BSNYC Friday Fun Quiz!

For those of you who follow the Gregorian calendar, today is an auspicious one. (Call me a retrogrouch, but I'm sticking with the Julian calendarway.) First of all, it's Friday. Second of all, 1,006 years ago today, Leif Erikson became the first European to visit Canada, and then, 20 minutes later, the first European to patronize a Tim Hortons. Most importantly though, today is Messenger Appreciation Day. (Or, according to my browser window heading, "Messenger Aprpeciation Day.) Not only that, but Messenger Aprpeciation Day now has total legitimacy, having just earned the coveted Portland Seal of Cycling Smugness.

However, before you start aprpeciating messengers too broadly, keep in mind that this holiday does not honor all messengers; it only honors the ones for whom messengering is a lifestyle choice. These are the brave souls who selflessly allow their costly liberal arts degrees to lie fallow in order ride their exotic boutique "work bikes" around the world's most fashionable cities all day long while carrying pictures of models in their custom hand-sewn bags and flitting from boutique company to boutique company. So aprpeciate not the woefully unfashionable person of limited means and opportunity on the department store bike for whom a job as a bicycle delivery person is the only thing between sustenance and destitution. Instead, honor those brave souls who choose to pay for tattoo sleeves instead of health insurance, for it is only the voluntary poor who understand the true nature of sacrifice.

Now, in the spirit of cycling togetherness, let us reflect on the messenger's contribution to society by watching the now-classic Dogpaw video:

Yes, even bicycle messengering has its lone wolves.

"All You Haters Aprpeciate My Dogpaw"

So on this day take a moment to aprpeciate an acceptably fashionable messenger, assuming you can differentiate an actual messenger from a non-messengering urban cyclist. (Hint: the messenger is considerably more pungent.) And if you're the sort of person who resents bicycle messengers for their freewheeling lifestyle (I mean "freewheeling" figuratively, since of course the fashionable ones use track bikes) just take a moment to consider the alternatives from which they've managed to escape. Because a job in graphic design is no kind of life.

Speaking of aprpeciation and Fridays, I aprpeciate the fact that this Friday once again provides me with the opportunity to "curate" another quiz. As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer. If you're right you'll know it, and if you're wrong you'll see a fashion show.

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks to the readers who have forwarded items that wound up in this quiz. And of course, special thanks to all the messengers out there. Your work is aprpeciated.

--BSNYC/RTMS

1) Who is this?

--"Speedo Man"
--"Banana Seat Man"

--"Banana Hammock Man"

--A now-retired Dogpaw

2) Miyagi fixies are:

--"curated for quality, value, and aesthetics"
--"more than just a style...they're a culture"
--not yet available
--All of the above

3) Which is not an actual riding tip from Brian Miller Hot Rodding?

--"When perpendicularly crossing flowing traffic, initially steer into the flow. When a large enough gap presents itself, dive through it."

--"Cars will have often not stopped prior to red light signals, at which point you should be careful to resume evasive action."

--"When approaching cross streets, pay attention to their direction. See the ONE WAY signs. Get in the habit of switching to the upstream side of that cross flow to avoid turning cars of your lane."

--"I like to use a rear view mirror and reflectors."

4) No wonder cyclocross is getting so popular. Ksyriums from Cyclocrossworld.com now come standard with:

--A truing wench

--Bigger nipples

--An improved rim job

--Full release

5) "Those wacky Portlanders!" The hot new trend in cyclocross is now:

--Dutch city bikes

--Cargo bikes

--Tandem bikes

--Inline skates

6) "Those wacky Portlanders!" The hot new trend in city bikes is now the:

--Gravity Bong-Carrying Stoner Bike

--Beer Keg-Carrying Party Bike

--Giant Cheese Grater-Carrying Parmesan Bike

--"All You Vegans Eat My Meat" Hibachi Bike

7) "Those wacky drug addicts!" Professional cyclist Chad Gerlach has relapsed:

--True

--False

8) "Now that's curating!" According to the seller of this Felt Gridlock, how much did he pay the bike shop to assemble his "custom" chain?

--$100

--$200
--$300

--$500

***Special Cycling Couture-Themed Bonus Question***

This photo, taken by a reader in Amsterdam, reveals Rapha's top-secret bespoke cycling suit testing program in action.

--True
--False