BSNYC Fixed-Gear Apocalypse Watch: The PistaDex

As you may know, I've been watching for signs of the Fixed-Gear Apocalypse for some time now. If you don't know what the FGA is, it is the day when the fixed-gear trend finally reaches the point of collapse and trendy cyclists the world over abandon their track bikes, conversions, and fixed-gear freestylers en masse for BMXes, vintage road bikes, recumbents with hydraulics, or whatever the next trend turns out to be. And in the spirit of public service, I've been sharing these signs with you so you can either abandon yours or swoop in and pick one up cheap, according to your own proclivities.

Of course, interpreting these signs can be very subjective--it's kind of like divining the future from sheep's entrails. This is why I'm proud to announce I've come up with a new, objective FGA indicator. It's called the PistaDex. Simply go to your local Craigslist Bikes for Sale section, search out all the Bianchi Pistas, and take the average of the prices at which they're being offered. That is your local PistaDex. A healthy PistaDex should be at or close to full Pista retail, or $579.99 for a 2007 model, and means the FGA is still a long way away. But should it fall below, say, $400, you'd better start shopping for a BMX. Let's take a look at the current PistaDices in our larger cities:

New York City:

2005 Bianchi Pista Track Bike (57cm) Chrome, $475 (West Village) [original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/478180150.html]

Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2007-11-13, 10:08PM EST

As the title states, Bianchi Pista 57cm. Bike is in exceptional condition. Comes with a freewheel installed (wheel can be easily flipped for fixed riding). Also comes with installed front brake. Only "flaws" are semi worn tires (original tires), and 2 scraps on the handlebar tape. The price is FIRM. If you ask for a price negotiation I will not reply to your email. This follows in meeting up as well. $475 FIRM. Thank you.

BTW, please don't request pictures. This is not some form of a scam (local sale only) and the bike is EXACTLY as described. You can see a near clone (my handlebars have black tape) here: http://www.bianchiusa.com/06_pista.html . Again, the bike is chrome, not gang green. Lastly I'm 5' 10" and the bike feels great, but this size frame can accomodate someone relativelt shorter or taller easily.

OK, only one Pista on the NYC list at the moment, but at $475 it means the PistaDex is still well above the point at which we should be alarmed. There are also certain intangibles here that further assuage any concerns I might have, particularly the seller's brusque and borderline abusive manner. (In times of healthy PistaDex, sellers treat buyers as annoyances.) Also reassuring is the fact that the bike includes no "upgrades" beyond the addition of a freewheel and a front brake. Lastly, he couldn't be bothered to include a photo, and instead links to a different color bicycle on the Bianchi site. So while the PistaDex isn't through the roof here, I see no cause for alarm quite yet.

NYC PistaDex: 475

CHICAGO

Bianchi Pista, sized 49 - $300 [original URL: http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/482931410.html]

Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2007-11-18, 5:55PM CST

I have a clean Bianchi Pista sized 49 with no decals! The fork is also a size 49 (I believe it is a Benotto).

The specs can be found here http://www.bianchiusa.com/06_pista.html

I am just selling the frame and fork. It does not come with a headset or BB.

The frame has one tiny dent on the top tube. If interested please email me and I will send you some pics.

The price is 300 obo. I would also be willing to trade for a bigger sized track frame and fork. Thanks

When I saw this one, I almost panicked. $300 for a Pista?!? Fortunately though it turns out it's just a frame and fork, and doesn't even include a headset or a bottom bracket. Considering the fact that you can buy new fixed-gear frame/fork combos for around $300 means we're still in good shape here.

2004 All Chrome Pista - $500 [Original URL: http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/480386134.html]

Reply to: sale-480386134@craigslist.org

Date: 2007-11-16, 12:40AM CST

For sale is a 2004 Bianchi Pista track bike. I've only ridden this for one season, always kept it indoors. No wrecks or significant scratches. I've stripped and clear coated the main tubes, leaving only the Bianchi symbol on the headset and "Chick Built," cause it's a cool sticker. Also has barely-ridden kevlar-lined Bontrager tires. Rear hub has flip track/single-speed gear. Ready to ride. $500 or best offer.

I was further comforted by this listing. $500 for a 2004 Pista complete with a set of (un)flop-and-chops sporting a nice dog-erection tape job. Of course I hate to see the "or best offer" because it implies the seller may be negotiable, but still, things are looking quite good in Chicago.

Chicago PistaDex: 450*

(PistaDex adjusted by adding a modest $100 to frame/fork price.)

DENVER

sell/trade my fixed gear Bianchi Pista for SS Mt bike or FS frame - $625 [original URL: http://denver.craigslist.org/bik/461650662.html]

Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2007-10-27, 6:29PM MDT

Bike has some upgrades. I painted the fork red and have red matching speedium tires, I will even throw in a set of black continental tires. All have many, many miles left on them. New black KORE stem and handlebars were flipped and cut to make bullhorn style. I replaced the awful stock plastic pedals for generic but decent metal ones. I have 2 front wheels for it as well the original and a cool looking black Grecal Parade with 16 spokes (I think) instead of the normal 32. plastic rear fender is just clipped on. Only drawback is that the rear tube is flat right now and it does not include the Brooks saddle.

If you want to buy it outright I will let it go for $675 which is exactly what I paid brand new so you are getting all the upgrades for free.

If you to trade I would take a single speed Mt bike or a full suspension frame. I would prefer something with disc brakes or disc brake mounts, so keep that in mind. Thanks.

This is a welcome sign. Butchered bars, questionable home paint job on the fork, crap-tastic extras of dubious value, and an asking price well over what a new one would cost. Praise the Mono-Cog Lord!

**2007 Bianchi Pista** Fixie, Silver/Chrome 56cm - $475 [original URL: http://denver.craigslist.org/bik/452740714.html]

Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2007-10-18, 12:09PM MDT

Bianchi, fixed/track bike, 56cm. I've put close to 200 miles on this bike in approximately a month...I have to sell it due to my knees...I've had both reconstructed and it is tearing them up...The bike is in great condition, beautiful, beautiful bike...All original equipment-you can read more about it here: http://www.bianchiusa.com/07_pista.html

Please see the attached pictures. Comes with flat pedals, I've taken mine off.

I'm sorry to hear about the seller's knees of course, but bad news for him means good news for Denver. His asking price of $475 keeps their PistaDex in the safe zone.

Denver PistaDex: 550

SAN FRANCISCO

57cm 2007 Bianchi Pista - $1000 (western addition) [original URL: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/481451012.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2007-11-17, 12:29AM PST

I am selling a 57cm, 2007 Bianchi Pista with additional upgrades, $2000 worth after completion. Here is a list of the upgraded parts:

Frame/ Forks- Bianchi.

Cranks- Sugino 75.

Chain Ring- Sugino 48t.

Bottom Brack- Sugino.

Rear Cog- Phil Wood 18t.

Rims- 622x15

Mavic MA3 (both machined).

Hubs- Phil Wood 32 high.

Bars- Deda Velociti.

Stem- Nitto.

Peds- MKS.

Toes- MKS.

Straps- EAI.

Chain- Scram.

Saddle- Bianchi.

This is what everybody who dreads the Apocalypse wants to see--a compulsively upgraded Pista that breaks the four-figure mark. Hallelujah! Reciting that list of components is an incantation powerful enough to make derailleurs all up and down the West Coast quiver and fall off.

Stolen Bianchi Pista, battleship gray 53cm - $500 (downtown / civic / van ness) [original URL: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/478790181.html]

Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2007-11-14, 11:25AM PST

I just had my bike stolen, it was a battleship gray bianchi pista with suntour superbe cranks. If you happen upon it, it's a stolen bike. Please contact me with details. Thank you!

I'm always sorry to see a bike stolen, but if the owner's willing to pay $500 to get it back that number must be factored into the PistaDex.

San Francisco PistaDex: 750

LOS ANGELES

Bianchi Pista 53cm - $600 [original URL: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/bik/480534887.html]

Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2007-11-16, 6:03AM PST

Bianchi Pista 53cm. Pretty much a stock pista with chopped Nitto B115 bars (have original drops (included). Ridden, but well taken care of with just a couple minor chips. Mavic Open Pros with Suzue ProMax 32 hubs, MKS SYII pedals.

One Pista in LA at the moment, but happily it's selling for over the MSRP.

Los Angeles PistaDex: 600

So in conclusion, it would seem that all our fear-mongering has been for naught. The combined PistaDex for these five cities is a robust 565, which is almost exactly what a brand-new Pista costs in a bike shop. Of course, whether this is good news or bad news is subject to debate. And we should not allow ourselves to grow complacent. Some of these cities are a $250 Pista away from doomsday.

Worst of NYC Craigslist Bike Ads #25, #26, and #27

I can't speak for the other cities which have gotten the Langster treatment, but when it comes to New York Specialized missed the mark like Michael Rasmussen missed his drug tests. Probably the biggest mistake is the taxicab color scheme. In NYC, bikes and taxicabs don't exactly have a harmonious relationship. In fact, cabs are to cyclists what cats are to mice, or deli slicers are to vegans, or Turks are to Cypriots. We're not exactly looking to pay good money to pay homage to them. Then there's the website copy: "Built for rallying city streets and lapping racers at the velodrome..." Uh, unless you're a derny pacer you're not going to be lapping anybody at the velodrome with flat bars.

The Specialized New York Langster appears to be designed by the same team responsible for the tchotchkes you find in Times Square gift shops. If they really wanted to market a true New York-style fixed-gear, they'd have gone straight to the wellspring of crap that is Craigslist for their inspiration. Here are a few fetid posts from which they could have learned something:

Fixed Gear track bike 50 cm Brass Knuckle TRADE OR SELL - $1200
[original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/436167003.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2007-09-30, 12:51PM EDT

http://velospace.org/node/4695

clink link for the bikes specs

looking for an older bike or rare bike etc price is negotiable but will swap out parts

Note the pricing on this one. Specialized is only charging a retail price of $740 for the New York Langster. While that kind of conservative pricing may fly in Duluth, here in NYC we like our prices inflated like a lipful of collagen. Apartments, cocktails, bikes--if it doesn't have an extra decimal place we figure it just ain't worth buying. Asking $1,200 with a straight face for a bike as ugly as this takes moxie. Note also that the seller is negotiable on price but will swap out parts. If I were buying, I'd actually pay more for any downgrade that would make this bike less disgusting.

50 CM IRO ANGUS Track Bike White / Gold - $750
[original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/432987600.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2007-09-26, 5:44PM EDT


broke as shit, moving, and dont need 2 bikes.

so the angus is for sale. its white, which is dope looking and they dont make the color anymore. it was also a limited run of the frame which isnt drilled for a rear brake AND doesnt have those ugly ass little bottle holder holes.

deep V's laced with black spokes and black nipples with relativly new tires, i built this at the beginning of spring, but then built another bike shortly after which is my daily so this has very few miles, no dents and is clean.

here are some pics, but now it has drop bars and metal cages.

46 16 gearing, nitto stem, bla bla.

gimme a ring if you want it, or email [deleted]

Another New York lesson Specialized would have done well to learn--charge more for less. Yes, nothing is "doper" or gets the pulse pounding harder than a white bike--it looks slow just standing still. (And together with the gold rims, it looks like a rapper's mouth.) And yes, nothing is uglier than useful braze-ons (as Dave Moulton will tell you). This kind of studiously detached prose is exactly the kind of copy Specialized should have used for the New York Langster. The seller seems put-upon and exasperated despite the fact that he's trying to sell his bike and can't afford his rent, which makes you want to get to know him and give him money. Best of all is the inclusion of the cat in the photo, which proves that this bike is, quite literally, a pussy magnet.

Bianchi Pista Chrome Large frame Flip hub single speed - $500
[original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/431970929.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2007-09-25, 4:32PM EDT


Perfect condition

Moving Back to San Francisco.

Kai [deleted]

Nothing's more New York than the person who decides to leave town and sell his Pista for just under full MSRP. It's as New York as bagels, pizza by the slice, and rat dander-induced asthma. If "Midnight Cowboy" were made today, Jon Voight would have tried to sell off his Pista on Craigslist just after he got tired of whoring himself and just before he got on the bus to Florida with Dustin Hoffman. If the Langster is ever going to reach Pista status, Specialized is going to have to get with the program. Notice Bianchi doesn't have to resort to cutesy city-themed Pistas--though if they did, I think this one should be the New York edition. With its taped frame, tilted saddle, and intact reflectors, it evokes the naive country boy who has been forced to confront the harsh realities of the big city. They could call it the "Joe Buck."

Worst of NYC Craigslist Bike Ads #20 (and #21, and #22, and #23, and #24)

Craigslist is like a composting toilet--everybody in town just keeps bringin' the crap. And if cycling culture is a rock, Craigslist is the disgusting mess of insects, worms and larvae that you find wriggling around beneath it when you flip it over. Prepare to lose your appetite:

hey douchebag on the iro [original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/422230951.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2007-09-14, 10:29AM EDT
yeah you on smith st. in brooklyn, this is the second time you've almost nailed me. I know you're cool and all on your fixie but how about actually looking into intersections before you bomb thru red lights. If you do it again I'm gonna go cinzano on your ass.

Hey, I think I've seen that IRO! What a shame. I never thought IROs would become the new IROCs.

pink surly fixie - $200 (Union Square) [http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/422062375.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2007-09-14, 1:55AM EDT
chris king hs, thomson stem, avid disc in front, yay.... i need to stop and my legs too skiiny. i'm getting a black iro, black is the new pink

Speaking of douchebags on IROs, looks like there's going to be another one soon. Why would you do this to a Surly 1x1? All this thing needs is a couple of pink bottle cages to hold a couple bottles of Pepto-Bismol. Not only will they look great, but you'll need them to settle your stomach every time you look down at the monstrosity you're riding. I've got to thank this person for one thing, though--now I know what the inside of a dead body looks like.





fixie project - $50 [original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/422054493.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2007-09-14, 1:34AM EDT
N-I-C-E. Need bb, cranks, pedals and chain.

Oh, you'll need one other thing--a tetanus shot.

2007 Gang Green Bianchi Pista for Sale (57cm) - $600 [original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/421445886.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
2007-09-13, 12:46PM EDT
2007 Bianchi Pista for sale; I'm moving to London on Monday, so ideally it'd leave this weekend or tomorrow, tonight, whenever - just before Monday. Bought it in March '07 for about $640 w/ taxes and all that. Throwing in a Kryptonite lock ($60) and floor pump ($40). I think the whole thing was $750 in total, so for a bike that's only a couple months old and like-new shape, the price is fairly reasonable. Never crashed or hit or anything like that. Paint's fine all around; rides same as always.

Sorry if the pictures are a little dark.

I've got nothing against the venerable Bianchi Pista. I don't even mind that I see twenty of them a day. But what I do mind is that every single person who tries to sell one on Craigslist tries to sell it at or above full MSRP. Like this guy. Oh, wait, he's actually going to take a $40 hit and throw in some free crap. My mistake. And hey, no need to apologize for the dark pictures. We all know what a Pista looks like. But what's with the reversed image? Is the bike dyslexic? (Or fix-lexic?) If so you should just take it to London with you--it will be quite comfortable on the wrong side of the road.

Track Free Wheel Blue (Tall Frame) Bicycle New Rims, Tire, Chain, Bars - $280 [original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/420377345.html]
Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2007-09-12, 7:27AM EDT
Pleased to present a Track Free Wheel Blue Bicycle With New Rims, Tire, Chain, Handle, Bars, seat, Grips, break levers, Fork (upgraded to a all chrome new fork), cables & peddles. The frame is 25’’ inches & the rims are aluminum 27x 1 ¼’’ inches. Deliver is very is available & Please email or call me (347) 733-2079 Peter; if you have any questions & Thank you for your inquire. Note: All of our bicycles are professionally tuned & reconditioned. You are invited to copy & past out web link below to view our past (many more same style) bicycles.

The original fixed-gear chop shop was bad enough. Now there's a new retard on the scene. What in the goddamn hell is a "track free wheel bicycle?" Why do people just take a bunch of trendy bike words and string them together like brain-damaged parrots when they sell stuff on Craiglist? Speaking of brain damage, I'm not picky when it comes to spelling, but one mistake I cannot stomach is spelling "pedals" "peddles." Dear Idiot: a "pedal" is the thing your foot goes on, and "peddle" is what you're trying to do with your crap.

Fixedgeargallery...of duelling styles

One of my favorite things about Fixedgeargallery is the incredible variety of styles. There are infinite ways to ruin an innocent bike, and thanks to online galleries new examples are paraded before us every day. And unlike the real world, where devotees of certain styles tend to band together, online you can see them all side-by-side. Here are two that, while completely different, compliment each-other in a Turtle-and-Drama kind of way:



Years ago hip-hop culture was shipped wholesale to Japan only to return in a much more potent, refined and marketable form. It was then sold back to us through expensive periodicals with lots of pictures and little text and in overpriced boutiques in trendy neighborhoods. Somehow track bikes got caught up in this as well. Owners sought graffiti murals in front of which to photograph their bikes, chose their upgrades based on pictorials in style magazines, and began referring to their bikes as "whips" that are "mad fun to ride." You're now more likely to find a track bike in a sneaker shop than in a velodrome, and the rider's more likely to be wearing untied Nikes than Sidis. (Sadly, though Nike has left cycling, their influence remains.) This Pista (complete with dope rear rim) embodies this aesthetic well--I count at least four things on this bike that could have been upgraded to better effect for the money spent on those ridiculous wheels, which I hate to say are mad ugly, yo.

On the other hand, we have this specimen. Largely a relic from another decade, it has tried to reinvent itself in fixed-gear form in order to fit in with a younger crowd. The owner has duly noted the aero-wheel-in-the-front trend, and so he sourced the Hed from an old tri bike. Unfortunately it misses the mark--that wheel's not deep dish, it's a Pizza Hut stuffed-crust pizza. He also dug out the Alter stem, which, along with the mullet and the zebra-striped kit, is right up there with the things of which Mario Cipollini is most ashamed. Then there's the "Dura Ace" crank (sure, Shimano made a 110bcd black Dura Ace crank, didn't you know that?) with the mind-bogglingly absurd 60 tooth chainring. I guess the owner figures he'll blow out what's left of his knees in order to try to hang with the kids. (Gearing rule-of-thumb: your chainring should not be larger than your front wheel.) Lastly, and perhaps saddest of all, is the Garmin so he can find his way home.