Tuesday, January 5, 2010

New Customs: Changing Language, Changing Bikes

As I've pointed out in the past, language continues to evolve. Just as we now use certain bicycles for purposes very different from those for which they were originally designed (track bikes for commuting; mountain bikes for delivering Chinese food; time trial bikes for riding slowly around Central Park), so too do we repurpose certain words. Arguably, the track bike of words is "curate," in that it once had a fairly specific meaning but is now applied to pretty much everything--including the act of accessorizing track bikes. In case you're keeping track, the latest thing you can curate is your Twitter account, according to a recent piece in the New York Times:

I guess "Curate" is officially "Choose 2.0."

But there are other words that are changing even faster than "curate." The word "fixie," while generally considered passé, is in the context of language very new. However, it's already beginning to take on a different meaning. Whereas "fixie" once referred to a fixed-gear bicycle, it is now becoming a synonym for anything that is "vintage," which is why hairnets are now called "fixie helmets:"



Fixie helmet - $1 (CT)
Date: 2009-12-29, 2:34PM EST
Reply to: [deleted]

Brand new, never worn, "NOS" VINTAGE DRH LEATHER HELMET size 59 centimeters or 23 inches round of head. the first $100 takes it.....call 917-915-[deleted]


I suppose it's inevitable that, since many younger riders have an affinity for any cycling component or accessory that is "vintage," the words "fixie" and "vintage" would begin to meld in the popular consciousness. This is to say nothing of the word "vintage," which once referred to wine but has since become a word for old crap that is considered "cool," nor of the word "cool," which until we reached the withers of the Dachshund of Time simply referred to temperature. Really, the English language has become almost elusively kinetic, and it's enough to make you want to just forget the whole thing and take up Cantonese.

Speaking of "fixie helmets" and Twitter, I recently came across a photo of a "vintage"-style Pinarello bicycle that appears to come stock with a pie plate:

While ostensibly the pie plate would serve to prevent the derailleur from inadvertently and tragically wandering into the spokes like a Nü-Fred jumping into the Gimbels Ride, in the absence of any sort of rear mech ("rear mech" is Yiddish for derailleur--the "ch" is guttural) I can only assume the pie plate is vestigial. While language is ever-changing and self-pruning, bicycles apparently are not. Incidentally, the model name of the above bike is the "Lungavita," which is of course Italian for "Lung Life." This should not be confused with "Thug Life," the credo of the late rapper Tupac Shakur:


Or with "Hug Life," the credo of the wearer of this famous tattoo:

On the subject of helmets, yesterday we saw Chris Carmichael wearing one incorrectly while riding a Serotta, that marque so favored by those possessed of sizable emolument. As it happens, I was visiting PezCycling News recently when I discovered a Serotta of such ostentation as to make a pharaoh blush:

While some might look upon this bicycle covetously, fantasizing about how handsome it would look hanging from the trunk rack of a BMW 7 series sedan with a DDS vanity plate, I find every shred of crabon, leather, and gold anodization a vile manifestation of frivolity. That said, I probably don't really understand what I want in a bike, unlike the author, who has owned "20+ customs and loads of other high end stuff:"
I would think that going through so many custom bicycles is actually a sign that you do not understand what you want in a bike, in the same way that going through 20+ spouses is probably a sign that you don't really understand what you want in a marriage. Sure, your body and your riding style changes a bit over time, but it doesn't change 20 times--at least not to the extent that you'd require a new custom bike as opposed to, say, a differently-angled stem or a new pair of shorts. However, according to the increasingly defensive author this is the thinking of the poor and stupid:

Also, if you think it's not a race bike, you're wrong. You can "use this in the same way you could any of the superstiff, cheaper stock alternatives and not miss a performance beat." Yes, it does everything an aluminum bike with Ultegra can do--including, presumably, crash, at which point you'll realize that the only real performance difference between the two bikes is the amount of money you spent. And yes, only a "stupid" person would say a Serotta is a "doctor bike"--notwithstanding the fact that they are actually ridden by doctors, as you can see in this article which was forwarded to me by a reader:

Despite what the author of the Pez article might think, it gives me great pleasure to see a health care professional clearly enjoying his Serotta, inasmuch as he appears to be riding it with verve and aplomb and minimal guile or pretense. I wonder if he's owned 20+ custom bikes before this one. (Probably not--I don't see any gold.)

Otherwise, the only other possible explanation is that he's simply enjoying the ride.

119 comments:

Pontius Pilate said...

HAIL CSZR

-P.P.

Astroluc (Find me on Tumblr and Instagram @Astroluc) said...

Luc1st!

Astroluc (Find me on Tumblr and Instagram @Astroluc) said...

and 3rd?

Anonymous said...

hello!!

Astroluc (Find me on Tumblr and Instagram @Astroluc) said...

2010 is just 2009 2.0

Anonymous said...

I coulda been top ten

rural 14 said...

ant 2nd!

top 10?

don't the serrota guy mean to say "doesn't"?
grammarians?
grandma?

cadel said...

RACE TO PLACE

Anonymous said...

That doctor: wish I could spend four hours a day riding.

Anonymous said...

The explanation is that the author of the Pez article has more money than sense.

Isolation Helmet said...

top 10? Really?

Isolation Helmet said...

Top 10? NOT!

Anonymous said...

vito has been working hard

Anonymous said...

After seeing the Serotta review on Pez over the summer, I thought to myself that is the most ugly, pretentious bike I have ever seen.

Anonymous said...

nicely curated tattoos

Stupid Name said...

Don't hate the serotta owner, hate the elitest douchebag magazine writer (charles manantan).

Articles like that are one of the main reasons Pez is so easy to ignore, just like Carmichael selling cars, and Lance selling beer.

Anonymous said...

ugly and pretentious just means that you wish you could afford one

TJ Eckleburg said...

is the doctor on the sidewalk?

Astroluc (Find me on Tumblr and Instagram @Astroluc) said...

So let me get this straight...

AL + Ultegra = Love

Crabon = fail

Steel + lugs - gears = Zen

MTB = smoking the Wednesday weed

Unicycle = circus freak

Recumbent = Oddball

Did I miss anything? (I know I did)

NU-MATH

ringcycles said...

regarding the ostentatious Serotta, why would anyone think that a brown leather saddle and bar tape would go with the not at all "classic" style of white carbon post, stem and frame. Defines more money than sense or taste.

Snobbie, you hit it again; "Yes, it does everything an aluminum bike with Ultegra can do--including, presumably, crash, at which point you'll realize that the only real performance difference between the two bikes is the amount of money you spent." And every year some super talented junior on that aluminum hand-me-down bike will beat guys riding $10-15k of new wonder bike.

My favorite Dr/Lawyer/Banker bike experience was in the Fitchburg Cat 4 road race several years ago. A 30-something NY doctor rolls up on a a set of Lightweight wheels w/ Dugast silk tt tires. Going over the KOM/Sprint line for the first of 4 laps, he touches wheels while setting up to sprint, blows the tire, cracks a $2k front wheel, and is out of the race entirely. Meanwhile a college kid on a second hand bike wins that sprint. My teammate on a steel bike with a mashup of components, wins the sprinters jersey that day.

As Eddy said "don't buy upgrades, ride up grades"

mikeweb said...

AYHSMHN

TheRubb said...

Isn't the point of paying for such a high-end machine supposed to be that you perform at such an elite level, the seconds saved reap huge rewards? If Cav can spend $10K and cover the last 500m in 1 less second, he will win his team more than $10K. Even if you are a Cat 1 racer, that purchase is economically inefficient unless you get a real woody from just buying stuff.
Isn't simply owning things as proof that you have resorces and "taste" pretentious?

gregoryyy said...

I wish the Dacshund of Time would turn into a Mega-sized beast and do some major damage to those damn
yuppies.

Chomp on them as the whiz by,currate some.

Astroluc (Find me on Tumblr and Instagram @Astroluc) said...

theRubb:
Isn't simply owning things as proof that you have resorces and "taste" pretentious?

yup.

Anonymous said...

Wow. Just read that Aticle by Charels Manantan and saying this guy is a pretentious cunt doesn't come close to this guys shtick.

hillbilly said...

Lovely stuff today, but fix this before disgruntled shows up:

"Sure, you body and your riding style changes a bit over time, but it doesn't change 20 times--at least not to the extent that you'd require require a new custom bike as opposed to..."

MINGUStheMECHANIC said...

Money changes your perspective no doubt, and sometimes its ok.

20 years ago I was happy with budweiser and crappy dimes. Then i was introduced to beer and much kinder greens. Now I engage a delivery svce which has a wonderful variety of greens that i would never have been able to afford 10, 15 yrs ago.

Over the holidays I was given a can of icy light followed by some real dirt weed, I passed on both and then took a short ride on a nishiki ariel(?) circa 87'(back brakes under the bottom bracket!) and realized I'd rather stay sober than drink monkey piss and smoke dirt and I'd rather not ride If I have to ride crap.Thankfully it was only an overnight trip.

Anonymous said...

That Pez article reads and looks like some obscure niche of pornography.

Nick said...

Dwell magazine has two stupid uses of curate in one issue: "Curating a set of effortlessly mismatched dining chairs can be a difficult task" and "Tozer cut through floor planes to curate views through the house." Meh.

nathan beyer said...

"Sick" geo on those hug life bikes. Just look at the toe overlap.

Anonymous said...

To alter slightly one of the greatest lyrics in indie rock, "it's not the bikes I hate, it's their riders."

I suppose we're all rabid anti-dentites.

Anonymous said...

The owner of that Serotta also appears to have customized the saddle with a saguaro cactus dildo.

CommieCanuck said...

Some anonymous a-hole said...

That Pez article reads and looks like some obscure niche of pornography.

This article in Pez concludes that thinking makes you slow.

It's a 4.5/5 star article. Don't think, just buy stuff Pez reviews.

ringcycles said...

Mingus is right to a point. I like riding much nicer bikes and drinking much better beer now than I could afford as a kid. And if I had the income to spend the amount of coin that say Robin Williams reportedly does on bikes, I likely would. But I would not delude myself (I hope) to think that the bling new ride would make me a superior cyclist.

mikeweb said...

I wonder if BGW knows of this Dr. Bill character...

Cost aside, I would never own an abomination like that fugly Serotta (not the Dr. Bill one, the other one):

1- It's fugly.
2- My OCD would go into too much overdrive worrying about it getting stolen, damaged, dusted with pollen, otherwise dirtied, etc.
3- Getting passed on rides by snickering Cat 1's & 2's would annoy me.
4- Three words: Compensating for something?
5- Getting passed on rides by snickering Cat 3's & 4's would annoy me even more.

But then again, what would the high-end bike industry do without these people. Everyone needs to eat.

CommieCanuck said...

Just read that Aticle (sic) by Charels (sic) Manantan and saying this guy is a pretentious cunt doesn't come close to this guys shtick (sic).

Basically, the article explains how a $8500 crabon frame is made the exact same way as a $800 crabon frame.

This same guy is an unemployed shill who resides on Weightweenies on the promise of free shit from manufacturers.

I'm working on the idea of sending him a Zipp labeled butt-plug for free, selling it as a revolutionary training tool that has to be used for 200 miles straight. I'll even send wind tunnel data proving it saves 10 watts.

I'm hoping he'll review it and give 4.5/5 stars.

esau bin necker said...

me and rikim went to the hazard walmart and bought some uk blue cat snuggies and we figured out with a couple changes we can turns them into burkas but i wouldnt make jolene and verbena sue where them becos there tits are too big

Brian Davis said...

i have no problem with people spending lots of money on bikes as opposed to anything else.

but the bike is ugly. the guy has absolutely no aesthetic sensibility, which is only a minus in that most of his effort is obviously about image.

ant1 said...

do you guys not look at the pez daily distractions? how can you talk shit about a site that provides so much eye candy, both legged and wheeled? Manantan might go a little overboard with his custom bikes, but it does give the reader some good inspiration. they do a pretty good job of riding grand tour stages/climbs too, much better than any previews on velonews or cyclingnews, and they even throw in a hot girlfriend to make the pictures more interesting.

Slappy said...

HAha, i've built 20 bikes outta the dumpster that i'd love to ride real close to that silly serotta, make him nervous, real nervous..
i'm a believer in the glory of the same aged bike.. A bike that came to me from the consignment shop, fits me more perfectly than any bike ever has, was dumped by someone who knew nohing about it, was built by Ron Cooper around the year i was born, is the last bike I'll need. (i'll braze an identical frame some day) as for upgrades, someday I'll talk ECHAPPEGaberator out of some AC 420's and some CK external bb's.. same dif with my niner sir 9, make an identical frame outta steel again someday, but pretty much have the only bike i'll ever need, (of course that 15m foxfork would work too)
as for tall bike... matched frames w/ 10 cm of diff

Anonymous said...

My custom, gold-plated Serotta will be delivered in time for the NDA convention in Honolulu this July.

Anonymous said...

"Really, the English language has become almost elusively kinetic, and it's enough to make you want to just forget the whole thing and take up Cantonese."

Snob, you're my favorite!

Anonymous said...

in-kow-ate!

kale said...

Quoth the Douchebag, 'You can't afford.'

Stupid Name said...

Pez is easily ignored, because the women and bikes are porn, both are softcore and airbrushed, and not real.

I am not a dentist, and bought a titanium Serotta 10 years ago. (I had disposable income at the time.) It is a fantastic bike.

The bike was a sound investment, at the time. The new Serottas are priced stupidly, subsequently they too are softcore porn.

I question if Carmichael ever bought a bike, his Serotta is just an expensive prop, just like his helmet. He probably gets paid to "curate" or 'collabo" both.

I hope this is not true for most Serotta owners (probably is). I know I could not buy another.

Life is just that way. Dont hate the bike, hate the douche that uses it like prop.

Stupid Name said...

ANT

"Manantan might go a little overboard with his custom bikes, but it does give the reader some good inspiration. they do a pretty good job of riding grand tour stages/climbs too, much better than any previews on velonews or cyclingnews, and they even throw in a hot girlfriend to make the pictures more interesting."

How is it "inspiring"?

Serotta Jim said...

I guess I'm an exception. I'm an engineer and my one and only bike is an unpretentious grey, steel Serotta. Great bike especially on dirt/gravel roads. I paid a bit less than $8000 for the frame.

Anonymous said...

hey now, that doc has a good ride instead of skittering down mt tam on one of his escargo tuned turbos. we could all ride alot more, heck, I could ride to work half the time, but don't. also, I didn't read the article. I'm sure he's a douche etc.

Titanium Butt Plug Manufacturer said...

There's a yuppie born every minute.

Strayhorn said...

Sigh. In my biz, "curate" is one of those words that make me reach for a revolver. "User experience" and "seamless integration" are also on that list. You know who you are.

And when is the Snob going to take up the scourge of people wearing cycling jerseys as everyday street clothes?

ant1 said...

SN - i get to see high end products and components whose existence i wasn't aware of. he also does some interesting things with paint/color schemes. i'm not saying those bikes are practical, or sensible, but i, for one, enjoy looking at them. i wish i had thousands of dollars to spend on bikes, and a stable full of custom ones. unfortunately, the best i can do is look at someone else's excess while i wait for the day i can be excessive myself.

Jefe said...

I like all bikes. I like my pre-owned Colorado III steel Serrota and my single-speed Motobecane cross bike that I commute through slush on everyday. If you ride the bikes, there is no shame, whatever brands they are. The problem with the Pez porn is that it looks like that bike was not even meant to be ridden. Moreover, the guy probably had no time to ride it, what with being constantly fitted for new custom rides all the time. Now, what do have to do to win the Lungavita? Top ten?

sufferist said...

My fav phraseway from dbag author: "...and lots of stock stuff you see in the tour is the upgrade in comfort/smoothness and fit."

I am going to assume that while the dbag did not capitalize the T in tour, that he is in fact referring to the Tour de France. Where, correct me if I'm wrong, the only Team riding stock bikes (last year) were Team Cervelo. However if the dbag author is curating his own definition of the word tour, then I'm not really sure what he is referring to and his statements veracity withers.

Anonymous said...

http://whacksonville.com/2010/01/05/bikes-are-the-new-straight-edge/ Bikes Are the New Straight Edge

kale said...

Mingus-

I agree with your argument, but I think that you shifted the focus from branding to quality. When a consumer wants their 'personal brand' to be associated with wealth and prosperity because they are otherwise soulless shells of human beings, they pay for luxury items. When a consumer wants to be associated with the work-a-day salt o' the earth they read about whilst matriculating at Sarah Lawrence... whatever.

My point is that good weed is good weed, and steel is real, and fwiw it's probably better to deal with rich pricks and culture vultures than to live in Soviet Vilnius.

OBA said...

A year or so after I turned him on to recreational cycling, my one ridiculously wealthy friend (he inherited it) bought himself a custom Serotta -- and had them leave off all the decals & badges.

I though the was nuts at first but later realized he's just badass.

Stupid Name said...

Holy Fck, $8,000 for a frame nowadays.
That is no longer soft core porn, that is sick S&M porn.

I need to jack a dentist tomorrow, so I can upgrade.

Ant,
I agree to a certain extent, I just would use the word "entertainment", instead of "inspiration". The problem is that the reviews of equipment, are usually like blow jobs.
The reviews of the racers and the races are "blow jobs".

innerlighter said...

So now people are "curating" their commutes. How long before people get so megalomaniacal as to curate their babies?

oh

meh

anon 6:02/11 said...

BG Dubs said:

"...would ya cool it w/ the "heathen" shit, please...

...i'm feeling a little sensitive right now...thanx..."

sure, and a happy new year to you my brother. but seriously, what? of all the random things i've typed, that offended you? my sarcasmeter must be off or smth ... i don't get it

Werd Nord said...

Thanks for the new "emo" word.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Santa Clara domestic violence lawyer said...

Great post, love the snob.

mlliu said...

"... it's enough to make you want to just forget the whole thing and take up Cantonese."

Wasn't sure about the analogy you made. Do you mean Chinese (the written language)? Cantonese is a Chinese dialect.

mlliu said...

Off topic, but who was the lucky winner of the Bike Snob NYC-signed NY400 Batavus? More importantly, did the auction of your bike or Matthew Modine's generate more money?

Ronsonic said...

Here's the dumb part: "It's absolutely a race bike."

A race bike is used in a context that includes numbers and entry fees. This is a fast sport bike that is priced and built like a race bike. The great race car driver and motorist Stirling Moss never owned a street car that didn't have an automatic transmission. Why, it just didn't make sense to row a gearbox around town. Just like this bike, it makes no sense to put up with race bike geometry and costs and fragility to go ride for fun.

Yeah, I know. Pez is ground zero for racer fantasy "training" and fun-free cycling. Whatever is wrong with people. This is almost as bad as Triathlism with its backyard lap pools.

Anonymous said...

that sexy serotta made me curate a woodrow.

flynn said...

@ringcycles 12:43 ; agreed. It's like getting whitewall tires and a chauffeur for a Scion.

flynn said...

all.you.haters.curate.my.ballz

Oldentard said...

Are there two light sources in that serrota in the desert pic? Seems like the mountain shadow conflicts with the bike/fence shadow. Two suns that day? Does that serrota come with it's own celestial orb? Might explain the price.

d. fofonov said...

I am agreeing witk Mr. Snob that learning English is so frustrating it making me want to eat Chinese food.

Would Wicked Witch of West riding a Pista?

Anonymous said...

All you haters are just jealous of my balls

Fungineer said...

"youaretheengine said...
To alter slightly one of the greatest lyrics in indie rock, "it's not the bikes I hate, it's their riders."""

I did not expect a Sloan reference in the BSNYC comment section today.

Awesome.

sufferist said...

Oldentard: how 'bout a cloud? Would that explain it. I don't think that the shadow on the mountain is the mountain's shadow, rather it is from a passing cloud. This would account for the shadow discrepancy and the source angles.

Marshall Hance said...

Charles Manatan, you make me queasy.

Salty Seattle said...

HEY!

Stop insulting cunts! Don't think that just because they like to be pounded every now and again, that they aren't sensitive!

Anyway, I just recovered from the Lobster God post. (Note to self: consume more high-end recovery beverages while reading the Snob this year.) I had embarked my resolution to stop telling dirty jokes (uhh...what did I just say?), but then I just happened to stumble across this:

"keep it from seeping into our aquifers and poisoning our inner waters."

...must remain strong... soul growing weaker..

Test Tickle said...

douchebag = asshole 2.0

balls.

Oldentard said...

Suffer First: Thank you for recognizing my Norse Heritage! Your kind post obviously refers to our ancestral Song from the "Cycle" cycle (vrs 110):
When mountain's shadow is not it's own,
When passing clouds are shadows thrown,
Will shadows be crossed and angels known.
And yes, I would like a cloud! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

asshole = pussy 2.0

Andy Pandy said...

Rides bikes that we only see in pictures,gets access to quality bling and parts that we cannot afford and gets paid ???? to do so, plus actually has some useful advice on WW for free so where is the line that gets to live his life as I will swap my chemical plant drudgery in a nanosecond.

Cognorant said...

I don't get the whole Serotta as a plural entity. He writes the entire article using Seratta the way Moose is plural for Moose.

You wouldn't write "Trek are developing a...." or "Cannondale don't make excuses..." or "What all this means is that Fuji are not buying..."

What am I missing?

Anonymous said...

Top 100!

sufferist said...

Oldentard: Odin want me to give you this: Hymn to Frigg

Enjoy....

Anonymous said...

OMG!!!
Tupac Shakur/Groucho Marx - separated at birth!!!

bikesgonewild said...

...my serotta is a much better looking bike but then again, i'm not a doctor or a dentist although i've......well, just never you mind...

Anonymous said...

damn that's a tacky looking bike.

Oldentard said...

Or, in the Elven tonguyye: Dawkterr Bobbin Friggen Hymne!
(At least that's what it looks like in the photo.)

thegock said...

20TH WIFE

Spangle said...

a few miles into a ride i get all psyched...and i pull a stallon 'over the top' move
nothing says crazy mother fucker like a backwards helmet

Spangle said...

Cognorant said...
I don't get the whole Serotta as a plural entity. He writes the entire article using Seratta the way Moose is plural for Moose.

You wouldn't write "Trek are developing a...." or "Cannondale don't make excuses..." or "What all this means is that Fuji are not buying..."

What am I missing?


budweiser is still the king of beers

Disgruntl Ed. said...

Snob and hillbilly:

Thanks to both of you. Nice to read it all pretty, and then to know how it's been fixed.

I don't know about that subsequent hyphen. I'm going to ponder it for some weeks, or perhaps move on to the next thing.

Spangle said...

commie cannuck...who are the people in your neighborhood...in your neighborhood...

Nads27 year old female Sagittarius
Location: The Hammer : Ontario : Canada
Interests: midgets,popcorn,midgets with popcorn,mazola oil,my vagina,my areolae,dingleberries.

Rikim bin tutweiller said...

Where the fuck is Jolene did she check herself into rehab or what?

John Romeo Alpha said...

First occurrence of "That said" for 2010 for the Snob. Your language is elusively kinetic!

Unknown said...

I think my favorite part of the Pez esthetic is the training tips/toolbox section directly next to story after story after story of pure titillation, as if anybody would read the site for serious info.

I love Jered Gruber's up-close reporting and I think Pestes has put together a pretty neat, if completely unobjective crew, but anything they have ever written about gear is snort-inducing.

Anonymous said...

Strayhorn- My 60 y.o. Dad wears a bike jersey as street clothes all the time. Tucks them into his pants, pockets and all, when he goes to the grocery store.

Ass Man said...

PIEP LATE
VIBR ATOR
RICH BIKE
DOCS RIDE
BUTT PLUG
FUCK PUPT
CURE ATED
NICE TATS
CRBN FIBR
BIMR AHOL
RACK JEWL
WAL- MART
EYEC ANDY

Anonymous said...

hug life girl and boy are both sporting crazy fixie wood

ken e. said...

this is going to be my new special place... all wack beige bar tape and stuff.

Anonymous said...

My favorite line is "an enviable demographic." If someone so described his social standing with that term in my presence I'd slap the teeth out of his head.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of language changing, I always thought that the term "kit" in the context of cycling, meant clothing, whereas the component selection was referred to as "the build."

Anonymous said...

lol Chris Manatan is an asshole, he and his 20+ custom bikes...

Anonymous said...

Chris, Charles it's all the same to me

Anonymous said...

I don't know if anybody noticed,but Kara Goucger is hot!

Velocodger said...

Serotta with gold chain indeed! He's probably got custom gold chain lube made from Tibetan yak piss as well. He'll be wearing that chain around his neck in another decade. If this were his only display of cornspicuous cornsumption it wouldn't be so bad- but I'll bet he has some disgusting SUV made by Ferrari or some such monstrosity, not to mention every other overpriced accessory he can find, and a home big enough to house a soccer team. He's the cat4 cross racer with 2 spare bikes in his monstrous SUV, and enough gear to open up a small shop. One could buy 200 Scattantes, equip a dozen college teams for the cash he wastes every year. It's enuff to make ya puke.

Velocodger said...

PEZ' latest post is cheap cycling accessories. Love ya PEZ!

Dr. Manatan, DDS said...

The plural of Serotta is Serottae.

I know this because I have like 10 custom ones, 8 of which I never ride and only use as towel racks.

Carp said...

I know a lot of dentists and none own a Serotta. Conversely, none of my friends that have a Serotta make over $40K a year.

CommieCanuck said...

Nads27 year old female Sagittarius
Location: The Hammer : Ontario : Canada
Interests: midgets,popcorn,midgets with popcorn,mazola oil,my vagina,my areolae,dingleberries.


That sounds about right. Hamilton used to be the midget wrestling capitol of Canada.

Odile Lee said...

Id love to boot that self- loving prick with my dainty oil stained roadie shoe, right in the teeth. I amy not be able to afford some overpriced piece of carbon but at least Ive got some class. Which he obviously doesnt. And I learned to ride hills on a mans bike, made for someone a foot taller( had to lean side to side to pedal), rusty and it weighed about as much as I did. Didnt do me no harm.

Odile Lee said...

20,000 dollar bikes and two dollar legs. Oh and ten cent brain.

Oh somebody make it go away....

Anonymous said...

aren't bikes for sale in the US required to have a pie plate? It's stupid, but maybe this retailer, or the manufacturer, was just conforming to a stupid law.

ak said...

curate as the new "it" word, via the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/fashion/04curate.html

Anonymous said...

I used to have a nice al carbon machine. And then I remembered how back in the 1970's we'd say "Greg LeMond could beat you on a Schwinn". So I started riding the 1955 Varsity I yard-saled 20 years ago for $10, and gave the Toastmaster to one of my kids. Consequently, I've grown to love old Sturmey AW machines, and am rebuilding a 1965 Paramount P-11 to be my everyday ride.

Anonymous said...

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Jonah Gibson said...

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Jonah Gibson said...

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Anonymous said...

I met Mr. Manatan at Interbike. The silliness of the Serotta fits him.

Anonymous said...

If everyone on this site worked as hard as the people that can afford bike like that Serotta, the economy would be in a much better place. You lazy hipsters need stop flaunting about on your dumpster bikes and grow up.