The students are now the teachers

When I was 16, I spent my second bike shop summer at Harris Cyclery, home of master mechanic and proto-blogger Sheldon Brown, who passed away a few days before this column was due. Much has been said about Sheldon’s archive of vintage technical information, but what stands out from my experience with him is his openness to new technologies, a rarity among people with encyclopedic knowledge of antiquated tire sizing standards. I spent that summer saving my five bucks an hour to buy a set of Spinergys, the hot new wheels at the time, and Sheldon approved.

As someone with a modern take on vintage bicycle obscurities, Sheldon was also quick to embrace the emergence of fixed-gear street culture. Quicker than I was, to be honest. But I’ve come around, and I’m fortunate now to work with MASH, one of the most significant voices in that community.

Even though they’ve gone mostly unnoticed by the major cycling media, you’ve probably heard a lot about these guys if you’re into sneakers and streetwear. That’s how I found out about them. They’re from San Francisco, so we met up a few months ago to start talking about possibilities for marketing, product development and sponsorships.

The MASH project itself is a work of film and photography by Mike Martin and Gabe Morford, featuring about 12 riders and the city of San Francisco. It took three years to produce and premiered last year in San Francisco, LA, New York, Tokyo and Osaka. The DVD came out in November and sold out in 6 weeks. But it’s not all hype; these guys can really ride.

If you watch the trailer at mashsf.com, you might notice that they’re not wearing helmets or obeying traffic laws. Say what you will, but we all know plenty of bike racers who are guilty of the same offenses, and the injury report over three years of riding for the brakeless MASH crew could easily be mistaken for that of a local masters team.

Obviously, there are issues of safety and personal responsibility, and I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions about them. But I will say this: traditional cycling should see this culture as an opportunity, not a threat. Believe it or not, they are very much interested in following pro cycling, so here are three lessons that the cycling establishment can take away from kids riding track bikes.

Lesson #1: Draw from the past.

Cycling’s history is a rich mix of elegance, ruggedness, tall tales and colorful characters. But today’s pro cycling markets a sleek, exclusively modern image that rarely harkens back to the days of lugged frames and wool jerseys. In contrast, the most influential members of the new bicycle street culture are noticeably inspired by the imagery of classic bikes and legendary racers that contemporary teams and events tend to brush aside. That imagery carries with it the implication that cycling is a sport that endures, and promoting the depth of our roots would lend a sense of stability that we could use these days.

Lesson #2: Make it accessible.

People who talk about high-end road cycling as “the new golf” are typically referring to the country club atmosphere, even though golf has long since transitioned from elitist to populist. Pro cycling, at least in this country, would benefit from that kind of transition, and this new street culture has the potential to bring the sport to a diverse, urban audience. MASH will be collaborating on a bike line for 2009, and one of the most important things for us is to make sure that the finished product is affordable to people like the guy who made your latte this morning. For pro cycling, a broader appeal would mean more fans and a deeper talent pool.

Lesson #3: Be yourself.

We all know what Slipstream is about, and say what you will about Rock Racing, but at least they stand out from the crowd of clean-cut guys wearing matching logo-embroidered polo shirts. Otherwise, the personalities of most cycling teams are pretty interchangeable unless you have a preference for vacuum cleaners over health insurance. On the other hand, MASH has worked hard to differentiate the project’s brand identity, and a big part of that is the riders’ maintaining their individuality. If pro cycling encouraged the same thing from its teams and athletes, it would be easier to decide whom to root for and against, and create a more compelling experience for fans.

Whether or not you approve of how they ride, the fact remains that fixed-gear street culture is one of the few areas where pro cycling’s appeal is growing stronger. There’s no reason not to look closely at why that’s happening and think about the broader applications of what we find. Let’s take a cue from Sheldon Brown and approach this new scene with an open mind.