Want a bike you can race down the velodrome one moment and pop tricks with the next? Giant’s new Bowery FMX should spin your schizophrenic gears, marrying the track sensibilities of fixed gear bikes with the street stylings of a BMX.
Why outfit a track bike with BMX parts? If you’re not familiar with the burgeoning scene, a growing mass of thrill riders have been making a habit of taking out track bikes in the city, using it to perform freestyle tricks and exhibitions. There are numerous grassroots-level group rides, events and competitions now dedicated to it. So why not get in on the all the fun?
The name probably clued you in already on the bike’s hybrid nature. Designed for responsive urban riding, the FMX sports a light butted aluminum frame, a chromoly fork, three-piece chromoly cranks and a BMX-style saddle seat. The fixed gear mechanism runs off on fast-rolling 700c wheels with Michelin tires, which should withstand both drops and skids (yes, they use this thing for skidding competitions). A BMX-style top tube pad is even included for good measure.
Clad in white with a classic Giant logo, most folks will likely have mixed feelings about how this ride looks. I mean, will you seriously attend a fixed gear meet-up and throw down with the cool kids on a bike that looks like this? At least, the white offers a good base for painting over – which I think you should consider once you get it.
Ready to do barspins, footdowns and other urban tricks on a fixed gear bike? The identity-confused Giant Bowery FMX is available now for $750.
[Cadence 120 via Prolly Is Not Probably]