a rant of sorts

since moving to chicago i have seen a few trends that are driving me crazy. i’m sure this is going to make me sound like i’m mr. know-it-all, but it has to be said. first, i’m a function before fashion guy - it only makes sense; that’s why when i see people with straight bars (or riser bars) cut so short that their hands barely fit i get irritated. i’m sure you’re going to say that you do it so you can fit through those tight spots in traffic. . .ummm no, your shoulders are wider than your handle bars, so that’s not the reason. i’d like to see you stand up and really pedal, you must get some awesome leverage like that. and last, riding brakeless like that is ridiculous. how the hell are you going to back pedal? to me it’s just dumb. i don’t know who started it but i think it’s stupid. next on my list is people who ride a track bike or conversion with a free wheel and a front brake. have you thought about this? i’m sure you have seen other people with this look, but it’s because they are riding fixed gear bikes and they can use their legs to slow the back wheel. you, my friend, are going to haul ass into traffic, freak out, pull hard on you r front brake (because that’s all you have) and flip over your handle bars. brain damage comes to mind. i know that i’m just supposed to be happy that people are riding bikes, and don’t get me wrong, i am; but i also don’t want people to die because they want to look cool.


cole