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BIKE TRENDS
The Hottest Ways to Ride This Summer Plus: Macy’s Vending Machines
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Tracklocross: Track bicycles (bikes that have just one gear, no freewheel and often lack brakes) have gained a cult following for their street style cache as well as for their simplicity, light weight and supposed superior performance. However, now that they've gained a large following in urban centers, serious riders are looking to differentiate themselves by pushing the limits and showing off their riding skills. Thus, the hybrid sport tracklocross was born, with fixed gear enthusiasts taking their track bikes off of smooth city streets to instead race on cyclocross-style mud and dirt obstacle courses. Tracklocross events have been popping up across the country, including last summer's unofficial but much blogged about Wildcat Race in Santa Cruz and the more high profile, sanctioned and sponsored Mud, Sweat and Tears in NYC. The tracklocross trend not only speaks to the ever-growing bike craze, but also young people's interest in adventure and getting back to nature. |
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Scraper Bikes: Coming out of the Bay Area's Hyphy movement
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these
colorful cruisers are bikes that have been customized with loud colors and fancy matching homemade rims. This trend has been recognized as a positive creative outlet for urban teens, as it is accessible to all ages. Scraper bike crews seen rolling down the street tend to have the vibe of an impromptu art parade; in fact, groups of riders often color coordinate their bikes. While scraper bikes are most popular in Oakland and the surrounding area, the phenomenon is starting to go global. Oakland-based rap group Trunk Boiz
even created a song and video that illustrates the trend:
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And by the way: Macy's will reportedly soon be placing vending machines that stock tech-devices such as iPods, headphones and digital cameras in 400 of their stores.
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* trendcentral articles are designed to be trend reports, not endorsements * The Intelligence Group is a trend-forecasting and marketing Consultancy focused on Gen X, Gen Y and Tweens. For more information on our services, or to subscribe to our syndicated studies, The Cassandra Report, Tween Intelligence, Latino Intelligence, and Mom Intelligence, contact Alina Goncalves at 212-277-5299 or via email at agoncalves@intelg.com.
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