Friday, July 26, 2019

"You Only Come Around Here When You Want Something"

Yes, it's true, and what I want is for you to read my latest column for Outside, which is about why kids need to ride bikes:


If you really want yours to get ahead in life you'd better make sure they know their way around a velocipede.

I also want you to congratulate me for the fact that I haven't touched a bike with a derailleur all week.  For example, yesterday I enjoyed a pleasant outing on my artisanal singlespeed:


I also commuted into Manhattan on my Midlife Crisis Fixie, seen here in a prison cell:


And on Tuesday, not only did I forego derailleurs, but I also skipped the bike altogether and ran for the first time since 2018!  I felt pretty good, too--until the day after, and the day after that, and the day after that, which is today.  Of course, maybe I wouldn't still be sore if I'd been riding bikes with derailleurs instead of pushing one-speed drivetrains with sore legs, but if I were capable of making rational decisions I wouldn't be living in New York City and dedicating my life to writing about bicycles now would I?

No I would not.

Lastly, if you're among the one (1) people who noticed I wasn't on the radio this past Monday, my show was preempted by a fund drive, but I should be back this coming Monday.  And for the rest of you who had no idea I was on the radio in the first place, guess what?  I have a radio show in New York City now!

Now leave work early and go ride your bike.

23 comments:

BPsucks said...

Podio yo. I noticed wbai still labeled the show bike snob, but it was definitely not you. Great show

Anonymous said...

Fridays must be Special(ized). Thx for the post.

bob said...

Short but sweet

Dooth said...

I had a bike and egg cream childhood and see how I turned out... Ok! maybe I'm not a good example. But, you can still get a good egg cream at the corner of 2nd Ave and St Marks place, a newstand and magazine store, GemSpa, yummmmy.

theEel said...

WEED!

mikeweb said...

I noticed. And I got worried. But then I realized I could consult the popular socialized location tracking/logging/selling website known as Strava and saw that you had been out velocipeding a few times this week.

I too went velocipeding early this morning with a buddy visiting from out of town. Unfortunately on our way to River Rd. I took a tumble when I bunny hopped the insanely thick steel plate they now have at the NJ end of the GWB bikepath (where the sheets of plywood had been). Seriously, that thing has to be 2" thick. How much do they think bicycles weigh?

Dirk Montero said...

I get the impression you've experienced a bit of an existential crisis when confronted with the landfill/compost/recycle bins after curating an artisanal lunch at the Whole Foods in the Mall Beside the Trails Beside the Mall after riding derailerlessly on said trails on at least one occasion. Or maybe you had pre-sorted and had to wait smugly for some newbies in front of you to puzzle it out?

Dirk

wle said...

DAG! I missed *not* listening to your show

JK, i forgot, i actually like it

Atlanta had an e-scooter rider killed last wk
dude lived half a mile from me-though i;m 15 mi from downtown, where he was
he was coming back from a football [well really soccer, atlanta united] game at night

crushed by a bus
not clear what was going on really
there are cameras but none caught it

bus may have actually been on the sidewalk-apparently it is a sharp right turn and they do that sometimes, there

but driver is cleared of charges already

they interviewed some witnesses

guy was banging on the bus

which makes me think he fear that he lost his balance as a result of that

wle

dnk said...

Congratulations!

And now bye bye.... leaving work early to go for a ride (seriously)

John Wares said...

wle, damn that is horrible

Anonymous said...

I took today off from work and rode my bike. Does that count?

Billinrockhill said...

Glad to see this post. Missed you. Did look for last Monday's archived radio show, with no success. I figured you were on "vacation." Welcome back.

HDEB said...

Kids + bicycles = fun : )

Anonymous said...

I had a mid-life single speed crisis, but eventually I converted it to a 2-speed awhile back. A lot like this one: https://rivbike.tumblr.com/post/183127303564/2speed-speed-61cm-roadini-its-a-2-x-1-using-some

Seattle lone wolf said...

Seriously, you might want to tune in to the TdF now. Good stuff this year!

Beck the biker said...

I like to yell out to youth when passing "Start riding a bike and you'll go places" but fear it's lost on them.

There's a lot of grass-roots kid bike groups out there, which is encouraging, but a lot of them focus on mountain biking these days. Presumably, out of an entirely realistic fearmongering of the parents, worried about endangering the little whippersnappers if they get taught street riding skills.

I'd love to see a US bike advocacy group organized around funding painting traffic gardens at paved schoolyards around the county and get interested, bikey parents to teach street riding skills. trouble with that is finding new parents to step up to the plate as the kids age out of the bike instruction thing.

anonymous said...

I'm retired. I'll ride a damned bike where I want, when I want.

Now get off my lawn.

Anonymous said...

trek bicycle co. recalling kiddie balance bikes for defective steerer tubes. thought that might amuse you.

Anonymous said...

"No touching!" Congratulations!

Anonymous said...

I just spent a week in one of those mountain bikey towns in BC and my two strongest impressions of the place were:

- a lot of kids on bikes, plus
- a lot of old guys (riding slowly) on bikes

The only downside is the road riding there sucks balls.

Coline said...

Young girl of about four merrily cycled up the road more steadily than the TdeF pros this afternoon. All is not lost...

BikeSnobNYC said...

Anonymous 11:16am,

Not sure why that would amuse me...

--Tan Tenovo

HDEB said...

Hell yes, Colombian cyclist Egan Bernal won the TdF. Colombians are the best climbers on Earth : )