After riding an aluminum frame for a while, I decided to switch back to steel. So I picked up a 4130 Surly Steamroller. These bikes are one of the beefiest “street” fixed gears. They’re meant to take a beating and that’s exactly what I did to it. As a temporary solution to a trick bike while my Brooklyn Machine Works Gangsta track is getting finished, I never anticipated breaking it.

Yesterday, like most days, I got off work and headed to the Peel Sessions spot to mess around on my bike for an hour or so. After landing a few 180s something didn’t feel right. Then I landed a pretty big 180 and felt a pop in my bike. Thinking either my cones were loose in my wheel, or my pedal had cracked I got off and examined the bike. I didn’t see anything wrong with it so I hopped back on. The next combo I noticed that the bike was handling very limp. After the next 180 I felt the big sag a bit. Again I got off, looked it over. Nothing. Then I stepped on the pedal to get back on it and SNAP.

My down tube had separated from my head tube. The weakest spot on a bike. My theory is that the Brooklyn Machine Works fork was so strong that it transferred the stress to the weakest adjacent connection. After countless 180s, 360s, stair gaps and other serious riding, my frame decided to retire. It was 6 months old.

At least it didn’t snap when I was bombing traffic or the bridge!

- Prolly