Diversion

If you have the impression that law students read a lot, you’re right. By a lot I mean at least six hours a day, not counting the time we spend in class re-reading what we’ve read to prepare for class.

Considering this, it’s a small wonder that I actually like to read much of anything for pleasure in my spare time, but I do. I don’t have much patience for epic novels at the moment, but the Internet provides endless entertainment in the form of short, mindless articles, perfect for a 10-minute study break.

Here’s a round up of some of my recent bike-related diversions:

Bike Snob NYC: As the tagline says, this Brooklyn cyclist is “systematically and mercilessly disassembling, flushing, greasing, and re-packing the cycling culture.” Some of the better posts recently include: BSNYC TV (programming suggestions for a proposed bike-centric TV channel – man I’d love to see these shows!); Infrequently Asked Questions (includes the Samuel L Jackson method of bottom bracket identification and advice on how to keep your awesome new bike in good working order); and The Indignity of Commuting by Bicycle (open letters to fixed gear riders, mountain bikes, SUV drivers and more). If you actually ride your bike and also happen to have a healthy distain for ridiculous fads, you’ll love this site.

Couch-Biking: The Banff Film Festival starts this coming weekend, which always makes me feel inadequate because I haven’t gotten off my bum to do some crazy, one-of-a-kind adventure and make a movie about it, even though I know I could do just as good a job as most of the crazies in these movies. Just when I was at my annual low in adventure-related self-worth, I read about two guys who created a human-powered bicycle and rode it through the Maritimes to poke fun at our sedentary lifestyle and exemplify the broad scope of human power. If this isn’t inspiration, I don’t know what is! Give yourself about a half hour to read their story, if you click over there. You won’t want to miss any of the sordid details of their wacky adventure. Then poke around in the projects section. I’m so ready to put an order in for a HulaBike!

Then there’s the requisite YouTube video. It actually has nothing to do with cycling, but it made me so happy to watch.

Last, but not least, is Adrian Hegyvary’s six-day tales. Adrian is Nick’s former cycling coach, turned pro racer. It’s kind of fun to read about the adventures of someone who is stringing together a cycling career. And by stringing, I mean literally “on a shoestring.” This is probably how almost everyone except the top fraction of a percent survives in the bike racing world.

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