I feel like Andy is getting a lot of love on the site these days and there’s nothing wrong with that. Check out this interview with what I would consider, the original track bike blogger.
#Fyxomatosis
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Fyxomatosis: New Bidons
Let’s see, brightly-colored, capable of holding water and made in Australia. Yep. That’s a FYXO Bidon. Swoop here. Oh and check out his new sticker packs while you’re at it.
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Fyxomatosis: On How to Customize
Andy’s mantra “life is too short…” might be misinterpreted by those who take things at face value. It’s not a slogan for the rich, or the people who believe you can buy style, it’s the m.o. for the ones infected. A disease if you will. This disease causes you to tinker, to strip down, rebuild. To customize…
Like Andy, I myself get emails all the time from people wanting a $200 bike and occasionally, someone wanting to splurge $900 on a custom fixed gear. Now, don’t mistaken “custom” for hand-built and tailored. Custom can mean anything, really and for a perfect example, you really ought to head over to FYXO for the back story on how he built his ‘Nago for $935.
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MelburnOut Randomness
When I’m in Melbourne, it’s always a pleasure to meet new people and see some incredible bikes. This go round, I walked almost everywhere with my Mamiya, shooting portraits and other bits of randomness. I finally got all my negatives scanned and they came out great. So let’s waste away the lazy Thursday afternoon with a full-loaded Gallery… Also, a lot of these are sitting in print form at Shifter Bikes, so if you’re in there, swing through a pick up your print.
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery!
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Here We Are in the Middle of Nowhere
Few can narrate like Andy from FYXO. I can only imagine the stories he’ll tell his daughter when she is all grown up. My recount of Shifter Dan’s Birthday Bush Bash Day 02 pales in comparison to that of Fyxomatosis’ efforts.
Head over to Fyxomatosis now to check out more great photos and a pretty great ride recap. I already miss that place…
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MelburnOut: Never Let a Mate Ride Your Bike
Photo by Andy White
… and this is why. Well, ‘Straya, it’s been fun. After my flight got canceled yesterday, I’m leaving today, so the site will be dormant for a few hours. Andy from FYXO will be posting more photos of me ripping his brand new BT track bike (with a black Shamal!) soon…
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Merckx Mondays
“Le Petite Cannibal”
I have a ton of Merckx Mondays content coming from Australia over these next few weeks but today I’ve got one piece of radness to share. This year, all my friends seem to be having kids and it’s no secret that FYXO‘s a daddy now. Hence the mini Molteni Baby Skinsuit.
$40 and guaranteed to make your offspring faster. Or something. Made to order, bespoke baby wear and ends this week, so get on it. This is one example when it’s acceptable to buy upgrades…
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Between Here and There
… to be fair, I was sprinting ahead to shoot a photo. Nice video Andy. It really captures the serenity of that stretch of road.
Happy Friday.
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Fyxomatosis: Woodn’t it Be Nice
Photos by Andy White
Many years ago, Andy had his first love affair with the ‘Wood. You can read about it here (seriously, do it). I remember the first time I read that ride report. My mind was blown. “Those Aussies are insane”. This year was the first time a large group went on the ride and it won’t be the last time. Before you read about some brand claiming the roads are their own, go out and do it yourself. These roads are yours for the taking.
If you need any more motivation, head over to FYXO for the full checklist of how to get into the ‘Wood as well as more incredible photos.
Great photos Andy. Let’s do it again in October.
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Andy’s Backyard
Let’s rewind a week or so ago. I had just “escaped” from China and landed in Melbourne via a hellish flight, filled with turbulence, a pesky, smelly neighbor and suspect food. Andy picked me up and after noting an “off smell” (me), he asked what I felt like doing. What came out of my mouth never felt more right: “a ride”…
You know, like 30k or so. Just a pleasant spin around the ‘hood. With FYXO, there’s no such thing as short and sweet. We went here, then there and ended up on Bald Spur road, one of the many areas that was ravaged by the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009. Trees stripped of their leaves, half-charred houses, melted water towers littered the roadside.
It was around 60 miles and 6,000′ or so. I didn’t have my Garmin, so my legs, the elapsed time and post-ride appetite were the gauge. To think that this was all in Andy’s backyard…
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery.
Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4 (the last photo is my Leica M7 with Zeiss 28mm)
Neopan 400
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Lamour Supreme and FYXO Tees Now Available
When I turned 30 years old, Lamour Supreme gave me this original artwork. It’s hanging above my desk and I consider it one of the best gifts I’ve ever received. You hear that Joel? Seeing this design on a FYXO shirt brings me back to when I first started riding track bikes in NYC. Back then, I never would have imagined I’d be in Australia riding bikes with FYXO, or even running a blog for a “job”. But that’s the point. I don’t think Joel ever anticipated traveling the world, painting murals and designing vinyl…
We’ve all come a long way and a lot has changed since those days but I’m pumped to see such a classic design reborn. Especially with a FYXO logo!
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Merckx Mondays
It’s Merckx Mondays (in the Northern Hemisphere anyway) and I’m back in the land of Eddy Merckx. Not Belgium, Melbourne. As far as I’m concerned, classic Eddy Merckx bicycles in Australia is pronounced “F Y X O”. Andy’s supplied the world with great photos of classic steel bicycles over the years and his new 7-FYXO kits are looking great. Pick up the 7-FYXO Jersey here and the FYXO classic bibs here.
Don’t miss the full FYXO photoset here.
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Tomorrow in Melbourne
You can plan your whole day around these events. Come through if you’re in Melbourne. I’ll be at the FYXO Swap early and then at Northside / Shifter all afternoon.
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Fyxo Double Header this Saturday
This weekend in Melbourne! Check out Fyxo for more details. Shifter Bikes and Northside Wheelers will be having an open house as well, so swing through.
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I’m Back in Melbourne!
Man. It feels great to be back in Melbourne. After a hellish flight out of China, I got picked up by Andy from FYXO. Less than an hour later, we were out on a ride up frontage roads less than 3 miles from his home. Talk about detox! Steep dirt climbs, fast gravel descents and even a dead snake.
Melb’in is heaven. See a few more random shots below and don’t worry there will tons of radness on the way.
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Fyxomatosis: Modern Day Nursery Rhyme
Photo by Andy White
Vintage Cinelli, a classy lady and a great eye with a camera means only one thing: a FYXO photoshoot. Andy’s most recent set has all the sass and class you need on a Sunday night. See more at FYXO.
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A Common Problem: Avoided and Resolved
If you happen to have a girl wearing a skirt and a beanie living in your tool shed, then you obviously don’t have to worry about the inevitable galvanic corrosion that can plague your trusty steed.
But if you don’t, then you need to check that your stem is greased quite frequently or you’ll end up like these two. Let me just say that the only reason I posted the top video was to offer a striking contrast between the latest from Fyxomatosis. I don’t know about you, but Andy’s shorts are getting me all hot and bothered. Good thing Gonz has that facemask on…
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Fyxomatosis: Cinelli SC Neuron
Photo by Andy White
Oh man. It’s time for another classic Cinelli road photo gallery from Fyxomatosis. Make sure you’ve got a napkin handy (for your drool). See the full set here.