Category: Celebrities

David Byrne *still* rides a bicycle

David Byrne made a big splash with the Bike Internet when he arrived at the Met Gala last night on his Paul Budnitz titanium cruiser bicycle as he cheekily showed off his car parking valet placard to the paparazzi.

Byrne’s bike is smartly outfitted with a Gates carbon belt drive connected to a single speed hub for low maintenance and grease-free operation to avoid staining his crisp, white outfit. Custom wooden fenders also work to keep road schmutz from Byrne’s bespoke attire.

Brooks leather saddles are known for their all-day riding comfort. Obvious wear and marks on this bike’s Schwalbe Little Big Ben tires show this bike is not just for looks, but is used as a daily get-around bike.

I’ve asked the Internet about the disc brakes on this bike. I’ve gotten a few interesting ideas.

Byrne keeps his bike secure with a Sold Secure Gold rated ABUS Bordo 6500K bike lock that he stores in a bottle-cage mount. A chrome bicycle bell alerts people in front of the former Talking Heads frontman to his approach. The bike’s utility is rounded out with a Wald handlebar basket, which you can buy for an easy forty bucks online.

Byrne is long known for his love of bicycling as a means of transportation. This modern, upscale take on the paperboy bike is a nice upgrade from the three-speed Schwinn he rode around Manhattan in the early 1980s, as he recalls in his book Bicycle Diaries, excerpted here:

Nancy Reagan rode a bicycle

Nancy Reagan rides a tandem bicycle with her son Ron

First Lady Nancy Reagan rides a tandem bike with son Ron Reagan on the south grounds of the White House in Washington DC on April 22, 1981.

Photo from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, CA. Even if you’re not a fan of Reagan, the Presidential Library is a fascinating place to visit if you’re in the area. My cousin lives nearby and teaches as a public school teacher in Simi Valley.