April’s Recap!

Hello everyone,

I’m writing this newsletter a little earlier than usual, as the next few weeks are shaping up to be non-stop. I’ll be in Asia for most of May, moving between Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, before hopefully making it to Berlin at the end of the month for the second edition of the Mini Bike Fest.

(And if you happen to have a solid VPN recommendation for China, I’m all ears.)

In the meantime, April brought a great mix of releases: bike checks, some camera talk, a bit of cargo bike action, and a few more philosophical detours. If any of that rings a bell, you’re in the right place.

— Paul

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As usual, I also want to take a moment to thank everyone who took out a membership or made a donation through Buy Me a Coffee. Thank you for keeping SSS alive!

If you enjoy what you see here, you can support SSS by Buying Me a Coffee. Click on that cup and help this project grow and thrive for the price of one cappuccino a month!

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On Slow Spin Society This Month:

So without further ado, let’s get into what happened on SSS this past month!

For the very first time on SSS, we’re featuring a series shot all the way in Jakarta. Huge thanks to Fadel, who managed to pull off something absolutely wild: bringing together four of the six Eddy Merckx Pursuit bikes ever made for the Indonesian national team in one place.
➡️ Jakarta’s Forgotten Eddy Merckx Pursuit Bikes by Fadel

Who doesn’t love a bit of Fixed Gear Freestyle from time to time? Especially when it’s Crispyn on his fully decked-out Master Hightek, captured at the Fixated comp last summer. A clean setup catching air, honestly, that’s all we could ask for.
➡️ Bike Check: Crispyn’s Master Hightek

A slightly more abstract one this time, looking at how your riding style can drastically shift from one bike to another. It’s more of a personal thought experiment, but I’d be really curious to hear what you all think about it.
➡️ Learn How to Dance With Your Bike!

Kind of a Japanese Cannondale track bike, if you ask me. Their Aluminium Stratos has been on my radar for over five years, and last winter I finally managed to make this bike check happen.
➡️ Bike Check: Young.K’s “ALU” Stratos Track

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South Korea has recently seen new developments in public opinion regarding brakeless fixed-gear bikes and their riders. Earlier this month, the government decided to take action, and Kim breaks it all down for us.
➡️ Inside Korea’s Brakeless Crackdown

Riding the new Omnium Nano has been the breeze of fresh air I needed during this intense spring season. With its 20” wheels, playful geometry, cool finish, and truly original character, it’s a bike I couldn’t recommend more, at least for the right kind of rider.
➡️ The New Omnium Nano: When Smaller Makes More Sense

We love old-school Japanese track bikes, but this one is something special. Stefan’s 3Rensho comes with real history, and instead of hanging it on a wall, he did exactly what we like to see: he took it to the streets!
➡️ Bike Check: Stefan’s 3Rensho “Modeulo Katana”

Hop Kingdom, one of my favorite places and a true temple of culture for the messenger and fixed gear scene, is now under threat. They’ve been forced to vacate their space within days unless we come together and offer support. This is an important read, close to my heart, about some truly incredible people.
➡️ [Urgent] Save Hop Kingdom from Eviction!

Of course, every article is up and live for you to enjoy wherever you are, registering for your next race or thinking about where to put your hammock for your next nap.

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Collective Take:

We’ve honestly been thinking about doing merch for years at this point, but we’ve always lacked the time, logistics, and overall momentum to really get it off the ground.

T-shirts and sticker packs are the obvious starting point, but we’d love to hear what would genuinely excite you when it comes to SSS merch. Caps? Socks? Something else entirely? Let us know.

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✍️ : Paul
📷 : Ryan Kim, Paul