Garrett Chow is a member of the world famous Mash SF Crew

When did you start riding bikes with no brakes?
I started riding track bikes five years ago, while still living in Holland. I’ve never had brakes on my track bikes.

What was the hardest part about adjusting to a fixed gear?
The hardest adjustment is weathering the petty comments and hateful leers from within the “community/scene.”

What kind of bike are you riding right now with what parts?
Mostly, I ride a 2007 Pinarello Paris fitted with a full Campagnolo Record gruppo; Zipp 404 tubulars mounted with Vittoria Corsa EVO-CX tires; and finished with a Deda Newton stem, FSA K-Wing bars and a Selle Italia Gel Flow SLR saddle. I rode this bike from Portland to San Francisco last summer. My track bikes are a Ciocc Enemy pursuit with Campagnolo Record; a Gilco-tubed Colnago Master pursuit with Campagnolo Record; an Eddy Merckx Corsa track bike with Campagnolo Record and a Record wheelset.

What is your favorite city to ride your bike in and why?
Hands down, I would choose Barcelona, Spain. It has the terrain and traffic-flows variously of a small village, a town and a large city.  There are the steep hills; long sections of open flat; fast-moving boulevards; quiet, narrow lanes; roundabouts; the beach promenades…Berlin or Paris are close seconds.

Do you or did you ever skateboard? If so, did that affect your biking in any way?
The obvious translations are reading lines in and through traffic, and looking at the potential of riding (and non-riding) surfaces with the creativity of a skater’s eye.