Fixed gear bike plays many roles in Rob Cairns' life. This London-based rider and content producer is connected like few other human beings to this atypical cycling culture.
Rob Cairns - Rider
CREDITS
Talent: Rob Cairns
Photo: Riccardo Romani
Community after community, Rob is painting a canvas made up of human connections and viral tricks, helping the evolution of a fascinating underground movement.
Rob is turning the fixed gear bike into a contemporary storytelling tool. Every day he's involving pioneers as well as new recruits of this urban art form, spreading awareness about this cosmopolitan sports movement. Rob Cairns is simply synonymous with fixed gear bike, and now you can find out why.
What does the fixed-gear bike mean to you?
The fixed gear bike is a form of freedom, it allows me to express who I am and my love for two wheels. It is so simple and aesthetic, it is a unique form of movement. When I was 11-12 years old I started riding BMX, then, after a cycling hiatus, I discovered this medium through a friend who is a mechanic. Immediately I wondered what it was and why it didn’t have brakes. As soon as I understood more about it, my brain blew up. Its simplicity, the ability to control it on every city jungle, the presence of a single chain…
I immediately fell in love with this object, its functionality, its design and the community that revolves around it. Since I started cycling again, I haven’t stopped. The track bike is now the only subject of my artistic production and is the reason why I have friends in every city in the world.
What was your path before you focused only on fixed-gear bikes?
I worked in a production company for a long time, then I had a tough period and decided to focus on my mental and physical health. That’s why I got interested in cycling again, devoting myself to the fixie. I felt like a new man. I was lucky enough to come into contact with this universe during a period of great evolution dictated by social media.
During the lockdown I realized that for my own health it no longer made sense to create content for others, I wanted to create content related to my passion, and at the same time establish a platform that would allow me on the one hand to elevate and narrate the fixed gear bike community, and on the other hand to connect with brands that have brilliant and credible visions.
After starting out on your own, you are now involving a lot of British and international riders in you productions. Can you tell us something about this evolutionary process and your current projects?
In the beginning I was doing everything by myself, now I'm involving more and more riders and some among them are learning how to take photos and videos.... I'm having fun and all the pieces are falling into place. The rule is simple, the more time you spend on something, the more you can improve it. And this mantra applies to skids and spins as well as to visual production.
It took time to find the right flow and I was lucky enough to nurture my creativity together with the guys from FxD.BLN, a Berlin-based community that I joined for some months. I'm now producing daily content and documentaries, helping the special podcast ‘Slow Spin Society,’ and will soon publish a book.
What are your goals as a rider and storyteller?
I don't just want to communicate the aesthetic value of the fixed-gear bike. I want to show the atmosphere and vibe that surround every rider. I want to create contents that convey accurate concepts, and build a positive and functional space for our community.... I now feel that I can achieve these goals and I'm sincerely excited.
