Everyone and their mother is riding a fixed gear ‘vintage’ bicycle these days. I was in Williamsburg last night and literally every pole had 10-15 of these beat up old things chained to them. It’s written up in the Times style pages, people are blogging about it and talking about it, everyone wants to know where to get their hands on one. ‘Nothing crazy…just an old beat around the city bike.’ But like all things in vogue, they have become hard to come by and super expensive. I just don’t see the allure.

Here is a real city bike. The new Harley Iron 883. Granted, ‘Harley’ is generally associated with mid-life crises and not the stuff of the young and hip, but this bike breaks that mold. It is a strip version of the Sportster series. There is no Radio, no GPS, no frills and no accessories; just the rider, the bike and the road. It’s finished in Matte Black and sprayed without a clear coat so the paint will wear down and break in like a nice pair of raw denim jeans. The 53 ci engine produces 55 ft/lbs of torque at 5500 rpm, more than enough to make moves around the busy city streets, and really let loose on the highway. The only drawback is the single seat, which makes picking up that special lady and taking her for a ride pretty much impossible. But trade offs, trade offs. All in all a very badass and stylish bike.

Now where’d I put that lottery ticket….