Bike Snob
Book Review: Bike Snob:Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling
Author: Bike Snob
Chronicle Books, 2010, 219 pg.
Bike Snob NYC the blog tackled subjects that the mainstream cycling press had neglected: idiotic Craigslist postings; '80s hardcore; orthodox Judaism (he likens dangling helmet straps to payos, the curled lock of hair that dangles in front of the ears of unmarried Hasidic men); photos of brake levers mounted on strange places (like behind the seat); and pictures of bad behavior along his bike commute (I narrowed his residence to the Clinton Hill/Fort Greene area of Brooklyn). At some point the commuting postings stopped and it became apparent that he had quit his day job; and now, here's the book. But what kind of book can one write after years of posting over a thousand words a day?
This is the book before the blog; an introduction to cycling from the top of the hill, an easy fun ride. The Snob explains why not to be intimidated by cars, fancy bikes, trends, or other cyclists; and launches a diatribe against "bike culture" (he sounds a bit like a middle-school nerd ranting against the clique-y kids). For the most part we get a kinder author than the sardonic voice from the blog. But he is most entertaining when he is delivering a good hard slap to everyone who is too precious, pretentious, or serious about themselves and their bicycles (my cheek is still burning).