BikeSnobNYC: Still Hilarious

I started reading BikeSnobNYC shortly after the blog launched in 2007. Back then I was an ex-racer, ex-bike mechanic and my time on/around bikes was confined to bike commuting, which I did every day in Seattle, rain or shine. Reading about bikes for a few minutes each morning at work seemed like good harmless fun and was a nice daily escape. Also, blogging was THE hot thing back then, and I thought BikeSnob did it better than just about anyone. My coworkers would see me laughing hysterically at my desk each morning and would be like, “Oh, he’s reading that bike blog again.” They didn’t get it, and it was too hard to explain BikeSnob’s humor to someone who wasn’t a full-on bike nerd. Which made it even funnier.

Eben Weiss dropped his anonymous stance with the publication of his first book in 2010. He did a book tour and I saw him read at the UW Bookstore, which was really cool.

For some reason, I stopped reading Bike Snob a few years ago. I’m not sure why. I have seen his name pop up on paywalled articles on Outside and Bicycling, so I knew he was still alive and active. But now I’ve rediscovered his blog and feel like I have to catch up. I have no idea how he maintains this daily/weekly output, but I am impressed. He explains why he continues to keep blogging in the TikTok age here.

These days his blog seems less concerned with the PistaDex and more about his rotating stable of oddball 80s and 90s bikes with gears and fenders. He’s settled into a retro-grouch stance that would make Grant Peterson proud. He hates full suspension mountain bikes and e-bikes. He appears to ride his Jones bike more than a fixie. Hey, we all get old. But I’m happy to report he’s still hilarious, and still a snob.