Monday, September 29, 2014

Ready, Set, Fold!

It's Monday, September 29th, 2014, and if you're riding on crabon you're riding on borrowed time:


Amazingly, the Paul Milnes Cycles rider kept his bike under control and came to a halt by a dry-stone wall. Moses changed his bike and went on to place third overall behind winner Rob Jebb and take the under-23 victory.

Now this is the part where you argue that crabon is incredibly strong, and that the only reason his steer tube failed is that his stem bolts were not fastened with a torque wrench to the manufacturer-specified thousandth of a newton meter:


I'm not sure why I'm gloating about this since I myself often ride a bicycle with a crabon fork, but smugness knows no reason, flowing as it does from the heart and not the mind.

In other news of competitive cycling, the UCI World Road Biking Championship of the World took this place last weekend, and I duly scanned the results to see who was the highest-placed American in the men's race but I fell asleep before I got to him:


(Rainbow towels of the UCI Sub-Junior World Champion.)

We did better in the women's race, in which Shelley Olds placed sixth:


Here's an interview with her trade team's proud co-sponsor, Mario Cipollini, as he trains for the Giro di Melanoma:



I'm not surprised Cipollini skips the bib shorts as they would mar his unctuous torso with unsightly tan lines, but I am surprised he doesn't skip the shorts altogether and simply ride in a thong.

Meanwhile, the public image of cyclists in the New York City area was further degraded by this incident, which took place north of the city in Nyack:


What got the man's really tight shorts in a twist is not known, but he is said to have banged on the hood of a car, then reached inside a window and grabbed a passenger with both hands while the car and bike were still moving.

Uh, I'll put $100 on "Driver nearly killed him with his car first."  Also, cute line about the shorts and all, but I'll laugh when reporters do the same thing in articles about road raging drivers.  "What got the Plymouth Voyager's incontinence briefs all up his ass crack is not known, but he is said to have lashed out at a cyclist owing to latent rage stemming his inability to achieve and maintain an erection."

Fortunately, South Nyack's Finest is on it:

"It was a physical and verbal altercation," South Nyack-Grand View Police Chief Brent Newbury. "This is unacceptable behavior by a bicyclist."

Right.  It is, however, completely acceptable by a motorist.  

But of course the most important question is, "Was the cyclist wearing a helment?"

He was last seen heading south on South Broadway wearing bright green bicycle shorts with white stripes down the thighs, and no helmet.

Guilty as charged!

By the way, the village of Nyack does indeed have a mandatory helment law (or rule, I'm not sure if villages can actually make laws), presumably so they can harass the cyclists who buoy their economy.  If you're unfamiliar with Nyack, it is sustained almost entirely by cyclists from New York City who pedal up there by the thousands to purchase coffee and muffins.  Nevertheless, should you dare ride two abreast (yes, you're not allowed to ride two abreast in Nyack either) or commit any other mild infraction you will incur the fierce wrath of the local motorists and authorities.  (To say nothing of how angry their neighbors to the south in Piermont will get if you talk to each other!)

You'd think the locals would be more accommodating of the visitors who prop up their mediocre cafés since a mass Fred boycott would bring their economy to its knees, yet instead they prefer to maintain their status as the cycling equivalent of the town in "Footloose."  Perhaps this is because they are canny sub-suburban folk who realize that New York City Freds (like most Freds in genearal) are horrified by the prospect of deviating from their usual routes and would never attempt to find a new destination, especially now since all those Strava segments are so well established--just like geese, who follow the same migratory patterns they have for thousands of years, even though they keep getting sucked into jet engines.

There is some good news in the world of cycling, however, for it seems as though we may be entering into a Golden Age of Folding Bike Innovation.  Sure, arguably the only form of bicycle less compelling than the folder is the recumbent, but it is nevertheless noteworthy that there are two new folding bikes vying for your foldable currency on Kickstarter.  The first is the "Occam Cycle:"


Which is distinguished by its utter lack of a seat:



So what distinguishes the Occam from a scooter?


Well, not much, really, and it seems to me that if you're going to leave off the seat then you might as well skip the pedals and brakes too:


This is why the Occam Cycle's backstory is unsurprising to me:


"Our original vision was a bit different than it is today.  We really didn't even know what we were going for."

Wow, you don't say...

The "Vello Bike," on the other hand, takes a different approach:


And that approach is "performance:"



It comes in three styles: "Speedster," Urbano," and "Rocky:"


As it happens, those are also the names of the my three eldest children.

Here's the Speedster in action:


Watch as Fold-A-Fred leans into that turn like a mime into an imaginary wind:


And then "Cat 6-es" some doofus into oblivion:


You can also dismount and fold simultaneously, which is a neat flourish and the commuter dork equivalent of playing guitar behind your head:


I will admit that I was intrigued by folding bikes for a long time--until I actually got one and realized it came in handy about twice a year.  If I rode a commuter train or Amtrak every day I might get more use out of it.  However, as it is, even if you find yourself in the city without a bike, between public transportation and Citi Bike it's virtually impossible to walk.  If anything you have to go out of your way to walk, and when I'm walking I don't like to be schlepping a folding bike.

Still, I'm going to hang on to the folding bike, since I'm sure it will come in handy when I buy my yacht:



Lastly, the New York Times has used a space-aged device to measure the speed of bicyclists in Central Park:


I had no idea such a contraption existed.  If only the police could use such a thing to measure the speed of motor vehicles then we'd really be getting somewhere...

92 comments:

Anonymous said...

First!

3G said...

FIND A FUCKING COMMENT BOX AND PUT WORDS IN IT

Anonymous said...

podio!

cycle

Comment deleted said...

Scranus.

Anonymous said...

top ten

Buffalo Bill said...

Speeding in the comments lane.

ken e. said...

non-plussed.

RANTWICK said...

Top Ten! And read it first!

Anonymous said...

Toppus Tennus!

balls™ said...

Top meh.

babble on said...

Good monday morning!

Yeah, just imagine if they actually ticketed all of those speeding drivers how safe the roads might become... Huh. What a concept. Well, as long as there aren't any politicians road raging all over the place, that is.

McFly said...

Ah a spandex jab. Well played Thane Grauel. Did not see that one coming.

mikeweb said...

Read it. My shorts stayed delightedly untwisted this past weekend.

trama said...

Crabon is made of bonbons!

Joe K. said...

Nyack always sounded like something you have to treat when your 80+, "Oh, the green pill is for my Nyack."

Road rage is like rock paper scissors in real life. Cars are the rock, People are paper and bikes are scissors.

So in Bike, Car, Pedestrian The Bike can smashed the pedestrian, but gets smashed by the car. Whereas the pedestrian gets into their car and smashes car.

It makes more sense if you drink.

In 25 years cyclists will sue the NYPD for use of radar and causing cancer. The NYPD will get around to investigating when they aren't so busy with pulling over bicyclists and ignoring real crimes.

Flyover BC said...

She keeps pedaling a bike without a seat, and her legs will be honed, honed I say, in the matter of a few weeks.

Either that or she'll get a real bike and take a seat.

rudimentary peni said...

In the whole NYT article you linked, only two sentences about the obvious issue that cars are the more fatal menace in NYC.

"The mayor’s plan to reduce traffic deaths to zero has focused on the bulk of deadly crashes, which involve cars on regular city streets. Over the weekend, two pedestrians and a motorcyclist died in separate incidents."

Why do people insist on living in such overpopulated areas? It seems kvetching about the city's problems is a regional pastime for you folks. I bet you would be happier if you moved your seventeen (17) kids, wife, and cats to a farm in upstate NJ and sold all your bicycles.

le Correcteur said...

Top twenty; read in a half assed way.

BikeSnobNYC said...

rudimentary peni,

That's a great idea since we don't depend on the city for income or anything like that and I know so much about farming.

--Wildcat Rock Machine

balls™ said...

I hate getting jabbed in the spandex.

Name said...

I counted 3 mechanical engneers in the Occan video. Maybe for if the girl raider was one too. She kind of seemed to be.

Billy said...

rudimentary peni, that sounds like a great plan. Move somewhere where it's a 10+ mile bike ride to get anywhere useful, and just use your car for everything. Sure you won't get run over, but all that driving on rural highways is incredibly fucking dangerous. Super dangerous. Way more dangerous than cycling on NYC streets. Which is unnecessarily dangerous to begin with.

Freddy Murcks said...

The problem with crabon fib is that it has no known failure mode. It works perfectly until the precise moment that it doesn't and then "bam" it explodes. In contrast, metals have a known fatigue life and they usually give some clear warnings before they fail.

Thems is just the facts, you decide for yourself.

Anonymous said...

More news about inflamed motorists.

Damn Canadians can't even keep their cars from catching fire.

angelina said...

10 yrs after my first folder, just picked up newest. Test riding central park today. Folders forever.

Joe K. said...

The first guy to make carbon that is light and stiff, but also has progressive failure will be rich.

until he gets sued by Specialtized.

Unknown said...

I like how the NYT says speeds "easily" exceeded 25mph. Get that reporter's ass on a bike and see how easy those speeds are.

Regular guy said...

Carbon fiber "Progressive failure" would be me riding any carbon bike.

FR8 said...

Folders are great when your office building insists that full-size bicycles go in the freight elevator and must be out of the building by 5pm (I know that's a ton of overtime for semi-professional bike bloggers). Never mind, I'm moving upstate and converting my Brompton to a plough.

James said...

I hit Politician-Full-of-Shit speed on a long downhill this weekend!!

Anonymous said...

Well, that's it. Next time I ride to Nyack I'm bringing my own lunch (or dinner by the time I can haul my fat arse up there, ...possibly even breakfast for the next day) and disposing of the wrapping there as well. And I will buy nothing, NuSSEEng!! (like Colonel Klink).

My old (vintage?) Olmo has a crabon fourche. It's been through a bunch of seasons, temperature extremes, hard hits, etc. Maybe I'll put the stock steel fork back on it. It rides sooo comfy though. ...til one day.

Happy Monday !

I vote 3G's podio comment as C.O.D.

vsk

leroy said...

Is there an ordinance about shaving your legs outside a cafe in Nyack? I'm not asking for me. My dog wanted to know.

jodphoto said...

Hey Wildcat.

I've ridden frequently from Piermont to Nyack. I have a different scenario which you may wish to consider:

The motorist was angry at the cyclist for selfishly abusing the road rules and expressed this verbally. The NYC douchebag Fred was full of adrenaline and himself by the time he got to Nyack. He assumed that the "rube" he encountered was his inferior and probably wouldn't kill him. He would never have tried that shit with a NYC cab driver.

Broadway is a dangerously narrow two way road and yes, there is a heavy fine for not riding single file and there are signs along the road spelling this out.

Freds, as you frequently point out, are obnoxious. They all think they are elite. For the most part they just have more money than brains. It's like someone going to the gym and using lighter weight so they can get more reps.

You're a smart guy but, you should see a larger picture. With more bicyclists showing up, we need to all become ambassadors for bicyclists in general.

Rudimentary Peni said...

I was mostly joking about moving out of the city. Although, you could easily move to a smaller city with less traffic fatalities. Also, you guys are missing the point. If I were to move to a rural town my goal would be to go into town as little as possible.

Besides, you don't need to live there to make the observation that the media has an idiotic view of bicycling and traffic law enforcement. You could keep your blog active by reading the news and occasionally posting stockpiled Fly6 footage stills from the city. It would be the perfect ruse. Think about it.

Scott Simon said...

Any one need a new pump?

http://www.npr.org/2014/09/24/351246933/what-makes-a-bike-pump-worth-450

Dwight Eisenhower said...

Farming is easy when your plow is a pencil and your field is a thousand miles away.

sleepsintwobags said...

Very disappointed not to see Snob's take on the latest Budnitz creation. I was looking forward to that.

Anonymous said...

"I like how the NYT says speeds "easily" exceeded 25mph. Get that reporter's ass on a bike and see how easy those speeds are."

Some one who know more about Central park can correct me, but I believe those segment listed are down hills, steep enough to easily exceed 25 MPH.

However the speed the NYTs list are an average of the 10 fastest Strava speeds down those hills. No relation to average times.

BikeSnobNYC said...

jodphoto,

You and I can invent any scenarios we want. Theoretically though, a newspaper should play it straight--yet there they are with the "really tight shorts in a twist" nonsense. Also, he "reached inside a window and grabbed a passenger with both hands while the car and bike were still moving?" REALLY??? Most of these Freds can't even negotiate the switchback on the GW Bridge bike ramp, let alone throttle a driver with both hands while riding.

Rudimentary Peni,

I realize you are joking, but our lives are dependent on living in this particular city for numerous reasons. I am (XX) years old, I can't just change cities like T-shirts. Sure, we could move a little further away from it, but we still have to be able to get to it every day. (And believe it or not I actually love this city, but who the hell wants to read a blog about that?)

--Wildcat Rock Machine

Anonymous said...

the NYPD were in the park again today writing tickets. Mostly for running red lights. So even if you slow and look both ways and no one is walking and then proceed slowly with caution you can get a ticket. Meanwhile, about 3 feet away hundreds of cars are barreling through the park well in excess of the 25 MPH speed limit. Through this and the prior crackdowns, the NYPD are our idiot mayor are taking away one of the very few somewhat safe areas to cycle and forcing bikers out into the street. It's a joke.

BikeSnobNYC said...

sleepsintwobags,

I don't even use Facebook, let alone whatever the fuck Old Man Budnitz is trying to do, so it's hard for me to care.

--Wildcat Rock Machine

Bryan said...

Happy Monday all. First off, how many times did the Occam people talk about "small packages?" Jeesh.
Also, why must people refer to cyclists as bikers? We don't resemble this

Anonymous said...

Rudimentary peni, sorry to pile on, I live in NYC. I was up in Vermont this weekend doing some riding one somewhat low traffic roads and I was buzzed several times by speeding motorists. I'm not sure I felt much safer there than I do on my daily rides here in nyc. Although it was quite pretty.

Anonymous said...

I was on the GW Bridge and approaches and leavings !
Totally true. Lots of ungraceful actions there.
Especially scary (for me) is the descent from street level to the Hudson River Park path below. I get off and walk it because I am afraid my MAFAC! RAID! Brakes on my RandanOO-a will explode.
other than that, was nice out yesterday.

vsk

Anonymous said...

I've lived in NYC for more than 20 years and have bike commuted most of those as well as ride recreationally year around since moving up here. I have to say that notwithstanding all of the bike lanes and other bike friendly improvements I'm feeling less safe than ever. Maybe that jungle out there.

Bryan said...

Also, I have the solution to Central Park....if you are walking/jogging/running, you must wear a helment! There, no more pedestrians will die.

Anonymous said...

Move to Italy. Write a blog about whoever most recently ended up under Mario Cipollini. You can change your name to ScranusSnob.

Paul Bowen said...

Anybody else watch the Occam film to the end hoping to get a glimpse of the lady's knickers or was that just me? Aha. Anyhoo, if the woman is actually looking for a "really convenient, small package" I know a guy could sort her out.

While we're talking about no-seat funnies, I saw an Elliptigo in the wild for only the second time on Sunday morning and to be fair the guy was flying up to Crystal Palace like some sort of Elliptigo Quintana.

Orestes Munn said...

I literally grew up riding in NYC traffic and lived in Northeastern cities, including the Boston, Phila and DC areas, where I was hit by cars at least five times over the years. Nothing really scared me until the last few years, but I attribute the change to increasing fear of my own mortality brought on by age, since drivers actually seem to be a little better and less hostile on the whole.

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

Due to the excellent autumn weather I felt compelled to spend the afternoon on my recumbent biek out west of town. I did 37 miles and was passed by maybe two cars and a few farmers in pick-ups. None of which buzzed me. I passed a tractor and a combine going the other direction. Moto-paced a farm wagon of soybeans for a couple miles. Everybody waved and was pleasant.

David Pearce said...

Hey, Bike Snob, don't be hating on the folding bikes!

Here's my take on these:

The Occam--useless for me, it has no seat, I'm not going to stand up all the way to my destination. But I'd like to try it--maybe the tall handlebars help you stand without the usual strain. Must be admirably light.

The Vello--Doomed to failure: Why reinvent the Brompton, when the Brommie is way better anyway? Don't know situation of patent rights, if any, assume Brompton will defend any they have--maybe that's why the Vello doesn't fold in the front.

My city Brompton is not my only bike -- I built-up a classic randonneur on a Velo-Orange Polyvalent frame, for example.

But for the city, the Brompton is SO GOOD! Don't be hatin'! I got ALL the bells & whistles, the rear rack, the EZ-wheels for same, several attachable bags on the modular mounting block, the SON dynamo hub & upgraded lights, just about everything you can get, except the small O bag.

The bike is SO useful. Imagine a bike that doesn't get stolen or weathered, because it is welcome inside everywhere and in your own home. Folds really small. Chain in middle--no grease on clothes. With EZ wheels and rear rack, granted it is a bit heavier, but with front shopping basket, what could be cooler and just plain damn useful as biking to Trader Joe's, folding it down, rolling it in on excellent EZ wheels, never forgetting your shopping bag, it's your own shopping cart, push it up to cashier, unload basket contents & pay, reload basket, roll outside, unfold bike & bike home!

Yes every takes energy, you can't get something for nothing. If you've really bought a lot of stuff, you may need to remove the shopping basket to easily unfold the bike and then remount the basket and you're on your way.

I don't really get your reference to walking while carrying a folding bike. ??. If you have a bike, you ride it to your destination, then walk it the final 20-50 feet to the store / cafe / office. With the Brompton EZ-Wheels that is a perfect snap.

I am not associated with Brompton and was not paid for this gushing customer review! But I do think that bike is well done!

Don't be hatin'! 😎

***************

Anti-Robot: A street sign in Spanish, assume you're not supposed to put in the top very small text: AV. [Unreadable] and just the larger text, DOM PEDRO II.

Confidence level: Definitely less than 50% !

Anonymous said...

Thane Grauel? More like thin gruel, as in "This comment about bike shorts is mighty thin gruel. My mind needs heartier fare."

semi serious cyclist said...

The 'flying folder' maneuver is full fred - and the secret envy of the rest of the bicyclists clan. You can't deny it, if you're riding a folder, an origami dismount is the only way to ride in style. Looks like they'll be giving Brompton a run for the money in that department, but i bet it folds more like a worn out flip phone than a finely tooled piece of British machinery. Oh, and the carbon explosions that always crop up - laughing and waiting for the moment UCI weight minimum drops to 10 pounds..... that'll get a whole new level of excitement to the peloton - seemingly self destructing bikes.

JLRB said...

I don't know anything about cycling in Central Park, but that photo from the NYT article provides perspective. Who wants to ride in that hot mess, let alone attempt hot laps in it? It looks worse than trying to ride around the reflecting pool at the Lincoln Memorial on a Summer day.

David Pearce said...

I enjoy being the master of my own ship:

Having a nicely made bike between my legs is infinitely better than pedaling those 3-speed Citi-Bike beasts. Here in D.C., when I tried our bike share bikes, a least one I tried had bent cranks which just made the pedaling all the more disconcerting and clunky. Bike sharing is fine for some, which is great, but not for me. I NEED my own personal bike that I'm used to and fits ME!

Public transportation is excellent when the weather in inclement, but give me my own personal bike any day when the weather is nice. And the Brompton goes so perfectly with public transportation, should you need to commute that way, so much better than Tern and all the other folders which only fold in half.

You're not going to find ME pedaling one of those Bike-Share clunkers: It's heavy, it identifies me as a dork who doesn't care enough to have his own bike, it's slow, it's only got three speeds. I've seen the DC Bike Share bikes pedaled by lots of commuters, great, but also frat boy types wearing flip-flops. What kind of biking is that!

Not for me! I gotta move with some efficiency!

BikeSnobNYC said...

David Pearce,

I love the idea of folders, and in fact I was so intrigued I was all excited to get one...and was disappointed to find I sort of had to go out of my way to use it. (Keep in mind I realize this is specific to me, where I live, and my "lifestyle" such as it is.) For example, I loved having the folding bike when I took an Amtrak to Philly...but I do that so rarely it doesn't really matter. As for my comment about walking with the bike, I mean up subway stairs, in stores, and so forth. I realize if I had a Brompton it would fold up smaller and I could "wheel" it like you can, but even so I sort of just need to face the fact I have very little use for a clown...uh, I mean folding bike.

--Wildcat Rock Machine

Anonymous said...

"If you're unfamiliar with Nyack, it is sustained almost entirely by cyclists from New York City who pedal up there by the thousands to purchase coffee and muffins."

I live in a town which has a largely muffin-based economy, and we're are all generally pretty grouchy most of the time.

astrobot_3048 said...

Vello bike is pretending BikeFriday hasn't been doing the same thing for a long, long time.


The seatless thing is awesome. A small eliptigo. Somebody is going to make a killing

USA-ians sucked at the WC again. It's like USAC has no interest in developing athletes they can't dope onto a Tour day France podium. Oh yeah, that's exactly what they are trying to do.

It's so bad the current national "pro" champion has a real job. A "pro" that cannot make the rent without a regular job. USAC is winning!

USAC seems to starve them until they get sooo close to the WT that doping becomes a viable option. Thanks USAC!

David Pearce said...

As for the Vello Kickstarter video, they, and all the other video miscreants, have just gotta stop flopping the video film front-side to back-side and back again. Seeing the drive chain on the right and left sides about equal amounts of time is annoying!

The Muffin Man of Drury Lane said...

All you haters eat my muffin.

jodphoto said...

RE: You and I can invent any scenarios we want. Theoretically though, a newspaper should play it straight--yet there they are with the "really tight shorts in a twist" nonsense. Also, he "reached inside a window and grabbed a passenger with both hands while the car and bike were still moving?" REALLY??? Most of these Freds can't even negotiate the switchback on the GW Bridge bike ramp, let alone throttle a driver with both hands while riding.


Yeah, but you were willing to bet $100 on your assumptions. The BS was from the driver, upgrading harassment to assault. Why would the obvious lie disprove either scenario.

Editorializing is a classic newspaper fare. Come on, If they didn't ridicule Fred, you would have to.

Nonetheless, you're the best.

Anonymous said...

LOL, "embrocation stianss" is the anti-robot phrase I had to type to make this comment :)

"I never go on naked bike rides lest I get embrocation stianss on my B17."

Joe K. said...

I work with a large contingent of Princeton Men and women who went to Princeton. They're constantly asking if I am nervous when I ride. To them riding is akin to staring death in the face.

I assume this is what smart suburbanite people do. They are smart and in suburbia, so they have no real problems, or at least none that can't be fixed with a credit card, so they instead make-up things they should be scared of.

A brief example:
Urban kid: "I wish i had a yard to play in, oh well I'll go to the park."
Rural kid: "I wish I had a park to play in, oh well I have this huge yard."
Suburban kid: "I can't go outside, i might get kidnapped, or pneumonia, or both and then my kidnappers may not have the right medicine and I could die!"

Humans suck.

Anonymous said...

The Snob is in rare form today!

JLRB said...

DP - "It's heavy, it identifies me as a dork" - As I think Snob has hinted at, or directly stated, if you don't want to be identified as a dork, forget about bikecycling

I have ridden our DC bikeshare a few times - actually makes for an interesting change of pace. I dod agree that I wouldn't want to rely on it daily for commutes into the Burbs. But with stations spreading out into Arlington I do see more and more people who do appear to be using the shares as their daily commute steed.

paulb said...

If you don't need the foldcycle, why not sell it to someone who can use it? I am at Saratoga Springs Amtrak with mine, waiting for the Southbound, after two days of country riding that would not have been possible without it because on this route The Big A does not allow full size bikes. I guess I could have rented a bike...

Drock said...

During my daily down the middle, met a dude at the WC with an $3000 new carbon outfit. I inquired about it and the only thing he kept saying was how responsive the steering is. I'm going to kick start the idea of smart handlebars. Ones that know my thoughts, then I can talk about my headset and how it reads minds. Just hope it doesn't confuse left from right. Down the middle

F;yover BC said...

I too was waiting for the skirt to levitate.

Spokey said...

joe

pedaling down nassau st can be a bit hairy. with cars parked on both sides and the rest kind of narrow . . .

OTOH, you gots to do what you gots to do to get to Thomas Sweets




yeah that's a lame comment but i'm too relaxed from this pm ride (with a saddle) to think of decent biting or snarky comments.

Opus51569 said...

Oh, Great! I watched that Cippo video and now I'm pregnant... which is pretty impressive since I was a guy the last time I checked (Tuesday). So, thanks for posting that and getting me knocked up... jerk.

Anonymous said...

The thing is, with a folding bike it's a codependent relationship with transit. The thing's too awkward & slow (at least mine is) to bike long distances, so you need the train. And the train's too crowded so you need the folding bike.

Anonymous said...

codependent ????

that's disgusting. cant' you afford your own depends?

assssstrobot_2352 said...

Hold on, Joseph Moses finished THIRD overall to superman Rob Jebb and did it with some cantilever breaks! OMG THAT'S WHY HE ALMOST DIED.

Oh, wait. No, he didn't.

Hmm. I'll come up with some illegitimate reason cantilever breaks are not race worthy in any way, shape, or form.

Go 'merica!

paulb said...

My foldcycle is neither awkward nor slow. Me, on the other hand...

ouabacher said...

EZ wheels & muffin republics

Anonymous said...

"Not built for comfort, not built for speed. It's a bike, and it folds. Whaddya want for $xxxx?"

Anonymous said...

That reminds me of when the head of the MTA was on Letterman back in the NBC days when he would still have people like the head of the MTA on there. Letterman raised the question of complaints (service disruptions, rickety equipment & breakdowns etc.) and the guy was like, ey whaddya want for a dolla? which cracked Dave up.

Lumpen Fredetariat said...

What, eight hours of comments and nobody mentioned Occam's Razor. Jeez, people (maybe they reference it in the vid, but I never watch those).

On the lopsided police response rant side of things, Bay Area freds will have noticed the dozens of signs on the old railroad trail north of Sausalito telling us to stick to 15mph. Fair enough, but what about the dozens of luxury cars around the rest of Mill Valley cruising way over the speed limit with drivers either on the phone, drinking coffee, or both...

Captha: Nassau walkke
...as if

McFly said...

I just saw.....seen.....watched.....looked at a Toyota commercial and the new cars have some sort of Lane Maintaining Assist. WTF.

David Pearce said...

Dear Snob, Readers & Commentors,

[It SHOULD be "commentors", there is no reason for "commentators; When y'all write something to Snob or to us, do you commentate, or do you comment? And yes, I ruefully see that commentate is an actual word, but don't think most of us are reporting the news or the accounts and descriptions of a baseball game. Case closed! To quote Yves Montand in Let's Make Love (which you should all see & enjoy), L'incedent est clos!]

Where was I? Thank you, right. As I was saying....

Dear Snob,

I see you're point on going up and down stairs with a folder. And I have made my Brompton less convenient by removing the plastic pedals, including the one that folded, and replacing them with metal, and they don't fold. And I use one half-toeclip on the left pedal to raise it up to my desired starting position. (I got rid of the clipless Shimano SPD's that I had at first installed, for more convenience and seamlessness using street shoes & transitioning from riding mode to having meal at the restaurant mode.

Yes, I know there are probably removable metal pedals that work with street shoes, but I just don't care to get that involved with it.

And I've added a bottle cage on the M-type handlebar, which not only makes the cockpit tighter for mounting and demounting, but, because of the way it folds, also makes the bike wider still when folded. But what can you do? I need water, and I think any self-respecting bike MUST have a water-bottle cage.

Maybe NYCEWheels would welcome lending you some different models to try out. I would be interested in your reviews of a lot of different ones, the light ones, the titanium fitted ones, the full shmegeggy ones.

Anyway, I have been impressed with mine. I found it quite expensive, a long time (May to September 2012) between buying and receiving (It had to swim across the pond from London to the States by itself), and very beautiful and thoughtful in its design.

The designer, I forget his name, had a bug up his ass since 1982 to design the best folding bike, and I think he did it. The saddle attachment to the seat post is a work of art! I am not kidding!

As for your clown slip of the tongue, all I can say is, One of these days, Alice, ....Kerpow, to the Moon!!

commentariat said...

Fold my scranus

babble on said...

I'm with you on this one, snobbers. We have a clown bike that spends 99.999% of its days folded up at the bike house, because pretty much anywhere you might want to go in the Lower Mainland you might as well ride to. Sans train.

Mr Rudimentary Peni? Are you kidding?! WTF would happen if we all moved to the country as you suggest? I hate to break it to you, but there isn't enough room on Earth for the urban sprawl you're suggesting. Sorry to break it to you, but the only way we can continue on as a species is if we stack up vertical-like, and the only way that will ever work is if we figure out how to build friendly, liveable cities. And those cities are not going to move AT ALL if everyone drives a car. Bikes are the only way forward.

Just sayin' is all...

semi serious cyclist said...

preach it, babs.

babble on said...

Lol! Er, I'll climb down from the soapbox now. Musta been all the time we spent protesting over the weekend which got all of that righteous wind in my sails.

And yes, 3G's podium comment has my vote for COD, too. :D

meltyman said...

Not a single mention of the darn folder.... I mean, the
Dahon folder

Salvatore Denise said...

commuting to gct daily on metro north (no full bikes allowed during rush hour) & riding the Dahon single-speed folder to the LES...is so amazing,the bike is solid, handles well, is fast & totally cooler than a citibike...so I encourage all to join the circus bear/clown bike club....

Red Ruffensore said...

Late to the party, but regarding Nyack, the NYS Thruway Northbound Exit 10 sign says it all-"Nyack. So Nyack!"

http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/67c23b55d461f83e96855358c4bee23b00420bd6/c=334-0-5437-3836&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/Westchester/Westchester/2014/08/28/1409253884000-Thruway-jumper.jpeg

Silent Flyer said...

Yes, I use my Brompton folder for a daily 3-mode commute. But there are additional great uses:
1) Solo bike if you live in a tiny space in a high-bike-theft neighborhood. (Me only temporarily so far, many New Yorkers for years. Someday when retired, might be me again.)
2) Get in some rides while at a conference to which you had to fly. In some places there are NO bike rentals. Flying with a full-sized bike is a big hassle and very expensive. Brompton in its bag ships as a suitcase.
3) Have wheels on car trip with hubbie who doesn't want to bother with the roof rack this time.
4) Generate a constant stream of interested conversationalists; this isn't my thing, I'm an introvert. But I could spend every train trip talking with someone who wants to know all about the bike.

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