I can't speak for the other cities which have gotten the Langster treatment, but when it comes to New York Specialized missed the mark like Michael Rasmussen missed his drug tests. Probably the biggest mistake is the taxicab color scheme. In NYC, bikes and taxicabs don't exactly have a harmonious relationship. In fact, cabs are to cyclists what cats are to mice, or deli slicers are to vegans, or Turks are to Cypriots. We're not exactly looking to pay good money to pay homage to them. Then there's the website copy: "Built for rallying city streets and lapping racers at the velodrome..." Uh, unless you're a derny pacer you're not going to be lapping anybody at the velodrome with flat bars.The Specialized New York Langster appears to be designed by the same team responsible for the tchotchkes you find in Times Square gift shops. If they really wanted to market a true New York-style fixed-gear, they'd have gone straight to the wellspring of crap that is Craigslist for their inspiration. Here are a few fetid posts from which they could have learned something:
Fixed Gear track bike 50 cm Brass Knuckle TRADE OR SELL - $1200
[original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/436167003.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2007-09-30, 12:51PM EDT
http://velospace.org/node/4695clink link for the bikes specs
looking for an older bike or rare bike etc price is negotiable but will swap out parts
Note the pricing on this one. Specialized is only charging a retail price of $740 for the New York Langster. While that kind of conservative pricing may fly in Duluth, here in NYC we like our prices inflated like a lipful of collagen. Apartments, cocktails, bikes--if it doesn't have an extra decimal place we figure it just ain't worth buying. Asking $1,200 with a straight face for a bike as ugly as this takes moxie. Note also that the seller is negotiable on price but will swap out parts. If I were buying, I'd actually pay more for any downgrade that would make this bike less disgusting.
50 CM IRO ANGUS Track Bike White / Gold - $750
[original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/432987600.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2007-09-26, 5:44PM EDT
broke as shit, moving, and dont need 2 bikes.
so the angus is for sale. its white, which is dope looking and they dont make the color anymore. it was also a limited run of the frame which isnt drilled for a rear brake AND doesnt have those ugly ass little bottle holder holes.
deep V's laced with black spokes and black nipples with relativly new tires, i built this at the beginning of spring, but then built another bike shortly after which is my daily so this has very few miles, no dents and is clean.
here are some pics, but now it has drop bars and metal cages.
46 16 gearing, nitto stem, bla bla.
gimme a ring if you want it, or email [deleted]
Another New York lesson Specialized would have done well to learn--charge more for less. Yes, nothing is "doper" or gets the pulse pounding harder than a white bike--it looks slow just standing still. (And together with the gold rims, it looks like a rapper's mouth.) And yes, nothing is uglier than useful braze-ons (as Dave Moulton will tell you). This kind of studiously detached prose is exactly the kind of copy Specialized should have used for the New York Langster. The seller seems put-upon and exasperated despite the fact that he's trying to sell his bike and can't afford his rent, which makes you want to get to know him and give him money. Best of all is the inclusion of the cat in the photo, which proves that this bike is, quite literally, a pussy magnet.
Bianchi Pista Chrome Large frame Flip hub single speed - $500
[original URL: http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/431970929.html]
Reply to: [deleted]
Date: 2007-09-25, 4:32PM EDT
Perfect condition
Moving Back to San Francisco.
Kai [deleted]
Nothing's more New York than the person who decides to leave town and sell his Pista for just under full MSRP. It's as New York as bagels, pizza by the slice, and rat dander-induced asthma. If "Midnight Cowboy" were made today, Jon Voight would have tried to sell off his Pista on Craigslist just after he got tired of whoring himself and just before he got on the bus to Florida with Dustin Hoffman. If the Langster is ever going to reach Pista status, Specialized is going to have to get with the program. Notice Bianchi doesn't have to resort to cutesy city-themed Pistas--though if they did, I think this one should be the New York edition. With its taped frame, tilted saddle, and intact reflectors, it evokes the naive country boy who has been forced to confront the harsh realities of the big city. They could call it the "Joe Buck."
