Inspired by bicycle messengers and racers， a new group of Western youths are jetting through the city streets on fixed-gear bicycles. Now， the trend is gaining momentum on the streets of China.

A fixed-gear bike is a bicycle whose pedals rotate at all times， even when coasting. To stop， riders must pedal in reverse， which differs from road bikes. Due to their efficiency， they offer riders a new cycling perspective. Many young people use them as an alternative mode of transportation and as a leisure activity.

Reliable and cool

Fixies not only are more economical to purchase and easy to maintain than geared bikes， but also possess a sleek appearance. These qualities appeal to youths lacking time and money but wanting to find cool ways to navigate cities.

Apart from their reliability， fixed-gear bikes make cycling cool. “Most people choose public transportation to visit places， but what I usually do is certainly out of the ordinary.”

More than a trend

A graduate student at University of Hong Kong was introduced to this type of bicycle during her sophomore year. She opened a fixie shop in Hong Kong， which her staff maintains in her absence. She sees riding fixies as a lifestyle choice rather than a trend.

“When we are riding， we have the opportunity to look around and discover. It is not only a form of transportation， but a way of life，” said she. “We burn calories instead of fuel， and the energy we utilize brings us to a better place.”

受到自行車郵遞員和自行車賽車手的啟發(fā)，西方國(guó)家一些年輕人流行騎著固定齒輪自行車（又名死飛）在城市的街道間飛速穿梭。現(xiàn)在，這一熱潮正在中國(guó)的街頭蔓延。

固定齒輪自行車是一種需要人一直不停地踩的自行車，即使在滑行時(shí)也要一直踩。與公路賽車不同，死飛在剎車時(shí)需要人向后蹬踏板。因其高效，死飛為騎行者帶來新的騎行前景，許多年輕人將其作為一種另類的出行方式或是休閑活動(dòng)。

可靠又酷炫

死飛經(jīng)濟(jì)實(shí)惠，比（活動(dòng)）齒輪自行車更易保養(yǎng)，還擁有優(yōu)美的外形。對(duì)于那些時(shí)間有限、囊中羞澀卻還想以炫酷的方式在城市穿梭的年輕人而言，死飛的這些特點(diǎn)正合心意。

除了可靠性，死飛這種固定齒輪自行車也讓騎行變得更酷，“大多數(shù)人都會(huì)選擇公共交通工具去旅行觀光，但是我卻喜歡不走尋常路。”

趨勢(shì)之外

香港大學(xué)的一名畢業(yè)生在大二時(shí)接觸到這種自行車。于是就在香港開了一家死飛店，并雇了員工在她不在時(shí)打理生意。她認(rèn)為死飛不僅是一種流行時(shí)尚，更是一種生活方式的選擇。

她說：“騎行讓我們有機(jī)會(huì)四處游覽、不斷發(fā)現(xiàn)。這不只是一種交通方式，更是一種生活方式，我們不燒汽油卻燃燒了卡路里，并將我們帶去更好的地方。”