Friday, May 13, 2016

BSNYC Friday Fun Quiz!

On Wednesday I went for a bicycle ride, and I was so pleased with myself that I did it again yesterday:


And guess what?  This ride was even better--partially because I'd cleared out some of the metaphorical cobwebs from my legs, but also because I finally "donged out" the cockpit on the Marin Pine Mountain 1 by putting on a longer stem, which improved the climbing significantly:


Not only is the front wheel much less inclined to pop up now, but I can also get my considerable weight right where I want it when I get out of the saddle and unleash the full power of my formidable climbing prowess.

Then, after the ride, instead of eating a disgusting gluten-free sandwich I swung by the taco truck:


Weekday rides and taco truck stops.

Now that's just smart cycling.

Indeed, Westchester County could be a recreational cycling paradise--if only they gave a shit about cyclists, and if only the roads weren't filled with SUVs driven by people who moved there for the lovely villages with "walkable downtowns" and then never set foot on the pavement again.

Speaking of giving a shit about cyclists, Jason Gay of the Wall Street Journal wrote a nice column about them:


But it’s exasperating to see how Bad Cyclist anecdotes receive equal treatment to voluminous statistical evidence that cycling makes communities better. It’s maddening to watch public meetings where bike lanes are raged over like they’re landing pads for Martian armies. The transportation data is incontrovertible: Streets that accommodate for cycling get safer. Fewer people get hurt. Fewer people get killed. People on bikes and people walking on the street. Everybody. Even people in automobiles.

I grow increasingly less tolerant of motorists as time goes on so I admit to cringing a bit at some of the lovey-dovey stuff, but on balance I think he did a very good job, and by any standard this is roughly a million times better than most of the drivel you'll read in the mainstream media during "Bike Month."

(And lest you forget, I was on his podcast the other day, so if you haven't listened yet please do.)

Penultimately, this is a thing that will happen:


And rest assured details will follow next week.

Lastly, tomorrow is David Byrne's birthday:


And I'm pleased to report I've crowd-sourced him a little present:
This is going to be his best birthday ever.

And now, I'm pleased to present you with a quiz.  As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer.  If you're right that's fan-freaking tastic, and if you're wrong you'll see fietsacrobatiek.

Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and watch out for David Byrne because he hasn't been on the road for awhile.



--Wildcat Rock Machine




1) What is this?

--A new bike with an interchangeable downtube
--A new integrated bike-locking system
--A new folding bike
--A new gravel bike with adjustable bottom bracket height
--A convertible upright/recumbent





2) According to a recent piece in the Washington Post, commuting by bicycle is not safe because:

--A rider once fell on her elbow while riding after a blizzard
--It's more dangerous than riding the bus
--Cyclists are inhaling pollution
--All of the above





3) The most prestigious cycling-related accolade in Delaware is the:

--"Yellow Jersey"
--"Golden Bicycle Helmet"
--"Blue Ribbon for Bicycle Tolerance"
--"Joseph Robinette 'Joe' Biden, Jr. Award for Achievement in Scrapple Excellence"






4) The "Bike Mine" security system is a great way to:

--Prank your friend
--Lose a digit
--Give the trigger-happy morons in America's gun-toting states a great excuse to start shooting indiscriminately
--All of the above






(Scourge of the city.)

5) Which is not one of the "Worst things about bicyclists in New York City" according to a newspaper given away free at subway stations?

--They don't wear helmets
--Their bike races cause "traffic nightmares," despite the fact that there are precisely zero (0) bike races in New York City that involve street closures
--They ride in varying weather conditions
--They don't honor the Sabbath






6) Pro cycling saw its second-ever mechanical doping case when a rider's bottom bracket motor caused his crankarm binder bolts to fail during the Tour of the Gila.

--True
--False





7) This fixie comes free with purchase of:

--An Equinox gym membership
--A $7,500 Marc Jacobs messenger bag
--A Hyundai sports coupe
--A million-dollar apartment



***Special "Bike Month Can't Be Over Soon Enough"-Themed Bonus Video!***


She should shove that bullshit "85%" statistic back up her ass from whence she pulled it.

109 comments:

dancesonpedals said...

podio

Lieutenant Oblivious said...

Podio

Lieutenant Oblivious said...

Scranus!

McFly said...

Hey baby wanna feel the flex quotient on my detachable downtube?

Spokey said...

huff, puff

made top 5

Canadian 2X? said...

No Commie bogarting the pod today.

Babble back yesterday, Maybe recum babe will make a reappearance too.

Anonymous said...

top 10. woo-hoo-hoo

Down into Head said...

Will a detachable down tube fit into a Flexible Head Tube?

Jim Morrison said...

Late Door(s)

Unknown said...

Top Ten? Can't be true. And why is Bryne getting a Kia instead of s Hyundai ? Did Snob change sponsors ?

Spokey said...

i was with jason until . . .

As a cyclist I will commit to love the pedestrian, the jogger, the dog-walker, the Rollerblader, the stroller-pusher, the scooter, the skateboarder, the Rascal-operator, the cross-country skier, the pogo-sticking juggler.

dog-walkers? that is definitely pushing tolerance beyond reason.

P. Bateman said...

eating some pink taco....truck is also my favorite.

leroy said...

Oh yeah, I got 100% on the quiz!

Of course, my dog pointed out that 85% of economists consulted by 25% of reliable journalists concluded 67.5% of the time that some or all statistics have a margin of error of plus or minus 100%.

You can see why I let him balance our checkbook. He just has a head for numbers.

Ride safe all!

N/A said...

DONG STEM on the Filthy Marin!

Spokey said...


leroy

i got 100 today too. but i think snobbie was lazy. the quiz was too lazy. not even one question where you had to think of whether the correct answer was the facetious one or not.

good video. for once the friday video was shorter than a ludwig van b symphony. i do think though that a responsible consumer reporter would not say:

and if a helment moves a lot when you shake your head that's definitely too loose.

the proper recommendation is of course to purchase a larger head.

N/A said...

"Dong Stem On The Filthy Marin" was a Billboard Top 40 hit for Jim Croce in 1976.

Federico F. Fredriksen said...

Why did the editors of the bonus video set it up so you heard about how you shouldn't see a lot of forehead under the helmet at the same time you were watching a kid wearing a styrofoam yarmulke?

McFly said...

DiH,
Yes it will. It will also fit snugly into the beefy bottom bracket.

Anonymous said...

penultimate sighting!

P. Bateman said...

i think i'd prefer to be a top rather than a bottom if i were into bicycle...dancing? is that what you call that?

dat was dicht bij de rand indeed...

Hee Haw the Barista's marginally less awkward little sister said...

Now that's a clown bicycle ... when's the review?

Olle Nilsson said...

85%?! That's total bullshit. I heard it was only 83%. Because, you know, conjecture.

Actually, fun fact: when a helment wearer crashes and doesn't receive a brain injury they recreate the crash without a helment to see whether they get a brain injury 2nd time around. So, science Snob. In your face.

Also, hurting others is a human right. Hurting yourself isn't. So there's that.

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

Oh yeah speaking of Jason Gay, I enjoyed the podcast the other day.

Scranus.

bad boy of the north said...

aced this weeks quiz..now,inquiring minds want to know...whatconsiderableweightareyourunning?

N/A said...

Regular weekday rides and lunch beers and pink taco... trucks make me quite envious of Mr. Wildcat. I need to start doing some blogeen, I suppose. I need to learn to write first. Then get funny. Fuck it, I'll just stick to what I'm doing, I can't climb those kind of mountains.

recumbent conspiracy theorist said...

Oh yeah, Have fun on the Fonz Don't. I'll be there in spirit with ya'll scoffing as you rub chamois cream on your scranuses.

bad boy of the north said...

I'm guessing jim croce came out with that ditty in 1976 posthumously since he passed in 1973.

Anonymous said...

85% of statistics are made up

Proper "Hey, who turned out the lights?" Dave said...


That is a simplification of the fact that 93% of the statistics of 91.4% of the facts are made up. Rounded of course.

grog said...

What kind of helmet should you buy for a Talking Head?

babble on said...

2x- I never left, though sometimes it seems voice along with the four fucking sizes that have disappeared these past coupla months. !! :(
It does make climbing up the hills easier, but I don't have near the momentum going down. Heh. I said going down.

dop- Thank you. :)

Stellar week, Mr Snobberdoodles, pure fucking solid gold, though and through. Loved the strava dong pic, but then everyone loves a good dong, and Lob knows we need a sensible voice sounding out over the motomadness which has overtaken humanity. And of course the propaganda comes from our venerable media institutions: they ARE the long arm of corporatocracy, even our blessed public broadcasting corporations. What we need is a grassroots revolution. I'm all for the Leap Manifesto. I knew it had to be good when the establishment decried it en masse. Check out Naomi Klien's "Taking the Leap" talk, if you can. She's a genius, and funny, too. Like you. xo

dancesonpedals said...

I still can't get over that Prince died intestate. He seemed so virile.

Freddy Murcks said...

Top half of the bottom third. Woo hoo!

Happy BONER STEM Friday*, everybody. I hope you all have a happy, bike-filled weekend that is largely free of crazed, axe-wielding murderers.

*aka Friday the 13th

CommieCanuck said...

That Dutch cycling video is fantastic. I had no idea you could comfortably ride with three crotches in your face. So much scranus.
Helmeants work people. In my city all the kids wear healments, and not a single kid was killed by a baboon in 2015. NOT ONE, SO FUCK YOU HIPSTERS.
Three were killed so far in 2016, but that's a statistical anomaly, which happens like 45% of the time (plus or minus 20%, 4 times out of ten, ignoring Tuesdays and lesbians).

CommieCanuck said...

Jason Gay, hilarious name. Jason...

Anonymous said...

I liked the Jason Gay podcast. You sounded more intelligent there than you do on your blog. Feel free to take that as a compliment or an insult.

On the subject of bike month and bike safety. The NYPigsD were out in force earlier this week writing tickets to cyclists in central park, I assume to mark the occasion of bike month in their own special way. I've noticed a lot more commuters this spring, mostly due to citibike which seems to have exploded as they continue to branch out into other neighborhoods. Cat 6ing, salmoning, and cross walk shoaling are at an all time high. On one hand I like to see more cyclists out but on the other I kind of miss the old days when there weren't so many aggressive spastic morons to contend with on the streets.

Pathetic Old Cyclist said...

99 and 44/100th percent of all BSNYC fans are digging the resurgence of our queen, welcome back Babs! Unlike you, I have maintained my extreme downhill advantage.

Robot check wants me to select images with grass. All I see is lawns, and no pictures of our favorite canniboid.

Roille Figners said...

Ha - you got him a Kia! Don't know why that's so funny...

Regular guy said...

I've tried to honor the Sabbath and not ride, but I always get confused.Is it Friday, Saturday, or Sunday? This was probably the start of all the trouble between the Abrahamic religions.

I'll be Damned if I'm giving up any of those three days. Besides, everyone knows that rest days are always on Mondays.

McFly said...

Conversely I just went from a 90 mm stem to a 50 mm and I like the more upright (and twitchy) feeling.

(I did the swap wearing Converse Chucks, so thus, conversely.)

JLRB said...

"Whether they're blowing traffic lights, speeding through the park or riding on the sidewalk, we've got some gripes about cyclists that need to be aired."

amNY is so far off base - I have never blown a traffic light - never even rubbed one

Unknown said...

Hi Eben, loving your website on a daily basis, and I miss it when you're busy, but life must intervene. I'm currently listening to your Wall Street Journal interview. Keep up the faith my bicycling brother. I've been cycling to and from work in Manchester UK for at least 10 years with an air horn that I now only use to thank drivers for letting me cross the road. Well mostly. Yesterday I used it to then give the finger to a tool (driver) who beeped at the car in front due to his impatience for the car in front of him not overtaking within 2 feet of a cyclist while I waiting to cross the road. You have the voice that the cyclist needs. Rob

Anonymous said...

How do you say "gay" in Hollandaise?

Canadian Stats and USA Stats said...

CC@104: "ignoring Tuesdays and lesbians)"

You can't ignore lesbians, have you seen how fast they haul ass on a bike???? Holy Scranus there Batman! Here in San Diego we have this gigantic zoo, lots of baboons, just imagine if they all escape at once in a massive jailbreak and start killing kids on bikes, stats go through the roof (US Sats that is, Canada unaffected).

PS Donald Trump says he's going to make Baboons Great Again!!!! If only Rob the Ford had lived to see it, but you and Babble will, yes you will (Leroy's Dog too).

Lube said...

Don't Fool Around America. Return Alaska. One shore, Siberia and Alaska. We share so much values: Steambath, Vodka, Accordian and Salmon.

anon said...

I read Jason Gay religiously -- sounds a bit effeminate for a sports writer. Kinda ruined it for me. Thanks. You don't sound as cool as I'd envisioned either - kinda nasal, suppose that's why your write instead of talk for a living.

America Calling Canada said...

12:05PM "I said going down." You can sure as hell tell our BABBLE is back!!!!!

When you ask the question can a Detachable Down Tube be swallowed by a Flexible Head Tube, Ms. Babble can answer the question. A regular head tube of knowledge she is.

crosspalms said...

I've looked at that fondont date over and over and I still think it's tomorrow. If I'm that bad with numbers, I probably have a future in TV news.

janinedm said...

lol @anon 3:30, expecting every adult man to sound like Michael Clarke Duncan. I'm with Jason Gay when it comes to having a sunny outlook, for the most part. Or more accurately, I am like Dalton from Roadhouse: Be nice, until it's time to not be nice.

P. Bateman said...

know who i like from roadhouse? the sleazy guy at the beginning....

"you'll be my saturday night special"

damn that is a good movie.

BikeSnobNYC said...

anon,

It's how smart people talk. If you like to hear monosyllabic baritone bellowing I suggest WWE.

--Wildcat Rock Machine

crosspalms said...

If I want monosyllabic baritone bellowing I just try to true a wheel.

JLRB said...

is an untrued wheel false?

janinedm said...

@P Bateman, I'm not usually a pedant about corrections, but he calls that lady his "regular Saturday night thaang." The difference is important, because it's grosser.

JLRB said...

ANON @3:30 - what is this religion of Jason Gay called?

the commentariat said...

Ooh, hit a nerve, did we? Well, you ARE kinda nasal-y.

...and you have a face perfect for radio, too...

BikeSnobNYC said...

the commentariat,

Not really, as the World's Greatest Bike blogger I've been interviewed many times and have had plenty of opportunity to revel in the sound of my nasal-y voice. And if you knew anything about where I grew up you'd know I got off easy as far as how I sound.

--Wildcat Rock Machine

JLRB said...

OK - I see how this works

big fat bag of weed? Check.
Bag of Cheetos? Check.
Laptop? Check.
Bicycle? Check.

Time to fire up a kickstarter and reinvent a bicycle part.

Roille Figners said...

This is another total just awesome classic example of an Idiocracy link opportunity! (how smart people talk) But I'm on mobile and it sucks, so I'll just say, hey remember that part in Idiocracy?

the commentariat said...

Well, we never mistook you for a "dees, dems and doze-ares" kinda guy.

P. Bateman said...

@janine - all the more reason i need to re-watch immediately if not sooner.

good catch.

1904 Cadardi said...

Anon @3:15p

French

Spokey said...


i must say. spent the pm in a bar with my ex partner and just read comments from about noon till now.

this is one of the finest curated set of comments i've seen in a long time. either that or i should have spent a little less time in the bar.

Anonymous said...

Part of the 0.66%

Anonymous said...

I'm 110% positive.

bad boy of the north said...

whatever happened to "tirty-tird an'tird" newyawk-ese?

bad boy of the north said...

I was raised(nope,haven't grown up yet)near the yonkers/Bronx border.some people who have met me for the first time think i'm from boston or somewhere in jersey.
and I won't bring up those that say "lon gisland".no,won't do it.

Very Slim Pickens said...

325: "Donald Trump says he's going to make Baboons Great Again!

What he said was he was going to make American Baboons Great Again. And at zoos all over the country baboons are registering to vote. Not one has registered Democratic.

ken e. said...

advertising something... perhaps primate educational videos?

Spokey said...


was it DOP who wondered about a police escort of blue kitted cyclists?

i'm looking at a "police unity tour" on tube memorializing fallen police. they are basically blue with white short sleeves. a lot of red/white/blue healments but that doesn't seem to be universal. apparently there is a rally for that in dc today.

Holy Roller said...

Once again, nobody is talking about Jesus. What are we to do with all you sinners? Let our Lord be the stem that steers you to salvation. Amen.

dop said...

Did you know Jesus loves You?

I know nothing of blue kilts.

Anonymous said...

"Wall Street Journal interview." Doesn't Dottie work there?

BamaPhred said...

Does anyone else hide and pretend your're not home when the Jehovah's Witnesses knock on your door and want to share their literature with you? Or is that just a Southern thing?

Bernie Madoff said...

Donald loves cyclists, car drivers, truck drivers, bus drivers, sanitation truck drivers, police car drivers, people asleep at the wheel, dog sled mushers, pedestrians, pedestrians walking dogs, baboons too.

crosspalms said...

bama, It's pretty common here in Chicago, too, at least judging by me and my family. But I knew a guy who said he used to invite them in, saying "sure, I'd love to talk about Jesus, how much time have you got?"

Roille Figners said...

My dad, who is 90, invites them in and gets into debates with them.

P. Bateman said...

@bama -

there used to be a church of ...i guess jehova's or some other variety of door to door types near my old house in charlotte. they were all these older black folks from africa that had been called by the spirit to come here to save us. quite the turn from the typical missionary that is going there to save them. i know this because i read all their pamphlets.

anyway, one day i'm doing laundry in our mudroom that had these fantastic louvered glass windows nearly floor to ceiling and i just catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye.

its them..coming down the driveway right past me.

i swear to their god i dove through the mudroom door into the kitchen and laid flat as i could on the floor like a grenade had been thrown.

i hear my exgirlfriend walking toward the kitchen and i managed a whisper-yell of "get down"

we both layed on the floor for a good 5 minutes until the doorbell stopped ringing.

so not sure how other people handle it...but thats how i did on that day.

Anonymous said...

VSP 723 - So Canadian Baboons have to remain in a diminished state, or have they remained great all along? Canadian Baboons speak up.

Spokey said...


i take the Roille dad approach except i don't invite them in. i stand in the front doorway while they stand on the porch and we debate. my regular is Ken. he brings apprentices with him that change from time to time. Ken hasn't been around for awhile but maybe now that the weather is warmer, he'll be back.

hey. i'm retired.

1 - i've got the time.

2 - it's chap entertainment.

3 - maybe i'll learn something and as i'm closer to the grave than most of you, it's a bigger concern.

i promise if it works out that way i'll come back down the stairway to heaven and let the rest of youse know. but i might skip the helment. i mean after all i'll be dead already so why bother. by the same token, i'll use any damn biek i want.

Unknown said...

I like this beauty blog and I feel happy if you will quickly update you blog. If you are looking some beauty products that is related to Atelier, Please click here Shopping Online

bad boy of the north said...

yep...hide.here in the burbs of nyc.oh,i see this has changed to beauty snob nyc.

McFly said...

The JH's around here got 'em some sweet ass Trek hybrids.

David G said...

I know that this doesn't count as a cycling race under the by-laws of this we(b)log, but there is a race with people riding bicycles that closes roads in NYC: the NYC Triathlon. Not that I'm complaining; I don't own a car, and I enjoyed riding 40 km on the Henry Hudson and Mosholu Parkways.

dop said...

David-

I think the velominati declared that a bike ride which follows a swim is not a race (that's their problem). It's fun to ride instead of drive on the HH, even if the road surface sucks. (it's an elevated highway & there's a shitload of expansion joints).

That said, the real fun is swimming in the cold, salty Hudson.

JLRB said...

Spoket - I posted about the police escort cyclists zipping by the place I pretend to work in DC

I think you are right - police unity ride for fallen officers (fallen like dead, not like new to clip less pedals)

http://www.policeunitytourviii.org/event-2018274

Mountain bikes and hybrids discouraged

DB said...

dop: waiting for the NYCSwim club to regroup and organize swims again so I can get back into the Hudson.
Crosspalms: what's with the polar vortex in May? Took the dog for a walk with a stocking cap and down jacket. Tried to get Springsteen tickets at 10am. Nothing available. 'Course, Ticketmaster had some $105 seats for sale at $500.

Spokey said...


waiting . . . so I can get back into the Hudson.

now that's a chilling, sobering, crazy, etc. thought if i ever heard one. but i guess with all this commie inspired pollution regulation/control the days of going to the hudson and walking on water may be gone forever.

crosspalms said...

DB, I headed out for a ride this morning, got a few blocks and put my hat and gloves on,went to a local farmers market (where I heard someone say they'drun out of hot cider), decided it was too cold to be any fun, and rode back home. Frost warnings for the suburbs!

High 'n' Mighty said...

On my ride to work this morning, I only needed to wear a t-shirt as it was so balmy outside. Oh, I should mention that I also wore some shorts so as to keep mine loins covered. I stopped on the way to watch a bird sitting on a branch, basking in the morning sun, but then I got worried because I felt it could read my mind, so I hurried onwards to work where I could operate motorized equipment without the fear of being vetted by feathered fiends.

Anonymous said...

Scranus

Lieutenant Oblivious said...

Speaking of people who swim bike run, yesterday my ride took me over Christian Herald Road from Valley Cottage to Upper Nyack. Descending down to 9W intersection, I had the light which never happens. Of course a trio in the NYC Tri Kit heading North on 9W slowly ran the light and blocked my path, forcing me to brake and almost miss the light. Cyclists can be assholes, even to other cyclists.

dancesonpedals said...

Lieutenant-
How can you take an anecdote like that and just throw it away on a blog post? That story must be fleshed out, repeated and repeated. Think of fine media outlets, from subway throwaways to the venerable WSJ, that could make long columns out of this observation, that you discard so casually, (Local TV news could make a 5 part series..if they could count that high)

Spokey said...

bike riders vs cyclists: https://youtu.be/47cGzu6-q40

JAMES said...


Marin Pine Mountain climbing significantly! This is amusing. This is touch me.

Count of Sprint said...


hello 96

Count of Sprint said...


cold 97

Spokey said...


hey there

Spokey said...

i'll go for the

Spokey said...


detachable downtube century

Spokey said...


let me be the first to congratulate myself

DesperatelySeekingDotRabinowitz said...

HORS DONG

Roille Figners said...

Well shart my shants, looks like it's time for Sunday beer!

Lieutenant Oblivious said...

Sorry DOP, I guess that's why I'm oblivious!

Anonymous said...

LANTERN ROUGE...

bad boy of the north said...

oh oh.nyc bicycle safety initiative this week...

BamaPhred said...

Was reading a local article on cyclist fatality, turns out it was a motorcyclist, run over by suv, but naturally the article states "was wearing helmet". Which obviously makes it ok. Had a helment not been worn, then all the victim blamers would have been out in force with a healthy round of there you go, not wearing helment. Instead it was there you go, ridin a motosikle. Nothing about the clueless smartphone obsessed driver. It's every time, does not matter wether or not your silke is motor or human powered.

Unknown said...

Hello, Lakewood Financial Institutions is at it again, we give loan to both local and international client in need of a loan. And we give @ 2% rate to all client, so you can contact us via E-mail, lakewook_financialinstitutions@consultant.com

Unknown said...

There is noticeably a bundle to know about this. I assume you made certain nice points in features also.
Ccoc.cmes.tn.edu.tw
My.sitemark.com
Photozou.jp