For many of us, a fixed gear bicycle is nothing unless it packs something unique. That’s probably what inspired Paris-based designer Jacques Ferrand when he developed his latest creation. An amazing work of leather art and craftsmanship, here’s a spectacular bicycle that sets the practical aside. All covered with a thin layer of leather (even in those tight spots) with absolutely no chrome, Jaques’ two-wheeler is as stylish as they come– and we’d certainly love to take it for a ride in town. [via PorHomme]

It finally cracked the 60 degree mark here in the Midwest– and while the weather is expected to dip back to reality, that high signalled the official start of cycling season.  Sure, the die hards have been riding for months, but the rest of us are filling up the tires, oiling the chain and hitting the pavement.  We’re fixed gear riders here at StyleCrave, so a recent article at AskMen caught our interest– the Fixed Gear Bike Workout.  Want to burn some of that winter weight to be ready for Spring?  Climb on your fixie and feel the burn… [more at AskMen]

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[thanks to sooshee for the killer pic]

In an attempt to put their own spin on the fixie phenomenon, the folks from Intersection magazine teamed up with bike gurus from KOXX and came up with their own fixed-gear beast. This sexy single-speeder is more of a hybrid in style, being part commuter bike and part BMX intended for trick riding.  Unlike some of the classic rebuilds of vintage road bikes, this baby is built from the ground up for freestyle city riding.  If you buy one, don’t make the mistake that we did and move to a city that is all hill– you’ll be struggling without that extra gear or two…  [via Viacomit]

There are fixed gear bikes– and there is the 2009 Pinarello Montello FP8 Pista.  This fixie is certainly in a class of its own, built for time trials but hungry for the concrete jungle.  Its all-carbon frame is formed to fit the rear tire, an approach as aerodynamically functional as it is visually striking.  This and the all-carbon FP8 fork are shaped to decrease win resistance on both the rider and the spinning wheels.  As stiff as brick but virtually weightless, the Pinarello Montello packs state of the art technologies including the latest monocoque carbon fiber, computer-aided aerodynamics and variable ride settings for time trials or triathalons.  Dropping $5,900 on a fixed gear bike ain’t easy, but you’ll feel this price is justified after just a few turns of the crank… [pinarello]

Let’s get this out of the way– if this bike were to be judged on aesthetics only, it’d be an absolute hit.  The Plus Bike by designers Bortolani and Righi of Dovetusai is visually stunning, a progressive take on the classic tool of transport.  On a functional level, its likely a failure.  There is a good reason that the traditional bike frame has gone unchanged for over a century, save for changes in materials.  Nearly every bike has a frame piece connection the crank section to just above the front fork.  Without that, the bike loses a lot of its rigidity.  The result?  A stretching, bouncey ride that may not be able to support a human’s weight.  We’d love for Dovetusai to prove us wrong, but we remain very, very skeptical…

The fix gear bike genius Marty Walsh has teamed up with pattern stylist Dan Funderburgh to build a bike for the new political generation, the Obama Bike.  Built for ANIMAL, the Obama Bike is a one-of-a-kind build, detailed with the branding themes of the campaign of Barack Obama himself.  The fading red and soft blue stars, the striped “O” Obama logo are all present throughout this bike, from the frame to the wheels to the fork.  As we said, the Obama Bike is truly one-of-a-kind.  This bike is only for sale now on eBay, with an end date of October 22nd… [ebay via ANIMAL]