Saturday, April 17, 2010

Bicycling Magazine's awards: bikes and shorts

Let's make lots of categories so we can award lots of plaques, you can hear the editors saying. Let's make categories where none existed, even in the minds of thoroughgoing geeks.

Let's have a category for "Best Plush (racing) Bike!" Let's have enough categories so we don't leave out a single major advertiser! Think of a new category and we'll give YOU an award!

I felt bad about this post, falling as it does just after the Old Farts Ride post - close to my heart, that one. But life goes on, and the awards just keep on comin'. Why just last week, it was the Best Cycling Cities in America!

Who wins in this business? Plaque-makers, I'd say. Having said that, I note belatedly that Trek is missing from the awards. Eleven categories of bicycles and no mention of Trek.

Isn't that special?

4 comments:

Jim Thurber said...

Wait, there's more:

Best Strange Brew: Arrogant Bastard Double Ale (11 percent alcohol - wheee)

Best Pre-Biking Food: Breakfast Burritos from University Cafe in Palo Alto

Best Post-Biking Food: Beefsteak Tartare

Best Biking Cotton Underwear: Tag Shorts from Target

Best Nipple Protection: Sponge Bob Square Band-aids

Best Pre-Century Coffee: Peets Malawi Pressed Blend

Best Mid-Ride Rest Area: Anywhere there are trees and bushes permitting HR (hidden relief)

Khal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Khal said...

(deleted first post after some thought)

Bicycling still has a few decent articles by guest writers, but has worked to earn the derogatory "Buy-cycling" as far as I can tell. I know you have to sell ad space to run a magazine but its often hard to tell when the ads stop and the articles begin.

They really started circling the bowl when they fired all the old farts who not only rode lots but wrote pretty well (Pavelka, Drake, etc.).

A recent editor's column that defined the bicycle as a "toy" really got under the skin of this reader. You don't argue/lobby for comprehensive bicycling facilities to play with toys.
http://labikes.blogspot.com/2010/01/if-bikes-are-just-toy.html

addison said...

i would think that coming up with fresh stuff every month after....how many years?...........would be nigh on to impossible. so you recycle the news and dream up new superlatives for an item with a frame, two wheels, and a chain.........very hard to stay new and exciting. maybe even maynard was a loss for news about bob`s bike shop .....but i dont want to imagine that.