Get a fix

Fixed-gear bike enthusiasts Justin Sweeney, Ivan Mennim and Mike Lawrence. Photo / Richard Robinson

Oddly enough, it's not such a strange and scary feeling to be hurtling down the street on a stripped-down bike with no brakes.

The driving, forward momentum of the bike fires up that rebel within and you feel at one with the street - just your wits, your bike, and the tarmac. I am the king of the road.

Although, there is one constant, nagging thought: If I stop pedalling I will bite the kerb pretty bad. You see, the bike I'm riding - along with a bunch of others who are fanatical about these minimalist machines - is a fixed-gear which allows no coasting and has no brakes. "People think it sounds crazy that you have no brakes. But when you ride the bikes you realise you are in control," says Justin Sweeney, who has long been a fan of road and mountain biking.

Theoretically you do have brakes - two things called thighs. It's just a matter of getting the knack of stopping the back tyre dead with a skid by getting your centre of gravity right, and pushing back and pulling up on your pedals at the same time (you are held in by double-strapped toe clips). It sounds easy, but it isn't, and hills like Auckland's Upper Queen St are perhaps best left until you've mastered the art.

Fixed-gear bikes are like those raced on the velodrome in track cycling but the street versions have many different guises, including everything from straight handlebars to smaller front wheels (for doing tricks).

The fixed-gear culture, which is building a strong following in New Zealand, has its roots in overseas cycle courier tradition and the famous alleycat races in New York and Toronto. The riders I'm out with today, including Sweeney, organiser Ivan Mennim, trickster Mike Lawrence, and the heavily tattooed Jamie Whiteford, all come from bike riding backgrounds and got into fixed-gear a few years ago when Mennim brought back a movie about the phenomenon from Japan. They do it for the love of speed, the tricks, and for the simple thrill of riding on a bike built for city streets. "You can move fast through traffic and get places quick on these bikes," says Mennim.

"You're more aware and react more to your environment than riding just any other bike because instead of looking 10m ahead, you're looking 100m ahead, watching every car, and you tend to respond to situations intuitively before you would if you were just cruising."

Plus, he says, there is the all-important aesthetic beauty of a fixed-gear bike. "There is a purity to it; the fact that it's the most stripped-down bike you can get." We set off from Auckland's Viaduct after work on a Wednesday (they usual meet on Tuesdays) for a "roll" around the Tank Farm on the waterfront.

Then, turning on to the smooth tarseal along Westhaven Marina to the Harbour Bridge we start to pick up good speed. In the carpark of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron I do my first stuttering skid, which my cohorts look pretty chuffed about.

According to these guys, there's no defining characteristic of the scene - apart from the bikes. The riders are a diverse bunch, from skateboarders and hairdressers to people who saw it on the internet and thought they'd give it a go.

"When we go out for a ride you see someone who you know and they stop and do a U-turn and tag along for the ride, shoot the breeze and it's social," says Mennim. I agree, it's a hoot and much more fun than a bike with brakes. Just don't stop pedalling.

On yer bike

Getting started: Tim White's Bikes, Symonds St, Auckland, or Trade Me is also an option (search for track bike).

Key safety tips: Helmet, a quality frame (steel is good), a strong chain and a reverse-threaded lock ring on the back wheel to stop the sprocket from unscrewing.

Gearing: It's about personal preference but the "magic ratio" is 48 on the front, 17 on the back.

Price: "How deep are your pockets?" is the common response. But between $800-$1500 will see you right.

Check out: www.steadyrollin.co.nz