
Still, the inclusion of a bike polo photo in a publication as august (by which I mean stuffy, boring, and totally last month) as The New Yorker is yet more proof that our popular culture is obsessed with cycling. (Or, as the popular culture insists on calling it, "biking.") Here's yet another New York Times article telling us something we already know, which is that people in fashion love Dutch city bikes:
It's definitely true that monied fops and dandies are taking to the streets astride Dutch city bikes in increasing numbers. Indeed, the only thing remarkable about this photo is that the rider is not salmoning; a Dutch bike rider going with the traffic in New York City is nearly as rare a sight as a fixed-gear rider whose underwear isn't showing, or a roadie enjoying himself. In any case, he certainly seems to be having a good time:
But the article isn't only about Dutch city bikes, and his smile and u-lock erection aren't caused only by "biking," or even by the pleasant manner in which his expertly-tailored suit rubs against his thighs while he pedals. He's also smiling because he's the chairman of LVMH, and like so many other executives before him he's unlocked The Awesome Marketing Power of the Bicycle. Whereas bicycle companies once used health and fitness to try to sell bicycles, now fashion companies use bicycles to sell style, hence all the "collabos" and $2,300 Bianchi Pistas. The standard refrain from cyclists when this happens is, "At least more people are riding." However, when it comes to luxury brands I have to disagree. When I see a company using a $9,000 city bike to promote themselves I don't think, "At least more people are riding;" rather, I think "At least more rich people are shopping." And while ITTET we certainly need people to shop, I'm not especially comforted that people are buying things from LVMH. LVMH stands for "Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy," all of which is overpriced crap that nobody needs.


Maybe I'd feel better about the whole thing though if I looked at fashionable cyclists as "artists:"

Calling living "art" is like calling adolescent masturbation "studying." Appreciating the way people look is fine, and arguably fashion design is a sort of art, but riding a bike in fashionable clothing does not make somebody an artist. "Culture," "curating," "studying;" it's getting increasingly difficult to keep up with our changing language. I guess "living artist" is the new word for "pretentious person." I'll have to add that one to my growing stack of flash cards.
That said, I have no problem with fashionable people cycling; I just have a problem with the self-importance surrounding it. (Though admittedly it is pretty much impossible to separate self-importance from fashion.) However, some people think stylish cycling will lead to accidents:

Calling living "art" is like calling adolescent masturbation "studying." Appreciating the way people look is fine, and arguably fashion design is a sort of art, but riding a bike in fashionable clothing does not make somebody an artist. "Culture," "curating," "studying;" it's getting increasingly difficult to keep up with our changing language. I guess "living artist" is the new word for "pretentious person." I'll have to add that one to my growing stack of flash cards.
That said, I have no problem with fashionable people cycling; I just have a problem with the self-importance surrounding it. (Though admittedly it is pretty much impossible to separate self-importance from fashion.) However, some people think stylish cycling will lead to accidents:

I also acknowledge that it is possible to combine commerce and art, though I don't think that's happening in the world of luxury goods. Instead, it's happening at the "grassroots" level, in the virtual marketplace of the common person known as eBay. Take "BikemanforU," of whom I recently learned from a reader:

BikemanforU looks a bit like that guy with the giant head from "The City of Lost Children:"


Anyway, BikemanforU has successfully and elegantly married commerce and art by producing videos to accompany his eBay auctions. Take this one for a Pedro's floor pump:
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In it, he interviews the actual pump:
Not only is the interview both hard-hitting and revealing, but he also managed to get comedian Ray Romano to do the voice of the pump. (Either that, or BikemanforU is an extremely talented ventriloquist.) I would very much like to see BikemanforU do a "60 Minutes"-esque news magazine show in which he sits down with inflationary devices of all kinds. Perhaps next he could talk to the mini-pump from the Philadelphia Naked Bike Ride flat fix video I mentioned in yesterday's post:


Of course, even someone as compelling as BikemanforU probably couldn't fill an entire hour-long TV show, so he'd also need some co-hosts. For this I'd nominate The Bike Shrink, who could do things like psychoanalyze people based on their Republic/Urban Outfitters bike colourway choice:
Or their use of a PBR can for shimming material:
This would be followed by a gritty exposé on douchebags (or douchebaguettes) who park their Vespas at bike racks: