On today's episode of the Bog Dogs Secret Stash I shall endeavor to answer the eternal question that all bike riders must face - to fixie or not to fixie? Let's begin. About a year ago my local bike shop, Real Bikes Englewood, announced that they were selling a brand called Pure Fix. This company makes a series of singlespeed bikes with a flip/flop hub that allows anyone to turn the rear wheel around to enjoy the unique experience of riding a fixie. On that day I pedaled one around just to try it out and later wrote a short article about their announcement and my first impressions. You can read the original story here . The shop had success selling the bikes for the obvious reasons: they were inexpensive, solidly built and proved to be good for training. The owner, Gary, continued to remind me that I still hadn't really tried one. A mere spin around the parking lot is hardly a proper test. To see what a bike can do you have take it somewhere that you have neve...

For many it seemed to be a typical Saturday evening in the City of Venice, the streets were clearing, the sun was setting and the mood was relaxed. Then, out of nowhere, dozens of bicycles buzzed by. Road bikes, Mountain bikes and even a BMX bike casually cruised down the side streets filling the Island with a whole new crowd of smiling faces. Who was this mysterious peloton? They were the second gathering of the SCORR (Sarasota County Off Road Riders) pub ride which included the owners and employees of Real Bikes Venice , Real Bikes Englewood and Bicycles International Venice . Eric Claussen displaying the new bike trail signs SCORR is the group which recently crafted 4 miles worth of Mountain bike trails in the Carlton Reserve park. This particular pub crawl was put together to raise money to pay for the signs that will be posted on those trails. SCORR volunteers, wearing the camouflage shirts, made sure no rider was left behind as 60 cyclists traversed the streets...