The Evils of "Bike Porn"

   During these foul weather days when it’s cooler upstairs, I’ve been trying to finish up the third floor renovations so that I have a semi-permanent spot to set up the windtrainer this winter. I'm also hoping to be able to start some new construction in the model railroad half of the room. Dismantling the old layout that used to encircle the room freed up a lot of wall space, and I was able to find some cool vintage/repro posters that will add atmosphere to the room’s “cycling side”. I had a really good idea what I was looking for, and a quick search through Amazon and Ebay yielded fairly quick results (other than awaiting the end of an auction or two), but one can really waste some time searching through anything and everything out there related to riding a bicycle.

  

A couple of my poster choices

   I'm not sure if she was the first to coin the phrase “bike porn”, but my sister-in-law was the first person I heard use it when she caught her husband surfing the internet late one night...for bicycle parts. He had ridden a lot when he was younger, and had a beautiful Ciocc (pronounced chee-ōch) bicycle that had been hanging idly in his garage for too long. Wanting to lose some weight, he hit the roads again and eventually wanted to upgrade his vintage machine with some modern parts.

   Now, any of us spokeheads know this is a symptom of an oncoming disease, with the variety of internet shopping sites that are available to get hooked on. Sure, there are plenty of perfectly good reasons to shop online, particularly when I am repairing someone’s bicycle and need replacement parts. However, Performance, Nashbar, JensonUSA, and Bike Tires Direct (they’re not only tires) are just a few of the spots that I have found myself wasting away the hours, drooling over page after page of catalog items that are way out of my usual price range.
   Luckily, many of my parents’ life lessons have rubbed off on me, and I don’t make unreasonable purchases, but shiny objects and bright colors still have that hypnotic factor! My wife’s affinity for yard sale haggling, which she caught from her fantastic grandmother, has also been an influence on my purchasing, but those hidden treasures are harder to find these days with folks being more aware of vintage value. Swapping and upgrading are habit-forming alternatives - you find someone willing to purchase an older part at a price which makes buying a new one much less painful. Oh, the magic of eBay!
   Cycling apparel, I have to admit, is my real weakness. I have a sizeable collection of jerseys, but I use them regularly. Certainly they go through more wear than any old T-shirt I have in the drawer, so I feel somewhat justified in having a selection to choose from. My favorite offseason bikewear is the old-school trainer jackets, which are warm and comfortable in our old, drafty house during the winter. I may not ride as smoothly as Merckx and Moser, but I can try to look as smooth off the bike!

   I haven't even started on cycling books, videos and collectibles - WARNING: stay away from World Cycling Productions! They have an unbelievable selection of race films and books, as well as clothes and other memorabilia. I’ll occasionally find something irresistible on their site, but I’m wise enough to search carefully for the lowest price elsewhere.
   I’ve become somewhat addicted to the History Channel's American Pickers show, which turned me on to the Motobécane bicycle, and now I am looking for some vintage cycling signs to dress up my shop area downstairs. Luckily, the limited amount of usable wall space in the basement puts a natural cap on my purchases. I like the old stuff, but it is hard to find and pricey – not a good combination, unless, like me, you are very patient and have tight purse strings.