Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Wednesday!

It's been almost two years now since I've divested my vast holdings in the County of Kings.  Nevertheless, once a week I must return there to engage in business which is none of yours.  Yesterday was one of those days.

It was the first day of autumn, which is the absolute best time of year to ride a bicycle in New York, but I'm still trying to shake this goddamn cold so I chose instead to ride the subway and share my illness with my fellow passengers.  As I emerged from the subway station in Brooklyn, the first thing I noticed was a procession of velocipedists who appeared to be tourists taking in a bicycle tour.  They were riding in single-file and dutifully stopping at the red light just ahead, which I thought was particularly noteworthy given the current state of bike/media relations in the wake of all this Central Park mishigas.  So I stopped to take a picture, because I'm a bike blogger and that's what bike bloggers do.

The tour guide, however, was nonplussed:


"Why are you taking pictures?," he demanded.  The tourists, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the irony of being photographed by a local, and I enjoyed that they were enjoying it:


"Say 'cheese!,'" I called out, figuring I could get some good shots of them waving to me as they passed, which is pretty much exactly what started happening--but as they proceeded their fearless leader rode towards me:


"Why are you taking pictures?," he again wanted to know.

I wasn't sure how to reply.  My first instinct was to say, "Because I'm the greatest and most famous bicycle blogger in the world," but while that's undeniably true I didn't want to come off as arrogant.  My next thought was to say, "Because I'm a photographer," but that's just a lie.  So I finally answered, "Because I'm taking pictures," which is not only 100% true but also totally Zen.

Meanwhile, the tourists were delighted to be interacting with a genuine New York City celebrity:


Mind you, I'm not talking about myself.  Alec Baldwin was knocking over a baby stroller while riding a Citi Bike on the sidewalk behind me.

As for the fearless leader, he rode away in a huff, taking his ducklings with him:


I suppose he was merely being protective of his brood, but he needn't have been, for I think bicycle tourism is a lovely idea and they were certainly more hale than their non-cycling counterparts I encountered shortly thereafter:


("Well golly, it's a bridge with a train on it!")

It's also possible the bike tour guide is on a heightened state of alert given the aforementioned anti-cyclist climate, and he may very well have thought I was going to plaster his picture on the front page of the Post with the headline "Tour de SPLAT! Two-Wheeled Tourists Seek Victims."

If so, I can't blame him.  It's bad here.  Really bad.  The atmosphere here is toxic, even more so than it usually is.  (It's usually hot urine.  Now it's hot urine and bike vitriol.)  Every media outlet in town has charged their dumbest writer to churn out some kind of anti-cycling story.  Some tweedy fusspot at the New Yorker even weighed in yesterday, and I'd have canceled my subscription immediately only then John Cassidy might have to sell his Jaguar:


("Who, may I ask, has farted?"--John Cassidy)

Furthermore, reporters continue to contact me.  For example, writers from two separate mainstream publications have each sent me an email along the lines of "We're doing a story on the Central Park crash.  I've never heard of this 'Strava' thing.  Can you tell me everything about it before my very tight deadline?"  Yeesh.  If you're wondering why cycling coverage in the media is so hopelessly distorted, it's because the people reporting on it don't have even a rudimentary understanding of it.  Does a political correspondent covering a story ask a source, "I've never heard of this 'legislature' thing.  Can you tell me all about how a bill becomes a law?"  Well, sure, I'm sure at Fox News they do, but generally speaking I'm guessing this isn't the case.

So where I'm left is this uncomfortable position of wanting to excoriate the type of riding that leads to hitting pedestrians and wanting to excoriate the media for its double-standard at the same time--and that's before I even start thinking about the crash itself, and how depressing it is, and how everybody is now using it to promote some kind of agenda, myself included.

So what's my agenda?  Ending these constant attempts to reinvent the bicycle saddle!  Here's the latest, dubbed the "Reprieve:"


"So why is this boner-saving saddle different from any other boner-saving saddle?," asks the youngest Fred at the seder table.  Well, let's watch and see:



As with pretty much every Kickstarter campaign, this one begins with a question nobody's asking:


"You know when you sit on that typical saddle for the first time, that feeling you get?"

Why, of course I do!  Who doesn't remember their first time?  It caressed my scranus.  My "Strava segment" straightened out immediately.  I knew it was love.

If you're experiencing more painful symptoms, try installing your saddle onto your seatpost before mounting the bicycle.

Next, the inventor explains how he made this thing as some guy pedals slowly and disconcertingly in the background:


Maybe if he'd stand up or even ride outside once in awhile he'd feel better:


Note to Fred: slaving away on indoor trainers is not only mind-numbly boring, but it's a great way to take the air out of your windsock:


After revealing the saddle, the inventor explains its innovative features, and the first is a 3/4" drop in the center:


As we all know, these saddles usually just compensate for poor bike set-up, so yeah, this one is the perfect solution for riders whose seatposts are exactly 3/4" too high.

The second innovative feature is the "integrated air bladder" that is "medical grade RF welded," whatever that means:


Are you a middle-aged man?  Are you having difficulty coming to terms with the fact that you're too old to be rattling around on 23mm tires inflated to 110psi?  Well, instead of getting higher-volume tires and using less air pressure, why not cling to the illusion of youth and get an inflatable saddle instead?  After all, who doesn't want to have to pump up their seat in the morning?


Also, the concept was a runaway hit in the world of overpriced sneakers:


This is why today it's nearly impossible to find a pair of athletic shoes without a pump.

But the most important feature of this saddle is that its shape allows your sit bones to move, it has a nose for turning, and it's lightweight:


Just like every other racing saddle currently on the market.

Other than that, I really think they're on to something.

Lastly, if you're looking for a solution to head-on bicycle collisions, the answer is obvious, and it's the "sideways" bike:



You're welcome.

125 comments:

Anonymous said...

Podium

dnk said...

Are you crazy? Are you high? Or are you just an ordinary guy?

Have you done all you can do?

dcee604 said...

Top Ten for once?

Serial Retrogrouch said...

COCK GBLR

GreySpoke said...

Top Ten?

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

been a while... and I just missed podium. Blargh.

Anonymous said...

Podi !! First time

The Robot Engineer said...

Eight is Great!

wishiwasmerckx said...

And rounding out the top ten.

Anonymous said...

All you haters suck on my Strava segment!

CommieCanuck said...

"Why are you taking pictures?," he again wanted to know.

To jerk off to later?

grog said...

Bike and Roll, but no Recumbabe.

Anonymous said...

I meant top 10. Followed the Swagon link from yesterday. So sad. I think they should change the name to "One More Car". Reminds me of how many internal combustion engines I saw when I spectated at the Tour of California.

Anonymous said...

lucky 13

Comment deleted said...

I really have no desire to know about the prostitution ring you are running in Brooklyn, Snob. I guess old habits die hard.

Anonymous said...

flying pussy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJfM23iChzs
you are welcome

Freddy Murcks said...

If I have a saddle with the 3/4" drop in the midsection, I call that a broken down saddle and I buy a new one. Perhaps I could do a kickstarter fundraiser to start a purveyor of broken down old bike seats.

"Do you dread having to buy a new saddle for your bike due to the required break in time? Well, now there's hope. You can buy a Scranus Touched (tm) saddle and we will do the break in for you using our patented combination of sweat, farts, and undefinable scranal secretions." I could even charge extra for saddles broken in by biking sex symbols like Liz Hatch. (Although the thought of some fred licking his new/old saddle really does make my skin crawl. And you know it would happen.) I really think this could be the idea that finally propels me into the ranks of the 47%.

Regular guy said...

What do you say when you're passing someone who's riding a sideways bike?

On your front?

Anonymous said...

So new saddle - good or bad?

cycle

Bryan said...

That saddle is a penis pump!
Happy Wednesday indeed

Anonymous said...

I got a call from cnn yesterday, they wanted to borrow some of my kid's toy soldiers so they could show us what's happening in syria.

Joe K. said...

"Why are you taking pictures?!"

"Ha, you sound like your mother when you say it like that."

"Police ask the same thing."

"Because you're an oddity and my friends and i will be judging you later."

"Why aren't you?"

"I'm not, I'm taking video."

"It's Apple Maps."

"I'm on a guided tour of guided bike tours."

Anonymous said...

more cops in CP today writing tickets. Be careful. Seems like all of the cops that are not idly engaged with the UN general assembly are protecting the streets against the horrifyingly dangerous biking scourge that has recently befallen the city. THANK you mayor DeBlasio and NYPD for keeping the city streets safe. Just kidding! I meant to say FUCK you!

Anonymous said...

Hey I know that dude in the background!

Anonymous said...

NPR's All Things Considered show is supposed to have a story this afternoon about a $450 reproduction bicycle pump.

You're welcome.

BamaPhred said...

That Elvis full back tattoo is taking sooooo long.

Regular guy said...

Imagine that bicycle tour group all riding sideways bikes.

It would look like a conga line going down the street.

Orestes Munn said...

I feel for you, Snob. It takes a high level of abstract thinking to hold partially contradictory or even orthogonal opinions simultaneously. Don't expect the "turdy-facy-nasty-paty~lousy-fartical rogues" to understand that this is how intelligent people think.

There are tourists in Bklyn? Really? Since when?

Joe K. said...

@Regular Guy,

So long as Miami Soundmachine is playing, I'll allow it.

Morning Machine Fred said...

Speaking of clueless reporters, my riding buddy and current governor of our state (at the time), crashed and ended up in the hospital. Being an election year, naturally, reporters looking for hard news were tracking down the four of us who were out with the Guv that morning. Against my better judgement, I took a call with a reporter. The first thing she asked was if we were speeding, to which I responded, "It was a 30 mph street. Have you ever actually ridden a bike?" She was not amused. Second question - was he wearing a helmet? So predictable.

Ultimately, I dished no dirt and she left for more potentially salacious interviews.

Anonymous said...

I read that as :It fits deep midsections. A saddle for the portly cyclist perhaps?

JLRB said...

Yesterday - SagWagon

Today - SaggySaddle

Common theme - Depressing/ed

Joe K. said...

@Morning Machine Fred,

It was the Helicopter over the scene that was really unnecessary.

Comment deleted said...

The Post-reading drooling masses in NYC want punishment, not a nuanced study of the actual threat bicycles represent to pedestrians. Thus, we get endless NYPD crackdown theater in Central Park, instead of thoughtful discussion about street safety, and the real risk thereto (hint: it has four wheels and weighs over a ton.)

crosspalms said...

Tweedy fusspot indeed. The guy should go sit in a Dunkin Donuts for a while and get some perspective.

leroy said...

Tuesday: Sag Wagon

Wednesday: Sagging saddle, sagging windsock, John Cassidy.

My dog says he sees a pattern.

Serial Retrogrouch said...

...nicest thing i have read about the whole fatal CP incident so far:

... If anything good can come out of the death of Jill Tarlov, it would be an increased realization of the responsibility we all have toward each other as human beings, all of us trying to use the limited resource of street space in New York or any other crowded city. People in cars, people on foot, people on bikes: we are all just people, fragile and vulnerable creatures of flesh and blood. We should take care of each other. Sarah Goodyear

leroy said...

JLRB sees the pattern too?!!

Looks like I owe my dog an apology.

Anonymous said...

I don't recall who posted it all the time but.....
And THATS how a bill becomes a law!

Snob: disappointed you weren't mentioned in NYT article today.

3G said...

IF IT'S NOT IRISH IT'S CRAP!

(yes I know it's Scottish)

Anonymous said...

Goofy bike aside, is that guy really riding around Paris wearing those shoes? And shorts????

Anonymous said...

comment deleted

exactly! insane that this story is getting so much coverage when literally a 1,000x more pedestrians and bikers (not to mention other drivers) have been killed by cars over the past 5-7 years in NYC. A bizzaro world.

Freddy Murcks said...

Serial Retrogrouch - Thanks for the link, you old cockgobbler*. I read that Sarah Goodyear piece and it didn't makes me want to rip my hair out. Sadly, that's progress.





*I am just kidding about the "old cockgobbler" part. I am mostly ridiculing Rollie who has chosen not to be here to defend himself.

Anonymous said...

The saggy saddle already exists. You loosen the nosebolt of your Brooksie and there you go, 3/4", 1/2", 1" . . . whatever your kuku penthouse desires.


You should have told Mr. Maillot Jaundiced guide "There are certain parts of Brooklyn which I wouldn't recommend you try to invade."

vsk

Anonymous said...

Serial Retrogrouch,

I agree, but why can't this lesson be learned by the 1oo+ pedestrians that are killed by cars every year in NYC? Three pedestrians were killed (including a 9 year old boy) within a two week period within two square blocks of my apartment (98th and Riverside) earlier this year. In two of those incidents, the driver was at fault for failing to yield properly, but of course no charges were filed. Where was the media for this?

Regular guy said...

Anonymous@2:34,

And the title says he's Irish! Unbelievable, he looks so 'merican, thought he was my highschool history teacher at first.

He looks like he's on a giant longboard riding a slow moving wave of smugness.

Need a translation of what the "French Dude" is saying.

RoadQueen said...

First we had the seat that sways side to side, not we have one that dips deep in the middle.

Anybody else reminded of graceful, shapely women with flexible spines?

Anyone....? Dip in the middle and swing it side to side.....no?

Ok fine.

babble on said...

Our fearless leader boycotts all climate change gatherings since pulling out of Kyoto a few years ago. But he is happy to go send armed forces to the Middle East to ensure that there is no disruption of the flow of oil and gas to our shores.

That will take the wind out of your sock if you care even a little for humanity's future.

Serial Retrogrouch said...

...mr. murcks,

...i stopped reading the bizzaro "articles" all over the web about the incident after getting angry at my screen and hurling insults... at no one in particular.

...don't worry about insulting me... i have very tough skin. and anyways, some of my best friends and COCKGOBLERS. me, i'm only a MUFFDIVER. nothing wrong with either.

Serial Retrogrouch said...

...anon @2:47

...exactly, right? unfortunately, i'm not a 'journalist', nor am i a semi-famous bike blogger. if i were either, i'd talk about driver mayhem until vision zero was achieved.

...i like the article for the levelheadedness of ms. goodyear... she basically wants us all to get along. nothing wrong with that. and also to remind ourselves that we are all just flesh, blood and bones... fragile creatures.

Serial Retrogrouch said...

...babs, by 'our fearless leader' do you mean Robs Fords?

...i'd like to think i care a lot about humanity's future, if not for nothing only because i'm personally vested in it, as i think you are, in that we have human children. i also happen to have relatives where our fearless leader is dropping bombs... i'd hate to turn this very cathartic daily blogular space into yet another portal to discuss the intricacies of foreign policy... but suffice it to say, my relatives sitting under the bombs falling from the sky are jubilant about it... and it's finally bringing some hope that some barbaric herds of bearded religious fucktards might be pushed back a little.

...my plea is that we don't bring up international politics in this here haven for insanity about droopy saddles, kuko penthouses, sideways bicycles etc. it's enough we have to deal with cars/police/and the media.

Orestes Munn said...

Yes, fragile. Getting old and a career in the failings and frailties of the body have brought that fact into bright relief for me.

John said...

If the sideways bike was a fixie you could ride it forwards and backwards.

Was Poofer, now Pastor said...

wasppoofer?

That Sideways Bike guy lost his temporary Boston accent.
Killian gets to ride around in the plazas of so many cities of the world! Where are the copycats?
You can't let just the street BMX kids own the territory!

JLRB said...

I thought for sure the yellow jersey grumpy bike tour leader was flipping the bird at Snob - I think he started to and then stopped - sort of like a check swing... Maybe he'd be less grumpy if he lowered the nose of his seat, or maybe he likes the sensation of seat rape.

Anonymous said...

I'll drink to Vision Zero, I mean til Vision Zero - hic- .

vsk

JLRB said...

Babs - If you Canadians would tear up some more oil sands we could start bombing you to protect our SUV driving needs - We already get more from the big C then we do from the Persian Gulf.

Orestes Munn said...

JLRB, he looked to me as if he were doing the Bklyn "Ey, ey, ey!" thing.

James said...

Is the first guy in the "question no one is asking" photo wearing his healment backwards?

sTONEdEADLAND said...

you bet your ass he's wearing it backwards!!

commentatorbot_09734 said...

Does a political correspondent covering a story ask a source, "I've never heard of this 'legislature' thing. Can you tell me all about how a bill becomes a law?"

The really determined ones have no interest in the process, just fabricating something that attracts readers. No party affiliations/bias necessary.

Does, "I don't care about that. I'm working on a story" from a political beat writer count?

1904 Cadardi said...

WCRM,

You could always try the Jesse Jackson route and steer the reporter in the direction you want [insert Rev. JJ voice] "Yes, let us discuss this tragedy in Central Park. The tragedy that has befallen an innocent mother. This tragedy lands on countless others in this city every day. I say countless, but it is actually 1XXX innocent mothers, fathers, sons and daughters. It is the same tragedy that put Dulcie Cannon in the hospital. It is a tragedy that is ignored. NO, not ignored. More than just ignored. It is the NYPD, the very same NYPD that is here to serve and protect that is not just ignoring, but the very CAUSE of these tragedies. I have a dream..." eh, I'm all out of vitriol. Someone else can finish.

Me, I'd probably start to stay something stupid, hope to stop and then end with "No comment. Go away."


Anyway. How about that crazy droopy saddle. Nothing ever beat the Selle Italia Turbo for me, the Turbomatic is a close second so I laugh at all this saddle talk.

JLRB said...

When all of us 50-year-old guys with $6,000 bikes get too old, fat, and lazy, what are they going to do?

Douche Confession: I have Campy on 2 bikes and love the way it works. Hated my SRAM road group, but it was beat down second hand. Shimano works fine usually as well, but just doesn't work as consistently as the Campy set ups.

BikeSnobNYC said...

1904 Cadardi,

I've been mentioning the Dulcie Canton story to reporters in my replies hoping one of them would be taken with it.

Guess it's not sexy enough.

--Wildcat Rock Machine

Lumpen Fredetariat said...

"Are you having difficulty coming to terms with the fact that you're too old to be rattling around on 23mm tires inflated to 110psi?"

I'm on 25mm at 100psi. Should I be worried? I am old and riding Campagnolo as well.

Regular guy said...

I think yellow shirted bicycle tour guide was just putting on a real New York show for the tourists, gettin' all Travis Bickle on you.

Regular guy said...

My dog has a nose for finding food at neighborhood cookouts, that I can understand.

What's with the saggy seat having a "nose for turning'?

Regular guy said...

Lumpen, don't worry, you have a 5mm- 10psi cushion. That should give you an extra 5 years or so.

Comment deleted said...

Regular guy @4:21, it's the "Three Stooges" feature. It's what makes the seat unique.

PBateman said...

you could have said you needed the photos for your upcoming movie:

BikeGoreNYC presents: The Human Velocentipede.

part II will involve Humans all connected on sideways bikes....although i think that would move more like a crab. we'll have to work on some legistics. get it? legs. okay.

also, if they are all gonna be connected the 3/4 saddle might provide some breathing room.

Regular guy said...

Oops, make that a 2mm - 10 psi cushion. Maybe you only got three years then.

cockgobbler said...

in polite company, one says, "knobgobbler"

PBateman said...

good lord that frenchman in the red jacket in the sideways bike video sure is french.

he's only missing a plate of cheese, some wine and a mistress at his side.

j'aime those frogs.

Anonymous said...

The Dulcie Canton incident was a hit and run. Until there is someone to pillory, there's no story.

Spokey said...

so fox news would need a lesson on how a law is curated?

i spose you watch that other channel that is still claiming the aliens took the malaysian airplane?

Spokey said...

Freddy Murcks @13:22

I do have a saddle drooping in the middle by about 3/4" after it spent a night out gallivanting in the rain. Gave the nose nut a few twists but the sag remained. so i did buy a new saddle this spring. i got a c17 so it could be rained on all it wanted.

Spokey said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TJKnight said...

Mabye Bike and Roll Bike Tours doesn't have a legit business license and/or haven't been paying their taxes.

Comment deleted said...

Spokey, do you use a monkey wrench on the nose nut, like Moe does to Curly?

Spokey said...

Sarah Goodyear

25 miles per hour is the speed limit for all vehicles in the park, and it is not uncommon for road cyclists to achieve it


be pretty uncommon for me

Spokey said...

nah

just a 12 cent piece of stamped out steel that brooks sells for i donna no $8-10.

doesn't straighten out the saddle any better than it straigtens out curly

Freddy Murcks said...

Spokey - post that saddle on eBay, there is apparently a high demand for saggy saddles among aging freds. If you want, you could claim that the sag is the result of many, many hours of riding pressed up against Liz Hatch's vulvanus. It'd sell in seconds.

babble on said...

Ooooh, yes. Knobgobbler IS nicer.

Our nasty tarsands should definitely stay in the ground if there's to BE any sort of future for humanity.

And fair enough. I am good with not talking about international politics, having stomped and trampled on enough toes for one week. xo

Spokey said...

babs

not much future when those fuckers are chopping heads off.

Spokey said...

Serial Retrogrouch @3:07

that we have human children

finally. there's the rub. we're still looking for proof that the kids are human. seems to be a taint of it in the grandkids but that could be from the father's side.

Anonymous said...

Anon 5:02:

The car and driver were identified and named. No visit from the NYPD yet though.

88 said...

88

89 said...

89

90 said...

90

yetsire provides said...

91

ninalia boil said...

92

kirges earth said...

93

94 said...

94

many opedianb said...

95

his akstaf said...

96

captains rawnloy said...

97

the dorsbil said...

98

aeprolv was said...

99

aecurin requested said...

100

Charlie said...

Babs, the oil sands are no worse than any other source of oil, in fact in many ways its better. Environmentally, there are way more checks and balances in place there than in virtually any other place on earth.

You want to cut GHG emissions? Get the U.S. government to slap a big ol' tax on gasoline (like in Europe). That would cut demand (and emissions) WAY more and much faster than protesting against one source of oil or another. But nobody has the guts.

dnk said...

BikeSnobNYC @4:14

Good strategy. It's a pity that nobody's taken you up on it yet. Could actually produce a good story.

Anonymous said...

Tony Stewart kills another driver while high on pop and it's like, NCS. We're now officially fucked up.

Spokey said...

aecurin requested

congrats on a fine spirited sprinted

hell luva said...

The anal beaded curtain separates you from a bed of silken tubulars.

Jeb said...

That feller sellin' the fancy bike seat sez it's got a 'tough as nails bladder'. Well I'm gonna tells y'all that I've got me a tough as nails bladder too from drinkin' that sheeit that Lester cooks up in his back yard still.

Spokey said...

jeb

jest wait till youse get past yer 50s. ain't gonna have no tough as nails bladder.

Orestes Munn said...

Heh, my bladder is tough as nails when it squinches down on about 30 cc at oooweee psi at 0-shit thirty on a cold morning and I'm not even out of my 50s.

Jeb said...

Why I Ain't as young as I use to be but I can still fill 1/2 an empty Mountain Dew bottle full o' piss so I don't have't to shift from the couch to the outhouse an' interrupt my tv viewin'. I think I'm gonna git out 'n' vote this time so we is gonna git a presdent that ain't afraid of coal rollers an' kickin' them terrorizin' types butts.




McFly said...

I swapped over to a tubeless set-up on my Reprieve saddle so I can run lower air pressure and it's amazing. The only problem is if you get a big gash it looks like you splooged all over the seat-post and renders the front deeraillher useless.

ce said...

PBateman 4:42, Human Velocipede

JLRB said...

Q: Why are you taking pictures?

Answers:

Why aren't you taking pictures?

To document the fact that a semi-professional bike tour dude still uses disposable water bottles for hydration.

Because it is part of my parole agreement.

Because your so sexy.

Hello, my name is Ansel, and I am trying to capture the hardship and toil of the modern day proletariat.

Because its worth a thousand words, so I got that going for me.

Didn't you get the memo from corporate? All tours are now being photographed - your customers can buy cool telescope key-rings at the booth I am setting up under the Brooklyn Bridge. In fact, they can buy a time share in the bridge too - if they want to listen to our time-share program they can get a discount on the key chain.

er, maybe the zen answer was the best.

Anonymous said...

"In the rare instances when I’ve seen a cop around, he or she has done nothing about any of it."

The New Yorker's Samuel G. Freedman must be living in some kind of parallel-universe NYC like that scene in 'Vanilla Sky' where Times Square is completely empty.

Anonymous said...

Babble: you don't need me to tell you this, but you're 100% right about the tar sands.

It's destroying Alberta, and the only reason they get away with it is because the areas are sparsely populated, and because the government is making it very hard for scientists and others to tell the truth about it.

The math is simple: MOST of the oil that's still in the ground needs to stay there, but the tar sands are especially labor-intensive, expensive, and polluting.

But yes, raising the gas tax would influence people to use less gas, but no one has the courage to do it, even though the U.S. highway fund is scraping the bottom of the barrel. We can't even summon the political will to bring taxes up to the level to keep the fund solvent, let alone encourage responsible driving.

dop said...

JLRB-

Ansel, or Walker?

David Pearce said...

Reprieve Saddle

Bike Snob certainly has a whole lot more experience than me about bike seats, but even though I was primed to dismiss the Kickstarter Campaign, I actually came away admiring the saddle and wondering about the points the creator raised.

Might be good, I guess. I don't know.

I'm not into the meta stuff so much, like noticing a supporting actor bicyclist pedaling weird, if he was. Although I am getting pretty tired of the same old type of music for these little videos.

Of course, with any of these funding drives, the devil is in the production and order fulfillment.

Over at IndieGoGo, I funded RACE DOTS as a gift for my runner sister and her husband. They arrived after a few months, and I think they are great, a great way to attach race numbers to your clothing without having to use safety pins. Highly recommend these from personal experience. My sister said it's easier to position the number on the shirt first, and then put on the shirt.

I also helped fund ThingCHARGER, one of those devices that promises to charge all of your devices without taking away your regular duplex electric outlets.

Great idea, but this guy is a perfectionist and is making sure it can charge every single device, with cases, without cases, and even that it is ready to use the new USB standard when it's rolled out soon. Sounds like it will be able to charge the International Space Station and survive the rigors of space by the time it's done, but it's now more than a year behind schedule, with shipping projected to be in early 2015.

Goose said...

Psychologists call this the "online disinhibition effect." It’s similar to wearing a mask at Mardi Gras, which frees us to drink bourbon through a straw and goose strangers.

Capn Pervert said...

David Pearce:

Before I invest, I'm going to need to see a video of your sister putting the race number on her shirt and then putting on said shirt.

David Pearce said...

Dear Cap'n,

Down boy!

😎

Angry Beaver in Mirimichi said...

Fox knows how a bill becomes law. Yes they do, it called stuffing the hip pocket of a pol with a "campaign donation".

Anonymous said...

My sister said it's easier to position .....

Pump We Must said...

Morning routine. Pump up wife, pump up tires, pump up seat. On some days and a second session of wife pumping, aka doing the Deuce Bigalow.

McFly said...

By any chance is your sister Anita Pearce?

BottingBot9000 said...

I' thinking late post today, because Mr. Snob frantically re-editing to add @dianesavino :

bra @dianesavino said...

I support those beautiful breasts as well! Oh yeah and the equal right thing...

Anonymous said...

Tilford is tired of pinning numbers. If he read these comments he would have learned about Race dots.