I'm not going to lie to you. I have a clinical addiction to magazines. I'll read most of anything as long as it has nothing to do with hunting, fishing, or lowriders. Sorry,those things just don't appeal to me. I totally get why the first 50 pages of a mag are ads. I don't care that most guys and girls mags are basically the same issue rehashed 12 times a year. Cologne samples? Bring em'. 15 ways to a better you? I thought I was at the top of my game but I guess I could find 15 things to work on. My favorite parts are the guides on how to meet the opposite sex. It's basically a guide on how to be a normally functioning human being. Seemingly if you bathe regularly, brush your teeth, and don't act like a raging lunatic there's a good chance that there's somebody out there for you but you have to be willing to leave Mom's basement long enough to have a conversation.
Magazine Gift/Gear Guides are a must for the industry since sometimes it's our only chance to get into a mag with a higher circulation than just every bike shop in America. This month's Vogue just hit the desk and I have to say that I am totally stoked to see a piece on bike fashion. For all of you out of the loop, there's a huge trend going on that tips it's hat to the wild world of bike messengers. Bike couriers tend to be bred from the alt set and typically rock a look all their own. Hey, you have to be a little nuts to fly through NYC during rush hour without a helmet on a bike with no brakes. Capri pants for dudes ("manpri's" or "knickers"), messenger bags (which led to the male tote bag i.e.man-purse or "murse"), and single-speed bicycles are all proginy of the hipster bike messenger. The whole thing really jumped the shark with the intro of the cycling jean but when Vogue does a story on bike fashion it really makes you wonder. A question that comes to my mind is why anybody would want to buy Chanel Lambskin Gloves for their ride to work or the market but hey, I'm down with Vogue's efforts to get their audience interested in ditching their car for a little while. If it takes $700 gloves for you to hop on a bike, well then forget your credit score and rock em' with pride.
A lot of bikers are against these mainstream bike-culture adaptations acting as if the world just stumbled on their great little secret. The funny thing is these are the same peeps who whine about narrow bike lanes and bike unfriendly urban planning. More bikes = more influence. Look, if you're in the know, don't act like a snob when a newbie asks you what the derailleur is or get pissed because somebody mispronounces "Campagnalo". Just be stoked that they care at all. I may have been despondent about the cycling jean but the fact of the matter is that its mere existence means that more people are recognizing the resurgence of the bike. If you haven't been paying attention, that's a really good thing. Just because you're not the only kid on the block rocking a fixed gear bike doesn't make it less nuts that you would willingly choose a bike with no brakes. It just means that you're not alone. 
Now, if you willingly choose to spend $13,000 on a chi chi Chanel bike, yes, then you are absolutely insane. But I have to admit, the design is pretty fly. Those jewel encrusted bicycle clips are totally weak though.
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