FLCC> Sheldon Brown

[Amanda and Mark Shenstone]

Many of us have been to his website over the years 
to learn something new or just to have a good 
laugh. In this mornings news:
Sheldon Brown, Web's Cycling Guru, Dies
By Jenna Wortham February 05, 2008 | 7:41:41 PM
Text by Ryan Singel

Sheldon Brown, a beloved iconoclast bicycle tech 
guru, died Sunday from a heart attack. He was 68.

Brown championed fixed gear bikes for years before 
they became essential fashion items for hip kids 
in New York and San Francisco and had a nearly 
encyclopedic knowledge of obscure bike parts, odd 
tire sizes and non-standard gear ratios. He was 
known for his generosity in helping DIY bike 
builders with their projects, for his love of 
weird old bikes, and his passion for cycling.

Brown had been suffering from multiple sclerosis 
since 2005, which kept him from riding any of his 
dozens of two-wheeled bikes since September 2006. 
Brown is survived by his wife and two adult 
children.

Brown worked as the technical guru and Webmaster 
for Harris Cyclery in West Newton, Massachusetts. 
In columns for cycling magazines and in essays on 
his blog, Brown championed bike technology that he 
loved - internal hubs, fixed gear bikes (including 
a fixie tandem) and homebuilt tandems. He gently 
ridiculed the current marketing rages of the 
cycling world (carbon fiber, titanium, racing 
bikes for everyone, etc.) every April 1 with fake 
new product announcements such as a titanium 
credit card with holes drilled in it to reduce 
weight.

Brown's decidedly non-fancy website was a vital 
resource for cyclists, rich with hints on how to 
break in a Brooks leather saddle, technical 
explanations of the workings of 60 year-old 
internal hubs, and instructions on how to build a 
tandem from two old steel bike frames. Brown even 
lauded Shimano's much maligned Biopace chain rings 
(a non-round chain ring once made by Shimano).

See also Patch.com, a planned memorial ride 
Thursday in Salt Lake City, Cycle Ninja, and 
MetroCyclist.


--------------------------------------------------
Amanda and Mark Shenstone
Graceful Gardens
PO Box 100
Mecklenburg, NY 14886
607.387.5529
http://www.gracefulgardens.com
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