Thursday, November 13, 2008

Contradictions: Contemplating the Mysteries of Cycling

In yesterday's post, I delved a bit into the world of weirdness. And weirdness is like an annoying song or a word you never heard before, because once you become aware of it you suddenly realize it's everywhere. Take for example the latest wheel from mail-order retailer Performance, forwarded to me by a reader:

I must admit I was taken in by this clever fabrication, and only realized it wasn't real when I tried to place an order for one to put on my Ironic Orange Julius Bike. While you might think that makes me gullible, keep in mind Performance have already referenced this blog in the past, so a prêt-à-rouler AYHSMB wheel is really not so far outside the velodrome of possibility.

And if you're looking for weird and real, look no further than this mind-bendingly freakish geared singlespeed cyclocross bike, photographed by a reader at the SSCXWC this past weekend:



At first glance, a bicycle with dual 39-tooth chainrings up front and eight 16-tooth cogs in the rear may seem pointless. But upon further reflection, it becomes apparent that this bicycle is not so much about functionality as it is about challenging the very definition of a singlespeed. Is a bicycle that shifts still a singlespeed? After all, there is only one possible gear ratio. Then again, does this bicycle offer the rider an advantage that the traditional singlespeed (or even the dinglespeed) does not--that being the ability to continue on in the event of a damaged cog or chainring without dismounting? Is this advantage cancelled out by the fact that damage to the derailleur could render the bike unrideable? Most importantly, what does this bicycle say about the world we live in? I put forth that it says a great deal about fate and the illusion of choice. If one believes in fate, then certainly one believes that regardless of what choices we make the end result will be the same. Are we not all shifting and shifting our whole lives yet never out-shifting inevitability? The fatalist would probably argue that we are. Whether you love or hate this bike may say less about your definition of a singlespeed than it does about your views on predestination and free will.

After viewing and pondering this photo I then visited HTATBL. I can't say with certainty whether I did so by fate or free will, but I can say I learned from the photo at the bottom of the page that the Predestination Bike belongs to none other than Chris DiStefano of Chris King as he is pictured with it. He confirmed that the bike shifts across the entire range front and rear, but he would neither confirm nor deny that Chris King is planning to bring a geared singlespeed drivetrain to market. (Though in fairness to him that was probably because I didn't ask him.) In any case, here's a closer look if you'd like to meditate on it further.

And this isn't the only perplexing bike out there. Not by a long shot. It appears that there's a one-man operation in Denver that specializes in freak bikes:

Fixie/Single Speed conversions, frames and complete bikes for sale. - $100 (Hardsole5280)
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2008-11-11, 11:46PM MST

*High quality single speed and fixed gear conversions *I can build anything from a sturdy polished turd to a fully blinged out race machine, as with anything the sky is the limit. I like to help people build wacked out bikes I have a few frames for sale on hand right now, they come cleaned, waxed and ready to build with rebuilt or replaced bottom brackets and headsets. Call or email for brand/size/price.

Single speed conversion:
$100.00 plus parts (single speed cog, chain ring bolts and wheel dishing if needed.... there is really only one reason I dish wheels, its for people who run big front chain rings, and cant get the proper chain line with bb replacement alone.) you will need brakes for a single speed build too.

Fixie conversion:
$80.00 Plus parts (wheels, track cog, locking ring, and chain ring bolts)

Frame up build:
$115 and up

Custom Shifter brake conversions:
$50.00 for a single brake (front)
$75.00 for dual (front and rear)
Prices include: levers, cables installation and adjustment I can sell you side pull brakes if you do not have them

I take pride in the bikes that I build, and I get excited every time I see one of my own in the streets. I have all the correct tools to do conversions properly, several years under my belt as a bike tech at a few diffrent shops and I take my time to do the work right. I stand behind my work and will always tune up one of my bikes as long as you can bring it to me. On that note, I can do tune ups on all bikes, but my rates are no less then that of a reputable shop, and I am all for people supporting their local shop. I do however like to wrench on vintage hi end stuff, and have seen most everything out there.
Need advice building your own bike? I am glad to help however I can.

Thanks,
Shawn
720.352.---- (email is best as I cant always get to my phone and I am horrible about checking my messages, but you are welcome to call.



For me, the dual drivetrain and the shifter-actuated brake caliper are not especially compelling. If you're going to make an impractical mechanical choice, I feel that choice should at least serve some higher purpose. It should strive to provoke thought, challenge people's preconceptions, or allude to some greater truth. These on the other hand seem to have been done simply to prove they can be done. They're irreverent at best, and ostentatious and dangerous at worst. And both have been done already anyway. But some mechanics can raise the freak bike to an art form. Their medium is the workaround, and their art is a symphony of kludges that can be heartrending to behold. Or at least highly entertaining.

Then there's this, spotted in Tucson:



Even though I generally discount a bicycle once a motor has been applied to it, I feel this one is noteworthy in that it employs a Spinergy Rev-X. Even though that engine probably puts out less horesepower than an electric pencil sharpener, I'd still be frightened to send any horespower to a wheel as brittle as the Spinergy. Then again, judging from the right side, it looks like the bicycle can also be operated in regular pedal mode. (Unless that gear is simply there to kickstart the engine.) In any case, I'm sure you could at least raise the wheel off the ground and use it to cut meat, so congratulations to the builder on what is surely the world's first offroad deli slicer.

Yes, contradicitons can be cacophonous or mellifluous, and here's an example from the fixedgeargallery of the former:


Now, I should be clear that I have nothing against people who own both bicycles and cars. It's the 21st century after all, and sometimes you just need a car. Sure, some people choose to move by bike, or to transport their wives to the hospital in bicycle cargo trailers when they go into labor, but the fact remains that sometimes it is OK to drive. (Though I don't understand why Papa John's uses cars to deliver pizzas in Brooklyn--nor why anyone in Brooklyn would order from Papa John's.) However, I can't stress enough that car ownership automatically disqualifies you from having a "One Less Car" sticker on your bicycle. Period. We've seen this sort of thing before. Sure, I suppose this person think's it's OK since when he's on his bike he's not driving his car at the moment, thus freeing up some space on the road. But that's like wearing a straight-edge t-shirt and taking it off when you get high. Or maybe he was contemplating buying a Lancer Evo in addition to the car he already has, but decided to use the down payment on the Jamis instead, so he figured the sticker was acceptable. But it's just not. A theoretical car that might have been is simply not an actual car. The sticker makes even less sense since it's pretty obvious from his choice of vehicle that he enjoys cars and driving. Self-hating car drivers at odds with their own automobile ownership drive things like Priuses; they don't drive rally-inspired sports cars like the Subaru WRX. And whatever they drive, they don't use it as a prop when they submit their bicycle to an online gallery.

Then again, maybe I'm wrong. Perhaps I should go back to gazing into the eight-speed singlespeed Cassette of Predestination.

122 comments:

TH said...

podium, ayhsmb

Anonymous said...

podium!

Anonymous said...

i agree! all you haters suck my balls!!!

Anonymous said...

bamm

Anonymous said...

podium!

Anonymous said...

top ten ain't podium but wtf!

Luck E. 7 said...

Back in the saddle, bitches!!


A

Damthemainstream said...

It's meat, not meet. Come on now...

Daddo said...

eightium!

greetings from london

BikeSnobNYC said...

Michael,

I think you won the typo-finding race.

--BSNYC

Anonymous said...

FREE WILL

hillbilly said...

ant not 1st? billtenth?

Anonymous said...

I assumed the "one less car" sticker on a bike propped up by a car was intentional irony.

But then, I'm not a hipster and am not well-versed in the ways of ironic living.

Surly Bastard said...

One less podium.

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 12:55pm,

I thought it might be irony but the car is completely unironic. Unless it's not his car. Which would be totally ironic.

--RTMS

Anonymous said...

another glorious mid pack finish!

ant1 said...

ant1st!

Luck E. 7 said...

Did ya see the chain slack on that deli slicer?


A

Anonymous said...

i happen to know that chris distefano has found a way to make this appear to be unilaterally singlespeeded, but in fact it's geared. there's something about the size of the cog teeth. a variance that cannot be seen by the naked eye, however it make a difference. in essence, his block ranges from 14-25. make no mistake, if there's a workaround, that super relax'r will find it. and god bless him for it.

Will Handsfield said...

At least I didn't get lapped and pulled, and for me, that's a victory.

Anonymous said...

News Alert. BSNYC to be outed!!! Many Snob readers also follow FatCyclist as well. Yesterday, Fatty unveiled some very ambitious fundraising plans, and one of the Grand Prizes offered is a real live, honest-to-goodness face-to-face with the Snob himself -- I s**t you not! I would post the link, but I am a computer retard. Perhaps you'll want to mosey on over to Fatcyclist.com, and maybe even be inspired to do something selfless and uplifting.

Now back to our regularly-scheduled programming.

genersal lsmenedd said...

the similarity of color-matched fixed gears adorned with unnecessary accessories and heavily modified japanese cars is strikingly canny.

or, uncannily striking as it may be.

Anonymous said...

or "One Less Bike" on an SUV

Anonymous said...

I used to have a "Carbomb" sticker on my bike; does that qualify as irony? Or do I need to drink PBR or wear girls jeans as well?

nickhacks said...

One less hater?

Anonymous said...

YANK FISH

Anonymous said...

contradicitons should be contradictions. King is using obfuscation to draw attention to himself and increase the CKHS index.

kale said...

The "Single"speed has vestigial derailleurs, much like how Micheal Phelps still has hair. It's obviously another great example of the evolution of the bicycle from horses to peanut-roasting carts to SSCX bikes.

As you should note, there are pedals missing, which is a good indicator of a evolutionary dead end. Since it in unable to travel long distances, the likelihood that it will reproduce is diminished significantly. Everything points to the bike never leaving Devil's Point.

Anonymous said...

The photo of the "One Less Car" sticker on the Jamis, and the implicit contradictions and clueless pretentions of the owner just made me feel depressed.

Thanks a lot bikesnob.

ant1 said...

Merckx,

What a hoax! He's just going to get some random dude in whatever town the winner is from to pretend to be snobby. How will they know they are not talking to the real snob? Tricky dude, that fat cyclist.

WIN SUSAN!

Anonymous said...

Why are you so perplexed? I'm laying it out straight. It's simple: it's wacked out.

Sheesh.

Anonymous said...

Just Woot! today...

Anonymous said...

it's OK because he also has a "One Less Bike" sticker on his car. Cancel each other out.

Snob, I've almost sent you posts from HardSole 5280 before. He must be psyched with the publicity.

btw Jim, I just caught up with my reading after being surprisingly off (from work that is) on Veteran's Day--many congrats on being granted your 1.5 minutes of fame by the OC. Awesome!

OC, suck my balls! (hey, worth a shot)

Jim said...

I am totally down with the really freaky weird bikes that sorta go their own way. A 16 speed single speed? Brilliant! It doesn't try to pretend to be anything other than a freaky deaky design exercise.

Yeah, I'm cool with weird, as long as it isn't stalking me and making me seriously consider applying for a concealed carry permit.

Russ said...

Performance SHOULD sell an AYHSMB wheel. I look forward to the day when "street" ideas are co-opted before people even have them. Perhaps Specialized is working on an AYHSMB Langster as we speak?

Anonymous said...

Hey, jpb, did you get that "carbomb" sticker from Negativland's 1997 "Escape from Noise" album? It accompanied the "Car Bomb" track. Wow, that was a great track. I believe I still have my sticker in the album sleeve. I always wanted to put it on my brown 2 door 1976 Toyota Corolla Deluxe, but I just couldn't commit. I mean, I knew that Corolla was not long for the world, and I just didn't want to lose that sticker when the Corolla died...

Man, I still wish I had my 1973 VW Bug Super Beetle... If the floorboards hadn't rusted out, thus killing the heat and windshield defroster, I'd probably still have that car. Man, it rocked, it had a factory installed hand crank sunroof. Now, that car deserved the car bomb sticker!

Anonymous said...

"Then again, judging from the right side, it looks like the bicycle can also be operated in regular pedal mode"?? With the chain hanging like that, I bet it touches the ground if you actually try to pedal.

Also, was the CX story in today's Times a part of the hoax or just an amazing coincidence?

Critical Ass said...

I have traded parts with Shawn (Hardsole 5280) and he's just building what kids around here want to ride (not a hipster himself, probably over 30). Although I believe he is the true pioneer in DTSAFB's - Down Tube Shifter Actuated Front Brakes. Fixies are lower budget in the Denver hipster enclaves than they are in W'Burg. We are a few years behind here. I still have the tan line on the back of my neck from the mullet I cut off this past summer and am very excited about GnR's Chinese Democracy release.

Anonymous said...

Stuggy, I got the "Carbomb" sticker at a Negativland show, around 2000? Had the sticker for years, every car I wanted to put it on didn't last long enough. How about a late '70s Toyota Corona with three speeds, 1,3 and 4.

I do have "Escape From Noise" btw.

Anonymous said...

Are you telling me because I own three cars I have to remove the one less car sticker from my bike?

What if the bike replaced the fourth car I used to own?

What if I sell one of the three cars and use the money to buy a Madone? Can I put a one less car sticker on my Madone then?

Anonymous said...

how about something FUNCTIONAL, WEIRD, and COOL?

anyone see this when it came out a few months back?

http://mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2008/05/17/sycipdicbrake-480-90-480-70.jpg

sorry for the long link, but it's worth looking at.

bikesgonewild said...

...you'll note the "one less car" jamis is built up w/ iro hubs...doesn't take a genius to note that "iro" is halfway to being iro-nic...

...just sayin'...

Russ said...

Hadn't really thought of it before, but someone should definitely start a fixed gear component company called "Nic".

Anonymous said...

All You Hater Suck My Langster

Anonymous said...

Can I put a 'One Less Madone' on my old Tercel? Really, I need the car, and it costs wayyy less than a new Madone, so it must be MORE responsible to not own a Madone and own a cheap car instead - am I right???

Anonymous said...

Ant1, beware of imposters. If you are the grand prize winner, you must carefully and repeatedly study the car vs. bike video, then you must listen, over and over again, to the audio interview until you can recognize his voice with a degree of certainty.

BTW, when I played the interview backwards, I heard "Paul is dead."

Anonymous said...

jpb, you know, my ex-wife had an 82 or 83 Celica coupe (with the trunk, not the hatch) manual trans and it was missing a gear. I forget which one, I think it was 3rd, because you could wind it up in 2nd and jump to 4th. She had that thing in the shop several times, and they never fixed it. This was when we were just datin', so I figured it was her father's job to sort it out. Pity they never did, if you emptied out all the trash and clothing, and washed, waxed, and vacuumed it, it was a nice car. Fun to drive.

That's cool you got the sticker at the show. Mmmmm, still don't have a car I could put one on. The brand-spanky Mazda 3 five door just doesn't want it's Aurora Blue Mica paint job marred by a sticker.

haterNation said...

one functional thing about the single speed with gears, is that you could ride it for atleast twice as long as the same bike without all the xtra gears since when one of them wears out you can just shift to the other one.

Anonymous said...

http://velonews.com/article/84969/knog-love-hate-gloves

hohohohoho

Anonymous said...

Nashbar also has the AYHSMB wheels on the website, 20% off!

Probikekit has the British version, AOYHCPSMBPBBYTF.."all of you haters can please suck my balls but brush your teeth first." 700c only.

My R3 has a sticker, "One Better bike". suck it.

-NNMS

Anonymous said...

The podium is for hairless sissies. Just let me hear some of that old time rock 'n' roll.

libertyonbikes! said...

i'm betting the subaru has a
'ONE LESS BIKE' sticker,tuckered
inbetween all faux sponsor vinyl
diecuts on it.

still sticking with the true
measure that IF you own car,

it's LESS than the value of
your bike(s).

Anonymous said...

That dual drivetrain bike was originally used in the 80s for Olympic track racing.

Anonymous said...

That WRX is just a plastic mockup. you can buy them from Competitive Cyclist, under "kickstands".

bikesgonewild said...

...wishiwasmerckx (& ant1 by extension)...

...what you heard when you listened to the interview backwards was not "paul is dead"...

...listen again carefully...what you actually hear is "i'm appalled by this thread"...

...now...considering the source, that is ironic...

Anonymous said...

Hey... what do you have against Lancer Evos... they're great cars!

Anonymous said...

Hey... what do you have against Lancer Evos... they're great cars!

Anonymous said...

BGW..I think it's "pa's in bed"
incest issues

bikesgonewild said...

...& haternation, technically he should get eight (8) times the life out of it...& if he was really cool, why not a 9 or 10 speed set-up...

...you'd never pull it off w/ the new campagnolo 11 speed 'cuz they'd send 'agents' out & you'd have to sign away your rights to ever riding that storied "italia" gruppo again...

Matt said...

If you used Campy gear you could get a 22 gear single speed bike. Personally, I think twenty is plenty.

bikesgonewild said...

...jeez, commiecanuk...

...don't be draggin' the oc's family issues inta this...

...anyway, i thought we put that issue to bed yesterday...

...whoa, sorry...unfortunate choice of words on my part...

Anonymous said...

Cassette of Predestination = William James. Act AS IF there is free will while acknowledging there is, in reality, no such thing.

ice cube said...

Everyone knows about straight edge time-outs. You don't take off the sXe t-shirt you merely put a hoodie on over it before you get high then go to the show and do a little kung fu theater.

Anonymous said...

If you shift and nothing changes, have you really shifted? And if you shifted and nothing changed, then you exothermically expended needless energy, thus contributing to an increase in the entropy of the universe, and thus nudging us one breath closer to oblivion.

Anonymous said...

One less car.

It bothers me. It is ungrammatical, repeated to the point of meaninglessness, and it makes little sense. What about me and my girlfriend who have seven bikes between us, a sidecar to haul our daughter, and no car. Does each bike deserve a sticker and why? If we ride together (presumably on two bikes and a sidecar) an alternative would have been to take one car together. One sticker for all of us?

A car has nothing to do with it, unless your thinking is held prisoner.

One fewer pedestrian. One fewer streetcar rider. One fewer space tourist.

I am. I am not not.

Gnarles Darwin said...

That "one less car" sticker is pointless. Do you really think buying a bike is going to prevent a car from being on the road? Like those guys at GM are saying "we have reports that Johnny Trackstand just bought a AYHSMB Langster, we better build one less car today!"

I think the federal bailout should say "one less car" on the cover. They're doing more to stop cars from being built than any cyclist.

Anonymous said...

AMNO TNOT

Anonymous said...

Gosh. It's pithy. I'm off to the mall for my tattoo.

Safe ride everyone.

Anonymous said...

Mind you,

ITSP ITHY

would look nice too

ice cube said...

One Less Train.
One Less Boat.
One Less Semi.
One Less UPS.

One Less Bike.

Anonymous said...

While the design of this human powered vehicle doesn't engage the knotty philosophical conundrums of a shiftable single-speed, it does raise the direct question: why?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUuwEq98ByM

link from BoingBoing

leroy said...

Yethh, full of pith.

(Yeesh, an old Woody Allen line fits. Whoda thunk it.)

Anonymous said...

disc-crank, that thing looks like pure death. it's like riding the mega avalanche race with only a front brake and expecting to live. although i have to admit, i'm kind of intrigued by what exactly it would do to you, if you applied it in a panic stop situation.

you'd probably endo so hard that you'd time travel, or end up on the other side of the earth. one can dream.

http://mos.bikeradar.com/images/news/2008/05/17/sycipdicbrake-480-90-480-70.jpg

there's the link again to that crazy death machine.

the jinji said...

so the thing with the engine, my neighbor had one on a mongoose. Then he got some under 50cc thing on wheel barrow wheels that ran off of recycled rat intestines or something. Now he has a regular old scooter, windshield and all, which I see him "working on" but then he drives the Prius. I just need someone smarter than me to explain the progression/digression?

Anonymous said...

we're having one of these:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-US/bikes/ebike/2257/32231/

delivered to my shop tomorrow.




...we're just going to use it to make trips to home depot. there's no way we will put it up for sale, no one wants to repair that thing. (by the way, we didn't order it, the owner did...he doesn't know our plans for the bike...)

bikesgonewild said...

...the philosophical implications that bsnyc/rtms has raised w/ the posting of that 16 speed bike is worthy of a friday blog, if not to simply give one a few days to study the physical, emotional & hell, even the monetary ramifications it poses...

..."that's what i said, kid...i wanna order 16, 16 tooth rear cogs...i want extras in case i wear the first 8 out & why am i explaining this to you, anyway...just get me my shit, dude"...

...as posed, life "seems" to be about choice but anon 3:12pm's mention of the "cassette of predestination" & lorna dunes point of needless excitation in search of choice thus affecting our stance on this very planet, play like happy children w/ snob's question regarding our constant "shifting and shifting our whole lives yet never out-shifting inevitability?"...

...in an age of diminishing resources & resultant philosophical examination, perhaps this is becoming the day of the "shiftless bastard" as a new standard of common sense & inevitability...

...(therefore my early choices in life were nothing short of prescient...i'm now setting a standard)...

...anyway these are questions & considerations "for the ages" as it were, but alas the ages, well, as dylan put it "the times they are a changin'" which is a dichotomy in & of itself...

...so, if yer choice of high range & low range in gearing are exactly the same, to create a point as much to build a bike, are you then creating art or comedy ???...

...& is it then high art & low comedy or the inverse ???...high comedy & low art ???...

...i'd suggest there are no actual answers but i think if we need something concrete to hang our hats on, my conclusion would be this "fuck a bunch a' french existential philosophers, anyway"...they got nothin' on this blogsite...

...well, maybe w/ the exception of ant1, which makes him ant1st...

...just sayin'...

leroy said...

Well now I'm just depressed.

I spent half an hour trying to order the AYHSMB wheel from Performance and now I learn it was a hoax.

Then BSNYC writes about fate and the illusion of choice.

It turns out I had no choice but to be hoaxed.

Hmmmmph, "illusion of choice"? Isn't that just a fancy way of BSNYC saying he ran out of baggy sized Seal of Disapproval lounging smocks and won't be getting any more in time for Festivus?

(Until today, I blissfully thought "illusion of choice" only referred to Madone bottom brackets.)

And now it's raining.

Worse still, the link to the HTATBL site shows that biking in Portland in the rain is pretty cool, unlike NYC.

And the final insult: the link to the HTATBL site doesn't display the photo of the guy in the unicorn outfit who was there yesterday.

Clearly, that is who Fat Cyclist will be passing off as BSNYC if OC wins the take-a-ride-with-BSNYC raffle.

I mean chicken suit, unicorn suit; when all is said and done, is there really a difference?

And if there were, if choice is an illusion, does it even matter?

Man, I am so depressed.

Anonymous said...

...

Anonymous said...

...

Anonymous said...

...

leroy said...

Anon 3:12 --

Re your observation concernig the cassette of predestination and its antecedents:

"I'm William James, bitch," doesn't have the same ring as Rick James's similar utterance.

Now if it were Henry James, it would, of course, be a closer call.

Anonymous said...

Not having a car in NYC is great if you don't mind being stuck in the city every weekend. Getting out by Zip car or mass transportation doesn't count since both are prohibitively expensive or inconvenient or limited. I guess I could ride to S. Hampton to race cross if I started my journey today. My circa 1990s Rock Hopper is up to it, but I don't know if I am. I'm no Ira Ryan. Flushing Ave is a little like cross these days but it doesn't really cut it. And all you "morons" stay off the sidewalk over there or risk my judgmental glare!! If you're going to do more than commute by bike, ride around the inner drive of a park or try to time trial Coney Island Ave, you need a car to race or get in a decent uninterrupted ride, so it has occured to me that everyone who has ever scolded people to get rid of their car must be affluent enough to frequently rent a car or zip car to get out of town. I personally could also get out of town more if I cut down on the Gigondas and flank steak, so I have no excuse. But, I think everyone should spend some time in a car and realize its power to rapidly transform any mild-mannered person into the kind of person who nudges a cyclist along by tailgating or blowing the horn or whatever. I know it's not the gun but the person who pulls the trigger, but in this case its the machine. I have two One Less Car t-shirts in very good condition.

Anonymous said...

Will the OC be allowed to enter the Fat Cyclist's contest?

Anonymous said...

АЮХСМБ.

kale said...

wade-
Thanks for reminding me.

I think I'll put a "one less honking driver" sticker on my sidearm. Too bad it's so hard to conceal a weapon in spandex.

I'll just have to wait for Tumbuk2 to come out with a messenger-specific Cordura and Velcro one that I can attach next to my IPod and cellphone on my shoulder.

genersal lsmenedd said...

one less prius.

Anonymous said...

Perfect for the mechanically challenged fixie. Wear one down and move to the next . Means you never have to form a meaningful relationship with a wench errr wrench. But I will wait for the Campy hyped- up- drive 11 speed version.

PS Jim, Poor old Chopper has a kidney disease or something not great to have and has refused any organ replacement as he believes that he not been a worthy citizen so you might need to take up on the 270 lb security guards offer

Anonymous said...

"One Less Honking Audi"

Anonymous said...

jpb and stuggy,
y'think the OC is so pissed off because the "irresponsible journalism" of RTMS interrupted his orgasm...on the Playboy Channel?

Daddo said...

"That's cool you got the sticker at the show."

Anyone sensing a hook-up?

(relax, just kidding)

Anonymous said...

i dont know about you but when i wear spandex i cant conceal my weapon but obama aint going to confisgate it you know what i mean

AH said...

Holy shit. I read this post at lunchtime and saw the photo of the shifter-activated brake.

Then tonight I walked out of the brewpub after dinner and saw:

A Schwinn World Tour fixie conversion with...

a stem-mounted shifter-activated brake!

In Indianapolis, of all places. Fuckin' A, man.

Anonymous said...

no snob your wrong, I'm a self hating car owner and I not only drive but also race a rally car. It kills me to be ideling away waiting for my turn to run the course but it's so damn much fun.

Anonymous said...

observed in buenos aires this summer (um, winter there): the front suspension spinergy grocery-getter, complete with leather handlebar streamers, mirrors, a kickstand, and a very unnecessary rear fender:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/letsgetridofny/2604528852

AMR said...

BSNYC,
As I ponder on the reasons for devoting myself to cycling so passionately and, lately, contemplating the move to the simplicity of a single speed or even a fixie, I come across “Contradictions: Contemplating the Mysteries of Cycling”.
Thanks for the good read. I just hope I don’t fall into the single-speed-eight-cluster trend that it might become, ever!
Regards,
AMRcyclist

Unknown said...

Let's not forget the Polish team 17tx17t freewheel.

Russ said...

One Less Hater Sucking My Balls

Anonymous said...

cool pictures

Anonymous said...

"Self-hating car drivers at odds with their own automobile ownership drive things like Priuses; they don't drive rally-inspired sports cars like the Subaru WRX."

I own one of each, the "pious" as I call it, and the "wrecks"

And a fixie, and a road racer, and an XC full suspension.

But I live in Nor*cal and values can be a little fucked out here.

Unknown said...

Apropos of nothing in particular:
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/5134/bassobjq6.jpg

Anonymous said...

so happy that you called out that denver dude who ruins craigslist there.

merci

Jason said...

I agree too.

Anonymous said...

What's with this thing you Americans have with haters sucking your balls ? It sounds downright dangerous to me.

On the eight speed, the idea is great, because owing to minor diferences in sprocket wear, it prooves there is no such thing as predestination, like you think that whatever you you do it don't change nothing, but you have Butterly Effect. So maybe depending on what set of cogs you are on, you could start a chain of events that could lead to about 50 000 sex perverts being wiped out in Phuket, along with a load of innocent people who actually have the misfortune to live in a place called Phuket.

Anyway, that bike is nothing, I aim to build a flipflop hub with 9 fixies on one side, and a nine cog freewheel on the other.

kale said...

roni-

I'm speechless.

I know this isn't a mechanic's forum, but I can't really think of any great reason (other than Polishness) to use one. I assume that you could use it on endurance races and when one shears (I've had this happen - ouch balls) you can use the next one. But really - is it better than putting spacers in if you have to run a SS race?

Anonymous said...

how about "one less self-righteous douchebag"..

sorry, but sometimes people act a teensy bit too smug just because they ride around on their frickin bike.

Anonymous said...

Wade -
The amount I pay to park a car all month in Boston would get me a zipcar each weekend. Add insurance and maintenance...

"Owning a car is the cheaper choice"?

I don't think so. Not in a city.

Anonymous said...

Is this really "sexy"? Check out the dropouts. Quality, right?
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/bik/918758732.html

Ronsonic said...

That gas-powered Spinergy thing is way more ironic than you know.

The motor and tank appear to be the world famous Whizzer sold by the Western Auto chain back in the 50s and early 60s. The thing is a freakishly valuable collectible in its own right and as fully anachronistic and ironic as a Spinergy on a cruiser frame.

Anonymous said...

someone irl needs to tell OC that he is a kook of the highest order and should also drop dead, what a jerkoff.

Anonymous said...

Anon 11:38

With some creative cutting and rewelding, the owner of that bike could probably fool a lot of people into thinking that it was actually a proper NJS frame and not some garbage-picked repainted ten-speed. At least that would justify the $600 he's asking for what is probably, underneath all that fancy new paint, some old Ross or Huffy from the early 80s.

Caaah said...

One less dragon!
http://www.besportier.com/archives/distraction/random.html

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

One less sticker

Anonymous said...

I don't see what the mystery is. Look at the derailleur cage - his chain is too short! The obvious solution is to substitute a smaller chainwheel up front, and smaller cogs in the back. Problem solved!

Anonymous said...

I love all the attention my "One less car" sticker got... I think it is hilarious that it is upsetting all the Tree Huggers! But the reality is I have a Baby and a pregenant wife. I am not going to have my pregenant wife pull my baby around in a trailor in the winter while I am at work. Thanks for the comments :p

Anonymous said...

cyclocross is the new hotness

Chris said...

Very clever Troy, but you explanation has some holes. That's not even your winter bike!

Anonymous said...

Actually Chris, that is the bike I am using right now, maybe not when it is -30C but I used it today.

Unknown said...

If I ever become a serial killer (or mass murderer) I'm getting "ONE LESS PERSON" stickers made up to put on each of my victims.

Anonymous said...

You are wrong. Period. That means you can't argue with me right? When I say "Period."

Can I put a Barack Obama sign in my yard if I disagree with his tax policy but still support his campaign?

No. Period.

I get enough of this shit from Andrew Wilkow.

You are a walking contradiction.

But, because I love you anyway, I am going to make the BSNYC friendly bike sticker and it reads,

"
One less car, sometimes. Like, there are trips that I can make that would be easier in my car but I do it on my bike because I believe in the power of individuals to make a difference, however small. Sorry, but my job requires I get there on time every day and that requires a car. I suppose I could just surrender and get fat, lazy and complacent but that's what's wrong with this country and the evidence is clogged in obscure message boards preoccupied with their own self righteousness. Regardless, I love riding my bike and wish I could live without my car. And if putting up with people who are cruel for profit is the price then I am not going to complain. It could certainly be worse.
"

Shouldn't be to hard to fit on my Hed3.

Anonymous said...

What ITOTM said.

Bike Locks said...

does this bicycle offer the rider an advantage that the traditional singlespeed (or even the dinglespeed) does not--that being the ability to continue on in the event of a damaged cog or chainring.