Fixed Gear Portrait Serie

Série de portraits, réalisée comme projet de fin de session, dans le cadre du cours Lighting for Visual Journalism, de l’Université Concordia.

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As one of the most bike-friendly cities in North America, Montreal is a place where cycling is quite safe and each year more popular. Among the large community of cyclists in the city, there are the people who ride a road bike, BMX, mountain bike, Bixie, old and rusty frames on two wheels, single speed and fixed gear, to name only those.

But, as a proud fixed-gear cyclist myself, I decided to portrait on the cyclists embracing this underground fixed bike culture who are passionate about the adrenaline that this type of bicycle provides.

(A fixed gear bicycle is a bike that has the drive sprocket threaded or bolted directly to the hub of the back wheel, so that the rider cannot stop pedaling. When the rear wheel turns, the pedals turn in the same direction.)

Unfortunately, for some people and in the eyes of the law, pedaling a bike without a rear brake is illegal and dangerous. That is why I decided to give a superhero twist to my pictures. With high contrast, strong poses and the use of artificial light, I tried to make those riders, proud but also in total control of the situation.

: Engineer Grégoire Weber, 25 years old, poses for a photo session with his Look AL 464 P custom bike, on Monday, Nov. 9 2015 at the Esplanade de la Place des Arts, near the Musée d’art contemporain in Montreal, Que. Weber, a cyclist involved in the community of fixies in Montreal, participating in many races, said : « The state of mind when I ride this brakeless bike is amazing. I am so focus; I forget anything else except my ride. » Weber also likes to travel by bike. Last summer, with this one speed bike, Weber traveled to Gaspé, 900 kilometers from Montreal, a big journey because of the many hills.(Marie-Pierre Savard / JOUR527)

: Dominic Paquet pose for a photo session on Tuesday, Nov. 10 2015 in Champs-des-Possibles, Montreal, Que. Paquet is the owner of Recycle Cycle, a bike shop in Montreal and rides a custom fixed gear freestyle bike (FGFS), a mix between BMX and fixie that allowes the rider to jump and to execute different figures. Paquet said, « I love the fact that there is always an increase in popularity of this type of bike and also a ton of possibilities for combining figures. »(Marie-Pierre Savard / JOUR527)

: Student in town planning Mathieu Babin, 26 years old, poses for a photo session with his Aventon Mataro fixed gear bike, on Monday, Nov. 9 2015 in Clock Tower dock at the Old-Port in Montreal, Que. Babin also works as a bike mechanic in Mountain Coop Equipment in Longueil, Que. and loves the sensation of connection that riding this bike gives him.(Marie-Pierre Savard / JOUR527)

: 18 years old student Naimé Daoust-Zidane poses for a photo session with his Louis Garneau Pursuit 9.0, on Monday, Nov. 9 2015, at Champs-des-Possibles Montreal, Que. Daoust-Zidane’s been riding for the past year and likes the thrill of going fast and controling the speed.(Marie-Pierre Savard / JOUR527)

: 23 years old student in chemical engineering, François Julien, poses for a photo session with his custom fixed gear bike, on Monday, Nov., 9, 2015, at the Esplanade de la Place des Arts, near the Musée d’art contemporain in Montreal, Que. Julien has been riding this bicycle for the past three years. He likes the minimalist side and the speed control manageable with his fixie. (Marie-Pierre Savard / JOUR527)

: Student Justin Shoubridge, 18 years old, poses for a photo session with his Felt TK3 fixed gear bike, on Tuesday, Nov.,10 2015 in the Mile-End neighborhood of Montreal, Que. Shoubridge, who also teaches mountain biking to kids, started to ride a fixie two years ago because of the simplicity of that kind of bike. Shoubridge uses his bicycle for commuting in town and as a training tool because it’s more challenging than a typical road bike.(Marie-Pierre Savard / JOUR527)