BikeSnobNYC's Blog, page 39
August 8, 2017
BSNYC Product Test: My Nuts Are On Lockdown
As a world famous bike blogger and noted author of books, people occasionally offer to send me stuff to try. (When I say "stuff" I mean equipment, not casseroles or homemade wine.) Often I decline, mostly owning to the fact that things are pretty chaotic over at my château, and anything that crosses the threshold is liable to wind up getting flushed down the terlet by my two year-old before I have a chance to try it. However, every so often something piques my interest, and so I say, "Ah, what the hell, send it on over."
One such item was the Abus NutFix, which may sound like a cutting-edge medical treatment you'd need to seek if botched a cyclocross remount, but is in fact a theft-proof locking skewer system:
Basically the idea is that when the bike's upright you can't get it open, but when you lie the bike down horizontally you can slide the cover off of the nut and open it up with an 8mm wrench:
Which is great as long as you don't park your bike like this:
Of course, once the box containing the Abus NutFix skewers arrived back in April I promptly set it aside and didn't get around to opening it until this very morning.
I need a larger staff.
Anyway, the first thing I did upon opening the package was try to unlock the nut by holding the skewer vertically, but try as I might I couldn't get it to work. I must have stood there in the kitchen for about 40 minutes, tugging and twisting the thing to no avail like a monkey trying to open a combination lock. Finally, I realized that what sets us apart from our simian siblings is the ability to operate the Internet, and so after roughly four seconds of G--gling I discovered I first had to push down on the nut and then give it a pull.
Yes, I realize all of this sounds totally obscene, but there's really no way around it.
Once I got that down and was confident I wouldn't wind up stranded and unable to fix a flat on a cold dark night on they went, and then I headed to Midtown where the bike is sitting outside as I type this:
That's about the closest I've got to a "fancy" set of wheels (they came with my Ritte Rustbucket) so it should be interesting to see of they're still there when I return. Oh, here's how they look when they're installed:
It seems like a decent system, but of course it all hinges on having that 8mm wrench when you need it. Naturally I've added one to my Surly's tool roll:
But inasmuch as an 8mm wrench isn't the sort of thing you're likely to find on a typical multitool it's easy to see how you might find yourself without one at a crucial juncture.
Oh, and while I was testing the NutFix I figured I'd also test that Hiplok "Z LOK:"
Yes, a reusable locking zip tie with a steel core is all that is securing my Brooks Cambium from the thieves of New York City:
Will see what happens.
Oh, and for the millionth time because it always comes up, yes, I suppose if a thief was familiar with the S&S coupler system then he or she could help themselves to half a bicycle if they were so inclined:
However, I'm willing to bet that if the bike gets stolen it's going to be an all-or-nothing scenario.
I'll keep you posted.
In other news, everybody's heard by now that Steuart and Tom Walton have bought Rapha:
Honestly I'm just surprised there are that many giant Freds in the world:
Mr Mottram said the investment would enable Rapha to accelerate its global expansion plans.
"It heralds the start of the next stage of our journey and is testament to the growth and potential that people see in Rapha and in cycling," he added.
Rival firms, including Aston Martin shareholder Investindustrial, were reported to have been interested in Rapha, which was valued at a reported £200m.
Though I'm not sure about this:
"Who was really interested in cycling back in 2001 and 2002? It was just something us weirdos did."
I dunno, 2001 and 2002 were Lance Armstrong's third and fourth Tour de France wins, and if I remember correctly the Steamroller of Fredliness had already attained unstoppable momentum--though either way there's no question that Rapha's timing was impeccable. And while everybody's relishing the fact that the Waltons are heirs to the Walmart fortune, I think the real irony is that the quintessential roadie clothing company got bought by a couple of mountain bikers:
Brothers Steuart and Tom Walton are grandsons of Walmart founder Sam Walton, and their shared passion for mountain biking has led the Walton Family Foundation to contribute $13 million toward trails in Northwest Arkansas. Remember when you were a kid (or, like last week) and you played that game: "What would you do if you had a zillion dollars?" Well, these guys can actually answer that question. And it turns out what they'd do is create a living lab for trail advocacy.
Though the current state of their wardrobe was almost certainly a factor:
In any case, I can't help feeling a bit nostalgic, since Rapha played such an outsized role in the salad days of my blogging career. After all, who could forget this?
I even got quoted in the article:
In an e-mail message, Bike Snob NYC said he was impressed with a “Fixed Jacket” that Rapha sent him to try. “It’s excellent,” he wrote. “It’s durable, the fit is good, and the pockets are in the right places.” The blogger added, “They’ve done a great job of not only evoking cycling history but also capturing a ‘soulful’ aesthetic that appeals to certain riders.” Still, he admitted: “As a cyclist, I understand it, but personally I sometimes find it off-putting. It’s a little rarefied for me ... I don’t want to feel like I need to be worthy of my clothes.”
Now Rapha's all growed up and fetching £200 million, and here I am riding a Surly and hoping my wheels don't get stolen. All I'm saying is where the hell is my buyout? I'm not asking for Walmart money, but couldn't the Tad's Steaks heirs buy me out for like fifty grand?
Here's hoping.
One such item was the Abus NutFix, which may sound like a cutting-edge medical treatment you'd need to seek if botched a cyclocross remount, but is in fact a theft-proof locking skewer system:
Basically the idea is that when the bike's upright you can't get it open, but when you lie the bike down horizontally you can slide the cover off of the nut and open it up with an 8mm wrench:
Which is great as long as you don't park your bike like this:
Nice parking job. (Photo by my wife @SaraWillowNYC ) pic.twitter.com/DvFM09DxJf— Bike Snob NYC (@bikesnobnyc) August 1, 2017This product appealed to me because I've been using my Surly Travelers check for a lot of my city riding these days and I'm tired of carrying around like three locks and/or taking the front wheel off:
Of course, once the box containing the Abus NutFix skewers arrived back in April I promptly set it aside and didn't get around to opening it until this very morning.
I need a larger staff.
Anyway, the first thing I did upon opening the package was try to unlock the nut by holding the skewer vertically, but try as I might I couldn't get it to work. I must have stood there in the kitchen for about 40 minutes, tugging and twisting the thing to no avail like a monkey trying to open a combination lock. Finally, I realized that what sets us apart from our simian siblings is the ability to operate the Internet, and so after roughly four seconds of G--gling I discovered I first had to push down on the nut and then give it a pull.
Yes, I realize all of this sounds totally obscene, but there's really no way around it.
Once I got that down and was confident I wouldn't wind up stranded and unable to fix a flat on a cold dark night on they went, and then I headed to Midtown where the bike is sitting outside as I type this:
That's about the closest I've got to a "fancy" set of wheels (they came with my Ritte Rustbucket) so it should be interesting to see of they're still there when I return. Oh, here's how they look when they're installed:
It seems like a decent system, but of course it all hinges on having that 8mm wrench when you need it. Naturally I've added one to my Surly's tool roll:
But inasmuch as an 8mm wrench isn't the sort of thing you're likely to find on a typical multitool it's easy to see how you might find yourself without one at a crucial juncture.
Oh, and while I was testing the NutFix I figured I'd also test that Hiplok "Z LOK:"
Yes, a reusable locking zip tie with a steel core is all that is securing my Brooks Cambium from the thieves of New York City:
Will see what happens.
Oh, and for the millionth time because it always comes up, yes, I suppose if a thief was familiar with the S&S coupler system then he or she could help themselves to half a bicycle if they were so inclined:
However, I'm willing to bet that if the bike gets stolen it's going to be an all-or-nothing scenario.
I'll keep you posted.
In other news, everybody's heard by now that Steuart and Tom Walton have bought Rapha:
Honestly I'm just surprised there are that many giant Freds in the world:
Mr Mottram said the investment would enable Rapha to accelerate its global expansion plans.
"It heralds the start of the next stage of our journey and is testament to the growth and potential that people see in Rapha and in cycling," he added.
Rival firms, including Aston Martin shareholder Investindustrial, were reported to have been interested in Rapha, which was valued at a reported £200m.
Though I'm not sure about this:
"Who was really interested in cycling back in 2001 and 2002? It was just something us weirdos did."
I dunno, 2001 and 2002 were Lance Armstrong's third and fourth Tour de France wins, and if I remember correctly the Steamroller of Fredliness had already attained unstoppable momentum--though either way there's no question that Rapha's timing was impeccable. And while everybody's relishing the fact that the Waltons are heirs to the Walmart fortune, I think the real irony is that the quintessential roadie clothing company got bought by a couple of mountain bikers:
Brothers Steuart and Tom Walton are grandsons of Walmart founder Sam Walton, and their shared passion for mountain biking has led the Walton Family Foundation to contribute $13 million toward trails in Northwest Arkansas. Remember when you were a kid (or, like last week) and you played that game: "What would you do if you had a zillion dollars?" Well, these guys can actually answer that question. And it turns out what they'd do is create a living lab for trail advocacy.
Though the current state of their wardrobe was almost certainly a factor:
In any case, I can't help feeling a bit nostalgic, since Rapha played such an outsized role in the salad days of my blogging career. After all, who could forget this?
I even got quoted in the article:
In an e-mail message, Bike Snob NYC said he was impressed with a “Fixed Jacket” that Rapha sent him to try. “It’s excellent,” he wrote. “It’s durable, the fit is good, and the pockets are in the right places.” The blogger added, “They’ve done a great job of not only evoking cycling history but also capturing a ‘soulful’ aesthetic that appeals to certain riders.” Still, he admitted: “As a cyclist, I understand it, but personally I sometimes find it off-putting. It’s a little rarefied for me ... I don’t want to feel like I need to be worthy of my clothes.”
Now Rapha's all growed up and fetching £200 million, and here I am riding a Surly and hoping my wheels don't get stolen. All I'm saying is where the hell is my buyout? I'm not asking for Walmart money, but couldn't the Tad's Steaks heirs buy me out for like fifty grand?
Here's hoping.
August 7, 2017
Much Ado About Fredness
Well I'm still waiting for my wooden speed sleigh, which I understand should be coming any day now:
In the meantime I've been training hard on my chubby bike:
As well as my bike with those curved-type handlebars like they use in the Tour de France:
And of course now that I'm on Strava I intend to push the Renovo and myself to our very limits:
That's right, I plan to set those Strava segments on fire--unless of course the Renovo goes up in flames first.
Speaking of test items, a little while ago I mentioned that I'd received a set of these reusable locking zip ties from Hiplok:
While I've been carrying one around in my jersey pocket lately just in case I need to duck into a store in a low-crime area, I admit I haven't had occasion to actually use one yet. However, do you see that little two-pronged key?
Well it totally saved my ride yesterday.
Here's what happened.
As the curator of a vast publishing empire and the father of an undisclosed number of human children it's not too often that I have time to go for a leisurely Sunday ride. However, yesterday the stars aligned in just such a was as to make that possible. So I grabbed the Ol' Milwaukee and pointed it north.
However, a few blocks from my home, I noticed a potentially ride-ending problem:
My bar tape was messed up.
Specifically, the edge of one piece of bar tape had wriggled itself free from beneath the overlapping piece, and so it was popping up a tiny bit. Now, as a parent with limited riding time my capacity for bicycle imperfection has increased considerably over the years. Filthy bike? Out-of-true wheel? Rusty chain? I no longer give any of these a second thought.
However, riding around with unraveling bar tape is a notch above sporting a great big greasy chain ring tattoo, and the level of distraction it would present during my ride was akin to having a pebble in my shoe or a burr in my chamois.
Anyway, I was just about to throw the bike over a guardrail and give up cycling forever when it occurred to me that I could take that little zip tie key and tuck the tape back where it belonged. So that's what I did:
Success!
Incidentally, this particular tape says "Do not stretch" on the package, but clearly there's a fine line between not stretching and not wrapping tightly enough, and I guess I must have been just beneath that line by the time I made my way to the top of the bar.
It is exceedingly comfortable though, so I'm willing to ride the learning curve.
Speaking of Strava, now that I'm broadcasting my lame rides to the world, clearly I need to take the next step and make dramatic videos about them--just like world famous fixie bike rider Patrick Seabase:
Morocco - Riding in the Atlas Mountains from Patrick Seabase on Vimeo.
This clip captures the beauty of riding in the High Atlas Mountains, close to Marrakech. A place, rich in culture and history - Containing a wide range of topography, ideal for cycling.
From the intense atmosphere of Marrakech to the silent peaks up to 3000m.
Gearing: 47/17
No, this clip does not capture the beauty of riding in the High Atlas Mountains. What it captures is the intricate linework of Patrick Seabase's chest tattoo and the wispy hairs of his mustache:
It also captures the deranged look of someone chasing a phantom derailleur in the sky:
Then, on the way down, it captures the frantic spinning and skidding we've all been laughing at since 2007:
And finally it captures the unavoidable truth that riding a fixie is only slightly less badass than riding a motor scooter:
All of this is doubly clear if you mute the soundtrack, which accounts for about 95% of the video's drama.
Lastly, remember when Fred Specs were going to be all the rage?
("Come in, Planet Fred. Do you read me, Planet Fred?")
Well maybe not:
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Intel Corporation has quietly discontinued its Recon Jet smart sunglasses line as part of its reported move out of the wearables market. In a document published on the Intel website, the company said it would stop accepting orders for the products on Sept. 29.
Though not everybody's giving up on the concept:
Everysight, an Israel-based company, is continuing to move ahead with its heads-up display sunglass, also marked for cyclists. The company attended Summer PressCamp last month and said it will begin shipping its glasses soon.
Because you can never have too much information:
I hope they come out with a monocle version I can use with my wooden bike.
In the meantime I've been training hard on my chubby bike:
As well as my bike with those curved-type handlebars like they use in the Tour de France:
And of course now that I'm on Strava I intend to push the Renovo and myself to our very limits:
That's right, I plan to set those Strava segments on fire--unless of course the Renovo goes up in flames first.
Speaking of test items, a little while ago I mentioned that I'd received a set of these reusable locking zip ties from Hiplok:
While I've been carrying one around in my jersey pocket lately just in case I need to duck into a store in a low-crime area, I admit I haven't had occasion to actually use one yet. However, do you see that little two-pronged key?
Well it totally saved my ride yesterday.
Here's what happened.
As the curator of a vast publishing empire and the father of an undisclosed number of human children it's not too often that I have time to go for a leisurely Sunday ride. However, yesterday the stars aligned in just such a was as to make that possible. So I grabbed the Ol' Milwaukee and pointed it north.
However, a few blocks from my home, I noticed a potentially ride-ending problem:
My bar tape was messed up.
Specifically, the edge of one piece of bar tape had wriggled itself free from beneath the overlapping piece, and so it was popping up a tiny bit. Now, as a parent with limited riding time my capacity for bicycle imperfection has increased considerably over the years. Filthy bike? Out-of-true wheel? Rusty chain? I no longer give any of these a second thought.
However, riding around with unraveling bar tape is a notch above sporting a great big greasy chain ring tattoo, and the level of distraction it would present during my ride was akin to having a pebble in my shoe or a burr in my chamois.
Anyway, I was just about to throw the bike over a guardrail and give up cycling forever when it occurred to me that I could take that little zip tie key and tuck the tape back where it belonged. So that's what I did:
Success!
Incidentally, this particular tape says "Do not stretch" on the package, but clearly there's a fine line between not stretching and not wrapping tightly enough, and I guess I must have been just beneath that line by the time I made my way to the top of the bar.
It is exceedingly comfortable though, so I'm willing to ride the learning curve.
Speaking of Strava, now that I'm broadcasting my lame rides to the world, clearly I need to take the next step and make dramatic videos about them--just like world famous fixie bike rider Patrick Seabase:
Morocco - Riding in the Atlas Mountains from Patrick Seabase on Vimeo.
This clip captures the beauty of riding in the High Atlas Mountains, close to Marrakech. A place, rich in culture and history - Containing a wide range of topography, ideal for cycling.
From the intense atmosphere of Marrakech to the silent peaks up to 3000m.
Gearing: 47/17
No, this clip does not capture the beauty of riding in the High Atlas Mountains. What it captures is the intricate linework of Patrick Seabase's chest tattoo and the wispy hairs of his mustache:
It also captures the deranged look of someone chasing a phantom derailleur in the sky:
Then, on the way down, it captures the frantic spinning and skidding we've all been laughing at since 2007:
And finally it captures the unavoidable truth that riding a fixie is only slightly less badass than riding a motor scooter:
All of this is doubly clear if you mute the soundtrack, which accounts for about 95% of the video's drama.
Lastly, remember when Fred Specs were going to be all the rage?
("Come in, Planet Fred. Do you read me, Planet Fred?")
Well maybe not:
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (BRAIN) — Intel Corporation has quietly discontinued its Recon Jet smart sunglasses line as part of its reported move out of the wearables market. In a document published on the Intel website, the company said it would stop accepting orders for the products on Sept. 29.
Though not everybody's giving up on the concept:
Everysight, an Israel-based company, is continuing to move ahead with its heads-up display sunglass, also marked for cyclists. The company attended Summer PressCamp last month and said it will begin shipping its glasses soon.
Because you can never have too much information:
I hope they come out with a monocle version I can use with my wooden bike.
August 4, 2017
New Outside Column!
Just ducking my head back in to let you know my new Outside column is up:
It's all about how I opened a Strava account.
Yeah, that's right.
I feel dirty.
Anyway, go ahead and chew on that over the weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday.
Yours and so forth,
--Wildcat Etc.
It's all about how I opened a Strava account.
Yeah, that's right.
I feel dirty.
Anyway, go ahead and chew on that over the weekend, and I'll see you back here on Monday.
Yours and so forth,
--Wildcat Etc.
July 31, 2017
This Just In: A Brief Leaf Of Abscess
Good afternoon!
While I generally endeavor to give at least some advanced notice in the event of my leave-taking form this blog, the high shit-to-fan ratio* with which I'm currently dealing requires said notice to be a bit more abrupt.
*[If the surface area of the fan is considerably larger than the volume of shit this results in a wider splatter area. The exception is the Dyson, in which case the shit merely passes through the fan unless its volume exceeds the fan's diameter.]
The short version is that after today I won't be updating this blog until Monday, August 7th, at which point I will resume regular updates.
However, the above notwithstanding, assuming my next Outside column comes out before then I'll be sure to duck back in here and let you know.
Also, do keep in mind that during this week I will continue to update the Bike Forecast, so at the very least you'll have the company of my more smug alter-ego for the duration of the week.
Speaking of my Outside column, my most recent is about the virtues of flat pedals, which as a recovering Fred I've only relatively recently come to appreciate:
Anyway, it recently came to my attention that it's caused a little bit of a stir over at Reddit, and I've been finding the ensuing commentary to be a source of considerable amusement:
This author is such an asshole. Stop telling people what to do. If people want to use flat pedals good for them, they are great for commuting. If I want to use clipless pedals who cares? I can stop worrying about if my foot is in the right place.
Ugh, I hate people like this, they are no better than the people they decry in the article.
That was pretty much the entire point of the article.
And finally, speaking of smugness, my own credentials in that area aren't exactly unimpeachable. This is because I do continue to register a motor vehicle in my name, which of course THE BANK OWNS UNTIL I FINISH PAYING THEM BACK. I'll spare you my rationale for this, but suffice to say my relationship to my car is a lot like my relationship to clipless pedals: it comes in handy but it's also a pain in the ass, and I'm getting closer and closer to abandoning it completely.
In any case, it so happens that THE CAR THAT THE BANK OWNS UNTIL I FINISH PAYING THEM BACK is currently in the shop. (It's getting a sweet Transportation Alternatives-themed full body wrap.) Ordinarily I'd hardly miss the thing, since I live in New York City and have access to all manner of public transit, not to mention car services and Ubers and of course my hundreds of bikes. However, yesterday we had to travel to Connecticut for a big family get-together, and getting there by train would have required several transfers and several hours each way versus a relatively painless one-hour drive.
"Fuck it," I decided on Saturday. "I'm renting a Hyundai."
Alas, as it turned out I'd left it too late, because by the time I called the local car rental place they didn't have any Hyundais. In fact they only had one vehicle left:
That's a Ford F-150 XLT. (Without the Trump-sticker-and-truck-nuts trim package.) Those of you in the heartland or who do actual work are probably just thinking "Nice truck," but to a city-dweller who taps on computer keys for a living and grew up among Jews it might as well have been a Greyhound bus. I had my reservations. On the other hand, my wife was like, "Okay," and my older son observed that it was the size of a subway station and decided it was pretty much the greatest thing he'd ever seen. Most crucially, since it was all the rental place had left they gave us a rock-bottom rate, and they even waived the fueling fee.
And so it was that for 48 hours we were a pickup truck-driving family.
Here are some brief observations:
--It's fucking huge;
--Even old people hustle when you roll up to the crosswalk;
--While I could see all around me quite clearly, the blind spot around the front bumper was considerable, and it was horrifying to think about how easy it would be for an inattentive driver to run over a small child while turning.
That last one was positively chilling given how often I've seen people whipping around the city on their cellphones in these things. While the world needs trucks and I have absolutely nothing against them when used appropriately, context is everything, and the fact that New York basically makes no distinction between the Ford F150 I was driving and a Smart Fortwo (which I'm pretty sure I could have thrown in the truck bed) is downright insane:
Not only are they dangerous in densely-populated areas, but people drive these fucking things into Manhattan and then complain that bikes cause traffic.
At the same time, even I, an increasingly smug bike blogger, could not deny the truck's appeal. It handled quite well despite its size, it emitted a satisfyingly throaty purr on the highway when passing, and I probably could have carried every one of my bikes in it.
Certainly if I ever buy a ranch or a very large boat the F-150 will be near the top of my list.
Nevertheless, the fact that people buy trucks like this just to drive around the city while smoking blunts will continue to keep me awake at night.
And with that, I bid you adieu until Monday, August 7th. Enjoy the rest of the week, ride safe, and keep on trucking.
--Wildcat Rock Machine
While I generally endeavor to give at least some advanced notice in the event of my leave-taking form this blog, the high shit-to-fan ratio* with which I'm currently dealing requires said notice to be a bit more abrupt.
*[If the surface area of the fan is considerably larger than the volume of shit this results in a wider splatter area. The exception is the Dyson, in which case the shit merely passes through the fan unless its volume exceeds the fan's diameter.]
The short version is that after today I won't be updating this blog until Monday, August 7th, at which point I will resume regular updates.
However, the above notwithstanding, assuming my next Outside column comes out before then I'll be sure to duck back in here and let you know.
Also, do keep in mind that during this week I will continue to update the Bike Forecast, so at the very least you'll have the company of my more smug alter-ego for the duration of the week.
Speaking of my Outside column, my most recent is about the virtues of flat pedals, which as a recovering Fred I've only relatively recently come to appreciate:
Anyway, it recently came to my attention that it's caused a little bit of a stir over at Reddit, and I've been finding the ensuing commentary to be a source of considerable amusement:
This author is such an asshole. Stop telling people what to do. If people want to use flat pedals good for them, they are great for commuting. If I want to use clipless pedals who cares? I can stop worrying about if my foot is in the right place.
Ugh, I hate people like this, they are no better than the people they decry in the article.
That was pretty much the entire point of the article.
And finally, speaking of smugness, my own credentials in that area aren't exactly unimpeachable. This is because I do continue to register a motor vehicle in my name, which of course THE BANK OWNS UNTIL I FINISH PAYING THEM BACK. I'll spare you my rationale for this, but suffice to say my relationship to my car is a lot like my relationship to clipless pedals: it comes in handy but it's also a pain in the ass, and I'm getting closer and closer to abandoning it completely.
In any case, it so happens that THE CAR THAT THE BANK OWNS UNTIL I FINISH PAYING THEM BACK is currently in the shop. (It's getting a sweet Transportation Alternatives-themed full body wrap.) Ordinarily I'd hardly miss the thing, since I live in New York City and have access to all manner of public transit, not to mention car services and Ubers and of course my hundreds of bikes. However, yesterday we had to travel to Connecticut for a big family get-together, and getting there by train would have required several transfers and several hours each way versus a relatively painless one-hour drive.
"Fuck it," I decided on Saturday. "I'm renting a Hyundai."
Alas, as it turned out I'd left it too late, because by the time I called the local car rental place they didn't have any Hyundais. In fact they only had one vehicle left:
That's a Ford F-150 XLT. (Without the Trump-sticker-and-truck-nuts trim package.) Those of you in the heartland or who do actual work are probably just thinking "Nice truck," but to a city-dweller who taps on computer keys for a living and grew up among Jews it might as well have been a Greyhound bus. I had my reservations. On the other hand, my wife was like, "Okay," and my older son observed that it was the size of a subway station and decided it was pretty much the greatest thing he'd ever seen. Most crucially, since it was all the rental place had left they gave us a rock-bottom rate, and they even waived the fueling fee.And so it was that for 48 hours we were a pickup truck-driving family.
Here are some brief observations:
--It's fucking huge;
--Even old people hustle when you roll up to the crosswalk;
--While I could see all around me quite clearly, the blind spot around the front bumper was considerable, and it was horrifying to think about how easy it would be for an inattentive driver to run over a small child while turning.
That last one was positively chilling given how often I've seen people whipping around the city on their cellphones in these things. While the world needs trucks and I have absolutely nothing against them when used appropriately, context is everything, and the fact that New York basically makes no distinction between the Ford F150 I was driving and a Smart Fortwo (which I'm pretty sure I could have thrown in the truck bed) is downright insane:
Not only are they dangerous in densely-populated areas, but people drive these fucking things into Manhattan and then complain that bikes cause traffic.
At the same time, even I, an increasingly smug bike blogger, could not deny the truck's appeal. It handled quite well despite its size, it emitted a satisfyingly throaty purr on the highway when passing, and I probably could have carried every one of my bikes in it.
Certainly if I ever buy a ranch or a very large boat the F-150 will be near the top of my list.
Nevertheless, the fact that people buy trucks like this just to drive around the city while smoking blunts will continue to keep me awake at night.
And with that, I bid you adieu until Monday, August 7th. Enjoy the rest of the week, ride safe, and keep on trucking.
--Wildcat Rock Machine
July 28, 2017
BSNYC Friday Fun Quiz!
It's your lucky day!
Firstly, the new Outside column is here, the new Outside column is here!
Read it now. NOW!!!
Secondly, I'm pleased to present you with a quiz. As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer. If you're right that's great, and if you're wrong you'll see #whatpressureyourunning.
Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and Merry Christmas.
--Wildcat Rock Machine
1) It's okay if your kid's a triathlete.
--True
--False
(He's got wood.)
2) According to a stale trend piece in the New York Post, skateboards are the news:
--Rollerblade
--Combover
--Viagra
--Skateboard
3) How much for the Wheelmen Python Wrapped Bicycle?
--$3,500
--$35,000
--$350,000
--I dunno, got any good kompromat?
4) This sandal-shod Canadian has just:
--Dismounted a recumbent
--Harangued a cyclist for wearing flip flops
--Beaten a cyclist with a club
--Lost a toe in the drivetrain of his fixie
5) This cyclist is being chased by a:
--Moose
--Grizzly Bear
--Club-wielding Canadian
--Total Fred
6) This is my foot and crotch.
--True
--False
7) Which is not an official road bike category according to VeloNews?
--"All-around road"
--"Aero road"
--"Endurance road"
--"Holiday road"
***Special Bicycle Safety-Themed Bonus Video***
Firstly, the new Outside column is here, the new Outside column is here!
Read it now. NOW!!!Secondly, I'm pleased to present you with a quiz. As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer. If you're right that's great, and if you're wrong you'll see #whatpressureyourunning.
Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and Merry Christmas.
--Wildcat Rock Machine
1) It's okay if your kid's a triathlete.
--True
--False
(He's got wood.)
2) According to a stale trend piece in the New York Post, skateboards are the news:
--Rollerblade
--Combover
--Viagra
--Skateboard
3) How much for the Wheelmen Python Wrapped Bicycle?
--$3,500
--$35,000
--$350,000
--I dunno, got any good kompromat?
4) This sandal-shod Canadian has just:
--Dismounted a recumbent
--Harangued a cyclist for wearing flip flops
--Beaten a cyclist with a club
--Lost a toe in the drivetrain of his fixie
5) This cyclist is being chased by a:
--Moose
--Grizzly Bear
--Club-wielding Canadian
--Total Fred
6) This is my foot and crotch.
--True
--False
7) Which is not an official road bike category according to VeloNews?
--"All-around road"
--"Aero road"
--"Endurance road"
--"Holiday road"
***Special Bicycle Safety-Themed Bonus Video***
July 27, 2017
This Just In: The Posting of This Post Has Been Postponed
Good morning!
Owing to pressing parenting-related matters I must reschedule this post for tomorrow, Friday, July 28th, 2017. As for the nature of these parenting matters, I can assure you it's not to hold an intervention for this child:
I thank you for indulging me in this matter, and in the meantime I invite you to read the Bike Forecast, or if you don't want to do that you're more than welcome to fuck off to any one of the other twenty zillion sites on the Internet.
Or just take the day off and work on your descending technique:
Owing to pressing parenting-related matters I must reschedule this post for tomorrow, Friday, July 28th, 2017. As for the nature of these parenting matters, I can assure you it's not to hold an intervention for this child:
Help! My younger son enjoys intentionally falling off his balance bike way more than riding it. I think he may be a triathlete!— Bike Snob NYC (@bikesnobnyc) July 26, 2017He's free to be whoever he wants to be, even if who he wants to be turns out to be this person:
I thank you for indulging me in this matter, and in the meantime I invite you to read the Bike Forecast, or if you don't want to do that you're more than welcome to fuck off to any one of the other twenty zillion sites on the Internet.
Or just take the day off and work on your descending technique:
That nun descents better than you, @chrisfroome
July 26, 2017
Wednesdays Are For Blathering
As I mentioned not too long ago, I recently obtained a skateboard, which as an aging male officially put me in the company of people like this:
In his bespoke Italian suit and designer dress shoes, Cyril Therien gracefully weaves in and out of street traffic like a fish in water.
As soon as he pulls up to Pergola, the Flatiron hot spot du jour, women are practically lining up to speak to the 39-year-old IT specialist as he parks his wheels.
“This thing is a chick magnet,” he says.
There is no way in hell Cyril Therien is a real person.
Anyway, unlike other bike bloggers who also ride skateboards (I'm looking at you, Stevil Kinevil), I can't do any tricks and I totally suck. However, yesterday I used my skateboard in a practical application instead of simply flailing around on it on the street outside my house, and I must say that it was something of a revelation.
Basically, I had some errands to run in my neighborhood, and then I had to go all the way to Brooklyn. And while I certainly could have done all of this by bicycle, I also had a limited amount of time, and I live far enough from Brooklyn that the only way the bike saves me time over the train is if said train derails. (Which, I should point out, is becoming increasingly common these days.) Ordinarily in a case like this I'd reach for the Brompton, but this time I figured "what the hell" and instead I grabbed the board with wheels.
Here's how it played out:
--Rode skateboard to post office and some other places, tried not to beat self to death with skateboard while suffering through postal service transaction;
--Boarded subway;
--Saved myself a time-sucking inter-division transfer by skating to my destination once I arrived in Brooklyn;
--On the way home, got off the train early, picked up some Chipotle, and skated the rest of the way home.
What can I say, something about riding a skateboard makes you hungry for Chipotle.
Anyway, the revelation wasn't that the skateboard worked out well as a handy way to augment the New York City transit system. No, the revelation was how I felt while riding it--and the way I felt was deeply self-conscious.
See, as an internationally renowned bicycle blogger and author who's been riding a bike since the 1970s:
And who upgraded from training wheels to Skyway Tuff Wheel IIs:
And eventually reached the lofty heights of Category 3 road racing and "sport" level mountain biking:
I am simply no longer capable of feeling self-conscious while on the bike. Sure, there was a time when I felt naked without a matching stretchy kit and wouldn't be caught dead on a bike without clipless pedals, but thankfully these days are long behind me. Indeed, my only fear at this point is that I've become so laid back and ecumenical with regard to bikes that I might one day do the unthinkable and experiment with recumbents.
Oops, too late!
(G. Petersen photo)
Rest assured I showered in scalding hot water afterward and have not been on one since.
The skateboard however was another story, and I found myself constantly worrying that I looked like a middle-aged hipster doofus--probably because that's exactly what I looked like. More than that, I worried that I was doing it "right." Not right in the sense of staying on it (I'm pretty capable of that), but right in the sense of not offending anybody. After all, it's been like 30 years since I've used a skateboard for transportation, and back then I was too young to give a shit about stuff like whether or not I should be on the sidewalk or what's the least loud and stupid-looking way to stop this thing. When I'm on a bike I know exactly where I should and shouldn't be, which rules to follow and which rules to bend, and so forth. On the skateboard however I was some weird not-quite-pedestrian and not-quite-cyclist, and I didn't know shit.
And that was the revelation. This is how a lot of people feel on the bike. Just as I hadn't skated since I was a teenager, many New York City cyclists haven't been on a bike since adolescents and are wobbly and insecure. And while most of them are capable of staying upright, no doubt many of them are emotionally quite fragile, and how much they worry about whether or not they're doing it "right" could be enough to decide whether they stick with the bike or simply give it up.
And while I wouldn't call riding the skateboard a form of penance (I enjoyed it too much), I would say it was humbling and lent me some much-needed empathy. Certainly it's important to encourage cyclists during this important make-or-break period in their development.
As for whether or not I'll continue using the skateboard for commuting, we shall see. But if I can ride around on a folding bike and maintain some shred of dignity, I can probably ride anything:
In his bespoke Italian suit and designer dress shoes, Cyril Therien gracefully weaves in and out of street traffic like a fish in water.
As soon as he pulls up to Pergola, the Flatiron hot spot du jour, women are practically lining up to speak to the 39-year-old IT specialist as he parks his wheels.
“This thing is a chick magnet,” he says.
There is no way in hell Cyril Therien is a real person.
Anyway, unlike other bike bloggers who also ride skateboards (I'm looking at you, Stevil Kinevil), I can't do any tricks and I totally suck. However, yesterday I used my skateboard in a practical application instead of simply flailing around on it on the street outside my house, and I must say that it was something of a revelation.
Basically, I had some errands to run in my neighborhood, and then I had to go all the way to Brooklyn. And while I certainly could have done all of this by bicycle, I also had a limited amount of time, and I live far enough from Brooklyn that the only way the bike saves me time over the train is if said train derails. (Which, I should point out, is becoming increasingly common these days.) Ordinarily in a case like this I'd reach for the Brompton, but this time I figured "what the hell" and instead I grabbed the board with wheels.
Here's how it played out:
--Rode skateboard to post office and some other places, tried not to beat self to death with skateboard while suffering through postal service transaction;
--Boarded subway;
--Saved myself a time-sucking inter-division transfer by skating to my destination once I arrived in Brooklyn;
--On the way home, got off the train early, picked up some Chipotle, and skated the rest of the way home.
What can I say, something about riding a skateboard makes you hungry for Chipotle.
Anyway, the revelation wasn't that the skateboard worked out well as a handy way to augment the New York City transit system. No, the revelation was how I felt while riding it--and the way I felt was deeply self-conscious.
See, as an internationally renowned bicycle blogger and author who's been riding a bike since the 1970s:
And who upgraded from training wheels to Skyway Tuff Wheel IIs:
And eventually reached the lofty heights of Category 3 road racing and "sport" level mountain biking:
I am simply no longer capable of feeling self-conscious while on the bike. Sure, there was a time when I felt naked without a matching stretchy kit and wouldn't be caught dead on a bike without clipless pedals, but thankfully these days are long behind me. Indeed, my only fear at this point is that I've become so laid back and ecumenical with regard to bikes that I might one day do the unthinkable and experiment with recumbents.
Oops, too late!
(G. Petersen photo)
Rest assured I showered in scalding hot water afterward and have not been on one since.
The skateboard however was another story, and I found myself constantly worrying that I looked like a middle-aged hipster doofus--probably because that's exactly what I looked like. More than that, I worried that I was doing it "right." Not right in the sense of staying on it (I'm pretty capable of that), but right in the sense of not offending anybody. After all, it's been like 30 years since I've used a skateboard for transportation, and back then I was too young to give a shit about stuff like whether or not I should be on the sidewalk or what's the least loud and stupid-looking way to stop this thing. When I'm on a bike I know exactly where I should and shouldn't be, which rules to follow and which rules to bend, and so forth. On the skateboard however I was some weird not-quite-pedestrian and not-quite-cyclist, and I didn't know shit.
And that was the revelation. This is how a lot of people feel on the bike. Just as I hadn't skated since I was a teenager, many New York City cyclists haven't been on a bike since adolescents and are wobbly and insecure. And while most of them are capable of staying upright, no doubt many of them are emotionally quite fragile, and how much they worry about whether or not they're doing it "right" could be enough to decide whether they stick with the bike or simply give it up.
And while I wouldn't call riding the skateboard a form of penance (I enjoyed it too much), I would say it was humbling and lent me some much-needed empathy. Certainly it's important to encourage cyclists during this important make-or-break period in their development.
As for whether or not I'll continue using the skateboard for commuting, we shall see. But if I can ride around on a folding bike and maintain some shred of dignity, I can probably ride anything:
July 25, 2017
From Materialism to Letting Go
With the stock market on a tear and a president who's committed to making America great again by increasing our reliance on cutting-edge energy sources such as coal there's never been a better time to purchase a quality bicycle made here on the good side of the Mexican border wall. Are you in the market for a new bike that says, "I'm an American, and I wipe my ass with $100 bills?" If so, look no further, because you'll want to buy two or three of these babies:
Yes, meet The Wheelman Bicycle, the $35,000 python-wrapped bicycle that screams, "I take meetings with Donald Trump, Jr.!"
As far as I can tell The Wheelman has been around for awhile, but I only became aware of it last week when a publicist representing the company asked if I would discuss it on a TV show. I told him that I would, but that in the interest of "full transparency" he should know I find the bike offensive. For some reason he decided to move on.
Anyway, here's the story behind The Wheelman:
WHEELMEN PYTHON WRAPPED BICYCLE
$35,000.00
Each Wheelmen bicycle is a custom-built masterpiece. The lavish finishings and details of this exceptional bicycle ensure that The Wheelmen is both work of art and mode of transportation like no other.
Williamson bicycles are hand brazed in Detroit using highest quality chromoly tubing. The frame, fork, lugs, and stem are all handmade by Williamson, with individual copper details and subtle logos brazed in place. Each component is wrapped with python or crocodile and hand sewn. Brake levers, gear system, pedals, and cranks are then assembled to your exact specifications. All of our animal skins are CITES certified, thus they are harvested in a sustainable and humane process. In addition, no chemical bi-products are used in the tanneries.
ONLY 10 OF EACH COLOR WILL BE MANUFACTURED.EACH BICYCLE WILL BE ENGRAVED WITH ITS RESPECTIVE LIMITED EDITION NUMBER 1 THROUGH 10.
And here are the specs, which slot neatly in between "stock Surly" and "stock Budnitz" but are closer to the former:
Basically it's your typical shop bro's bar bike, only dipped in plating and wrapped in dead shit.
Oh, here's where the frames come from, by the way:
Sure, they look like nice enough frames, but you don't even get the satisfaction of waiting around for a world famous artisan who's in love with the smell of his own farts:
Nevertheless, if you're enamored of The Wheelman because you've always dreamed of a bike that looks like Ted Nugent is using it as a drying rack for his underpants, then for a similar effect I'd recommend purchasing a Linus and draping it in roadkill. That way you'll have about $34,500 left over, which you can use to buy five (5) footballs:
WOODWARD GOLD CROCODILE FOOTBALL:
$6,250.00 The Woodward football is made to the official size and weight of professional American football standards. It can be enjoyed as a prized showpiece or for a game of backyard football.
Each ball is hand cut, sewn and assembled in Detroit, Michigan, and can be embossed with the name, initials, or personal message of your choice. All of our animal skins are CITES certified, thus they are harvested in a sustainable and humane process. In addition, no chemical bi-products are used in the tanneries. ONLY 10 WOODWARD IN GOLD WILL BE MADE.EACH BALL WILL BE ENGRAVED WITH ITS RESPECTIVE LIMITED EDITION NUMBER 1 THROUGH 10.
Jesus Christ, what the fuck do these people have against reptiles!?!
Yeah, I'm holding out for the golf balls covered in stem cells, but thanks anyway.
In other news, did you know that no-handed riding will enhance your mind-body connection?
Why is this? Well, one reason is apparently that "now you have nearly 100% of all your weight on your root."
Yes, as you always suspected, intense scranial pressure is the path to enlightenment.
Yes, meet The Wheelman Bicycle, the $35,000 python-wrapped bicycle that screams, "I take meetings with Donald Trump, Jr.!"
As far as I can tell The Wheelman has been around for awhile, but I only became aware of it last week when a publicist representing the company asked if I would discuss it on a TV show. I told him that I would, but that in the interest of "full transparency" he should know I find the bike offensive. For some reason he decided to move on.
Anyway, here's the story behind The Wheelman:
WHEELMEN PYTHON WRAPPED BICYCLE
$35,000.00
Each Wheelmen bicycle is a custom-built masterpiece. The lavish finishings and details of this exceptional bicycle ensure that The Wheelmen is both work of art and mode of transportation like no other.
Williamson bicycles are hand brazed in Detroit using highest quality chromoly tubing. The frame, fork, lugs, and stem are all handmade by Williamson, with individual copper details and subtle logos brazed in place. Each component is wrapped with python or crocodile and hand sewn. Brake levers, gear system, pedals, and cranks are then assembled to your exact specifications. All of our animal skins are CITES certified, thus they are harvested in a sustainable and humane process. In addition, no chemical bi-products are used in the tanneries.
ONLY 10 OF EACH COLOR WILL BE MANUFACTURED.EACH BICYCLE WILL BE ENGRAVED WITH ITS RESPECTIVE LIMITED EDITION NUMBER 1 THROUGH 10.
And here are the specs, which slot neatly in between "stock Surly" and "stock Budnitz" but are closer to the former:
Basically it's your typical shop bro's bar bike, only dipped in plating and wrapped in dead shit.
Oh, here's where the frames come from, by the way:
Sure, they look like nice enough frames, but you don't even get the satisfaction of waiting around for a world famous artisan who's in love with the smell of his own farts:
Nevertheless, if you're enamored of The Wheelman because you've always dreamed of a bike that looks like Ted Nugent is using it as a drying rack for his underpants, then for a similar effect I'd recommend purchasing a Linus and draping it in roadkill. That way you'll have about $34,500 left over, which you can use to buy five (5) footballs:
WOODWARD GOLD CROCODILE FOOTBALL:
$6,250.00 The Woodward football is made to the official size and weight of professional American football standards. It can be enjoyed as a prized showpiece or for a game of backyard football.
Each ball is hand cut, sewn and assembled in Detroit, Michigan, and can be embossed with the name, initials, or personal message of your choice. All of our animal skins are CITES certified, thus they are harvested in a sustainable and humane process. In addition, no chemical bi-products are used in the tanneries. ONLY 10 WOODWARD IN GOLD WILL BE MADE.EACH BALL WILL BE ENGRAVED WITH ITS RESPECTIVE LIMITED EDITION NUMBER 1 THROUGH 10.
Jesus Christ, what the fuck do these people have against reptiles!?!
Yeah, I'm holding out for the golf balls covered in stem cells, but thanks anyway.
In other news, did you know that no-handed riding will enhance your mind-body connection?
Why is this? Well, one reason is apparently that "now you have nearly 100% of all your weight on your root."
Yes, as you always suspected, intense scranial pressure is the path to enlightenment.
July 24, 2017
Is It Wednesday Yet?
Canada:
(A map of the Canada)
For those of us who reside down here in her dirty pant cuffs it's tempting to imagine Canada as an endearingly polite idyll with free health care and a dreamy prime minister:
However, every so often something comes along to shatter our illusion and remind us that our unassuming neighbor to the north also has its share of violence-prone pickup truck-driving troglodytes:
PETERBOROUGH—A driver has been charged after a dramatic video showed a 74-year-old cyclist viciously attacked on the side of the road with a club.
Peterborough police said that just after 11 a.m. Tuesday, the cyclist was riding in the area of Erskine Ave. when an argument broke out between him and a truck driver.
The driver climbed out of his truck and attacked the cyclist with a small club, police said.
Unlike his stateside counterparts he's wearing sandals:
But the dissimilarities end there.
“The sound of the club hitting him was sickening,” the woman told the newspaper. “Blood was flying off it.”
She said she didn’t witness what led to the encounter.
“They were flailing their arms around and the guy walked back to his truck,” she said.
I'm going to go ahead and guess what led to this encounter is the same thing that leads to every instance of driver-on-cyclist road rage, which is that the driver nearly killed the cyclist with his giant motor vehicle by doing something stupid or selfish or both, and the cyclist had the audacity to exercise his self-preservation instinct by trying not to die.
Just a hunch.
Still, not all Canadian pickup truck drivers are bad, and some might even save you from a bear attack:
He began hitting his horn to get the cyclist’s attention, seeing that his speed would not outrun the bear.
“Finally he looked over at me and I said, ‘You’ve got a grizzly bear about 25 feet behind you.’ He looked back and went, ‘Oh!’ and started to pound on the pedals.”
Here's what a touring cyclist looks like when he's being pursued by an ursine wheelsucker:
And here's a bear who has locked on to the irresistible scent of pannier stuffed to capacity with dried meats and dirty chamois:
At this point you may be wondering, "What should I do if I find myself being chased by a bear?" Well, here are some things you can try:
Though it doesn't address various concerns specific to cyclists, chief among them being "What pressure should I be running?"
Nevertheless, the number one threat to our well-being continues to be idiots driving cars, and while self-driving technology may soon factor the idiots out of the equation you can be sure the auto-industrial complex will figure out new ways to make safety your problem:
(Via @TrueBS)
On a recent afternoon, Rowe pedaled a white Bianchi Brava bicycle up and down a busy street in the city's university district. His bike was loaded with gear: the antenna of a GPS unit extended above his head in a long plastic tube, a laser range finder called a LIDAR measured the precise position of everything around the bike, four inertial measurement units captured motion, a water bottle held a battery, a computer collected all that information, and every other spoke carried a speedometer.
"I would not be happy if I had to ride this every day," says Rowe, hopping off the bike. "But hopefully when all of this stuff just gets embedded in a cellphone on the front, then it should be no problem."
Oh, sure, helping the machines help you seems innocent enough, but it's not too hard to imagine a future in which this sort of technology becomes mandatory. And while that might not seems like such a big deal either (after all, we're all riding around with phones anyway), in practice it could have many of the same implications of a helmet law, such as enforcement for not using it falling disproportionately on certain segments of the population. Plus, the auto industry has been deflecting responsibility onto more vulnerable road users since the days of the hand-cranked engine, so why should we expect this to be any different? I'm sure the traffic light and all the other controls we're familiar seemed like good ideas at the time, and of course we couldn't imagine life without them now, but really what they served to do was wrest control of the streets from anyone who wasn't driving a car. You're already fair game out there, and being forced to get "wired up" before riding a bike (even if it's just flipping a virtual toggle switch on your phone) feels like a final act of surrender.
Of course, we all know who's going to sell us out first: the Freds. They're used to riding while connected anyway so will no doubt embrace this technology, and from there we'll soon reach a point when "serious" cyclists sneer at anybody riding without LIDAR in the same way they currently do ay anyone who rides without first putting on a foam hat. And who do you think will be the first country on earth to bend over and willingly accept mandatory GPS cycling suppositories? Yeah, that's right:
You have been warned.
(A map of the Canada)
For those of us who reside down here in her dirty pant cuffs it's tempting to imagine Canada as an endearingly polite idyll with free health care and a dreamy prime minister:
However, every so often something comes along to shatter our illusion and remind us that our unassuming neighbor to the north also has its share of violence-prone pickup truck-driving troglodytes:
PETERBOROUGH—A driver has been charged after a dramatic video showed a 74-year-old cyclist viciously attacked on the side of the road with a club.
Peterborough police said that just after 11 a.m. Tuesday, the cyclist was riding in the area of Erskine Ave. when an argument broke out between him and a truck driver.
The driver climbed out of his truck and attacked the cyclist with a small club, police said.
Unlike his stateside counterparts he's wearing sandals:
But the dissimilarities end there.
“The sound of the club hitting him was sickening,” the woman told the newspaper. “Blood was flying off it.”
She said she didn’t witness what led to the encounter.
“They were flailing their arms around and the guy walked back to his truck,” she said.
I'm going to go ahead and guess what led to this encounter is the same thing that leads to every instance of driver-on-cyclist road rage, which is that the driver nearly killed the cyclist with his giant motor vehicle by doing something stupid or selfish or both, and the cyclist had the audacity to exercise his self-preservation instinct by trying not to die.
Just a hunch.
Still, not all Canadian pickup truck drivers are bad, and some might even save you from a bear attack:
He began hitting his horn to get the cyclist’s attention, seeing that his speed would not outrun the bear.
“Finally he looked over at me and I said, ‘You’ve got a grizzly bear about 25 feet behind you.’ He looked back and went, ‘Oh!’ and started to pound on the pedals.”
Here's what a touring cyclist looks like when he's being pursued by an ursine wheelsucker:
And here's a bear who has locked on to the irresistible scent of pannier stuffed to capacity with dried meats and dirty chamois:
At this point you may be wondering, "What should I do if I find myself being chased by a bear?" Well, here are some things you can try:
Though it doesn't address various concerns specific to cyclists, chief among them being "What pressure should I be running?"
Nevertheless, the number one threat to our well-being continues to be idiots driving cars, and while self-driving technology may soon factor the idiots out of the equation you can be sure the auto-industrial complex will figure out new ways to make safety your problem:
(Via @TrueBS)
On a recent afternoon, Rowe pedaled a white Bianchi Brava bicycle up and down a busy street in the city's university district. His bike was loaded with gear: the antenna of a GPS unit extended above his head in a long plastic tube, a laser range finder called a LIDAR measured the precise position of everything around the bike, four inertial measurement units captured motion, a water bottle held a battery, a computer collected all that information, and every other spoke carried a speedometer.
"I would not be happy if I had to ride this every day," says Rowe, hopping off the bike. "But hopefully when all of this stuff just gets embedded in a cellphone on the front, then it should be no problem."
Oh, sure, helping the machines help you seems innocent enough, but it's not too hard to imagine a future in which this sort of technology becomes mandatory. And while that might not seems like such a big deal either (after all, we're all riding around with phones anyway), in practice it could have many of the same implications of a helmet law, such as enforcement for not using it falling disproportionately on certain segments of the population. Plus, the auto industry has been deflecting responsibility onto more vulnerable road users since the days of the hand-cranked engine, so why should we expect this to be any different? I'm sure the traffic light and all the other controls we're familiar seemed like good ideas at the time, and of course we couldn't imagine life without them now, but really what they served to do was wrest control of the streets from anyone who wasn't driving a car. You're already fair game out there, and being forced to get "wired up" before riding a bike (even if it's just flipping a virtual toggle switch on your phone) feels like a final act of surrender.
Of course, we all know who's going to sell us out first: the Freds. They're used to riding while connected anyway so will no doubt embrace this technology, and from there we'll soon reach a point when "serious" cyclists sneer at anybody riding without LIDAR in the same way they currently do ay anyone who rides without first putting on a foam hat. And who do you think will be the first country on earth to bend over and willingly accept mandatory GPS cycling suppositories? Yeah, that's right:
You have been warned.
July 21, 2017
This Just In: More Me!
Remember when I told you that I'd let you know when my new Outside thingy was up? Well my new Outside thingy is up:
(My new Outside thingy, which is up.)
Now you know!
We now return to today's post, which is already in progress.
(My new Outside thingy, which is up.)
Now you know!
We now return to today's post, which is already in progress.
BikeSnobNYC's Blog
- BikeSnobNYC's profile
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BikeSnobNYC isn't a Goodreads Author
(yet),
but they
do have a blog,
so here are some recent posts imported from
their feed.
