Interview: Bike Snob NYC
- story Peter Macia
- photo John Francis Peters (F62)
Yesterday’s New York Times piece on Bike Snob NYC, with playfully secretive accompanying photo, served as a not-so-subtle reminder to post our own interview with Bike Snob NYC, with playfully secretive accompanying photo, from last month’s FADER Summer Music issue. Read the interview after the jump and learn some very valuable lessons about sharing the road and not fighting with rollerbladers.
Urban Outfitters Now Sells Fixed Gear Bikes
- story Peter Macia
Living in New York changes the way you think about bicycles and the people who ride them forever. In every other city, bikes are merely things that sit in the garage most of the time only to be taken out for leisure or groceries. Here, people ride bikes as their main form of transportation—from messengers, to moms, to office dudes to that girl who has the fully color-coordinated and souped track bike and rides through lights like it’s a business—and so they inevitably have a much stronger bond with their machinery and can get testy when it appears that the unspoken cycling community is being encroached upon, even if they are themselves relatively new to that community. So it will be without a doubt quite a blow to New York cycling’s mindstate the next time they ride past an Urban Outfitters (and they will because they are everywhere) and see a fixed gear in the window because Urban Outfitters is now selling customizable fixed gears. But to be honest, as long as these bikes aren’t dangerously crappy, there is really nothing to be mad about because it mostly means more people will be riding bikes and not almost running over bikes in cars, AND when this flood of Technicolor cycles hits bike parking areas around the city, it will actually serve as a deterrent to all the thieves out there looking to swipe your expensively upgraded ride, as looking at the locked pile-up on every corner will probably drive them insane, or at least into another field of thievery (hopefully one that does not involve stealing stuff).
Style: Outlier
- story THE FADER
In FADER 61 we took springtime extra curricular activities very seriously, profiling some awesome urban bike wear (but without all the profane spandex). Designers from Brooklyn based label, Outlier, fulfilled the requests of their fellow bikers, designing a series that looks good on and off the bike. For them, a cycling hat isn’t just a hat, it’s a balance of sleek lines, polished mechanics and durable materials, kind of like a nice Peugeot. Now, in a limited series, designers Tyler Clemens and Abe Burmeister have teamed up with Austin “Horse”—a crazy bike riding dude—to make a breathable lightweight hoodie that dips in the back, an amazing shape for covering any unfortunate vertical smile action that may be happening on afternoon bike rides this summer. Check out what we had to say about the brand after the jump.
FADER TV: Fixing Bikes with Jimbo at Jack Spade
- story THE FADER
A few weeks ago, when spring began to show itself in New York, the streets were suddenly flooded with cyclists of every color (a pale version of every color) and shape (lumpy), and we got a little jealous because in the last month, FADER editorial’s bike fleet has been devastated due to inept shipping, giant potholes and general lack of desire to risk death on fixed gears. So when we heard Jack Spade on Bleecker had set up a temporary bike shop along with Landmark Bicycles, we had to go down and suss out the situation. And that’s where we met Jimbo, the 71-year-old retired mechanical engineer turned bike wrench who can Frankenstein your beater back together for a minimal price with bountiful storytelling. You can take your bike in for minor repairs or bigger fixes on Fridays from 12-6 and Saturdays from 11-6. If you need a totally brand new old bike, Jimbo can hook you up with one from his evergrowing collection near Coney Island. And as soon as it stops raining every day, we’ll see you in the streets for Bike Month NYC.
