Zen On Wheels
OldSkoolTrack.com is the nexus of Track-bike culture. Track-bikes are light, fast, and extremely responsive bikes that have no brakes, and only one direct-drive fixed-gear. Yes, no brakes. While you may question the sanity of someone riding this bike, ask yourself this, “If Kevin Bacon can ride one in Quicksilver, why shouldn’t I?”
In defense, proponents of the track-bike say that it provides a better workout than conventional bikes as you are always in complete control of the bike. It’s been called “Zen on wheels” because of the inhuman ability to become ultra-perceptive of one’s surroundings when you have no brakes.
Riding a track bike is a totally Zen-like experience. You are in total contact with the bike, the road, and everything around you. A track bike is cycling stripped down to its barest essentials.
Brian Dorfmann, Programmer at a large Manhattan law firm
Can you do the “Kevin Bacon dismount”?