 to get there from Brum with a Young Person’s Railcard – that was on a direct train, and I think the tickets were bought on the day. The cheapest ticket you will get without a railcard is £15.50 – that includes one change on both the outward and return journey. Don’t forget to reserve your bike space at the ticket office at New Street, otherwise the unforgiving fuckers on Virgin Trains won’t let you on. Alternatively, remove your wheels and tie them to your frame with a binbag or an old innertube. Tape the whole thing up with reclaimed cardboard and voila, you have a ‘non-bike’ which you can carry on the train without a reservation.

Just where were the Birmingham fixie crew in 2007 when I had to ‘reprazent’ all on me own? Eh? EH?! This one is going to be a good crack – mark the date on your calendar and let’s all go up and give those dirty Manc bastards a run for their money. COME ON!!!

See also: Hipsterpalooza