Monday, October 1, 2018

New Outside Column!

Good morning!  Here's my new Outside column:


I'd apologize for my reticence last week but having officially reached the point in my bloviating career where I can do whatever the hell I want the truth is I owe you nothing.

NOTHING!!!

You're welcome,



--Tan Tenovo


28 comments:

Phez7 said...

Woot!podes....

NourskSiklist said...

Wow, Snobby has amassed enough bieks and golden dubloons to finally tell his readership to fuck off. This is known as "f.u. money",and I couldn't be happier for him. Remember us- this faceless mob whose adulation propelled you to stardom - fondly as you peer down from your mansion. Or not, probably.

Anonymous said...

I feel like I got what I deserved.

Anonymous said...

Podium

huskerdont said...

I totally could have podiumed, but I was training properly.

Also, great article, but I'm getting all tense in the chestal area reading and witnessing things like this time and time again. Just today, I narrowly avoided being crushed by a truck suddenly veering across my path because I am now apparently able to read minds. If only we could invent some sort of device that motorists could use to alert others to their intentions, some sort of signal or something.

Chazu said...

Apparently, Style Council were the original gravel grinders. I was aware of this song shortly after its release (I even had it on cassette tape), but I hadn't viewed the video until last weekend.

Link to YouTube: Style Council - My Ever Changing Moods

(it is bike-related, have a look)

Excellent article, BTW. When I'm President, I'm going to appoint E.W. to lead the US Department of Transportation. I wonder if there will be any fireworks during the confirmation hearing?

dnk said...

Great column, although it makes me want to desperation drink. And it's not even noon yet.

Matt said...

Great article Snobby! We can only dream that drivers would ALL be responsible for their actions. Around here (NOT a big city) cell phone use (which is illegal if not hands-free) seems to be the biggest danger cyclists face (just IMO). You can't go 5 minutes in your car w/out seeing somebody w/ their phone up to their ear yakking away, or worse, phone in lap looking up and down while they text and drive. I think the only way to combat rampant cell phone use while driving is for the laws to change and treat it JUST like a DWI. THAT'S how you get their attention...FEAR! Fear of losing your license AND costing you a bundle of $$ for the 1st offense, successive infractions being even worse. Till then there is no fear and the inattentive drivers still mow down bikes and still get off virtually scott-free. We need a NEW organization...PAID (People Against Inattentive Drivers). Come on everybody...lets get PAID!

HDEB said...

America does love victim blaming

Anonymous said...

Outside of ruining my hope that chicken sandwiches can neutralize alcoholic intake before driving, you’ve penned a perfect rebuke to notion of automatic automotive blamelessness.

Some guy from upstate said...


What, you mean I'm not supposed to complain about not getting enough free entertainment? What is the internet coming to?

Actually, I've been using the time to read your older blog entries from before I was a regular reader. Other than sheer volume, I'm pretty happy with the evolution from 2007 Snob to 2018 Snob. Although some of those Craigslist posts are pretty funny.

Sick of the screens now bieing built into dashboards said...

@Matt - great points.

But let's remember that the carmakers (SUV makers) are installing distracting screens that simply force drivers to look at them (instead of the road)! It is nuts! I think an iPhone on the dashboard" is a DUMB idea.

Time to get PAID!

JLRB said...

NOTHING?!? make mine a double.

interesting article - hadn't considered that angle, but it rings true.

Kevin Miller said...

All devices should have implanted an app that shuts them off above 3mph. Those found in violation should be shot for acting like entitled #$@holes

bad boy of the south said...

As Billy P.used to sing...nothin' from nothin' leaves mothin'.
Interesting point there,tan.good read.

EAT MOR CHIKN (CHOKRZ) said...

NEVER underestimate the power of a chicken sandwich!

pbateman sometimes rides douche canoes said...



i feel like i should confess that i had a rental car this weekend and because the folks at my local hertz seem to like me they often hook me up with upgrades and such - -this time i was given a challenger R/T with the scat pack and the car is just stunningly fun to hoon.

but i certainly do my hooning on basically wide open empty roads in mostly industrial areas far away from the womens and the childrens and the puppies and kittens.

i feel slightly less guilty that i just learned the Dodge brothers actually started off as canadian roading cyle freds building bottom brackets and hubs and also full bikes.

its perplexing. on one hand i do fully support the crux of Snobs teachings and do think cars should not be allowed in city centers and such...and then on the other hand i spent my weekend hooning a stupid car that should definitely require a different class of license to operate.

i think it says something about the duality of man sir. the jungian thing.


https://vintageccm.com/content/evans-dodge-bicycle-1896-1900

BikeSnobNYC said...

pbateman...,

Hey, driving is undeniably fun. (In the right circumstances.) And cars are cool.

Just put more limitations on it in the city, update driver training and licensing, and modernize enforcement is all I'm saying.

--Tan Tenovo

Wesley Bellairs said...

In my city mufflers are optional. Our police haven't written a noise ticket in 3 years.

Al said...

Remember that the people who make the laws are motorist, the people that enforce the laws are motorist. As far as the judicial system goes, most lawyers and judges are motorist and probably most jurors are motorist. So motorist are not going to make any laws or enforce any laws that will restrict their right to drive their freedom machine as fast and as reckless as they are entitled to. Nothing will change until people become more important than cars. And that isn't going to happen any time soon in America.

Bryan Dotson said...

“The punishable act should be violating road rules or causing an accident... Radley Balko

“What we should be doing is …. working to change the social norms around other forms of reckless driving”. Eben Weiss

The recommendations are not incompatible.

The social norm today is "Accidents will happen". The social norm of the future is "On this trip, no one gets hurt." We need to recruit a lot of people to work to get to the future.

bad boy of the south said...

Oops!mothin'?.c'mon bbots,you can do better than that.nothin'.it's nothin'.geez.

just a bug on a windshield said...

Hey Snobbers, what do you think if we were able to mount radar to our bike to warn of motorists intent on murdering us from behind?? O wait we have that already, varia rearview radar, who knew?? WHat do you think can radar save us all?

Anonymous said...

IOU 2X- I don’t think/imagine there will be any real change in auto usage and habits until we convert to some full electronic/digital road system (if we make it that far) where the vehicle is both supplied with electric energy as well as controlled in its movements toward its (programmed) destination.

Mr Lobstermash said...

Two Outside columns for the price of one!

DaveD said...

Mr Snoobovo, Tan

Saw an inflatable airbag style helment that deploys when sensors figure out you're in a fine mess. Hovding (based in Switzerland) developed it. I am suggesting you acquire one for long term testing/evaluation. Wonder if it's reusable, or if it's a one shot deal? Better yet, can you get a legislator to sponsor a bill that would require every motorist and their passengers to wear one? Thank you.

https://hovding.com

pbateman is not stanford approved said...

@dave:

it should be called the hovdong because dong is precisely what you look like when this happens:

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/watch-airbag-helmet-inflates-as-cyclist-puts-on-his-jacket-200125

also, its approved by stanford.

i work with stanford people and with the school itself.

if products approved by stanford are anything like stanford people...my advice would be to stay as far away as possible (though its not unheard of for stanford people to yell from great distances to inform you that they are stanford people so be aware you may need to keep a greater distance than you'd imagine)

dotcommie said...

Here's a consequence of the focus on prosecuting drivers who have been drinking and wrist-slapping the others.

Drunk drivers who strike cyclists leaving the scene only to turn themselves in a day or two later, so they pass the blood alcohol tests.