Some cyclists inspire. Others teach. But a very small few do both. Sheldon Brown, who passed away last year, is the king of the latter.
No stranger to anyone who has searched online for info on how to fix their bike, SheldonBrown.com is a treasure trove of info. And for those who want to tip their proverbial hat (or helmet?) to the master mechanic, check out the Sheldon Brown T-shirt.
Created by hardcore pedaler Dave Scrod, the proceeds go to one of Brown’s favorite bike advocacy groups, MassBike.org. It cost only $12.
Says Scrod: “I work in a printshop, have extremely low overhead as far as the production of these shirts go. . . I’m only keeping a buck from each individual sale to cover the time it will take to print, pack and ship all the shirts.” Everything else will be donated to MassBike.org in Sheldon Brown’s name. This is just as his online eulogy instructs, Scrod notes.
I didn’t know Sheldon Brown well, but I appreciated and was regularly awed by his knowledge and generosity. So I ponied up my $12 and can’t wait for my shirt to show up. Although there’s been some debate about this shirt online, I think he would’ve been stoked on it. Click here to go to the site and purchase.
—Stephen Krcmar is a former Boston resident and has written about bikes and bike culture for The Boston Globe and other publications.
