Brooklyn by Bike

Stumbled upon this video with my namesake and had to post it up. According to the guy taking us over the Brooklyn bridge to Williamsburg (which doesn’t even take you there) you can find David Byrne’s bike rack called the “hipster.” Good for a laugh. Enjoy.

As part of their celebration of various courier and bicycle polo events worldwide, Brooks has issued a set of limited edition colored saddles for their Swift and Team Pro models in runs of 250 units. Events in Boston, London, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Berlin are celebrated in blue, mustard, red, and mandarin orange. [via High Snobiety]

No special NYC saddle though… maybe because they already sold a few for the Bicycle Film Fest.

Let’s talk about this issue that has been plaguing the streets of Brooklyn for sometime now…particularly the street of Kent Ave. in Williamsburg. The Hasidic community is complaining that they have nowhere to part their giant minivans because of the new installation. First they threatened to block the streets. Then they put this detour sign up stating ”bus drivers will be blocking the road and the bike lane when picking up and dropping off children.”

All in the name of removing the bike lane. WTF?  Bike lanes make neighborhoods more habitable and safe for communities! Because of all the commotion, the DOT has now replaced the no stopping signs with no standing signs and bike lane advocates continue to insist that this is a much needed growth in New York City. DOT spokesman Scot Gastel spoke to the Gothamist.

The lanes enhance safety in a neighborhood with one of the largest and fastest-growing bicycling populations in the City, and they are a key step in building the Greenway along the Brooklyn waterfront. The project was developed with the support of the community board, and we have worked closely with the community to address their concerns. We will continue to identify locations to increase parking along side streets in the near future.

I know it is hard to acknowledge that regardless of the bike lane, parking will continue to become a problem as population grows in NYC. However the bike lane actually helps move us forward by encouraging alternate methods of transportation. I do sense that there is a bit of a class war going on here between the old guard of the neighborhood and the new hipster gentrifiers and unfortunately – though it’s not so bad in this case – we know who always wins.

[via The Gothamist]

Let’s just say we are getting into the holiday buying frenzy (much to our dismay). Hey we’ve been entertaining visitors and accompanying them to the Esty Holiday Handmade Cavalcade, the ARCmusic LP sale but that LeSportsac sample sale on 18th St. btw 6th and 7th Ave put us over the edge last night. We hear there is just one day left so run your selves over there – the line is growing.

Those of you who are not in New York City, no worries. We’ve gone and found some t-shirts that that will suit your bike loving selves available on-line and they won’t break the bank, promise.

More Bike Lanes – $19

“10% Of the proceeds of this t-shirt will go to support Recycle-a-Bicycle. ”

We love Recycle a Bicycle (a non-profit in NYC that teaches kids and adults about bike mechanics and refurbishes old bike) because they don’t rip you off for labor!

Double Bike – $18

“1950′s Raleigh bicycles printed in ultra blue ink on a tangerine colored Alternative Apparel t shirt (that’s why it costs a little more than the others). Sizes small through X-large are available. The design was made by our friend Justin at Triplemilled.etsy.com.”

[via rattappress on Etsy]

Save the Whales – $16

“Save the environment ride your bike. Uphill battle, hang in there cougar. Black water based ink printed on a white American Apparel Tee” [via Rumplo via PrintLiberation]

Vroom – $18

“Save the environment ride your bike. Uphill battle, hang in there cougar. Black water based ink printed on a white American Apparel Tee” [via Rumplo via The Cotton Factory]

Type Bike – $15

“What do you get if you combine a love of typography and biking?

Here’s an awesome design of a bicycle by Matt Sutter drawn entirely with type (letters, punctuation, and ligatures). No letterform has been skewed, stretched, or flipped – the Type Bike was created entirely by scaling and rotating.”

[via Neatorama]

Pedal Power – $15.50

[via Uniglo]

Enjoy!

Nasty weather was no mater for the kids from Williamsburg. The 6th Annual Brooklyn Bike Kill which may actually stand for drunken, dirty, debauchery took place this past weekend. We hope they hosed down the street afterward. This boot bike is by far my favorite [via Gothamist].

No photos of bike gangs with helmets? I propose we start one. We’d be badass.