Right here in New York Metropolis, increasingly individuals appear to be driving round with obscured, defaced, or flat-out phony license plates. This enables them to evade pace cameras and tolls. Clearly it’s shitty, and it’s particularly irksome should you’re a type of suckers who performs by the foundations like I’m. More and more there’s one thing of a Tritter twend Twitter pattern through which individuals “repair” these plates, and whereas I actually get it, individuals develop into full psychopaths if you contact their vehicles, and so I can also’t assist questioning when the primary assault goes to be captured on video:
I don’t meat that gleefully, like I’m rubbing my palms for a Smuggie beatdown; I imply it extra like I’m type of wincing in anticipation. I don’t need it to occur, under no circumstances, however I’m additionally not going to jot down an editorial about how individuals shouldn’t do it for their very own security or something like that, as a result of they’re adults, it’s their enterprise, and they’re technically proper in any case. I’ve instructed previously that individuals shouldn’t confront dangerous drivers or fly off the deal with over blocked bike lanes and invariably individuals get all aggravated with me and recommend that I’m some form of “collaborator.” So I’m simply sitting right here watching in the identical approach you watch a child poke on the cat.
As for the pattern, the one that’s accountable for it’s Gersh Kuntzman, the editor of Streetsblog. I do know Gersh, and he was even on my radio present again once I had a radio present:
I think he’s reveling within the consideration and the shot of social media HGH it’s administered to his Twitter follower depend, and I hope he received’t thoughts my saying that, as a result of I’m not attempting to be imply–all of us need consideration or we wouldn’t be on the Web. (I imply “we” as in “individuals who write stuff on the Web,” not all people who makes use of the Web.) He’s a veteran publicity hound, so I don’t actually fear about him in the identical approach I don’t fear concerning the sword swallower at Coney Island. (Is there even a sword swallower at Coney Island? I’m certain in some unspecified time in the future their will need to have been.) However once I noticed this video I felt otherwise:
This isn’t a video uploaded by the license plate fixer for likes; it is a sprint cam or related catching him within the act. He doesn’t know he’s on “movie.” Additionally, word the information supply: that’s “Williamsburg” as in “Hassidim,” not “Williamsburg” as in “Hipsters.” (Really the times of Hipster Williamsburg are lengthy gone, it’s now simply fashionable wealthy individuals.) Gersh is messing with the vehicles of cops and different metropolis workers, he’s filming it himself, and he is aware of in the event that they confront him or assault him and he will get it on video he’ll have the inside track of a lifetime. However working afoul of the Shomrim is one thing else totally. They’re solely accountable to their very own group, who’re in flip accountable to no person. They stopped me and questioned me only for taking a photograph of a motorcycle in entrance of a Judaica retailer, critically:
The upshot of all that is that there are cameras in every single place and also you by no means know who’s behind them. So whether or not it’s fixing a plate or diddling your self throughout the Zoom assembly like that Toobin man it’s all the time greatest to do not forget that the partitions have eyes. And probably weapons, knives, and golf equipment.
Transferring on, subsequent month will probably be three years since I reached a significant milestone in my life, that lugged milestone being my first Rivendell. Right here it’s when it was model new:
At the moment I occurred to be driving it in the identical spot through which this photograph was taken, so I figured I’d check out the way it’s modified (and the way it hasn’t) throughout that point:
One main change is after all the drivetrain, which I transformed to a triple as a result of I wished a wider vary of gears for longer rides:
The rear derailleur got here courtesy of Grant Petersen who indoctrinates anyone who will pay attention (and a few who received’t) into his RapidRise cabal:
Downshifting with a RapidRise derailleur and a friction shifter is among the smoothest issues I’ve ever skilled on a bicycle transmission, and that features digital shifting. And what has extra “What, this outdated factor?” cachet than a chunk of classic XTR? However the beating coronary heart of the drivetrain is after all the unremarkably outstanding entrance derailleur from Traditional Cycle:
Which is able to by no means, ever not seem like a Swingline stapler to me, proper right down to the brand:
At some point I’ll personal all the Enjoyable Bike group, which is extensively thought to be the C-Document of mediocre French componentry:
Oh, and to date that new chain I purchased yesterday appears to have carried out the trick, as a result of the drivetrain was trouble-free all the experience.
The opposite huge change is the drop bars, additionally as a result of I discover them higher suited to longer rides:
I beloved the Choco bars and so they now dwell fortunately on my Platypus, however it is a extra road-oriented bike than that, and for going up and down lengthy paved climbs I discover nothing beats good old school drop bars for the in-the-hood place and the in-the-drops place respectively. These had been the bars that got here on my Normcore Trek, and I don’t know in the event that they’re the originals, however they’re fairly uncommon in that the transitional part between the tops and the hoods is exceptionally lengthy, which is kinda good:
It does enhance the attain, and general I’ve progressively gone a bit extra “roadie” with the match than Rivendell usually espouses, however the great thing about these bikes is that they lend themselves to plenty of completely different setups and you’ll actually make them your individual:
I’ve come to embrace the actual fact I’m fairly conventional in my preferences. I like stuff like drop bars, and I like my shifters within the typical locations. Like, as a lot as I admire the Rivendell stem-mounted entrance shifter setup (utilizing the identical hand to shift each entrance and rear makes a number of sense if you concentrate on it), I’m undecided I may do it myself:
[Photo: Rivendell]
Then once more, you by no means know till you strive.
Anyway, aside from that it’s been stuff you ultimately change on any bicycle, just like the chain, and the cassette, and the tires–although the Schwalbe Marathon Supremes have proved so long-wearing I don’t assume I’ll ever have an excuse to vary them once more:
It’s a supremely snug and succesful bicycle, it’s perhaps probably the most versatile, and it’s most likely the classiest one I personal:
So there it’s. Three years in and i feel I’ve lastly received it simply the way in which I need it.
