Self Bike Check: The Parakino (Year 2)
I know! I’m a bit late! But as many of you requested, here is an update on the state of my daily a.k.a. the Fire Parallax a.k.a. the Parakino, 2 years later.
If you haven’t read the first part of this story this will still make sense, but I’ll advise reading part one here -> Self Bike Check: The Parakino (Year 0)
I was supposed to release the update early March, and as I tried really hard to replicate the shots from the first edition of this bike-check, I ended up unsatisfied with the end result. On top of that, the scanning incident also happened (We talked about it here), so a few months later, here we are again, with a several more shots that I think turned out a bit better. As you can see, nothing has really changed, parts are still pretty much the same, and I need to inform you that, yes, I did change the bar-tape recently.
I’ll keep this brief because the bike hasn’t dramatically changed even if I did end up swapping a few components with time: Pedals and cages are now in an “all-black” combo, the saddle got replaced by a Carbon SLR gracefully gifted to me in Paris, after breaking three or four in a row last year. Gatorskins tires are now 28c and at the very limit of completely fading away from reality, but… They still work. Finally, I swapped the classic Euro-Asia cog for the fancier “Gold Medal” variant, giving it that extra bit of bling, even if probably impossible to see here.
As you can see, some stickers have appeared as others are fighting to not vanish, and I have one broken spoke that I’ve been meaning to repair for the past six months, but again, everything seems to be holding together… So I guess it’s alright.
I guess, that bike has just seen a lot since last time you saw it. From Europe, to America, Asia, and probably many others in the future, it’s been unceremoniously tossed in planes, and I’m honestly surprised it’s still not completely bent with the less-than-gentle treatment it sometimes received from the airport staff (Can’t blame them all, I saw some people being really delicate with it).
On another note, I’m also super glad that many people liked it to the point that it might have inspired some to paint their own frame (Sometime a bit “too heavily Inspired”, but again… it’s alright.).
One thing that I have to share here, is my experience of going back to only one track bike after many years of having access to a pretty wide selection. Through a heavy spring-cleaning, when I sold most of what I had accumulated over the years, I was left with my gravel, a few track bikes and the Parakino. But in all fairness, it’s been the only track bike I’ve been riding for the past two years.
The process of parting ways with most of what I had was not easy but completely necessary. Each bike held memories and experiences attached to it, and letting each one go was a bittersweet moment. I was conflicted by keeping a bike that I had no space for, and wasn’t riding that much, or letting it go to someone that would probably make a better use of it. Yet, as I settled into my new “bike minimalism reality”, I began to notice some intriguing things.
First: there is definitely something special about traveling with your own bike that I’ve already expressed it on a previous article about “flying everywhere with your bike”.
But also, being constantly on only one setup, almost feels like your home away from home. You’re so used to all the little thing and quirks that make this bike, your bike. The stance you have when riding it, the amount of toe overlap, the feeling of how much you can “throw it sideways” before reaching your limit… All of that is making for an experience that is truly unique to you, and you only. And I’m not even going to mention all the financial advantages, that made this simpler lifestyle a worthwhile endeavor.
So what’s next for the Parakino? Well, I do want to swap a few things around when I’ll have the opportunity.
Going back to a parallax after riding any other bikes, makes you feel how aggressive this geometry really is, and how sometimes, something a bit more chill for coffee Sundays might be as much enjoyable. There are a few frames coming my way in 2024 that you probably know about if you’ve been following what I’ve been doing recently, so we’ll see how I manage.
This being said, I love having a fantastic piece like this, and being able to not care too much about it. Paint gets scratched, a few dings have appeared, but it’s doing its job.
I’ll include here a few pieces of media featuring this bike, like a short video I did with my friend Marco, somehow making it into Loop Magazine, or a few shots from Yuki on his Hasselblad 500 CM.
Alright… see you in 2 year.
🎞: Kodak Color Plus 200/Kodak Portra 400 VC
📷: Nikon F100/Leica M6/Hasselblad 500CM
📍: San Francisco/Tokyo
