Flipped my flop and rocked the fixed gear off road for a bit when I returned from Sweden but I'm back freewheeling again. When I put the Kelly back together I probably just leave one dirt machine in permanent fixed mode and the other freewheeling.

Been putting a little time on the fixed Crosscheck too, hitting some pavement, dirt roads and a bit of singletrack to keep it interesting. Until recently that bike hasn't been getting as much love as the others. The townie bike is fixed and I don't need to put on cycling shoes to ride it, so I grab that a lot for short haul transport and errands.

A few days after I returned from SSWC the local shop, The Bicycle Escape, had an IF demo weekend. I skipped the demo part, not because I didn't want to ride any of the sweet, high dollar machines, but because the demos were on the pavement and I wanted to hit the dirt. What I did do though was head to the shop at closing time when the prez of IF was giving a presentation. I wasn't sure what to expect but it wound up being really good. It wasn't some sales pitch or total pimping of IF, it was some really interesting history of steel and Ti bikes along with a bit of company history and a lot of interesting industry tidbits. I think everyone from novices to seasoned bike vets got something out of it and really enjoyed it. The IF prez, Matt, was pretty down to earth and had a real good "bikes should be fun" philosophy which impressed me. The shop owners Tom and Danielle provided food, booze and swag bags for everyone that insured a good time. Me, being absent minded, forgot to take my camera to capture some of the fine craftsmanship and tasty paint jobs IF is known for. Fortunately a couple of others were on top of things. You can see photos at the Bicycle Escape Blog and local rider JA's photo page.

- riderx