General

April Fool’s roundup

With April Fool’s now come and gone, there were a handful of bike-related news items floating around. Some were definitely funnier (and more convincing) than others, so we’ve scraped together some of the better ones for their entertainment value.

GM purchases Specialized

This was the big one on April Fool’s, and the blasphemous story was picked up by a handful of sites before people caught on. A (fictitious) article in the Silicon Valley Business Journal stated,

In light of global concerns about climate change, GM has been at the forefront in developing new transportation choices that limit our impact on the environment,” said Flora Lopi, GM’s vice president, Environment, Energy and Safety Policy. “GM’s engineering, marketing and distribution expertise combined with Specialized’s branding among cycling enthusiasts make this a winning combination for GM investors and consumers.

The story apparantly originated at the cyclico.us blog, and was later picked up by BRAIN, who rang up Specialized head honcho Mike Sinyard. Sinyard got a laugh out of the ‘news’, and didn’t miss a chance to make a jab at GM, saying “If it had been BMW or Porsche, now that would have been exciting. But GM?” Ouch.

Rockshox Futuristic Air Release Technology

This gem was started at Pinkbike, and involves a sighting of a prototype fork with an external reservoir (not unlike the very realBOS Idylle). The reservoir was said to house an air bleed valve dubbed ‘Futuristic Air Release Technology’ (a F.A.R.T. joke from Pinkbike, really?). The report said of the system’s operation, ”when it’s adjusted tight, the noise is almost a whistle and the fork is really progressive. When it’s adjusted loose the noise is kind of wet splatter sounding because of the casting lube moving through the valve.”

The Apple iBike

Singletracks posted a story about Apple’s foray into mountain biking, with a magnesium-framed bike laden with “an MP3 player, GPS navigation system, and the ability to auto-dial 911 in the event of a crash or sudden deceleration in excess of 5Gs” as well as solid rubber tires. The best part of the story, however, is that,

Mountain bikers are already lining up outside Apple’s Soho store in NYC to be among the first to purchase an iBike when they’re released in June. Some critics contend that many of those in line will simply flip the bikes on eBay since they will be in such high demand and short supply when they’re released so if you want to get yours, you better get in line now.

Great stuff, check out the whole article for a laugh.

© 2008 Two Six Nation.