Tag: NYC

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:

John Leguizamo rides a bicycle

When writer-actor John Leguizamo shows up to do a show in New York, fans outside the theater are surprised to see him ride up on a bicycle. “People go, ‘Hey, John, I thought you’d be in a limo.’

“This is my limo, my green limo,” says the bike riding performer.

In this video, Leguizamo gives his tips on riding in the city.



H/T to Neil in Portland, OR via Cyclelicious on Facebook. More about John Leguizamo and bicycling at CNN. On the “behind the scenes” story on CNN’s blog, producer Jarrett Bellini emphasizes the perceived danger of filming on the streets of New York City while hanging off of the back of a pedicab. I like the response Clarence Eckerson (the Streetfilms guy) gave to the CNN people.

NYC Bike Culture Summit THURSDAY

This is tomorrow, folks! Get your tickets here. Sorry for the late notice.

As urban cycling expands by leaps and bounds, how is bicycle culture changing? The image and ethos of commuters, racers proponents of “cycle chic” and outlaw cycling vie with each other to define what it means to be an urban cyclist. Transportation Alternatives brings together leading pundits of bicycle culture to debate the bike culture issues:

* Do cyclists need to rehabilitate their public persona?

* To what extent should safety trump convenience and style?

* Will protected bike lanes segregate cyclists?

* Is Critical Mass a boon or a liability for the bike movement?

* What can be done about sexism in the cycling community?

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