Fifty Plus (50+) - Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling

Anyone else read/reading this book? I have the Kindle version on my iPhone, and some of it is absolutely hilarious, like:

"God is awesome and works in mysterious ways, like a pair of SRAM Red shifters".

"...asking cyclists anything is a bad idea. The problem isn't that cyclists can't agree; it's that they're hyper-obsessive and anal. A simple question like, "What kind of saddle should I get?" will somehow result in a twenty-minute discourse on brass versus alloy spoke nipples."

He pokes fun at everything, especially cycling "subcultures", and particularly those who pamper their bikes, give them 'souls', and love the bike more than the riding. Funny writer (the blogger BikeSnobNYC) that nails what cycling is all about. Good light reading.

I've been reading the blog for some time now. When he is on I laugh out loud. Planning to get a dead tree version of the book soon.

Yep; as above, been following the blog for quite some time. Bought the book when it came out (can't bring myself to use the stickers, though). Best cycling commentator out there, in my view, by quite some margin.

His blog is much better than most of the book (but there are some funny bits in the book). It's trying to be both snarky and a useful bike guide. And he can't really go with his usual in-jokes either.

Reading his blog is like panning for gold. A lot of it is dirty (vulgar/profane), but the nuggets within are pure gold.

Haven't read the book. I can't believe Louisville is not hip enough for him to make a BRA here.

"A lot of it is dirty (vulgar/profane), but the nuggets within are pure gold."

That's according as to taste; I happen to like the naughty bits, but then I have a fairly juvenile sense of humour. However, "Gold" there is indeed; a recent favourite nugget:

"However, every so often a cycling product emerges during Interbike time that is so compelling, so revolutionary, so I-would-flush-my-kitten-down-the-toilet-to-have-that-right-now awesome-tastic that it's enough to drive you mad with frothy desire. Such is the case this year, for clothier to the "I have a flat tire on my Serotta--do I need a new wheel?" set Rapha have finally ladled out ("ladled out" is skincare jargon for "dropped") their long-awaited skincare range ... " (BSNYC September 23)

Just started it today. Can't wait to get into it.

I wouldn't call it profane,risque fits. Haven't gotten the book yet but picked up on the blog recently. It's a daily thing now.

His blog is much better than most of the book (but there are some funny bits in the book). It's trying to be both snarky and a useful bike guide. And he can't really go with his usual in-jokes either.

This is a good summary -- I love the blog, I enjoyed the book. Lots of good stuff in the book, but the blog is a little more "inside" and a lot funnier.

Since The Weak Link often quotes Jean Paul Sartre and referred to Bikesnob's blog, I have read the blog a couple of times. I think some of the material is very clever just not funny. The problem I have is that without it being funny, even though it is clever, I find it boring.

Since The Weak Link often quotes Jean Paul Sartre and referred to Bikesnob's blog, I have read the blog a couple of times. I think some of the material is very clever just not funny. The problem I have is that without it being funny, even though it is clever, I find it boring.

You nailed it. And his column in Bicycling doesn't even rise to the level of clever.

I agree with the Panning for gold analogy. Lots of boring stuff but occasionally, he publishes something that is good and thought provoking.

I cannot count myself as a big time fan of bikesnob though. Just an "occasional reader".

From earlier this week:

All of this raises an important question: "What is the most expensive cycling discipline today?" This query is especially crucial if you work for a bicycle company, since it's vital to know which component of the cycling demographic is most desperate to spend too much money on crap that will either break for be "obsolete" by season's end. For many years, the common wisdom was that the biggest spenders were roadies, who would actually pay for snake oil if you told them it was good for lubricating ceramic bearings. Then came mountain bikers and their lust for vulgar Kleins and machined anodized purple boutique componentry. In turn, both of these groups were then eclipsed by the triathletes, who thought nothing of paying thousands of dollars for a slight aerodynamic advantage while at the same time employing a stem riser and riding in sneakers.

Now, this might not be laugh out loud funny but I like it. Il n'y a pas de hors-texte.

Meh. Don't like him. Too snarky and not nearly funny enough to justify it. He's like the stuck up kid at school that picks on everyone else.

Meh. Don't like him. Too snarky and not nearly funny enough to justify it. He's like the stuck up kid at school that picks on everyone else.

+1 What he said.

I wouldn't call it profane,risque fits. Haven't gotten the book yet but picked up on the blog recently. It's a daily thing now.

Yeah, he's a lot of fun. He gets a visit from me right after I check in to BF.

Living near a ever growing art school I see quite a few fixie hipsters and his take on their posturing lends extra humor to what I see on the street.

You nailed it. And his column in Bicycling doesn't even rise to the level of clever.

Does anything in Bicycling rise to any level of interest? My son gave me a subscription last year (his school was doing a magazine fund raiser and this was as close as any offering got to my interests - American Psychopath wasn't offered nor was Popular Masochism) and what a waste of paper! I did enjoy the mild hypocrisy the Bike Snob exhibited using that publication as a venue.

His latest blog entry, with a receipt for Contador's purchase of Meat, Clenbuterol Seasoning, and "Transport in Plastic Blood Bag" (for no extra charge), really had me laughing. Especially when the number of people eating was changed, in typical expense report fashion, because "Vino ate separately".

Sometimes lame/boring; sometimes merely clever, and sometimes hysterical.

Meh. Don't like him. Too snarky and not nearly funny enough to justify it. He's like the stuck up kid at school that picks on everyone else.

Hence the title "Bike Snob."

I'm with you AzTR. We live on the same side of Brooklyn and his posts on commuting make the salmoning and shoaling just about bearable.
I also have a Gunnar, a Roadie, 66cm. I am (was) 6'7".