...keepin it real Thursdays

I got distracted today by absolutely nothing at all (aka surfing the internet), so for your general amusement, I give you this awesome example of keepin' it real from the '92 Tour!


Zing!

Aside from the obvious, you kinda have to marvel at the sensibilities of people back then; note the exaggerated bill on that blue hat and the frighteningly emotive leer from the balding guy at center.

(found on FGB via tracko)

...you gotta be kidding me

It seems the universe has been teasing me lately by dangling tantalizing possibilities in front of me and then letting reality snatch it away just as I reach out for it...

I know it still too early to tell, but I'm a little worried that I haven't heard anything from the construction company I had interviewed with last Friday. I fear that I'll forever be stuck in this unproductive rut and also that as the first to feel the effects of a failing economy, the architecture industry will likewise be the very last to recover from it.

Considering the tenuous nature of my current employment, I can't be too cavalier about spending my paychecks (when I get them) on things that aren't absolutely essential. That's why when browsing the bikes section of Craigslist last night, seeing this bad boy on sale severely depressed me.


At first I thought the posting was surely a mistake because nobody in their right mind would be hawking an S-Works track frame for a measly $380.

In a fit of excitement I e-mailed the owner who reaffirmed the price to me and offered I take a look at it tonight as it had not yet sold. Realizing blowing nearly $400 on a track frame that has no possibility of accepting brakes of any kind just a few months before winter might not be the smartest move, I let this deal go...

Still curious about how much a nice bike like this costs, I consulted BikePedia, where I learned that the complete build from Specialized retailed for $3,800 in 2007.


Of course the red bike, unlike the black version above, is being sold without the Zipp 404 wheelset, drivetrain, seat, or handlebars, but its going for only 10% of the MSRP.

If I owned this bike, instead of trashing it on the street by flying around recklessly, I'd use it on the track next spring and sign up for a track racing class at the Kissena Velodrome; which pretty much means if I did have the grapes to blow $400 today, it would just sit on my wall for the next six months, teasing me.

The irony didn't stop there, it seemed, because this morning I saw this thing "chained" to a light post outside the office.


Yep, that's right... a Strida spotted in the wild. I have to admit I had doubts that anyone would ever actually purchase one, much less ride it around. Though I suppose folding bikes are all the rage among commuters recently, I always assumed this thing would go the route of the penny farthing, an antiquated symbol of the days of yore when cycling hadn't yet matured into its present form.

I must applaud the owner of this triangle-with-wheels for continuing the spirit of irony by not only locking the compactable bike outside, but doing so with the puniest lock and chain I've ever seen on a bike.


Though the chain is square-section and cloth covered like every hipster's favorite theft prevention device, this chain is curiously in proportion to the miniscule Strida it supposedly protects from theft.

...Not that anyone would go out of their way to steal this bike anyway; shit, I bet you could leave it completely unlocked and it would sit there untouched except in the case of a passing leprachaun, (which, strangely, is the only character I could imagine seeing atop it without chuckling to myself for hours).

Anyway, bike trends could definitely be a lot worse, as evidenced by this day-glo monstrosity I spotted on CWMD the other day.


I'm not 100% certain what the deal is with the 650c front wheel or if this bike is even rideable, but I've been seeing more and more set ups like this on fixed-gear blogs such as prolly, tracko, and FGG.

Maybe I'm jumping the gun with my criticism, but unless that set up is specifically for riding at the velodrome, this bike not only looks retarded with it's BBC/Ice cream shop 'colorway', but looks equally uncomfortable. This bike is to track racing as funny cars are to drag racing.

I wonder what they'll come up with next...

...the weekend madness (installment 8)

Boy it was a wet one this weekend; Friday saw me tromp through the rain on the rugged streets of LIC's waterfront to that interview I mentioned last week; and of course since I want the job, I needed to arrive looking presentable which, combined with the all-day downpours, necessitated taking the subway again.

Needless to say, I was getting tired of being forced indoors by the time Saturday rolled around, so a few of us braved the drizzling rain and went down to Red Hook where the cool breeze and soggy atmosphere lent a Homer-esque mood to the day (Homer as in this, not this; just to be clear).


I only wish my new Rapha cycling cap (aka breeze-induced-fro prevention device) had come in the mail earlier so I could have appeared all poignantly grey-scaled against the solemn maritime backdrop, much in the way Rapha depicts their products in use.


If you're not familiar with Rapha or their products, they claim to make "the finest in cycling clothing in the world..." and while I haven't yet tested the worth of that claim, I do know that they're one of the very few companies a cyclist like myself can turn to for reasonable cycling gear that doesn't make you into a rolling billboard for enterprises you have no stake in or reason to support.

However they do make it a point to advertise with seductive photography and the organization of "gentlemen's races" around the country wherein eleven teams of six rider compete on an open course (meaning cars, uncontrolled intersections, etc..) in a picturesque environment.

Here's a video of the gentlemen's race in New Paltz NY earlier this year...

Rapha Gentlemen's Race - New Paltz, NY from RAPHA on Vimeo.

I find it interesting that while it's been dubbed a "gentlemen's race" the brusquely competitive reputation of New Easterners precedes them even in what is essentially a for-fun race. I've taken note of this as well when I do laps at the parks or ride up to Nyack, as I did again this weekend.

The "me first" attitude of New Yorkers really bugs me sometimes and becomes really obvious when coupled with the seemingly grouchy nature of roadies in general. When I first started riding seriously, I definitely got my fair share of 'asshole roadies' yelling at me to hold my line or shooting me disapproving glances for other reasons I couldn't figure.

Now, having ridden quite a bit with cyclists of all types, I've found that not only are the curmudgeonly racers right, they're justified in letting you know. One has to respect the fact that everyone rides a bike for an entirely different reason; some do it as a random leisure activity, others do it strictly for fitness, and others still do it simply to travel pleasantly from place to place.

Roadies gripe at other "less serious" cyclists not so much because of some haughty self righteousness, but because the majority of people on bikes in the US have absolutely no idea how to operate one and as such, present a danger to those who do. If all cyclists observed but a few frequently forgone rules of the road, everyone would be much happier.

1. Ride right, pass left: you'd be surprised at how many apparently "experienced" cyclists can't follow this simple rule... If you feel like you're being overtaken a lot, you need to be on the rightmost side of the path because you're slow. Deal with it or ride faster.
2. Don't pass-n'-stop: If you are riding behind someone you'd like to pass, make sure you're not going to have to slam on the brakes right after you overtake them, cause doing that's just mean.
3. Make your intentions known: Hand signals, yelling, eye contact, whatever... the prime cause of enraged roadies is being cut off or run into by someone going half their speed without so much as a glance over their shoulder to check for overtaking cyclists.
4. No half-wheeling: This is more of an etiquette thing, but it's also extremely dangerous to have your front wheel overlapping another cyclist's rear wheel... If sudden movements are made, you're both going down. If you want to chat with someone, ride directly side by side. that in mind,
   
5. No jerky movements: If you are riding around other bikers, sometimes you have to just accept rolling over that manhole cover or pothole you'd normally swerve around. Keep a straight line whenever possible.

What I'm proposing here isn't that everyone accommodate the customs a select few riders, but that we all be courteous to our neighbors. Since in this country we're brought up believing that bicycles are more toys than anything else, this can be framed as simply good sportsmanship.

Bad sportsmanship is not only ungentlemanly and distasteful, but can really damage your performance as evidenced by Serena Williams' tirade yesterday (justified as it may have been). Right or wrong aside, there's no appropriate excuse for hindering the pursuits of others for personal convenience or aspiration.


Obviously doping tops the list of unsportsmanlike conduct because it obscures the successes of clean athletes, but unsporting behavior also applies to social decorum. Kanye West and Rep. Joe Wilson are the most recent examples of this and they would do well to aspire toward more gentlemanly conduct in the future.

For this reason I applaud Rapha in their campaign to bring a level of civility and normalcy to the often neon-logoed world of competitive cycling. Perhaps more cyclists will don classy, logo-free gear (assuming they can afford it) and perhaps the growing interest in tweed garb will usher in a new era of cycling dandiness where the bicycle isn't shunned as a dirty, childish, or pedestrian (in the social sense) way to perambulate.

(On that note, be sure to peruse the photography at Velodramatic for more poetic visions of road cycling in the Rapha vein by a staunch fan of theirs)

Til' next time remember, nothings more stylish than the mild-mannered confidence of a pro in control...