Zach Gallardo | Fixed Gear Reviewer & Reasonably Dangerous Hooligan

It can be difficult to stay motivated to bike commute when the weather turns cold, rainy, and dark. Here are my top 5 accessories that will ease your cold and rainy bike commute, so you can ride your bike every day to be Reasonably Dangerous.

It can be difficult to stay motivated to bike commute when the weather turns cold, rainy, and dark. Here are my top 5 accessories that will ease your cold and rainy bike commute, so you can ride your bike every day to be Reasonably Dangerous.

It can be difficult to stay motivated to bike commute when the weather turns cold, rainy, and dark. Here are my top 5 accessories that will ease your cold and rainy bike commute, so you can ride your bike every day to be Reasonably Dangerous.

There's a huge range of prices for complete fixed gear bikes, which begs the question, why would anyone buy a $1,200 fixed gear when they can buy one for $400. Here's the difference between $400 vs. $1,200 fixed gear bikes, so you can determine whether spending more will be worth it for YOU.

In this fixed gear Q&A, we talk about how to start racing alleycats, pursuit track frames, whether Ali Express frames are worth your money + more!

You feel like you’ve tried everything, but it seems like no matter what you do, you just can’t get your rear end to be comfortable on your bike. The saddle is the MOST important component to get right, and it can make or break how much you enjoy riding your bike. Here’s how to choose the most comfortable bike saddle for YOU.

Because of my experience with State Bike Co.'s packaging and the (lack of) care they displayed for their bikes, I originally had my reservations about the 6061 Black Label v2. I go on my first ride and give my first impressions of the Black Label v2, and my opinion may have changed since my original unboxing and build.

In this fixed gear vlog, I unbox and build up the hotly requested State Bike Co. Black Label v2. Here are my first impressions of the bike. Full review of the bike coming soon.

In this fixed gear Q&A, we'll talk about my thoughts on conversions, the pros and cons of big vs. small cogs, and how I deal with cycling in the heat, plus more!

State Bike Co. sent over a 4130 Core-Line for me to review. The full review will come later, but in this unboxing, I build up the Core-Line and, unfortunately, get a lot of surprises.

One of the most satisfying parts about bikes is building your own bike. It feels good to use a bike day in and day out knowing that you built it with your own two hands. But if you’ve never built a bike before, it can be overwhelming to start building. Luckily, Wabi Cycles is sponsoring this video and sent over a Wabi Retro and components for me to show you all exactly what the process of building a bike looks like.

In this fixed gear question and answer session, I’ll give super fast reviews for popular fixed gear options, answer who should buy used fixed gears, my #1 tip for riding safely, and more in this video.

The Kilo TT has been unanimously recommended for a first fixed gear bike ever since it was introduced. Now, there’s new contenders on the block for great beginner fixed gears, and believe it or not, the Pure Cycles Premium is one of them. Let's find out which bike is a better buy at the $450 price point.

Fixed gear riding just isn't as popular as it used to be, but would it be a stretch to say that it's dying? I’ve talked to a lot of shop owners, people in the bike biz, and seasoned riders, and pretty much everyone agrees that the so called fixed gear “culture” just isn’t there anymore. Long gone are the days where pretty much you and all of your friends rode fixed where you could buy, build, and sell to your heart's content, and where you could organize group rides on a whim. But, there's also been growth in the fixed gear market. Will fixed gear bikes regain its popularity, or will it fade like fad?

So you’re looking to get into fixed gear bikes, but you don’t know what bike to get, how to start riding, or whether fixed gear is even for you at all? Here’s exactly how you can get into fixed gear bikes.

Between toe clips and straps, foot straps, platform pedals, and the gazillion different types of clipless systems, it can be hard to choose which pedal setup is best for you and your riding style. Here’s everything you need to know about fixed gear pedal setups, so you can figure out which pedals are best for YOU. Get platform pedals if you care about convenience more than you care about speed and power. Get platform pedals with foot straps if you care about convenience, not scuffing up your shoes, if you still want foot retention for stopping, and if you still want a reasonable amount of performance for sprinting and climbing. Toe clips and straps are still convenient and provide a good amount of power transfer and stopping power for fixed riding. They look really classy, but you’ll have to sacrifice some durability, comfort, and maybe some power transfer to use them instead of foot straps. If you want the absolute best performance from your bike, clipless is the way to go. ...

Fixed gear questions answered in this video: 1) Best fixed gear wheelset in the $300ish price range? Or should I build my own? 2) What happened to the Taiwan bike? 3) Where’s Fixie Points? 4) How are you liking the Brook’s Swift compared to the dearly departed Cambium? 5) What’s the go to thing to upgrade on your bike? 7) Are there any other cycling disciplines you want to try out? 8) What’s your take on the Cinelli Gazzetta and Tipo Pista? 9) Anything special about a fixed gear chain or could someone use a chain like on a multi-geared bike. 9) How can one purchase one of those cool Reasonably Dangerous T-shirts? 10) How old were you when you learned how to ride? How many scratches does Ricky have? What do you do to combat rain and other forms of precipitation?

Skidding is fun. It’s probably why you wanted to get into fixed gears because you watched MashSF and Macaframa. Here's your Guide to Skidding on a Fixed Gear. The lower your gearing is, the easier it will be to skid. You can learn how to skid on whatever ratio you already have, but if you can, gear down to learn how to skid. Skid patches are the locations on your rear tire your gearing allows you to perform a skid. Skidding will burn through your tires like nothing else. More skid patches will extend the life of your rear tire, so you can save money in the long run and skid for longer. Get a bunch of cheap tires because you will be trashing tires. Foot retention is almost necessary for skidding. It’s possible to skid without it, but I can’t even skid without foot retention. If you want to learn fast, foot retention will help you get there. Before the actual skid, there’s the setup. The easiest setup is the “ballz to stem” method where as you can clearly see, the rider’s t...

Most people that ride fixed can point to one thing that keeps us riding fixed: the buttery smooth, interconnected drivetrain that lets you feel like you and the bike are one. This is part 2 to the Ultimate Guide to Getting a Smooth Fixed Gear Drivetrain, so you can really enjoy one of the best parts of riding fixed. 5. CNC'd over stamped There’s two main manufacturing methods for chainrings and cogs, and the one the manufacturer chooses impacts how durable and smooth running the components will be. The short and simple of it is CNC’d cogs and chainrings run smoother and are more durable than stamped ones. That’s all you need to know. 4. Chain quality First, chains should be durable and not stretch easily since once a chain stretches too much, it won’t run smoothly anymore. Second, chains need to be strong as to not snap under the force of your monster horse thighs. 3. Chain tension Proper chain tension is crucial for a buttery smooth drivetrain. If the chain is too tight...

One of the most satisfying parts about riding fixed gears is the feeling of a buttery smooth, interconnected drivetrain. In this video we’ll talk about 4 out of 9 of my top tips to get your fixed gear drivetrain running buttery smooth, so you can enjoy riding your bike to the fullest: 9. 144 chainrings are better than 130 BCD  The two fixed gear and singlespeed standard BCDs are 144 and 130 BCD. Most entry level fixed gear bikes will come with 130 BCD, but 144 BCD is the track standard. Since the most durable and smoothest running components are usually made for the track, it’s easier to find higher quality 144 BCD chainrings. There are durable, smooth running 130 BCD chainrings out there, but they’re just harder to find. If you’re already upgrading your crankset, go with a 144 BCD crankset, so you can have more choice of high quality chainrings, new or used. 8. Make sure your drivetrain fits together: 1/8” and 3/32” components explained The chainring, cog, and chain each have s...