So I’m new to this: what is this sport called?
The sport is called Fixed Gear Freestyle or FGFS and it’s awesome.

Why not just ride BMX?
Thats a big question and controversy in the FGFS world right now. But the main thing is that Fixed Gears are for commuting first. Its a bike that you can get places on and crush spots along the way.

Are there ever any Warriors-style clashes?
Haha, I wish! But no not really…this isn’t graffiti or b-boying. But if it were to go down I’d have glass covered knuckles Kickboxer style!

When did Vincent Shim start trying to grind on a Peugeot? They’re not Peugeots, right? They’re made of moon metal or something?
Hahaha. I started fall of ‘07? Mainly just doing skids and trackstands. I got into Keos, barspins and fakies the next summer. Sort of took off from there I guess. Just to say this: I was the first dude in Minneapolis to do Keo’s. Now all these kids are making me look like a joke!

Vincent Shim just has to step it up in 2k10, show the babies how it’s done.
Hell yeah I’m already working on new tricks! Watch out young’uns – old school’s making a comeback!

How did this sport get going?
It started a couple of years ago. A movie called Mash SF came out which was a movie shot in the style of skate videos. It featured a few fixed gear riders from San Francisco. It had a lot of hill bombing and a few tricks. At this time the freestyle aspect of fixed gear riding hadn’t blown up like it is today but it was definitely a starting point. Early spring of 2008 a video came out from Ride/Relax productions called Bootleg Sessions. It featured riders from all over the US, mainly New York, Philly and Seattle…this was a pivotal video in launching the scene. Since then there are a bunch of new videos like Macaframa, Fast Friday, Death Pedal, Bootleg Sessions versions 2-4, The Revival, Council of Doom and No Cassettes.

Where’s it gone from there?
From there it went on to full blown events with movie premiers and trick comps.  In February there’s was a huge throw down in Milwaukee called Midwest Mayhem. It was I think the first organized comp that had riders fly in from all over the country. A bunch of kids from Cali, The Mpls crew, New York, Philly, Texas, Milwaukee of course, Detroit, Virginia…. you name it. Last weekend there was another one called the RVA trick Jam that brought it the same way. The Bike Film Festival in New York I think is going to be the next major event. From there who knows?!

Wasn’t No Age hired by the Bike Film Festival to play? That’s kind of a ‘get’. Nice synergy! [this is not synergy - ed.]
I’m not sure what that means…but No Age rocks! Hahaha

What’s the “bike scene” like in Minneapolis?
The bike scene in Minneapolis is pretty good. Actually really good. Its supposedly has the 2nd highest concentration of cycling commuters behind Portland. There’s a scene for a walks of bikers from Mountain Biking, to Road Cycling, Cyclocross, Urban Commuters and the single speed crowd.

I meant with the fixed gears?
Haha, sorry not great at assumptions…you know why Ving Rhames. Its a great scene. Mike Carney and Jesse Hiliard are from Mpls and they was the first dudes (in the same night) to hit a handrail ever on a fixed gear bike.

Last year your shop was involved in a city-wide bike race for gutter scrub fixie riders, who put that on?
Haha…which race? And gutter scrubs what are those?

Oh maybe that was the all-girl bike race [Babes In Bikeland] I was thinking about and your shop was a check-in spot. I guess I made that whole thing up. But gutter scrubs are all those friends you try and avoid after 4am because they get into some ugly goings-on respectable people like you and me don’t take part in.
Oh, two girls named Chelsea and Kayla put that on. They’re really big advocates of female bikers. They’re actually making an all female biker calender for some kind of fund raiser… that I can’t remember right now…Jameson… Ha yeah people like you and me get into the ugly goings-on before bar close.

People really like to bike in -30F teeth-gnashing, eye-watering weather around there. Do you bike in the winter?
I did bike through a couple of winters… I still try to most days but man… -30 is not kind to the body.

So living in Minnesota slows it down I suppose?
Totally. The guys on the West Coast move at light speed compared to us because they can ride year round. In the winter there is barely any way to ride, so that’s why I snowboard. And snowboarding rocks.

Holy moly. How painful is it to eat shit on one of these giant bikes?
It can be pretty bad man. I sprained my knee really good about 6 weeks ago and I’m still not fully recovered. I busted my ankle last summer and that was pretttty bad. took about 4 months to fully recover from that one.

How many gutter scrubs stop by your store in a given day?
Too many but at the same time not enough.

I read about “Wants Vs. Needs”, something associated with your store somehow in URB, what is it?
It’s the most awesomest party ever on the face of the planet. I can’t even explain how great it is. It’s a monthly party in Minneapolis and we give out free shirts designed by Adam Garcia of The Pressure. It features our awesome DJ’s Espada, Petey Wheatstraw, So Gold and Anton.

Who are some of the bigger FSFG names?
John Prolly, Tom Lamarche, Ed Wonka, Torey Thornton, Mike Carney (Minneapolis boy), Taylor Dwight, Chris Clappe (Da Buthcher), Eric Puckett, Tom Mosher, Tony Fast, Tyler Johnson, Jason Maggied it goes on and on. This shit’s getting huge!

Blogroll!
www.prollyisnotprobably.com
www.vssocial.com
www.bikejerks.com
www.zlogblog.com
www.lovefixe.com
www.bootlegsessions.net
www.allcitycycles.com

Los Angeles Fixed Gear Freestyle from Video Market on Vimeo.