[Video] Cleverless
Fixed gear culture seems to be in good hands. At a time when most cycling content is compressed into quick, vertical clips, a group of teenagers in Tokyo chose a different path, creating a 15-minute film that feels almost defiantly out of step with the current moment.
Cleverless plays like a love letter to fixed gear riding in its purest form, with its main focus on atmosphere, rhythm, and authenticity. There is a timeless quality to it, as if it could have just as easily surfaced a decade ago, and it’s quite easy to see some influences from some legendary fixed-gear movies like Macaframa.
What makes it even more impressive is that this is their first project. It is a confident debut that hints at something much bigger ahead, and it leaves little doubt that this is a crew worth watching.
Finally, a few words by Stefan, who is the main person behind this project:
Hi, I’m Stefan. I made this film with some close friends here in Tokyo.
A lot of people who ride fixed gear bikes grew up watching films like Macaframa and MASH. Those videos had a huge influence, as many of us people wanted the same frames, tried to ride the same way, and honestly, I was one of them too.
But when you think about it, most of those films came out in the 2000s. They’re still incredible, and in many ways they’ve become almost sacred within the scene. At the same time, there aren’t that many projects that really capture what fixed gear culture looks like today.
So we wanted to create something here in Tokyo that could spark that same kind of excitement again, something that might even be passed on to the next generation. What we’ve made this time is just the beginning.
We’d be really happy if you keep an eye on what we do next.
Camera Work: Stefan
Editing: Stefan
