Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Indignity of Commuting by Bicycle in a Corrupt and Oppressive Capitalist System Driven by Greed: Protests

Further to yesterday's post, in which I mentioned my new mountaining bicycle which I'm beaming at right now with one eye as I type this (which should explain all the typosepaoieh[aiwn), a commenter commented the following comment:

billy said...

Wow, nice bike. Frames start at $2K? Hard to listen to someone complain after beginning their post with, "oh btw... check out my super expensive bike I just took delivery of...fuck hipsters". No, Fuck you, dude.

September 27, 2011 12:10 AM

Wow. Firstly, Billy, I still love you, even though you were mean to me. Secondly, to be honest, I actually do have some regrets about this bicycle. Granted, these regrets are mostly along the lines of "I really should have gotten a second one exactly like it so I could ride it while my helper monkey is cleaning the first one," and "I wish I'd gotten the words 'Wildcat Rock Machine' spelled out in diamonds on the top tube," but they're regrets nonetheless. Ultimately, though, the truth is that I've earned this bike, since before my semi-retirement from racing I was the 183rd best single-speed mountain biker in the entire world:

Sure, I was one of the few people there who was still sober enough to stand (let alone ride an actual bicycle), but if I have to cheat my way to sub-mediocrity at an ironic World Championships by drinking far less than everybody else then so be it.

Anyway, by way of atoning for my consumerist sin of owning a nice bicycle that I will ride and enjoy for many years to come, yesterday I decided to visit the Wall Street protests. I did this with some trepidation, too, since not only have they been arresting people down there, but Police Commissioner Ray Kelly recently announced that the NYPD now has the means to shoot down a plane:

("Yeah, we got a plane guy now.")

If they can shoot a plane right out of the sky, then there's no telling what they could do to a slovenly bike blogger on a Big Dummy.*

*[Cue more lavish bike insults from Billy.]

Upon my arrival, I immediately found lots of protestors being watched by people with backpacks:

As well as at least one person wearing a retro-retro-retro-chic tricorne hat:

(Fall 2011 is all about tricorne hats and Crocs, I read it in GQ.)

And even a man who looked not completely unlike a young Burt Reynolds:

("Hey, hot stuff. Hate Wall Street? Me too.")

In search of someone who could articulate the protester's ideology and goals to me, I sought out this dog, who went on and on and on about Ben Bernanke until I politely backed away:


In fact, I almost backed into this gentleman, who I immediately identified as someone in charge:

Not only was he actually in the act of rabble-rousing, but he was also dressed kind of like Brad Pitt in "Fight Club," albeit sans shirt (and, I'm reasonably certain, sans underpants). Here he is engaged in the more mundane administrative task of approving signage:

After some deliberation, he finally signed off on the crudely-drawn skull:

Meanwhile, the police kept watch on the periphery:

I was much too frightened to get close to them, but I happen to read lips:

Indeed, there was actually toplessness:

Though fortunately I did not witness any skull-busting. However, I did witness one officer sternly admonishing this particularly outspoken girder:

Basically, he told it that it better put a shirt on or else it was going to jail.

Unsurprisingly, the local news media was also out in force, complete with TV cameras:

As well as world-weary reporters and/or producers who have not only seen it all:

But also heard it all:

Of course, protesting isn't just about voicing your opinion and making a change. It's also a great opportunity to dress in those timeless countercultural fashions. This look is what's known as "Countercultural Black Tie," and is inspired the "Yippie" style of the "Chicago Seven:"


Sadly there's only three of them and not seven:

This means they need four more people dressed like members of Creedence Clearwater Revival before they have a "Hippie Minyan."

Here is somebody who was uncertain as to whether this was a protest or a casting call for American Apparel models, and who wisely opted to dress for both:

Not everybody knows how to dress for a protest, though. Take, for example, this duder:

I'd bet my flared trousers, my pointy boots, and my white man's Afro that he's a Narc. I mean, look at those sunglasses! For shame. John Lennon is rolling in his grave, and Tupac would be too if he were actually dead.

Thankfully, the protesters aren't falling for it, as you can see from this sign that reads, "NYPD We Are Watching You Too:"

As for these people, I'm not sure if they're discussing the injustice of our financial system, or if an NYU professor simply decided to hold her "Womyn's Studies" class outside yesterday due to the fair weather:

Most likely, both scenarios are correct.

Speaking of our financial system, it could take days or even weeks of displaying cardboard signs to bring it to its knees, so you might as well get comfortable:


Yes, these protestors are in it for the long haul:

By the way, while this protest might appear similar to those of the 1960s and 1970s, these savvy 21st century revolutionaries aren't going to make the same mistakes their forbearers did. For example, back then, the revolution would not be televised. Now, not only will it be televised, but there will also be product placement:


There's also what appears to be sort of a "new media" pit:

Where slovenly bike bloggers with smartphones take pictures of other slovenly people using smartphones. There's also an old-fashioned fax machine:

At least three former messengers old enough to remember how this antiquated form of technology once stole their livelihoods had to be forcibly restrained.

Here, I ordered a Venti Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha™, and was disgusted when they refused to make me one:


And here are conga drums:

Because it's just not a protest without a conga line--or without somebody wearing suspenders and carrying a clarinet:


This is a gigantic analog Twitter feed:

And this is a woman analog-Tweeting:

But make no mistake--this protest is as much about the evils of office furniture as it is about Wall Street:

When I got home, I burned my swivel chair.

To be honest, though, as a New Yorker I was strangely inspired by the sight of lots of people in varying states of needing a shower expressing themselves while loitering. It reminded me a bit of the Tompkins Square Park riot of the 1980s, which I took part in by listening to a "Squat or Rot" record in my bedroom and not doing my homework. At the very least, it's more interesting than an artisanal mayo shop.

On the way home, I headed over the Brooklyn Bridge, where I had a total Amsterdam flashback:

Once I recovered, I looked around and saw that the DOT were handing out bells to cyclists. Here's one DOT staffer explaining to a cyclist how a bell works:

And here's the cyclist pretending not to get it so she'll get closer to him:

Here's another DOT staffer explaining to somebody that the reason he's having so much trouble is that he's actually closed his pants around his stem:

That can happen if you don't dismount before urinating.

In addition to bells, the DOT was giving out pamphlets:

And they even had signs and "Pedestrian Safety" officers directing people, which was surprisingly effective and made for perhaps the least chaotic rush-hour Brooklyn Bridge crossing I've ever experienced.

I of course already had a bell, but if you want to schnorr one for yourself I believe they'll be out there again today. Then you can take it down to Wall Street and ring it from the end of the conga line.

166 comments:

Surly Bastard said...

First?

Surly Bastard said...

Yeah baby, and I just got the pepper spray outa my eyes.

Surly Bastard said...

Total podium.

frog said...

4th... not bad.
now to read

JB said...

Top 10 on my mtn. bike?

Rocky Mountain Chuck said...

Fredliness is next to lobliness.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, it would be nice if protestors could make their case without all the goofy revolutionary trappings.

Also it would have been nice if those NY cops hadn't tear gassed those woman that were already held in police custody and not doing anything.

Buy-cycle said...

first...post for me

frog said...

7th. After the read. I´m the actual winner. Foffers!

cephas said...

Bees blood.

7 minutes, 7 comments, wtf??

CAMPIONE CYCLES CALGARY said...

And I read it!

frog said...

9th. same thing. am le winner.

Rocky Mountain Chuck said...

Goddam hair farmers.

CAMPIONE CYCLES CALGARY said...

Should I buy a cargo bike?

Anonymous said...

Someone asked this yesterday, but would Mr. Billy give a shit if you dropped $30k on an SUV?

Suck it, Billy.



balls.

Nogocyclist said...

I would have been here earlier, but there were too many protesters in my way.

Anonymous said...

Eh, I'm with Billy. $5k in bikes in a month and everyone else is an idiot except for you. These people are trying to make a (perhaps somewhat misguided) difference, and you write a bike blog and throw snark full time? Your posts are beginning to read like the Gothamist comment section.

Anonymous Coward said...

"Because it's just not a protest without a conga line--or without somebody wearing suspenders and carrying a clarinet"
Not to mention the short shorts and Tuba guy next to him.
On second thought, let's not mention that.

Kinski said...

Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!! Buy a cyclinginqusition.com. Jersey!!!!! Nice post takes guts yo walk through a mist of mace and body odor!!

mikeweb said...

WRM,

Excellent protest coverage! I smell Pulitzer.

g said...

What, exactly, does the price and quantity of Snob's bike purchases have to do with his ability to criticize a group of hippy wanna-be's accomplishing the same thing a well placed letter to the regulatory board would do? So what if he earned the money to buy two bikes and then purchased them? All ye without trust fund, protest the first dollar. I think that would thin the herd at the wall street protest a good bit.

Anonymous said...

On noes, some one paid American living wages for a product. Fuck you indeed...

ken e. said...

voting the "sub-mediocrity" sentence as best words put together to ridicule someone (and partially yourself) ever!

(suck it billy)

crosspalms said...

@anonymous coward,
don't forget the banjo guy!

Snob can buy a bike a day if he wants, it's fine with me. I just want to read about them. I figure that's the "bike" part of the name. And he can make fun of anyone he wants. That's the "snob" part. If I can figure this out, surely Billy and anon 12:12 can too.

Anonymous said...

Jeeeesh. Just because it's a serious cause dosen't mean we can't inject a little humor here folks.
Snob I thought this was one of your funnier posts.

It felt a powerpoint presentation with commentary by Woody Allen.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, sorry Snob, but both your new bikes are the ne plus ultra of overpriced scenesterist goods, no better than those damn best made axes. Sure, they're nice, but keep them secret or else be careful who you lampoon from now on.

OBA said...

Snobbeleh,
They see you rollin on 29s &
they hatin.

Marcel Da Chump said...

"ANALOG TWITTER FEED"...

" HOLDING UP CARDBOARD SIGNS TO BRING WALL ST TO ITS KNEES"...

good clean snark

Croll 2, Best Worst Cyclist said...

Love the disembodied thumb on the prize bottle opener shot! Your photography is getting better...

crosspalms said...

If Snob's bikes are the "ne plus ultra of overpriced scenesterist goods," does that mean it's safe to buy an iPad now without being mocked?

Anonymous said...

Attack, BikeSnob acolytes! Grab your free Knog lights and release the Kraken of insults! There are traitors among your ranks, and they violate the cardinal rule - "DO NOT CRITICIZE THE SNOB!"

Ha-ha! said...

You dumbasses crack me up! Alla you twits would be riding pimped out douche chariots if you had the scratch. Wildcat Rock Machine has excellent taste and is helping to support the industry with smart purchases. Y'all are just a bunch of envious little wankers. Now shut up and pay attention. You might accidentally learn something.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 12:12 and 12:37pm,

I apologize for my avarice. As a token of my goodwill, I'm temporarily removing the paywall from this blog.

--Wildcat Rock Machine

Anonymous said...

Beep. "yo bikesnob, you better be extremely fuckin cautious about who you talk shit about." click. Beep.

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

bikesnobnyc = The Jay Leno of the bi-cycling world (except much funnier).

Rock on WC Rock Machine.

Anonymous said...

BSNYC, you lost all credability when you captioned a cop saying "Het lady, take your top off." I know that none of NYC's finest would split an infinitive, so I am now left to wonder just what else you have manufactured and are reporting as fact. I'm not sure that I'll ever again be able to trust you or the blog that you curate.

Anonymous said...

2 large on a sweet bike? My granpappi paid such for a roadcycling cycle back in the mid seventies...that's, like, a billion now-dollars. And it still is sweet, and I ride it, and so too will snobbers little granchillin when he goes down to live in final saline quiet high-pressure zero gravity with the great Lob.

all you typo-huntirs suk my balls

BizzaroBilly said...

Meh, horrible bike. Frames start at $2K? Easy to listen to someone complain after beginning their post with, "oh btw... check out my super expensive bike I just took delivery of...fuck hipsters". Yes, awesome weenies, dude.

Surly Bastard said...

AYPHCSMB (All You Podium Haters Can Suck My Balls). Love the "yeah well I'm the actual winner 'cause I read it." Well you very well may have read it, douchebags, but you read it too fucking slow.

hillbilly said...

Just to be clear....that Billy is not me...hate it when people tarnish our not so good name. This Billy happens to love you

Shirtless In Seattle said...

tears.

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

"temporarily removing the paywall from this blog."

snicker snicker.

Burt Columbus MXL said...

Yeah, I wonder how many of the indiginati caught that.

Birt said...

Indignati. Though I suppose there is not really a standard spelling.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 12:12 again...Snob can obviously buy any bike he wants. My criticism comes down to glass houses - stones - etc. Someone else buys a $150 axe or some 5k titanium flat-bar commuter bike, and they are douches and everyone piles on, but somehow he's not when doing essentially the same thing?

This blog used to be a lot sharper. Now you're just indiscriminately shooting fish in a barrel, either because it's expected, you're phoning it in, or you're incapable of anything other than snark. Take a cue from Colbert on this one. What's the second act?

Ok, I've vented, and will stop disturbing the regularly scheduled smugness. Back to the programming...

Your Mother's Dentist said...

I have been here from the beginning, and I have to ask if what you have been huffing. WRM has always made fun of himself along with the rest of us. Have some extra weed tomorrow, and check in on Thursday.

Anonymous said...

Wait! I think I have this figured out...

Anon 12:12 has no sense of humor.



balls.

Kenny Banya said...

Snobby needs a manicure...

Buffalo Bill said...

So let me see if I understand this. Billy and his anon friends are making the argument that buying (and riding) nice bikes is an act of conspicuous consumption? Seriously?

I wonder if Billy owns a car?

g said...

Wait, wait wait! You guys actually agree with what's said in this blog each day? I thought we were supposed to sit here and simmer with resentment at what's forced upon us here. I guess if I had known that I could leave at any time, I would have freed myself from the shackles of this internet bondage long ago.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 12:12pm,

All right, in addition to removing the paywall I will also give you a refund for each day since the exact date on which this blog started sucking. But that's it! Otherwise I won't be able to afford that flat-bar titanium super-commuter.

--Wildcat Suck Machine

CommieCanuck said...

When I read NYPD could take down a plane, I thought two things:
1. I hope they mean Donald Trump's plane, 'cause that would be awesome.
2. NYPD could now successfully invade Canada.

Yo Billy, my BMC frame cost $3000..CDN dollars, not that greenback shit.

wishiwasmerckx said...

Anon 12:12, as we have said to the many weenies that preceded you, do not let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.

Oh, and don't forget to request a refund of the subscription fees you paid for the privilege of reading BSNYC's work...

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

Mayor Bloomberg also added coyly:

"New York City Police Department has lots of capabilities you don't know about and you won't know about them."

Yea, like giant lasers, cloaks of invisibility and real x-ray glasses.

Mister Yabbie Pants said...

Whoever said that's a terrible bike is an idiot. I ride a very similar (but much cheaper) bike and I love it.

Whoever said it was the "ne plus ultra" of anything either does not know the meaning of the phrase, or knows nothing about bikes, or both. I'm guessing both.

Anonymous said...

Anon @1:23 --

Billy may well own a car, but we certainly all know someone who does not!

I love expensive bikes, and goldurnit, I buy myself one now and then, 'cause I can easily afford it. There's nothing like fine Montreal-crafted crabon to make a sweet ride even sweeter.

So sue me.

Anonymous said...

rct, you and hizzoner both left out batman! cripes! don't forget batman

wishiwasmerckx said...

Kenny Banya, dressing and grooming well have never been among BSNYC's strengths...

LK said...

WCRM:

I didn't know you had taken a vow of poverty.
Are you going to give away those new bikes?
I think they're about my size.

Just asking.

Granny said...

The boy has good manners tho. That's the most important thing.

Huffy said...

2k is cheap for a new shark jumping bike. booyah! amirite 12;12?

bike rules. blog rules. shit is too funny.

JB said...

Anon 12:12 & 1:15:
Which is the correct mtn. bike that the Snobster should have boughten [sic]?

Custom bikes are fine, for those that can afford and appreciate the customness. If the customness is just for bragging rights because you've got the cash, then fuck you. But I think Snobby has demonstrated that he could likely appreciate a custom ride.

Snobby, are the gears 32 and 20 teeth? I still don't understand fixed gears for a non-leisure bike, but whatevs...

I want a new bike, too. My 15-year-old Al mtn. bike is probably just fine for me, but I'm convinced a new one would be faster.

80's Pebes said...

That's no clarinet- that's a coronet or something. you are, like, so stupid. like, oh my god.

Blog Drafter said...

Hilarious post. Excellent.

Mr. Snob can buy any bike he wants and not lose credibility with this Snoberite as long as its neither vertically stiff, horizontally compliant, or made of that icky carbon fibré stuff he has so mercilessly poked fun of in the past. This purchase does not rise to this level of hypocrisy, so FUCK OFF Billy.

Anonymous said...

freeballin in a free market... it's more likely than you think.

but seriously:

the financial situation is f'd up and thank goodness someone (albeit unemployed hipsters) is trying to bring more attention to it... debt and fear have made most Amurrikans (the people of the sole that is the shoe of Canada) complacent apathetic... and that's pathetic.

Anonymous said...

people, people....take it easy. It's ok to express opinions. You guys are sounding a bit cultish in terms of your "protecting" your leader.

A Very Minor Poet said...

Today's hippies are so fey,
nothing like back in the day.

In my BMW I wish
I could just plow them away!

PK said...

If you don't like it, take the bus.

CommieCanuck said...

anon 1:41...I'll send you the link for the matching jumpsuits and sneakers. Snob takes Paypal.
All hail the leader.

leroy said...

Thank goodness for Anon 1:15. I almost forgot to phone in an important announcement:

Ix-nay on any ention-may that bikes purchased by a celebrity bike blogger covering financial protests are ax-tay eductible-day.

And if you think a Bichon bitching 'bout Bernanke is bad, don't get my dog started on how the best thing about a Ron Paul presidency would be Ru Paul as First Lady.

mattypichu said...

Whatever, it's his money. But I did hear his child is up on ebay with a "buy it now" of 2k...

Mr. Adam Smith said...

I think I'll smack my Invisible Hand across the backside of these hippies.

Seriously, markets move because PEOPLE move them, but in the case of the US financial system it happened to be very GREEDY people.

The Tashkent Error said...

Is that a Mapei cap the American Apparel model is wearing?

ant1 said...

ant1st!

ant1 said...

nice work you Surly Bastard

Anonymous said...

Does areospoke make 29er wheels?

Anonymous said...

In an effort to stimulate the (free) economy I'm going to open Snobby's page repeatedly throughout each and every day and then click through on every ad so that the aforementioned Snob can make even more money with which he can go buy another expensive bike or two. Really, I am.

Udder said...

Methinks thou dost protest too much.

Get a job and make some money.

Marcel Da Chump said...

Supporting independent bike companies is totally consistent with being a bike snob.

I am a heartland engine said...

http://www.grist.org/biking/2011-09-26-red-means-stop-except-when-it-doesnt

Now this is news, to bad NYC finest are busy with those anarchists.

Anonymous said...

"Does areospoke make 29er wheels?"

Yep, they are called 700c, who would have thought?

CommieCanuck said...

LeRoy...isn't Ru Paul already the first lady?

Wall St boardroom said...

they're protesting our greed
you, know, it's within their rights
have you read those signs?
yes, and they're all true
does it bother you?
of course, I have feelings. and tuition bills to pay.

Surly Bastard said...

Thanks ant1. Coming from a podium pro like you, it means something. I remember your podium sweeps like they were yesterday. As well as years of your imaginary wins, as well.

ervgopwr said...

AHWCRMBSL

All Hail Wildcat Rock Machine Bike Snob Leader

Been here since the beginning too, and billy and anon:time are just some of the same folks who don't 'get it'. We are all pretty much know cycling is a silly/fun/overpriced/relativelycheap/sport/hobby/transport activity and know snark and its place in polite/oppressive society.

Blogsnob said...

In a blog named "bike snob" making fun of Best Made Axes is OK, even if one buys the "best made" of bikes. If the blog were named "Axesnob" making fun of Ritte bikes would be practically mandatory, no?

pete said...

I've not noticed any indignity about cycle commuting.

What could be more undignified than sitting in your car going nowhere slowly in a traffic jam?

Christ on a crutch! said...

Now listen: Best Made products are cheap, readily available commodities that are pimped out and resold to idiots for absurd prices. Custom bikes are well engineered, carefully crafted custom bikes. Trying to accuse the buyer of a really nice bike of doing something like buying a pimped out axe they have no use for except as an accessory to their lumberjack costume is absurd. I just can't believe someone has to explain this!

Anonymous Coward said...

For those of you comparing Snob's recent purchases to BestMade Axes because of the cost. Please remember that BestMade does not make their axes, they bedazzle them. So, the equivalent in the bike world would be a mass produced bike with Ritte stickers and a Rapha price, that you then hang on the wall and congratulate yourself for the impressive curation of an authentic lifestyle representation.

grog said...

All those nifty photos, and nary a recumbabe! Help me.

Anonymous Coward said...

Or what he said...

Oh, @crosspalms - totally missed the banjo. I'm surprised a member of the band wasn't playing a washboard.

Anonymous said...

I bet that if you took a poll 90% of the wallstreet protestors wouldn't be able to explain the cause of the financial meltdown. Also they would probably be shocked to know that all of the banks (AIG isn't a bank) paid back the bailout money with interest. They would also be surprised that the people that funded most of the bailout are the same top 10% earners who pay something like 75% of the taxes. No, they are too busy cultivating protest hair to spend time worrying about the facts.

Anon 12:12 go fuck yourself, if a guy who makes his living off writing about bikes wants to buy a couple nice bikes, who the fuck are you to tell him that's wrong. and if you think it is hypocritical to this blog, than you're clueless and completely miss the point of satire. douchebag.

Georges Rouan said...

The Snob has been riding a beat On One branded white single speed bike for some time- every one needs to get a new bike every once in awhile.

Even snobs deserve a brand new hand made bike.

CommieCanuck said...

"What could be more undignified than sitting in your car going nowhere slowly in a traffic jam?"

That, ...and explosive diarrhea.

ADMIRAL SACKBAR said...

YES, DISCIPLES, YES! DESTROY DISSENTING OPINIONS! YOU ARE PERFORMING ADMIRABLY MY PRETTIES!

Anonymous said...

Commie, I hope you don't mean *at the same time*!

That would be quite a mess.

Anonymous said...

can i have some of that tasty looking kool-aid? seriously though, i don't think anyone is defending snob, just doing the usual and calling a douchebag a douchebag, douchebag.

bikesgonewild said...

...anon 1:41pm..."...people, people....take it easy. It's ok to express opinions..."...

...amigo, "No, Fuck you, dude." is not an opinion...so, no, fuck you, dude...

...just sayin'...

I Go Around and Around said...

I must be an a^^h^le, but when I saw those protestors, I found myself wondering how many of them had parents who worked in the financial markets.

I also wondered what the police reaction would have been if the holders of those signs had all been members of the Teabagger party.

Then I thought eh, fck it. Let them eat cake. I'm going for a ride. And I did.

Paul Bowen said...

Billy. People who like bikes often spend a lot of money on bikes. I'm planning to spend about four months' disposable on a bike next Spring. So what? We like bikes that's all.

What I would say is WRM's room to mock the owner of Earth's Most Expensive Specialized Sirrus is rather restricted now he owns what is essentially, according to my extensive research, Earth's Most Expensive Cannondale Trail SL 29er.

;)

CommieCanuck said...

anon 3:30pm, so sad when your not with the cool kids, isn't it?

And yet you still hang around, like that annoying little brother of that guy who always had a big snot hanging from his nose.

bikesgonewild said...

...i believe the young lady in the green t-shirt giving away free bicycle bells is an italian woman named isabella nezezzari...

..."knock knock"...
...'who's there ???'...

..."isabella"...
...'isabella who ???...

..."isabella nezezzari for-a you bicicletta"...

Marcel Da Chump said...

Admiral Sackbar,
what you call "dissenting opinions"
are actually personal attacks.
And I'll defend anyone
who brings humor to my work-a-day life.

Anonymous said...

And for that matter, buying a nice handmade steel mountain bike is not exactly the same thing as buying a $5k ti commuter bike, now is it? I would not even leave my $1k mountain bike locked up at my work place.

cyclotourist said...

OCCU PYWS

Anonymous said...

Let me put this in relative terms -
If I get a $15 blow job from a crack whore I'm OK, but if I hire out a $2,000 prostitute I'm a jerk?

AYHSMB, that is, if there is anything left after I finish my expensive ride.

Jasper said...

Well I want my premier bike blogger to be riding classy bikes, like I want my politicians to be speaking the Queen's English and my policemen not to be splitting infinitives. I would be more suspicious if WCRM had poor taste in frames

Anonymous said...

Message to Wall St:

Jump you F'rs. But don't hit the poor
hippies on the sidewalk when you plunge.

Anonymous said...

CC @ 3:56,

uh, I guess so....???

anon @ 3:30

The King of Park Slope said...

Anonymous said

Your posts are beginning to read like the Gothamist comment section.

Ouch.

Nebraska bike commuter (non-DWI edition) said...

@ Recumbent conspiracy theory-12:54;

"except much funnier" should read, except funny.

Nebraska bike commuter (non-DWI edition) said...

@ 80's Pebes; The (BSNYC/RTMS/WRM identified) suspenders wearer is carrying a clarinet. The brass instrument you see appears to me to be an Alto horn; a somewhat exotic one with rotary valves rather than the usual piston type.

Nebraska bike commuter and former band geek

80's Pebes said...

like, oh my god! i, like, totally missed it! that IS a clarinet, fer shure! I only, like, totally saw that brass one.

wishiwasmerckx said...

Nebraska Bike Commuter:

This one time at band camp...

MRC said...

Hey Snob. YOU SHOULD have spent more on the custom, if more people put money back into home made goods, who knows what may happen.... It's a once in a life time purchase (ie You'll only purchase that bike once, there may be others)

To those freedom fighting, anti capitalism defenders of our future liberty. I'm so glad they're not sitting around covered in the latest trendy tattoos, drinking Coca Cola while surviving off trust account monies (assumption). (Hmmm....actually how did Daddy make all that money? - I'm sure he treated his factory workers well and over paid them. I'd ask one, but they all died in the 90's saying something about lack of safety standards in Daddy's factory...Thoses liars).

Anonymous said...

RCT

If they had real x-ray glasses they wouldn't have to ask women to take off their tops, would they?

Nebraska bike commuter (non-DWI edition) said...

WIWM; Band camp was a lot of fun, but not quite as much for me as the rest of the kids, what with my dad being the director and all.

Twob Rake said...

Funny and incisive Post. From start to finish. Well done.

Not that i am jealous... :o)

Anonymous said...

Good coverage... The plane takedown thing is more like a sniper in a helicopter than a sidewinder missile.

Naive said...

- what´s the point of 29ers?

- what´s the point of custom bikes? (ok, except the fact that they look awesome)

- what´s the point of a single-speed mtn bike? Seriously.

Anonymous said...

Naive, yer hopeless. Never mind.

Etherhuffer@gmail.com said...

Relativity: my wife and I tour. She is really short and a Riv fop chariot was a best fit. 1400 on close out for the frame and I built it out. I am tall and an old Raleigh R300 came up for 100. With some parts already on the frame I built it out for 400 more. 500 vs almost 3000 but both were a bargain and both fit well and work well. Would I buys 2k frame? Sure, when this one is dead.

Gallic Shrug.......

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't doubt that snob got the bike for free or at cost anyway, for the advertising. And it's not a $2k bike, people, it's at least $3.5k with parts on a baisc frame. Comparing it to a best made axe is incorrect; the axe is functional. A single speed mtb is barely functional, unless you think walking up most hills is mtbing.

Whatever, a lot of people think his blog jumped the shark a while ago.

Burt Columbus MXL said...

A buddy of mine came in 2nd in the Tour Divide, or Great Divide Race, whatever it's called, on a single speed bike. That's a 2700 mile race. He did it in 16 days. Unsupported. The guy who won was a few hours ahead of him, on a fully geared bike.

Those who say single speeds are useless or silly only show their ignorance.

nyc pedal pusher said...

A single speed mtb , like that Engin, is perfect for foul weather NYC rides.
I had a similar set-up, albeit on a converted Schwinn Collegiate, and it got me through traffic in rain and snow storms. A reliable, responsive and stable ride.
In WCRM's case, when you have a young family, and you have the means; you can't settle for anything less.

billy said...

OK, the economy sucks. Really sucks. Some people, including some who read this blog every day, have had pay cuts and/or have been laid off. It's nice to see that you have been doing well and therefore have been able to buy a really sweet bike and a house. But we, the readers and those who comment, are in large part responsible for your financial success via page clicks and book purchases, so the "here's my awesome new bike" part smarted a little as I and many others can no longer pay the rent. You have lambasted conspicuous consumerism in the past and that also could be taken as such. I have raced since I was a kid and now have two bikes, bought used, totaling less than $1K. The pied piper should not be flaunting his new Nikes, especially to those who help pay his way. Only my opinion.

Anonymous said...

What the hell? Snob has to pay for these bicycling machines? I'ld just assumed they were product placement.

JDH said...

For God's sake! Snobulator's new bike was built by people earning UNION wages! That is bullshit! Ain't no man worth that kinda money! Right? RIGHT?! Where are the protestors protesting this exorbitant remuneration???!!! Putting people in Taiwan out of a job, that's where! Bastards!!!

Anonymous said...

Now Billy, maybe if you were nice to WRM, he might let you ride one of his bikes. Since he owes you and all.

billy said...

I'm not partial to WTB saddles with Cro-Mo rails ;)

comrade said...

Billy,
don't hate the player. And if you hate the game, it won't work in your favor.
Begrudge success and you won't succeed.

JonnyDanger said...

Pic unrelated. But also related in a different way: http://i.imgur.com/CMC6o.jpg

Anonymous said...

Btw did wildcat say he bought it? Or did some jerks just mail it to em...

Etherhuffer said...

Last time I checked a lot of New Yorkers and Amsterdammers don't own cars. The Dutchman might have 3' one disposable for the train station, one for a tour, anothr to move faster. I have to own a car worth 7 to 20 bikes or so. It is all relative. If it is your main ride and you use it every day, no big deal.

Who buys ugly eyeglass that you wear every day? I have a spendy pretentious fountain pen too. Been using it for a decade.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Billy,

As I'm sure you know, a full season of bike racing even on modest equipment can easily cost as much or more than, say, a really nice mountain bike. Let's just say that when some of us get old and slow one approach starts giving way to the other, even if we ride just as much as ever. This is not a judgment, it's just an observation. If your sole concern is the amount of money being spent than I can assure you this concern is unwarranted.

--Wildcat Rock Machine

a thousand leaves said...

Chances are, we made Gates, Zuckerman, or Jobs richer today. Do they owe us? Yes, a "thank you, we appreciate your business."

JDH said...

You get what you pay for. Words to live by, friends.

wishiwasmerckx said...

Etherhuffer, you are tall? I thought that huffing ether stunted one's growth.

Bunga Jee said...

You had me at "Hey lady, show me your tits!"

skink said...

"cultivating protest hair"

"explosive diarrhea"

and that's how a comment becomes GOLD!

bikesgonewild said...

...i think 'comrade' @ 8:58pm posted some wise words...

...IF & let me reiterate 'if', you can appreciate what you do have, even though it may be less or of a lesser quality than what you might like, then you have the opportunity to appreciate what you strive for, should you achieve it...

...otherwise, it's quite likely that no matter what you have, there is always 'someone' who will have or have achieved more & so why would you waste your time essentially belittling yourself...

Anonymous said...

Snob vs. Billy

BeikSnobNYC let Billy get under the skin of his teeth when he turned all dentist on us and bought a groovy custom bike. One point for Snobbishness in buying a nice bike.

Billy is just a griefer trying anything to score attention. And he got it! Yay Billy, one point.

BeikSnobNYC is covering the big Wall Street Sleepover unlike most of the media and biking around with his expanding stable of groovy bikes.
Yay Snob, another point.

Billy is now really jealous and poormouthing. He is getting tiresome and all Joe the Plumbery.
No points.

Game over.

Charlie Didrickson said...

I'ma git me a engin mountain bikcycler and ride it the g 29 summit in Hoboken (its in joboken right?) and tell everyone my ipad stopped working while telling the whole werld I am mighty upset I can not afford to keep up with the consumerite society at el. dew to the fact that he got him a new non geared but fancy bicyclette. and I might throw a fiancy knitted(by my gerlfrend) peace-bomb at the street of walls....and call my mom for a extra $100 this month and get some faster but used tires for my nago that I left at my bro's place in VT after gettin here to show upp and say to the werld I got me some telling to do about the finances and world and how you all are prawns in the game and toatally suck due to the fact that you might be still buying and sellin and the "people" are drownin. man.

Don'tbejhatinaight?

Etherhuffer said...

@wiwm

Huffing ether don't stunt yer growth. But smoking at the same time sure is he'll on the lungs and other flammable tissues!

PS. You should see what it did to my wife, di-Ethyl Etherhuffer.

leroy said...

Billy -- you're entitled to your opinion, but as for me, I don't think that a comment or click is responsible "largely" or otherwise for BSNYC's meteoric rise in the not particularly lucrative field of no-pay-per-view bicycle blogging.

We apply the gloss of our experience to what we read. And right now, your experience is colored by not making the rent.

An inherently decent, but wryly cynical, mentor once told me that a recession is when you lose your job, a depression is when I lose mine. To that I would add from experience, recessions and depressions end.

We're teetering on the edge of a financial collapse that very few of us have ever experienced. None of us knows how much worse it will get and how much longer it will last before it gets better. But it eventually will get better. Change is a constant.

So is the joy of just riding.

My free advice is to go for a ride. There will still be plenty of things to worry about when you get back, but at least you'll be in a better mood. And in tough times, that's a pretty good thing to have.

wp said...

fixed gear mtn biking is silly.

single speed mtn biking is sublime.

if you can take a little pain...a little pain does a body/mind/soul good.

i snortled over "analog tweetsters"

cheers and cold beers

Southern Rock Machine

###################################### said...

"Sure, they're nice, but keep them secret or else be careful who you lampoon from now on."

Yeah, because when you spend half your time lampooning yourself and the other half lampooning others you run a serious risk of absolutely nothing happening.

Anonymous said...

The comments have been almost as much fun to follow as the stuff we are commenting about. Can't wait for tomorrow's installment!

Anonymous said...

so funny those protestanters,,,i couldn't help notice that their clothes, signs, computers, printers, bikes, cheez-its and suburban upbringing were all made possible by wall st; now if we could only get them to go back to their gated communities, the bike lanes would be much safer,,,

JB said...

I mis-typed when I submitted that I don't understand fixed gear mtn. biking. I meant single speed.

My question was earnest, however: What is the benefit of a single-speed mtn. bike?

Is it just the simplicity of not having to deal with shifting/derailleurs/cables?

Anonymous said...

If you have managed to avoid hearing a thousand different ideas about it, then there is always your friend, the Famous Search Engine. Really, there is a metric shit-ton of discussion available in 0.07 seconds or so.

JB said...

Some don't use derailleurs, I don't use search engines.

leroy said...

JB -- the noted exporer and outdoorsperson, Sir Edmund Hilary, explained why he rode Mount Everest on a single speed: because it is there.

That's the same explanation my dog gave when asked why he licks himself.

Is that a strange coincidence or what?

Anonymous said...

Some Scientologists don't use pain relievers. Their loss.

wp said...

@JB

It defies explanation.

Find some way to throw your leg over one and give it a go. (if you are a mtn biker, if not-nevermind) The experience can be approximated by selecting a proper gear and then resisting the urge to shift for each down or uphill section. It is still an approximation.

I'm no good at it and have ridden 8-mile climbs and 50-mile races and haven't had a shiftered off-road bike since the early 00's.

JB said...

Thanks for the opinions, wp. I had my helper lemur Riko go to the library this morning, use their computing machine and the installed searcher engine, and transcribe the results.

The more direct/efficient drivetrain is intriguing, as is the lack of shifters, derailleurs, cables, etc. and their accompanying weight and maintenance. I'll have to try one at my LBS.

West Coast Wock Maching said...

The obvious connection between Best Made Axes and Ritte bikes is marketing. The axes are a gussied up product, and the Ritte bike is a Taiwan machine sporting Belgian camouflage. Although the Ritte bike is 1000000000% more to my taste...especially those sexy dropouts. Are they Paragons, or Taiwanese I wonder?

Anonymous said...

Solution to our financial crisis:

Buy a gold framed bike. Heavy, but it may save your life and you'll get where you want to go with less hurry.

Jennie Gerhardt said...

I believe Ritte dropouts are Pegoretti knock-off...

Velocodger said...

JB, In 1997 I broke off my derailleur 5 miles out on a 20 mile mountain bike ride. I shortened the chain, put it on the middle/middle, and rode the rest of the ride. What fun! I have seldom shifted on a mountain bike since. I no longer own a geared MTB. A few pointers can help your hill climbing, but otherwise it's so easy! I very rarely get off to walk, usually only when I would have gotten off anyway, even with gears. The only caveat is that a MTB geared for the hills is not much fun on the flats...but then, that's why they're called "mountain" bikes!

Anonymous said...

Myabe it's just me but the winning utility bike looks supiciously like thw old Worksman I have stashed in the rafters of the garage. Maybe I don't understand being out here in the middle of bike nowhere of the Big Sky Country.

Roy
Helena, MT

Tommy said...

Don't forget 3 sets of "Backup Bars" for that ultimate Protland-parenthood-machine. One set for dad, one set for the baby, and one set for the dog. The ultimate utility bike has to have every hand position imagineable after all.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone here tried bikes from this site? I am considering bying one. http://www.traitorcycles.com/Home.cfm

Anonymous said...

Yeah baby, and I just got the pepper
have been nice if those NY cops hadn't tear gassed those woman that were already

Black Decker NS118B

Anonymous said...

I must say that I really enjoyed reading all of Your posts. Thanks for taking the time to discuss this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic.
stop snoring

Fixie Bikes said...

"Police Commissioner Ray Kelly recently announced that the NYPD now has the means to shoot down a plane:"

Don't fuck with NYC ya dig?