Whap! BSNYC Friday Fun Quiz!

When it comes to gift-giving, many people say it's the thought that counts, and days after furniture retail giant Ikea gave all 12,400 of its employees fully rigid "dual suspension look" department store-style bicycles, cyclists everywhere have been debating what exactly they were thinking when they did it.

Of course, nowhere has this debate raged more intensely than in Portland, where theories on Ikea's motivation for the gift range from "guileless gift" to "classist conspiracy." But whatever the reason, one gift Ikea did not give its employees was the gift of proper assembly, for a reader forwarded me the following item from the Cincinatti local news which included footage of jubilant Ikeans riding their brand-new bikes with the forks installed backwards:

Unfortunately, the video was subsequently pulled, but here's a still which reveals the Ikea bike's puzzling geometry:

I'll readily admit that even a department store bicycle can help cultivate somebody's interest in cycling--but not if you don't help them put it together correctly.

Meanwhile, the bicycle itself has already attained cult status, and with five days still left until the end of this eBay auction one mint example has already commanded bids of over $200:

Ikea bikes are highly prized due to the unique handling characteristics imparted on them by their backwards forks.

Sadly, we will have to wait five more days to see if the Ikea bike can officially cross the $1,000 barrier, but in the meantime I'm pleased to present you with a quiz. As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer. If you're right you're right, and if you're wrong you'll see more triathlon remount porn.

Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and ride happy.

--BSNYC/RTMS




1) Mario Cipollini believes that the biggest problem facing professional cycling today is:

--Doping
--Insufficient sponsorship
--A lack of support for junior racers
--A general lack of machismo

2) Why is this motorcyclist smiling?

--She has just successfully jumped over 20 city buses

--She's showing off the results of her Crest tooth whitening strips

--She's not riding a Vespa
--The small of her back is being prodded by "Little Mario"

("I vibe hella and it's my classic peep during Art History.")

3) Fill in the blank: "Disembodied ____."

--Hand

--Foot

--Fixie

--"Pants yabbies"

4) The bicycle is the "most efficient machine on the planet" because:

--It is lightweight and maneuverable

--It does not require gasoline or electricity

--It is fast yet practical and inexpensive

--You need front and rear suspension and a pickup truck in order to use it

5) Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz recently expressed his opposition to bike lanes in:

--No uncertain terms

--Washington, DC

--A sternly-worded editorial

--Incoherent song form

(Photographed by a reader on the FDR Drive.)

6) The above image:

--Makes a trunk rack seem elegant

--Is proof that most fixed-gear riders are flummoxed by the concept of "wheel removal"

--Is Marty Markowitz's idea of cars and bicycles "sharing the road"

--All of the above

7) This is an example of:

--Irony

--Testing the limits of your trunk rack

--The phenomenon known as a "Total Smugness Inversion"

--All of the above

***Special Bavarian Electric Touring Bicycle-Themed Bonus Question***

(The Bavarian Electric Touring Bicycle, as forwarded by a reader)

How much for the Bavarian Electric Touring Bicycle?

--$1,000

--$10,000

--$100,000

--$1,000,000