Originally uploaded by Jory .
Well, there you have it. The wheel of my bike with a fixed gear attached.
It all seems so inevitable now. The stages of adoption of any trend are as follows.
1. Awareness: In this stage the subject becomes aware that a trend exists. I was aware of fixed gear bikes in the 90s due to Sheldon Brown’s website but I never knew it was a trend until I returned to researching bikes online in the last few years. At that point I felt surrounded by the fixed gear trend in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles.
2. Fascination: “Whoa! Just What Is It that Makes Today’s Bikes So Different, So Appealing, So Chic and Unique?”
3. Distain: “This has nothing to do with me. Hi, I’m a narcissist.”
4. Mockery: Fear sets in (see 3 above) and the resulting urge to ridicule. “Check out that hipster with no breaks on his bike! Gimmie a break! HA HA! Get it?”
5. Adoption: Fascination wins out over fear. Wisdom over narcissism. “This vehicle has a compelling feature set which pairs nicely with MY lifestyle and personality.”
6. Promotion: The trends continues to expand. “I am blogging about my bicycle.”
