Our Natooke shop was mentioend yesterday on the famous blog of the New York City Bike Snob. Here is the link to the full length blog article. But I did copy some parts of that blog entry into my blog:

Bike Snob NYC

Systematically and mercilessly disassembling, flushing, greasing, and re-packing the cycling culture.

Pull My Strings: The New Puppetry

As we move inexorably forward like cartons of eggs on the supermarket conveyor belt of life, there are three sure signs at autumn is imminent: an invigorating chill in the air; plumbing problems caused by flushing leaf piles down the toilet; and of course the bike industry trade shows. Outside of the cycling world, people have the good sense to ignore trade shows unless they actually work in that industry and are forced to go to them. This is true even if the trade show involves something they use….

… Speaking of putting your hands on throbbing things, a reader informs me that pants behemoth Levi Strauss recently decided to „get their finger on the pulse of the fixed gear and commuter bike movement in an authentic way,“ presumably so they could sell them more stuff:

Apparently, Levi Strauss decided to do its pop-cultural „fingerbanging“ in Denver and Boulder instead of New York, San Francisco, or Los Angeles „because the scene is still young and developing organically in Colorado,“ and its worth noting that some lonely middle-aged men hang around schools and playgrounds for exactly the same reason.  …

… It’s inspiring to see that fixed-gear crews are reinventing themselves as focus groups, and it’s reassuring to know that young people are more willing than ever to leap to action when a company with over $4 billion in annual revenue asks them to „help us help you spend your disposable income on crap.“ I’m sure Levi’s left after the weekend with a greater understanding of cycling and some great new product ideas (fixed-gear specific jeans with integrated bottle opener and dedicated cigarette pocket?), though the city of Denver might want to consider issuing an AMBER Alert for their „bike culture.“

Of course, if Levi’s really wanted to do some cutting-edge „fixie“ market research, they should have gone to China, where a reader informs me that fixed-gear cycling and juggling are coming together in new and exciting ways:

Yes, for Beijing „fixters“ the light-running antics of America’s „urban“ cyclists simply cannot rival the excitement and agility of circus-like riders such as the great Serge Huercio. Also, they forego skid-patch calculators in favor of juggling patterns:

Though stopping is still called „skidding:“

Ah, the fixed-gear world, where stopping is called „skidding,“ conformity is called „individualism,“ and scavenger hunts are called „races.“ …

… Posted by BikeSnobNYC

At least there is already a positive comment about us:

September 9, 2010 10:13 AM Fergie said:
That Natooke link is the site of Ines Brunn – The best artistic cycling rider to perform in NYC since the 1800’s! She also rocked out on the very same Penny Farthing you rode at the BRA. Real cool person, and the best fixed gear rider around.

Thanks Fergie 🙂