Today’s (long!) New York Times piece on finding the right shoes to wear on a Citi Bike is a perfect crystallization of America’s confused and tortured relationship with the bicycle. It contains so much absolute shite, it’s hard to know where to begin.
“Now that bike sharing is sweeping New York, what to wear on your foot? As Ms. Steiber can testify, this is not a trivial question.”
-Actually, it is. It’s a 50 lb upright bike. Wear whatever you’re wearing.
“The serious bike shoe with cleats that click into the pedals gives cyclists the feeling of being one with their steeds. But the new program’s 45-pound bike is harder to wrangle, and is not made for cleats.”
-Why are you comparing riding a Citi Bike to riding clipless? That’s like saying “The serious 100 meter sprint shoe with cleats that sink into the track gives sprinters the feeling of being one with the polyurethane. But the city’s new pavement is harder to wrangle, and is not made for cleats.”
“Through word of mouth, some cyclists have found their way to artisanal shoe shops…”
Oh for Christ’s sake. Just ride your fucking bike.
Anyway, Bike Snob is better at this than I am.