Wednesday, February 1, 2012

What's in a Name? The Importance of Being Branded

Branding: is there any more important? When it comes to Doing Business, choosing the right brand name can make or break your venture. This is especially true when it comes to selling bicycles, as you can tell from looking at the world's most successful bike companies. For example, "Rock Machine" means that their bikes are machines for riding on rocks; "Huffy" evokes the fact that many Huffy riders like to "huff" toxic fumes for recreation; and Vanilla reflects the utter lack of ethnic diversity in the company's Portland home.

These are companies that got it right. But what about the companies who get it wrong? One such company is "Ghost Bikes," to which I was alerted by a reader:

If I were naming a company that sold road and mountain bikes, I'd think in terms of speed, or strength, or stealth. I'd think about famous trails, or legendary races, or perhaps even accomplished racers who might wish to lend their name and expertise to my product line. However, what I would not do is name my bicycle brand after an internationally-recognized means of memorializing fallen cyclists:


However, if I absolutely had to do this, I'd at least refrain from offering a model that came in white:

I'm not superstitious, but there's no way you'd ever get me on that thing--and it's not because it has tiny wheels and dual suspension either. (Though that part's not helping.)

Meanwhile, a local entrepreneur recently had the same idea (marketing ghost bikes, not marketing dual suspension bikes), but instead decided to simply cut out the middleman and sell the actual ghost bikes themselves:


Though it's pretty obviously the work of a "troll:"

I'm not superstitious, but if I were this person I'd probably look both ways before crossing the street for the whole entire rest of my life.

Speaking of mountaining bicycle wheel sizeways, not too long ago I noticed an interesting article on the Bicycling dot Calms website about 650b and how it's poised to become the biggest thing in dirt-oriented bicycle cycling since baggy shorts (which can get pretty big):


It's kind of cute how the bicycling industry ignored the whole 29-inch wheel thing until it became utterly impossible for them to do so, and so now they're doing the exact opposite by rushing headlong into a new standard. They're like the frat boys who took forever to warm to Nirvana but then, when they finally did, next ran out and bought the Stone Temple Pilots album in droves. Of course, the difference there is that the Stone Temple Pilots were like the Monkees of "grunge," whereas the 650b wheelsize has been around for a long time, so maybe it's more like suddenly "discovering" some band that's already been around forever, like the Melvins.

None of this is to critique the actual utility of the 650b wheel size on the mountaining bikes, since it would seem to make quite a bit of sense. In fact, it's funny how touchy people get about wheel sizes--as far as I'm concerned, people should use whatever size works for them, whether it's "retrofitting" dual p-far wheels or simply appropriating your wheelset from a jogging stroller. (I believe the latter is called a "Moulton.") It's just entertaining to watch how the various companies play "Frogger" across the various trends, letting one log float away and then jumping en masse onto the next. This is something we all do--look at all the fixed-gear people and how they're all coveting cyclocross bikes with derailleurs now. Even I once swore I would never ride a bicycle with a saddle; now, almost all of my bikes have them, and I'm walking a lot more comfortably.

Speaking of cyclocross, this past weekend saw the running of the 2012 Cyclocrossing World Championships in Koksijde, Belgium (the Coxsackie of Europe), and American fans made a big show of getting all excited about it:

(Surprise! It's a bunch of Belgians on a podium!)

This level of cyclocross fandom is still relatively new to America and is thus characterized by great "flambullience," so I wonder how long it will take everybody to reach the inevitable jaded phase. Obviously we've been there with road racing for quite some time now, to the point where it's a tremendous faux-pas to express anything other than skepticism when watching a big road race. Interestingly though, it's still perfectly acceptable to enjoy watching cyclocross in complete complete earnestness. So enjoy it while you can, I suppose, because in a few years it should be thoroughly uncool to do so.

Meanwhile, a reader tells me that, amazingly, there are still people who think it's uncool to ride with a brake:



Fixie girl with beanie who called me a "Pussy" - m4w - 25 (Bushwick)
Date: 2012-01-26, 6:46PM EST
Reply to:

I was biking on Morgan Ave. near the corner of Meserole St. I was riding a KHS flite 100, You were riding a black fixie with a pursuit front but I couldnt make out the brand of your bike in the dark. You caught me looking at you and your bike and you looked over at me too and at my bike pointed at my breaks, smirked and called me a pussy before you hauled ass down the street.

If you see this I dare you to call me a pussy again.


Now that the "fixerati" have turned their attention to cyclocross bikes, custom road bikes, and all the rest of it, I occasionally make the mistake of thinking that the whole brakeless fixie think is over--but then I head over one of the Big Skanky bridges and realize it's not the case. In fact, it's evolved into a new style of riding, in that all the brakeless riders mostly just go incredibly slowly now. I guess what's happened is that we're experiencing a "noob inversion." See, it used to be that the novice fixie rider would start out with a brake, and the idea was to wean him- or herself off of it. Now, though, they simply start brakeless since they want to be "cool" from the very beginning, only to eventually discover the thrilling new world of brakes and, ultimately, derailleurs, at which point they place the inevitable order for a Geekhouse.

Lastly, from yet another reader comes this folding helment:


Inflatable helments, folding helments, helment hats... Like the alchemists of yore attempting to turn lead into gold, designers today think they're going to hit on that one idea that finally makes helmet use ubiquitous and makes them rich. However, I think they need to give it up. If you want to wear a helment, why not just wear a regular helment? And if you don't want to wear a helment, then don't wear a helment. Of all the goofy equipment that bike racing has foisted on the masses--wimpy wheels, fenderless frames, and so forth--the one useful thing it's given everyday cyclists is the lightweight helmet. Really, what good one that folds up to be slightly smaller but is twice as ugly?

The only real reason I could see for needing this thing is if you have a Brompton and you feel the need to maintain the folding theme throughout your entire wardrobe.

135 comments:

Kenny Banya said...

Yo

Anonymous said...

First.

Ed said...

pdium

Anonymous said...

Top 5

Jasper said...

Early doors

Anonymous said...

top 10 again, woohoo!

Anonymous said...

Melvins!

Quilled and Lugged said...

Folding pants yabbies!

Anonymous said...

branded!

Le Roi Albert Ritte III said...

I'm glad you weren't beastly to the Belgians

Le Roi Albert Ritte III said...

And they got top seven. Beat that Kenny!

mikeweb said...

I've heard that Coxsackie has warm moist weather and is dark most of the time.

Anonymous said...

Safely in the pack!

My GC standings are looking great for the upcoming TT.

Dave said...

Myself, I make sure to fold my bike shorts after every wash. And I don't even own a Brompton.

Anonymous said...

wwwooooooooootttt

Titanium_dentist said...

Wait, I thought 29ers were the Rock-Republic jeans I HAVE to have today?

Why do I see so many 26" wheel bikes on the World Cup Circuit if 29ers are the hotness?

How about Marketing a 700c frame set to accept a 30c tire? Or, does Speshulized have the patent on that?

crosspalms said...

That helment would go great with my transformers collection.

RANTWICK said...

Sticking with the folding theme. I liked that.

le Correcteur said...

top twenty; read; 2 days in a row.

Benny Kanya said...

Top 20st???
ALUMINUM Snob! ALUMINUM!

Bikewritercat said...

To all bicycle company employees searching Bike Snob comments for insights into future trends, I have only this to say:

I will neither confirm nor deny that I have completed three proof-of-concept Hoverfahrads(tm)designed to end the wheel-size wars once and for all. However, I did leave my patch kit at home today.

Anonymous said...

Nice post today, Snub. Subtle, too.

I'm having a slice of pizza for lunch today. How about you?

Olle Nilsson said...

Wow, I thought my recent case of Goldilocks Syndrome was a sign of old age. Who knew I was onto the next big thing? Still, I'll wait until the craze is over and I can get a 650B at a garage sale, or better yet, free on Craigslist.

JB said...

My adult BMX racing circuit that includes cross-dressing and forcibly tattooing the winners is about to take off. Please donate to my Kickstarter.

Anonymous said...

You should do some fact checking. I am pretty sure Ghost Bikes from Germany pre-dates the ghost bike memorials by about 10 years. Just sayin...

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/ghost-bikes-2010-models-24941/

Anonymous said...

"Like the alchemists of yore attempting to turn lead into gold..." True dat!!!!

Kenny Banya said...

Hate the whole 29 vs 26 argument. Kenny rides both, which version depends on where he's riding.

SIXT NINE

walter said...

bulk of the series

JB said...

Related to nothing: did you know that there is an old-skool St. Louis beer brand that has started brewing again?

Griesedieck Brothers Brewery.
Pronounced: Greezy-dick

Nice earthy taste, but a bit filling for me.

German anonymous said...

I actually just bought a Ghost, the very same model you pictured here, but in black.
And it´s a hell of a fine bike.

Ghost is a german brand, from northern Bavaria, and yes, it is german quality. It´s one of the leading brands over here, and for a reason: people know about bikes and don´t go for compromises when it comes to engineering quality.

Disclaimer: i do not work for them, i´m just a -very- satisfied customer.

grog said...

Folding HellMitt?
Pussy.

McFly said...

Let me know when they come out with some folding shorts.

mikeweb said...

Is the Griesedieck brewery next door to Coxsackie?

I think Athol is also nearby...

Anonymous said...

wheelsize/tire sizes = religion/politics

I'm way over 6 feet tall, and my mtn bikes look silly with little 26ers. So along came 29ers (700c) and voila, bikes look balanced again.

that is all

somebody stuck in a cube today should graph the various wheelsizes, showing crossover of various tire sizes for 26, 650b, 700c, 27" etc. That would be just awsome.

Anonymous said...

When a cyclist is killed; people ask if they were wearing a helment.

When I person is killed in a car accident: people ask if they were wearing their seat belt.

Motor vehicle accidents account for an estimated 28% of traumatic brain injuries; sports/physical activity account for 20%; assaults are responsible for 9%; 43% are due to "other" reasons. However, when considering those brain injuries severe enough to require hospitalization, virtually half (49%) are caused by motor vehicle accidents.*

So, I guess whenever anyone dies we should ask if they were wearing a helment because chances are it was a head injury that killed them?

* Sosin, D.M., Sniezek, J.E., & Thurman, D.J. (1996) Incidence of Mild and Moderate Brain Injury in the United States, 1991. Brain Injury, 10(1): 47-54.

Blog Drafter said...

Ha ha. Entertaining post today Snobby. I had fun clicking on all the links.

+1 on the wimpy wheels comment (a gem). Having discovered the hard way that 18-20 wheels are nothing more than expensive places to store broken spokes I'm now 24-28'ing it down the road and 2X bombing everything in sight. And they don't even weigh any more, in human terms.

Anonymous said...

anon 1240,
tru dat. lady complaining the other day of toe overlap on her 29er. thought to myself, "if you are 5' tall, wtf did you buy a 29er for?"

TINY FRAM

Anonymous said...

Grant Peterson must be very happy (if he CAN be happy) about the 650B invasion. He'd been lauding accolades on the wheel size for an eon.

Anonymous said...

If a gay guy Hoodwinks you is that a Hoodtwink?

RB1 said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJNrsNe54AE

Anonymous said...

Even if the ghost bike troll isn't really stealing them, he's still going to rot in hell for it.

I am a helmetlessengine said...

"The only real reason I could see for needing this thing is if you have a Brompton and you feel the need to maintain the folding theme throughout your entire wardrobe."

Just because you can design it, does not mean you need to build it. They will not come.

Anonymous said...

@RB1 - That is when the sport was still pure, before all of the doping.

Anonymous said...

The Ghost bikes company was established in 1993

Joseph Henaghan said...

Two wins; Name dropping the Melvins and referencing Coxsackie. I happen to live in the next town over in Albany County.

McFly said...

That folding helment looks like Optimus Prime's dog took a shit.

Anonymous said...

Way to go snob, you woke up the healment trolls...

FOLD YHAT

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymii 12:16pm and 1:10pm,

Oops! Thanks. Will have to issue a correction tomorrow. Blogging is hard!

--Wildcat Rock Machine

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

Hey Snob I know Grog usually takes care of this but I feel it recumbent upon myself to mention that we've nary a glimpse of the Babe in a while.

DUAL PFAR

Anonymous said...

Panties!
650b Panties!
New wheel sizes at this point are like an eleventh gear on a cassette--unnecessary and useless, unless somebody comes up with a 30-incher. But whatever lets the schmucks who sell new bikes sell more new bikes.

Anonymous said...

I love to ignore the Melvins, and discovered my love of ignoring the Melvins WAYYYY before those other frat boys.

wishiwasmerckx said...

Sneaked in a picture of a couple of guys in Ritte jerseys on a podium, eh? Shameless, Mr. Snob, shameless...

ce said...

"The town of Coxsackie is notable for being the namesake of Coxsackievirus since it was first discovered here."

That doesn't sound good.

wishiwasmerckx said...

"Coxsackievirus is a virus that belongs to...the genus Enterovirus... Enteroviruses are... ordinarily...transmitted by the fecal-oral route."

Yuck!

Velocodger said...

I ride over rock gardens and the like better than ever on my 29er. I don't think they're the best for climbing. Due to the longer spokes and shallower bracing angles 29er wheels are inherently less strong than 26. Hence the 650B arrives for the Huck'n Roll types. Why not? But, for myself, I quote 'Bert my guru, "They will have to pry my 29er wheels from my cold dead fingers".

Anonymous said...

didn't the hoodwinks tour with the melvins one year?

Buy-cycle said...

Remove your saddles at once. It might have the added benefit of preventing diarrhea, or proliferating it. Also, Weed.

specq said...

"it's still perfectly acceptable to enjoy watching cyclocross in complete complete earnestness"

I would prefer watching in complete complete nudity (it's twice as good as the regular kind), but I guess that's imperfectly acceptable.

Anonymous said...

OFFTHEBACKALLSTAR sez:
Dooder, I'm no expert on the creation of daily semi-professional blogways. But I would suggest you limit your caffeineways to about 10 jillion mgways, and consider palping a little proofreadingways.
Just sayingway.

mikeweb said...

Another interesting thing about Coxsackie:

Griesediecke has not one, but two breweries inside the town proper.

Anonymous said...

Interesting facts provided by the esteemed doctor. I think the facts point to a solution: politicians, cities should have infrastructure and laws that protect cyclists, so cycling can do its wonders.

mikeweb said...

@wiwm,

It gets better:

The virus family he discovered was eventually given the name Coxsackie, for the town of Coxsackie, New York, a small town on the Hudson River where Dalldorf had obtained the first fecal specimens.

Brings to mind a myriad of possibilities for the local high school sport team's mascot.

Marcel Da Chump said...

The Craig's list fixie-hipster misunderstood that gal:
Pussy? She said. And he let her ride away.

Anonymous said...

I wear a helment on my Coxsackie.



balls.

Cognorant said...

Man if some bitch-ass fart-knocker called me a pussy for riding without a brake I'd punch 'em in the throat....wait....did I just say that out loud??

Dooth said...

Due diligence prevents the oops.

Anonymous said...

You call those wheels?

THESE are wheels!

http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/05/giant-wheels-cartoonification-of.html

Anonymous said...

If you call riding "biking", ride a fixie, and a girl can ride you off her wheel, then guess what, you are a pussy.

Deutscher said...

I have no time for humour. I only stay with the fakts.

Anonymous said...

29er bike snob.

Billy said...

Hey now, I really like the helment-hats. I'm too much of a pussy to ride without one, but I want to match my tweed coat and Brooks-edition Raleigh.

Test Tickle said...

MELV INS*

KING BUZZ

NUFF SAID

balls (OG)

CommieCanuck said...

anon 12:43, I wear a helmet at all times in case I die. Plus, with a little foil, it keeps the guvmint mind rays out.

CommieCanuck said...

ordinarily...transmitted by the fecal-oral route.

you're doing it wrong.

wishiwasmerckx said...

If maintaining the folding theme throughout your wardrobe, please be sure to fold a hankie into a pocket square and insert it in the breast pocket of your sublime tweed jacket.

Anonymous said...

Mikeweb - yeth, it ith.

hey nonny mouse

Anonymous said...

I started with a seat but now go seat-less, pussy!

bikesgonewild said...

...does david byrne own a car ???...

...just doing a little research & i don't recall having heard whether he does or not...

...& the melvins ???...they fucking rock...hard...

...just sayin'...

Anonymous said...

ghost bikes, ghost post.

screaming skull said...

The next time a motorist does something boneheaded, I'll say: Coxsackie! (trying not to curse!).

ken e. said...

in keeping with something...

the melvins begat boris, who are the number onesest!

HEVY ROXS

Anonymous said...

Commie Canuck -- Helments?

Try <a href="http://www.stopabductions.com/>this one.</a>

bikesgonewild said...

...ken e...obviously you're talking japanese trio with chick 'cuz they rock hard n' heavy but 'boris' also brings up a 'maroon 5-ish' bunch a' clones...

Anonymous said...

Oops -- I meant that one,, consarn it.

Anonymous said...

@ Anon. 1:46:

Wow. Somebody else who reads this drivel knows about the Hoodwinks. I'll be. And a tour? No. They did open for them at the Capitol Theater Front-Stage (Olympia, WA) in like, 1997, though, or whatever. I still have their record, somehow.

Anonymous said...

my bad. i must've been thinking of mojo nixon.

wishiwasmerckx said...

BGW, saw Maroon 5 at the Palms Hotel-Casino a few months back. Their dirty little secret? There's six of those little fuckers. Maroon FIVE, indeed...

Matt K said...

I am a Dahon rider so I will need a slightly dorkier, slightly larger, slightly slower to fold version thanks.

Paul Bowen said...

I have a Brompton and although I don't feel the need to maintain the folding theme throughout my entire wardrobe, my cycling hat does in fact fold. It's made of knitted wool.

luciferyellow said...

King Buzzo doesn't need a helment

Anonymous said...

Been wearing an inflatable helmet and body armour since I was a kid with my teenage mutant ninja turtles suit.
It helped shape my identity.

RecumBabe said...

Fuck a bunch of hoodwinking, I just get straight to the damn point. All You Haters Lick My Winkie.

Anonymous said...

I think a 29 is a rather personal sexual decision

-spike lemming

ken e. said...

@bgw

the japanese trio boris, heavy rocks and attention please are the latest full lengths... mentioned it 'cause my friend's son (age 13) came up with "they're named after a melvins song".

Anonymous said...

I live in NW PDX and as shocking as it sounds Hoodwinking does exist.
I was talking to a friend yesterday and he claimed it is part of caffe culture and that the same thing happened in Paris in the 1920's.
I am not sure what they called it then but pouring Absinthe over a sugar cube had a big part.
PDX has done it again as the Hoodwinking Capitol of the World!

wishiwasmerckx said...

AS to this whole "hoodwinking" thing, count me as a skeptic. Sounds far too much like a teenage boy's fantasy rather that a bonafide phenomenon.

Anonymous said...

Boys will be boys and girls will be girls and they can both choose to ride a recumbent and ride with no underwear without anyone knowing.
This is covert hoodwink.
I have said it a few times but I will say it again...nothing better than a 25mph blow job!

Larry

Teenage boy's fantasy said...

Jam out with your clam out!

wishiwasmerckx said...

100th!

Anonymous said...

Sign of things to come:
Aussie, Simon Gerrans of the new GreenEdge team wins the first WorldTour event for 2012, the Tour DownUnder.

Anonymous said...

Not one "douche" or "scranus" today!!
To help commenters express themselves better, herewith some useful phrases:-
douchy scranus
scranulous douchebag
doucheful scranusation
scranious douchement

You get the idea.....carry on.

Anonymous said...

Did it!
I was not sure I could pull it off, but it is in the bag!
If any gals want to hoodwink here are a few tips.

Take a practice run in a residential neighborhood.
Short skirt and drop your saddle.
The key other than eye contact is a firm and smooth first pedal stroke to "coast" through the intersection.
If you are spinning you are not winning this one.

Also choose wisely. I live in a big city and get away with being unknown.

Out There Riding said...

I was hoodwinked today, but the woman had rather generous labial proportions and the experience could best be described as being "flapjacked". Also, I swear I saw a glint of a menstrual cup in there.

Anonymous said...

Not sure if this helps Anon@7:16 but google translate says

Clin D'oeil le Capot

Sounds kind of sexy

misster-PISSTA aka eriK Zo said...

650 B big in the 50's
BUT

when Raleigh came out with one of their first mountain bikes in the early 80's I was very happy it came with 650B (584 bead seat) tyres, this ,to the teenage me meant that I no longer had to wait for the shipment of tyres from england for my 650B bike but that I could just walk down Stanyan St and buy tires from the raleigh store -for my rough stuff bike that I had built with parts of a tandem tube set when summering in england learning to burn tubes. Grant Petterson was not even working for Bridgestone at that point, although one of his "Roads to Ride" books might have been published(to lazy a blogger to fact check). I don't think raleigh was trendsetting here.. I think they were specing their bikes from england and that was the tire size or the rim size that was available to them. I however was trend setting (NOT). This was over 30 years ago and at that point 650B's had almost as many usable tire choices as 26X2.125(559) it was that way for about 6 months.
Currently the largest wheel I ride is ye olde 635(bead seat)which reads 28 inch but is bigger around than a '29 er... I have serious size envy when I see a unicycle rider go by on a 36" wheel and since the unicycle riders addopted the CORKER tire rim size they have enough numbers to now have a rim tire combo that is a couple of pounds lighter then the orgional corker setup, if one of those wheels can handle a rider going down stairs on a uni ,two of them should work on a bike...just skip 30" and go straight to 36"--in any case what this means is that there are two more tire sizes my local bike shop can be out of stock of...


fun fasct

did you know there are TWO different 350A sizes? one has a 288 seat the other 298.. I had to send to germany for those, the tire rep in the states denied that the company she worked for even produced them..HAH I will be rocking the 288's in short time...it should trend out in about 2025--earlier in japan

this all leads me to the elusive 369 bead seat introduced by SIR ALEC Moulton..sure it tested best but doesnt everyone know the real reason is that he could make money of every tire sold for that size wheel... OK I think i have another flat to fix..last but not least yer pal
misster pissta make mine WOODS NOT PRESTA

4fuxake said...

mikeweb 12:39:

http://www.bostoncoasters.com/sources/234/images/5394-500h.jpg

you're welcome.

4fuxake said...

dang. how do you post one of them automatic link-thingys?

misster-PISSTA aka eriK Zo said...

opps forgot to add
it all stinks of ski marketeting
biopace,biopace2 .roundtech
(chainring marketing)
your bike is so last year...you will go faster if you have.....

self-obsessed and sexee said...

I'm disheartened by this hoodwink scenario: A pantyless lady on a bike flashes her precious oyster and no one dares to stake his manhood? This is a risk/reward situation with a glorious upside. Gentlemen, are we not men? If not, we ARE Devo (devoived).

4fuxake said...

o.k., here you go:
athol

Anonymous said...

I have two younger than me twin sisters and when we grew up in Seaside my mom busted them for what the called poppy cocking, which sounds like hoodwinking.
I wouldn't at all be surprised if the have converted an army of hoodwinkers as they live in Portland.

Anonymous said...

What shits me about "29ers" is the 'mericanization of what is a metric wheel size. They're 700C wheels with wider rims and fatter tyres than roadies typically ride. I know it is a trivial objection, but 29ers might ride like supersonic silk over greased marshmallow, but I wouldn't know, 'coz I'd never ride the fuckers until they have a proper name.

Metric, people. It is what the world uses. 'merica isn't keeping good company here. (Burma (Myanmar) and Liberia are the ONLY other two countries that don't. Get with the times.

Anonymous said...

Myanmar,
Don't knock it till you try it.

Steven Wonder said...

I am superstitious and I'm not riding a Ghost. That bike troll is a ghoul.

JDH said...

@JB- There is some Griesedieck Bros. history here in Quincy, Illinois. Also, the Dick Brothers Brewery building still stands, and is used for warehousing custom kitchen goods. Across the street is a below-ground-level cellar where the brew was stored. Looks like a maze of caves. Don't know if one can get a bottle of Dick's anymore!

misster-PISSTA aka eriK Zo said...

I went in a beer store in Kochi on the island of shikoku in Japan and the guy working there had a shirt that said DICK BREWER I later found out (thanks to Ray Fong) that Dick Brewer is some sort of artisinal surfboard shaper or maker.from somewhere down under

Anonymous said...

if I get killed by an automobile driver,
get some white paint, and a 2012 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert Carbon Evo 29er. Paint the whole bike white and chain it to my killer. Then take them out to sea and throw them in the water.

leroy said...

My dog was drafting me when he shouted "pussy."

He claims he was just trying to alert me to a stray cat about to dart in front of us, but I'm not so sure.

In other news, it looks like the Prospect Park barrels of shame have migrated for the winter.

bikesgonewild said...

...wishiwasmerckx...with the cost of concert tickets these days, if you saved your ticket stubs & hotel receipt, i'd suggest suing the band for false advertising to recoup your costs...

...just a thought, ya ???...

...& ken e...i'm 62 & i've got a 'melvins' cd for the car...hard drivin' music for hard drivin' road trips...

...the young guy at my local 'record shop' & i hip each other on interesting non-mainstream rockin' bands from our respective eras...

...i got melvins & he got spooky tooth & we're both groovin'...

...& 'spooky two' by spooky tooth, if you're not familiar, is a great fucking album...trust me...

Velocodger said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Velocodger said...

29er wheels are called that because when you put a fat tire on a 700C rim, you then use 29 inches to calculate the gear inches.
Jus' sayin'.
My tires measure out to about 29 and 1/2 but why quibble.

Anonymous said...

Doug the doobage post prior to bed is sure to get you in trouble with the missus.
We have all done the math and understand that 650's with a 50 mtnbike tire is equal *bingo* to a 700 with 25's.
Get some better weed son!

Anonymous said...

I'm not superstitious, but meeting a black cat on my commute today made me pretty nervous.

scherzi aparte: the brand "Ghost" exists since 1993, while ghost bikes are being installed since 2003.
Over here in Europe nobody gives a shit, Ghost is known for high quality bikes at reasonable prices.

JB said...

JDH: Here's where you can get yourself some Griesedieck.

JB said...

Anon @ 9:37P & 4:31A: If you were trying to sell mountain bikes with "new," bigger wheels, do you think you'd sell more if they were called 700Cers or 29ers? 29er just flows better.

leroy said...

Wait a second, now I know why my dog was singing that old TV show theme yesterday:

"Branded
Scorned as the one who ran
What do you do when your branded
And you know you're a man."

I called him a running dog, but he pointed out that was just cyclocross.

Spectre said...

Ghost bikes are German damnit! They've been around since 1993 damnit! You Americans just never get the real European stuff no matter how much you flambulliate over Belgians playing in the mud.
I'm off to sit on my ax-lightness saddle - believe me, you would hardly know its there.

GhostOfTyrone said...

@bgw -

Spooky Two, great album. Grew up with that one playing in the background.

And this brings it full circle.

leroy said...

My dog thinks the Craigslist ghost bike collector should familarize himself with oeuvre of Jonathan Cash:

"As the riders loped on by him he heard one call his name
If you want to save your soul from Hell a-riding on our range
Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
Trying to catch the Devil's herd, across these endless skies

Yippie yi Ohhhhh
Yippie yi Yaaaaay
Ghost Riders in the sky
Ghost Riders in the sky
Ghost Riders in the sky"

My dog also wonders if the Ghost bicycle folks in Germany are familiar with Chevy's efforts to introduce its Nova in Spanish speaking markets.

I told my dog he's over thinking this.

I'm still cracking up from mikeweb's comment about the Coxsackie High School mascot possibilities.

yogisurf said...

Ghost Bike's 1993 Mtn bike certainly did not look like that. And Trek better take a page from Spaclized (TM) and sue them...that Mtn bike looks suspiciously like my Top Fuel. Your GOLD, Kenny, GOLD! Top of the podium.

yogisurf said...

Oh....and I skipped eating my apple for lunch.

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Autotext Blackberry said...

wow very nice blog and post...After I read your post, Now I want to buy a bike :'(

john said...

Shows how quickly our definition of cool changes.

Bridget said...

Snob, your admiration of the Dutch way of life is wonderfully naive, Fox news says the place is OUT OF CONTROL!