Spotted on my commute home: A car with a rooftop bike rack (bikeless) and a sticker on the back with this simple message: 53x11
Seriously? 53x11? As in, 126.6 gear inches on a 700x23 tire? As in, 45mph at 120 rpm on that same 700x23? (Math courtesy of the late, great Sheldon Brown.)
Here's a tip: If you can turn it, you probably don't need to advertise it. Just sayin' is all.
(Slice of humble pie: I was struggling to turn over a 42x18 at the time. So what do I know?)
4 comments:
Surely this is an attempt at comedy, cuz' I know that a former barista would know that 53x11 is a great coffee from the wonderful hamlet of Missoula (that is Montana, of course)
Well, heck, that'll teach me to rant without researching -- and it will teach the rest of you that bloggers aren't journalists! Sure enough, 53x11 is coffee from Montana. And if I learned anything from working for Iowagriz Tom, anything that comes from Montana is more awesome than the same thing from anywhere else.
Maybe the next time Tom is in MT, he can bring back some of this amazing brew so I can sample it (hint, hint, hint) :-)
Isn't 53x11 just shorthand for saying "I'm a die-hard cyclist"? Sure, I'd rather see "Share the Road", or such, but better 53x11 than something overtly bike hostile.
My personal feeling is that putting bumper stickers on my car is pointless because it's normally sitting at home while I'm commuting on my bike. If people see me commuting, they will figure out that I'm bike friendly in addition to knowing that I'm sure as heck not turning over a 53 x 11 gear!
summary: if people don't already know that you are hard-core, then a bumper sticker isn't going to convince them.
:-)
Steve in Peoria
Trip to the best state in the Union scheduled for the end of the year. 53x11 and bong water ale? (google that one from home)
Post a Comment