Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Bicycle Market Outlook: Nerve-Racking, with Chance of Fenders

The fender debate is currently gaining momentum faster than a new brakeless Pista owner on a steep descent, and I fear that it is hurtling uncontrollably towards the four-way intersection that is all-out war. Even though I am a believer in fenders, I am more importantly a believer in peace. As such, I'd like to share with you something that the pro-fender cabal (of which I am admittedly a part) does not want you to know: fenders can be deadly.






This has been my greatest winter bike ever. I loved the setup with risers so much its sucks to see it go. I was riding to work in the morning with a strong spring wind at my back. The front fender was rubbing on the tire just enough to bother me, so I tapped it over a bit with my foot. This is something I have had to do before so I thought nothing of it, until I was in mid flight. So of coarse the fender had somehow caught the smooth tire and wrap up into my fork. Instantly locking up the wheel and well throwing my ass off into the air only to land some number of feet in front of the bike. The distance I flew is what save me from major injury. I flipped almost completely around with all that hang time and rolled down onto my heals. It's hard to explain, I was shooken up a lot but came out just fine a day or two later. After I walked it off a bit I had to flip the bars around to let the wheel clear the D-tube. I rode it like that with a flat a few more miles in a daze until help came for me. This sucked (Sorry Joe)

Yes, while fenders may go a long way towards keeping your posterior dry, they can also stop your front wheel and send you soaring though the air like your messenger bag suddenly became a jet pack--which can lead to pants-wetting of a different sort. Of course, there are fenders that are designed with breakaway clips to prevent this sort of thing from happening. And perhaps more importantly, not trying to adjust your fenders with your feet while you're riding can also go a long way towards preventing accidents. This holds true for any bicycle component or accessory. Things you should not do with your feet while riding include:

--Take a drink from your water bottle;
--Steer;
--Attempt to true your wheel;
--Administer a pedicure;
--Send a text message.

Certainly, if you have monkey-like prehensile toes and your pedial dexterity is greater than your manual dexterity, you should feel free to perform bike maintenance (or operate your mobile phone) with your feet, provided that you do so off the bike. However, upright bicycles are simply not designed with simian people in mind--despite what you might think from looking at freeriders--so while you're in motion you should either use your hands or, better yet, stop completely and make any necessary adjustments. Otherwise, you could always ride a recumbent, on which your laid-back position is much more conducive to doing things like adjusting your cleats or smoothing your callouses with a pumice stone.

That said, there's something that disturbed me about this particular case even more than the fate-tempting foot nudge, and that is the fact that this rider appears to have a brakeless bike with fenders. I've been seeing more and more of this sort of thing lately. Not only are people increasingly riding brakeless bikes with fenders, but they're also riding brakeless bikes with racks. This is because they're discovering the functionality and convenience of these accessories, yet they are still committed to their brakeless ways.

For the most part, I believe that people should do whatever they want, and they should demand that any naysayers perform testilingus on them. If you want to ride brakeless, ride brakeless. If you want to palp a TTMBL, palp a TTMBL. If you want to perform an unsafe-for-work breast exam on yourself while you slay some singletrack, perform an unsafe-for-work breast exam on yourself while you slay some singletrack. However, at the same time I believe you should at least be consistent in your palpage. Should a vegan who wears a sausage necklace be allowed to call himself a vegan? No he should not. Then why should a brakeless cyclist who espouses the "zen simplicity" of brakelessness be allowed to use fenders and racks? That's like some cave-dwelling ascetic having a plasma TV and a full satellite package.

Moreover, stopping a brakeless track bike that weighs 17 pounds is one thing. Stopping a brakeless bike with loaded racks is something else entirely. When I'm on my way home from the fruit stand on my Ironic Orange Julius Bike laden with 30 pounds of bananas for my helper monkey, Vito, there's no way I'm stopping that thing without brakes fast enough to stay out of trouble. I guess that's why I see so many brakeless bikes with CETMAracks, but I've almost never seen anything actually on them. And if nothing else, brakeless bikes with fenders and racks look silly--it's the bicycle equivalent of the suit-with-shorts look.

Still, could this indicate that urban cyclists are moving away from carrying all their knickknacks and tchotchkes in messenger bags and holsters and fanny packs and are instead carrying them on their bikes? At least one person thinks they are, and he's hoping to profit from it:




Vintage Cannondale All-Terrain ATB Cruising Bike Bicycle Turquoise - $250 (Upper East Side)
Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2009-04-28, 6:52PM EDT


Bike for sale is a Vintage Cannondale SM400 in beautiful Turquoise Color. It falls in the category of ATB (All-Terrain Bicycle) or Cruising Bike. The current owner (female) is about 5' 5" tall. I believe the bike is 18" based on information a reader furnished me with. He was basing it on the information the serial number indicates.


Serial Number: 18072187078. Serial number indicates information about the size as well as the fact that it was manufactured on July 21, 1987. Bike was purchased on March 30, 1988.


The information above came from the 1987 Cannondale Catalog. My understanding is that people collect this bike as a vintage item and we were advised not to sell it yet and that as time goes on it will hit a very high value. We are currently selling a lot of our possessions because we just do not have room in our apartment to keep it.


If you would like to see a few of our other items we are selling, you can go to: http://Poconos4Sale.com Some of the prices on the items we have on the site are a little negotiable.


Thank you for looking.


Please email if you have questions about this item or other items we have listed on our other website or on Craig's List.


All the best for a happy and healthy year.


Abe




I found the bit about how they were "advised not to sell it yet" particularly compelling. Has Charles Schwab moved into bike speculation? Has the word gone out that "hipsters" are moving away from brakeless track bikes to bikes with racks, and that people should prepare to get out of Pistas and expect their vintage mountain bikes to skyrocket in value? It's possible. But is this a smart economic move? Not necessarily. First of all, this bike appears to have a clip-on rack, which is the cargo equivalent of a "filth prophylactic." Secondly, the PistaDex in New York City is still quite high, and is currently at 600:



Bianchi Pista - Fixed Gear - $600 (Chelsea)
Reply to: [deleted]

Date: 2009-04-23, 9:30AM EDT


Bianchi Pista in 'gang green' color, 57 cm frame (I'm 6 ft tall), very low milage. I got her about a year ago but she hasn't seen much action. I've done all kinds of things to this bike. Brand new Brooks 'Swift' leather seat (not yet broken in) and Brooks leather bar tape (about 200$ new) included. I also respoked the front wheel radially and put on new Maxxis Detonator tires. The fork is drilled for a brake but you gotta provide your own. This is a wonderful bike in both performance and aesthetics, it breaks my heart to let her go but I need the space. E-mail me and we can set up a time to come check it out.



Then again, there are discouraging signs. Firstly, it appears from the photos that Pista owners are now embarrassed of their bicycles. Secondly, while the PistaDex is high, this doesn't tell the whole story. When I introduced the PistaDex in 2007, the NYC PistaDex was at 475 relative to a Pista MSRP of $579.99 However, a 2009 Pista now retails for a whopping $819! So in 2007 the gap between PistaDex and MSRP was only $104.99. Now, it's $219, which is more than double what it was less than two years ago. In other words, your Hipster Bike Dollar (or HBD) is plummeting in value. It very well may be that Schwab is right and that the time to get out of Pistas is on the horizon.

But I'm not convinced that vintage mountain bikes are the answer. ITTET, it's probably a better idea to stick with more conservative investments, like Chris King headsets--though you should be sure to check the Chris King Headset Composite Index (CKHCI) first, because even this is not immune to market fluctuations nor to the variations in the PistaDex. (When large numbers of hipsters sell their Pistas the headset market can also become flooded with their 1-inch Chris King headset "upgrades.") And of course another possibility is to just put everything into Bridgestone XO-1s:



I was stunned to see the above XO-1 recently in an area where I had previously seen mostly fixed-gears, and the implications are profound--this relic from the past could very well portend a more self-consciously practical future. In any case, the XO-1 is a sound financial investment, principally because it is rare, and also because it allows the seller to invoke the name of Grant Petersen. And in the often unpredictable world of cycling economics, there are two certainties:

1) All cyclists age;
2) Aging cyclists love Grant Petersen.

Best of all, if you're a "hipster" and you ditch your Pista to get one, you get to keep your beard. Just don't try to comb it with your feet while you ride.

136 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tyler!

Podium!

streepo said...

Top 3 with a dry ass!!

Even Raddich said...

epo!

Anonymous said...

How non-gratifying. Ok, now I guess I'll read the post.

rezado said...

holy moly

Anonymous said...

top ten

RANTWICK said...

here!

Anonymous said...

ouh..

Anon 2:05 said...

tired from yesterdays victory effort

ringcycles said...

Hammond cracks the top 10?

Anonymous said...

check out the fork on that first guy's bike. ooops.

Anonymous said...

I had a friend in college that had a 'dale that same color. Of course, it was about 1989 and that color wasn't as puke as it is today.

Anonymous said...

Um, the fork is the point, Mr. NoRead.

Renders Fenders Moot said...

I am thirteen! Or perhaps not!

Anonymous said...

pack fill

anon 2:11 said...

Distortion, sir.

You know, besides the whole absurdity of the pistadex and such.

http://www.bianchiusa.com/09-bicycles/09-d2-special/pista/09-d2-pista-fix.html

Anonymous said...

"That's like some cave-dwelling ascetic having a plasma TV and a full satellite package."

What if this particular ascetic only wants to remember how miserable the world really is by watching tv?

hillbilly said...

on behalf of renders fenders and hillbilly, i'd just like to thank the academy for recognizing our struggle and giving us a voice.

great post as always

RANTWICK said...

I'm so confused... I just did a blog post stating that I was too square to be hip, because I palp a fixed with rack and fenders.

Does this alarming trend mean that I am (shudder) somewhat hip?

I think I'm still perfectly un-hip, but you have introduced disturbing complexity into my formerly clear self-definition.

Plus, I've managed a top ten finish! What does that mean to my inner being? Oh, God help me, I don't know who I am any more!

Thanks alot, BSNYC, Thanks Alot.

Even Raddich said...

where else would i perform my unsafe for work breast exam if not while slaying single-track? i certainly can't fit my bicycle in the shower. well, i can, but then it's hard to reach my breasts. maybe if i were a lady...

mikeweb said...

mikeweb1st!

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 2:11,

Thanks for your diligent fact-checking and for, as always, taking my posts far too seriously. I find the Bianchi website very confusing, though admittedly I'm not a very savvy person. That's still quite a price increase though.

--BSNYC

mikeweb said...

The 'foot fender adjustment' I think has something to do with phrases such as "of coarse" and "I was shooken up". Either that, or English is not his first language.

Anonymous said...

Isn't leather bar tape kind of nasty in the summer?

Also, why would you buy a 17 pound bike (Pista) and put a 4 pound Brooks saddle on it?

Regards,
Jim N

Disgruntl Ed. said...

That dirty Pista pimp:

"I got her about a year ago but she hasn't seen much action."

yet

"I've done all kinds of things to this bike."

Furthermore, is she a she or is it an it?

By the way, "pedial?"

hillbilly said...

wait, i know this one! a gay fish! no, that's a different one, sorry....i give up, why?

Anonymous said...

BOO YAH!!! KARA GOUCHER!!!! BOO YAH!!!!

rezado said...

Snob,

Are you sure that isnt you posing with the pista. I couldnt get a good enough look at the legs but they appear to be shaved.

Astroluc (Find me on Tumblr and Instagram @Astroluc) said...

top 30 ;)

mikeweb said...

I'm glad to see they're giving the prisoners at Abu Ghraib free pistas.

Disgruntl Ed. said...

My goodness, it is a word. I'm calling Oxford right now to inform them.

Isolation Helmet said...

I have known for years that I am hipper than hipsters. I now have confirmation since I have been riding fixed gear bikes with fenders for over 5 years. I currently palp a Surly Crosscheck with full fenders and a rear rack. Of course being hipper than a hipster I also use front and rear brakes.

Mr. Donkey said...

Snobby, please add this to your list of things not do on a bike.

I used to brake with my heal on my road bike even though I had properly functioning brakes. I'd rotate my heal until it rested on the rear rim. I did this on occasion until my heal caught in the spoke, locked up the bike, and sent me tumbling a## over t#ts. My junk turned black and blue from smacking into the handle bars (I had my arms crossed in front of my chest). Nothing broken but I may not be able to have kids.

One of the dumbest things I've done a bike.

brother yam said...

1) All cyclists age;
2) Aging cyclists love Grant Petersen.
As an old, bearded man that palps a Bleriot, right on! Don't fight it -- save your energy for other things.

Like yelling at the f--kin' kids to get off of your lawn...

PopRichmond said...

Some guys on the fixed gear gallery forum were against brakeless fendered bikes, but for the exact opposite reason. They were concerned that if you had to stop and your chain broke, you'd be unable to rub your foot against the tire with the fender in the way.

Maniacs.

411 said...

2:11 might be the only thing more lame-o than 3:11

(Spoke) Wrench Monkey said...

I use my prehensile toes to true my wheels while riding, but not while perched upon a noseless saddle.

Anonymous said...

That suckah should have known fenders weren't compatible with his vintage steel Pinarello Onda fork.

Anonymous said...

Dear Mr. Donkey
I just about lost my lunch reading about your accident. If that isn't your best story please share more of them.

kale said...

Can't you use a bicycle hammer to true your wheel while you're riding?

PopRichmond-

Jamaican Style, Mon...

Anonymous said...

aahhh...a GP mention is as good as a rucksack. whatta day. gotta go talk to my mechanic about the best way to mount this owl feather I found onto my handlebars...

kale said...

Oh, maybe i should have read what you wrote better.

g said...

Nearly 50 comments and not a single one taking on the obvious combination of "sausage necklace" and NSFW topless mountain biker? Average Joe's kids can read this one with him at dinner tonight!

Anonymous said...

Mr. Donkey, did your heel heal?

Anonymous said...

the xo-1 from fixed-gear switch is definitely documented. a good friend of mine currently rocks a purple xo similar to the bike in your picture. and, yes, he has plentiful storage.

his previous bikes were all fixed-gear. including a custom frame that he quickly put to pasture once he experienced the thrill of the 650cc wheel.

BiZZiD said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

"I keep my heals on the petals and stop with a break. keeps my tyres on the ground."

?

jolene said...

fuck that shit

Ev said...

I'm a hipster who didn't sell my track bike to get an XO-1, but I did get an XO-1.

And I have to say that (ahem) GRANT PETERSEN'S DESIGN is great. It is hands-down the most awesome. Especially with my hipster beard in the mix.

ant1 said...

jolene - that's your answer to everything. and I'm glad that it is, i might add.

Anonymous said...

I herd that about Jolene down at the tavern, too.

ringcycles said...

Snobbie: "upright bicycles are simply not designed with simian people in mind" What's with the anti-primate tone you are taking? Both the original Hans Rey and the better know for bike tricks Hans Rey would likely disagree (check the link)

http://123posters.com/curiousgeorge8.htm

I don't think you have enough banana to win a fight with Vito over this opinion.

Sab said...

I'm starting to question if people should be allowed to ride brakeless legally, I was against any of those laws before. but, last night while I was on my lunch break, I almost got in an accident with a motorcycle because some asshole hipster that didn't know how to stop his "whip" came flying out of 13th street while I was heading up 2nd ave. This time of year is all around dangerous because of the fair weather cyclists but now I have to worry about guys that say "breaks are for wussies" yet have weak legs that can't stop their bikes.

innerlighter said...

But at least we can forsee a time coming when The universe of Craigslist misspellings will align.

To wit; without "brakes", many of the racked and fendered fixed gears will develop "breaks".

So when you start putting your money into XO-1's, you may want to diversify and carry some Band-Aid stock as well.


meh.


Oh, and thanks Frilly!

TheTye said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mad Jack McMad said...

"The distance I flew is what save me from major injury. I flipped almost completely around with all that hang time and rolled down onto my heals. It's hard to explain, I was shooken up a lot but came out just fine a day or two later. After I walked it off a bit I had to flip the bars around to let the wheel clear the D-tube. I rode it like that with a flat a few more miles in a daze until help came for me."

Is this guy absolutely certain he didn't sustain some sort of head injury?

TheTye said...

I tryed to remove leaves from my spokes with my hand while riding and broke my fingers... Therefore I will be removing my spokes to prevent reaccurence.

I'm also placing "HOT-DO NOT TOUCH" stickers on all my unneccissary breakpads

the man in the yellow hat said...

Four Hans is better than two.

Woosie said...

what's a "wussy?"

Anonymous said...

Sab, you have just pointed out the trouble with the idea of letting natural selection take care of the morons. Far too often, they take non-morons out along with themselves.

Grow up, dorks, and get control of your bikes.

Wes said...

Anonymous at 2.17. It's a spelling thing. Although strictly speaking, as an Englishman, tyres is right on.

And the 'guards are on, sleek and with only two minor finger injuries.

CommieCanuck said...

Isn't that pista chick the same person I've seen on that endless news loop of al queda terrorist training on the monkeybars?Wasn't NYC bombed from someone on a bike?

Where's homoland security on this?

CommieCanuck said...

rantwick..the true hip do not use the term, "hip".

You're safe.

Anonymous said...

If you look at constant dollars, the difference between a 2007 and 2009 pista is actually closer to $160.00 (back of the envelope calculation) than the $219.00 you specify. Thus drop in HBD purchasing power would be closer to 50% and not the 100% you flaunt, much in the way a chicken suit wearing fixie rider flaunts the number of gears on his / her / its bike.

kale said...

On a side note:

Has anyone else noticed drivers are being much more aggressive towards you as of late?

Anon 17:30 said...

2:55 is the new 2:11

Just so you know.

ant1 said...

kale - yeah, but that might be due to my new "all you motorists suck my balls" kit.

kale said...

What a coincidence, maybe that's it after all.

grog said...

so when I suspected my helper kitty had stolen my nipple wrench, I suggested a trade for a sausage necklace. It worked, and I now rub happy nipples on my birthday.

Udder said...

Why did the guy who "Killed A Bike Today" feel compelled to send us his likeness, instead of just the bike?

Also, he shouldn't worry about that bike. He can steal another one easily with the bolt cutters hanging behind him on the wall.

mikeweb said...

Yes kale, I've noticed the same. Probably drivers wanting to get a closer look at my rain-chaps and poncho combo.

That's the kit I'm rokken.

RANTWICK said...

Whew! Thanks CommieCanuck.

Anonymous said...

Jolene makes me feel vertically stiff and laterally compliant.

Jim said...

Gang Green color Bianchi, eh?

Silly me. Here I was thinking that nasty color painted onto Bianchis was Celeste. Little did I know, the color ridden to many great champions was named after a rotting flesh disease.

Cripes. I gotta get out more often.

Good thing they don't come in red, otherwise that Bianchi would have been colored Ebola.

Anonymous said...

Jim,

Celeste and Gang Green are two different Bianchi colors.

Luck E. Seven said...

Vintage = Decaying

Done stuff = Posed for pictures

Adjusting fender with foot while riding = Drunk again

Steel rack = Heaviness rulzz. Next time, try stainless!


A

Anonymous said...

In reference to the vintage Cannondale ad, you wrote "At least person thinks they are, and he's hoping to profit from it." I think you are a great writer and I marvel at how much you write without any typos. Omission of the work "one" in this instance is a very rare example.

ant1 said...

work?

Fausto said...

you will become gangrene when I destroy your circulatory system on the Stelvio!

Anonymous said...

teardrops on the city
bad scooter searching for his groove

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 4:03pm,

Oops--that wasn't the only mistake in that sentence either!

Thanks,

--BSNYC

mikeweb said...

The Pista in question is, in fact, Celeste green

hillbilly said...

kale - definitely yes. i took it as a sign that they were attracted to me. no? and they weren't trying to tell me "you're #1," ?

Anonymous said...

I suppose this would be of interest

bk jimmy said...

mikeweb

how can you be so sure? looks very gangy to me.

ant1 said...

snob - wasn't the "they are" in that sentence refering to "urban cyclists"?

BikeSnobNYC said...

Ant1,

Oh yeah. I was right after all. Awesome, thanks!

--BSNYC

Unknown said...

Congratulations on 'Blog of Note.' I used to enjoy bicycling. There are so many great mountain biking trails here in Utah.

Sadly, due to some degenerating disks and arthritis, I can't bike anymore.

...And you certainly know more about the bike industry than I ever did.

Anonymous said...

snob is the bike industry.

Anonymous said...

You're welcome Innerlighter.

db said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
annoying guy said...

you would think the pista dex would be down as bianchi no longer corners the newbie i have to have a fixie but have no clue what to buy market.

Azzamination said...

never text with your feet....love it..

Anonymous said...

While we're nitpicking typos, I'm surprised no one mentioned "absurity" in the title of yesterday's post.

random douche said...

@ Sab:

its woosies not wussies...
it takes a woosie like you to spell it wrong.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 5:43pm,

Holy crap!!!

--RTMS

hillbilly said...

holy crap indeed! my faith in disgruntl'ed is shattered!

Mister Grammar said...

damn!!!

BikeSnobNYC said...

Obviousness is stealth.

--BSNYC

Bobbo said...

all top ten finishers are required to submit for mandatory drug testing

Anonymous said...

I always enjoy your posts, but it seemed particularly good today...oh wait, it is the drugs from surgery...

Just an average Joe said...

Holy crap? Thanks a lot, now my kids are cussing all over the place.

Bluenoser said...

Shit, no 100.

-B

Unknown said...

this cetma racks equipped lightweight palps a front brake & its not even a TTMBL. composts self after over the bars dismount?
[URL=http://img2.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nickinmass223eaeb.jpg][IMG]http://img2.imageshack.us/img2/4789/nickinmass223eaeb.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Unknown said...

http://img2.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nickinmass223eaeb.jpg

Sausage necklace afficianado said...

What's better - a cetma rack or an xtracyle for locating a grill? I mean the cetma would be easier to use while riding, since it's front and center, but I could use my feet while turning the sausage necklace on an xtracycle or even better one of those bilenky contraptions.

Anonymous said...

Ok...
having a fixed gear bike is fine...
if you're using it for cold weather off season miles
when you have full front and rear fenders with a big ass mudflap on the front
front AND rear brakes
don't mind beating the shit out of it
and know what it means to hurt yourself come time...
and i don't mean bailing when pulling a wheelie or skid
pistas are for wuzies.

KVonnegut said...

Snob, I love the blog -- please keep it coming.

Any chance you could dedicate a very special episode to just mountain bike trendz? I gather you tend to swing that way sometimes - and MTB trailheads are ripe for the picking...

Dolly Parton said...

Jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene
Im begging of you please dont take my man
Jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene
Please dont take him just because you can
Your beauty is beyond compare
With flaming locks of auburn hair
With ivory skin and eyes of emerald green
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your voice is soft like summer rain
And I cannot compete with you, jolene

He talks about you in his sleep
Theres nothing I can do to keep
From crying when he calls your name, jolene

And I can easily understand
How you could easily take my man
But you dont know what he means to me, jolene

Jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene
Im begging of you please dont take my man
Jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene
Please dont take him just because you can

You could have your choice of men
But I could never love again
Hes the only one for me, jolene

I had to have this talk with you
My happiness depends on you
And whatever you decide to do, jolene

Jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene
Im begging of you please dont take my man
Jolene, jolene, jolene, jolene
Please dont take him even though you can
Jolene, jolene

Anonymous said...

Sab,

I'm with you. In addition to their erratic bike handling and the self-projection that they are somehow "rebellious" and keeping it simple/authentic, the brakeless wonders are supremely self-absorbed. I see nothing "zen" about forcing everyone else to look out for YOU. Basically, an extension of the fact that mommy and daddy told them they were special too many times.

And this might have more to do with my laziness, but as Snob has pointed out before, coming down one of the bridges is the easy fun part of commuting. When the fixters refuse to keep right and let us coasters pass, it's another shot of righteous tunnel vision. Why do they think they are fast? B/c they do alleycats once in a while? None of these people have even seen a velodrome or climbed a real hill/mountain...just delusional. At least i admit i'm lazy.

Mr. NoRead said...

131st, and I still didn't read the post!

Anonymous said...

http://omg.yahoo.com/photos/mary-kate-and-her-beau-bike-nyc/2852?nc#id=1

Anonymous said...

I question the story.

A fender that flipped doesn't remain nicely screwed to the fork ...

He probably just hit a car - maybe because of missing brakes?

Anonymous said...

F*O*R S*A*L*E

Lightly used and never abused Garry Fissure 'Knievel 3000' Ravine Jumper.

This is a test msg to see if I can get by BSNYC's bad word filters. Heh!

southpole said...

you rode your bike with bananas on the rack?
trying to transport a large amount of bananas on the rack is what made me deinstall it and switch to messenger bags. because when i arrived they were nothing but mush. and then i imagined transporting my brandnew laptop on a rack ...

spencer said...

1. Though I love the idea of fenders to keep spew off of my rear, I have never gotten over the toe overlap or the increased difficulty in changing a flat with all that extra crap in the way.

2. Trendy people are ALWAYS hostile. This fixie versus brakes versus racks and fenders versus Grant Petersen... WHATEVER! These are the off-spring of the same turds who claimed to like Nirvana better before SubPop went top 40, and scoff at the poppiness of anything being main stream. Mind your damn business and ride your own bike you little Hitlers. People are allowed to be stupid, wrong, and different in their own special way, no matter how lame, outdated, trendy or unaesthetic it may be.


Spencer

www.twowheelkarma.blogspot.com

kale said...

Spencer, you know what - you're right. Thanks for helping me realize the err of my ways by simplifying things with outdated metaphors.

I think you might need to put the fenders back on since you're spewing out your rear again.

Keep reading, and look up satire the next time you're in the library (say hi to red's crew for me while you're there).

mikeweb said...

"People are allowed to be stupid, wrong, and different in their own special way, no matter how lame, outdated, trendy or unaesthetic it may be."

-Spencer

"And we're allowed to ridicule them"

-Everyone else

ant1 said...

spencer - we like to think of ourselves as big hitlers, not little ones. and we don't even ride bikes, we just like to make fun of people who do. it's pretty fun actually, you should try it some time. just get together with your closest internet friends, pick a random blog on a subject you know nothing about, barge in to the comments section and start talking shit like you have a clue. oh wait, nevermind.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...

SWIN EFLU

I knew it!

Disgruntl Ed. said...

zzzzz

huh?

joco said...

122 comments later and I have finally worked out that a fender is what we in the UK call a mudguard.
"Off with their heads", I say.

Fierce Panties said...

Spencer,

I would prefer "Big Napoleon" and fyi, I know it's early, but I fell asleep reading your blog.
Sorry about that.

Lauren said...

Well I don't care about fixies and brakes 'cause I'm in my 50's and only ride a Volpe & a Big Dummy. I finally got back out and rode today after some illness and working hard at my ranch. So I feel worthy again to read this blog, at least while I keep my legs up a wall to stretch my hamstrings.

And I have a rack on my Volpe and my BD is nothing but racks, so I do care about racks.

Dr. Hosehanger Frown said...

I knew some kids who use Obvious Stealthiness to steal a canoe from a Canadian Tire.

Man, am i pumped for today's post. I predict zero typos.

anybody here?

hillbilly said...

It usually means trouble when one 1) numbers their statements, and 2) obviously has NO sense of humor. Oh, and statements such as "trendy people are ALWAYS hostile" is just brilliant, really, wow. Lastly, or 3), oh fuck it.

be quiet please, you're hurting my head

CoWNA: said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mikeweb said...

I find someone who claims and/or self describes with terms like "karma", "poetic", "fundementalist" and "wholeness" then comments with ALL CAPS and ! marks to be quite ironic.

I think I've got legs today...

hillbilly said...

not me, mike, it's your race, i'll try to give a decent leadout

ant1 said...

I'm not racing for the win today. Just trying to get some miles in my legs.

mikeweb said...

Oh, I meant on the Manhattan bridge this a.m... the D train couldn't hang.

Disgruntl Ed. said...

ahem.
"Nerve-Racking" is very nice.

Anonymous said...

The Pistadex just needed time to catch up to the new reality of a $819 MSRP. Hipsters are already starting to price their Pistas accordingly. Here's one for $700 with a broken spoke, preinstalled risers, "rare" top tube protector and hipster cysts:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/bik/1148171778.html

Craptastic!

Max said...

привет

Anonymous said...

Bikes are toys for children. Like Comic books.

Used Racking said...

It really depends on what you prefer doesn't it.