In the move "Goodfellas," Nora Ephron's enduring classic in which Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal play platonic friends who eventually become lovers, there's the scene in which Henry Hill finally gets busted and, in a voiceover, says the following: For a second, I thought I was dead, but when I heard all the noise I... Continue Reading →
Gravel Is The New Macadam
Back in the late 19th century, when our velocipedal forebears roamed the earth, the most precious of all resources was the paved, or "macadamized," road: See, roads in those days were still all rutted and full of hoofprints or whatever, so when word spread that someone had laid down some fresh madacam, proto-wankers like the... Continue Reading →
What’s Old Is Old Again
Further to Friday's post, I read a CyclingTips review of the new wireless shifty stuff from SRAM which reaffirmed my suspicion that I am not part of the target market: If you want to use the so-called “mullet” drivetrain setup that’s becoming increasingly popular in the gravel market, the procedure to pair the Rival AXS... Continue Reading →
Another Crushing Blow To The Shifter Cable Industrial Complex
If there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that making declarations about your beliefs is extremely foolish. Our tastes, needs, desires, sensibilities...all these things change constantly throughout our lives, just as we ourselves change. One day you're eating vegan and the next you're eating paleo. Yesterday you believed in this: And now you... Continue Reading →
I Am What I Am
Over the years, you get to know yourself--not the person you wish you were, or think you should be, but the person you really are, way down inside. For example, I've finally made peace with the fact I'll never be successful at bike racing, a pastime to which I've dedicated considerable time and energy over... Continue Reading →
BSNYC Product Review: Spring 2021
As you're no doubt aware thanks to all the media hype, the 2021 edition of Spring has "dropped" (except in the Southern Hemisphere, and places where it's unavailable like the desert or wherever). I've been testing Spring 2021 since March 20th, and while it's still fairly early I figured I might as well share some... Continue Reading →
Hold Your Line…Or Else!
Obviously everybody's seen this by now: https://twitter.com/Peter__Leonard/status/1379903434648862724?s=20 Nevertheless, I should note three things. Firstly, the president of Turkmenistan is a dentist... ...and yet he doesn't ride a Serotta! Though we do know from whom he has been taking his footwear cues: Secondly, his casual attire notwithstanding, he's clearly a serious mountain biker because note that... Continue Reading →
Rock The Combo, Rock The Combo…
They say you should never read the comments, but I did glance at the ones at the bottom of my YouTube video yesterday, and I was pleased to find they were insightful as always: Saying a fixie isn't a fixie because it has brakes is like saying a sandal isn't a sandal because you're wearing... Continue Reading →
This Just In: I’m Ready For My Close-Up! (And You’re Ready For Them To Zoom Out)
As I mentioned recently, I've been making some videos down there in Manhattan for Phil Gaimon's new PreemTV channel, and would you look at that, the first one is up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDCr6-1ORhQ "Shut up old man" is of course the correct response to everything I say in this video (as well as everything I write on... Continue Reading →
Classic Cycle Thursdays! (M-16 Epilogue Edition)
It's always a sad moment when a bicycle leaves your household. Actually, that's not true. Sometimes a bike goes away and you never think about it again. Or, sometimes you think about it often, but when you do you are overwhelmed by feelings of gratitude for the fact that it's gone, which is what happens... Continue Reading →