What BikeSnobNYC can teach us about writing for the web

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In just a few years, Eben Weiss’ BikeSnobNYC blog has become one of the most popular humorous cultural anaylsis blogs on the ‘Net, albeit from a cyclists’ point of view. BikeSnobNYC’s writing is humorous, poignant, and merciless all at the same time. His brazen style has paid off, for in 2010, BikeSnobNYC became a regular columnist for Bicycling magazine, the blog was nominated for best sports weblog on the weblog awards (a.k.a the bloggies), and he released a book: Bike Snob - Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling.

Even though some may argue that BikeSnobNYC’s focus is narrow and his purview is somewhat provincial, I believe his writing style has much to teach us about writing effectively on the web.

Purpose

First off, BikeSnobNYC writes with a purpose: to offer an common-sense alternative voice to the consumeristic world of cycling. In a recent interview, Weiss said “A lot of cycling media exists to tell people about awesome stuff they need or should want. And there is awesome stuff we all want. But it’s important to have a voice that says, ‘You don’t need it. You don’t have to want this.’”

Audience

Beyond this, BikeSnobNYC knows his audience, for he’s a self-describe “mediocre” amatuer racer with Gotham Bikes in Brooklyn, New York. But that doesn’t mean he’s snooty about it either, far from it - Snobby, as he’s affectionately known, loves to take shots at the “fixerati”, those cyclists who eschew brakes and ride fixed-gear bicycles. Snobby thinks riding in the streets of New York City without brakes is one of the stupidest things a cyclist can do.

BikeSnobNYC’s intimate familiarity with the bicycling “scene” allows him to mockingly criticize at will, from those who pine after the latest and greatest gear, to those who believe that steal-framed track bikes from the 1970s are the epitomy of bicycle technology. He derides DINKS who express concern that their grossly-expensive carbon fiber bicycles might deteriorate from too much heat and cold. He also pokes fun at professional cyclists who like to “fingerbang”.

Story

BikeSnobNYC’s bi-weekly posts are similar to taking a short journey with a sarcastic, likeable tour guide through the oftentimes bizarre world of cycling.
BikeSnobNYC’s readers send him numerous examples of the consumeristic-bent of modern cycling (and contemporary culture) that include outrageous Craigslist ads to artistic concept bicycles that eschew spokes and are made from wood.

Furthermore, there are characters, both real and fictional, that appear throughout the blog, from Vito the Helper Monkey to Spencer, his ironic intern. There is also a peculiar BikeSnobNYC vocabulary in place: “doucherati”, “fixerati”, “AYHSMB”, “fingerbang”, “Dashhound of Time”, “pant yabbies”, and many others.   
 
These elements encourage one of the best aspects of blogging: the comments. Some people only read blogs for the comments, which are often more poignant and witty than the blog itself.

A Personal Reflection

I’ve been reading BikeSnobNYC for a few months now, and even though I don’t own a fixie, commute to work on a bike, or have ever served as a bicycle messenger, I’m addicted to the blog. It’s like an inside joke that you get, or a cold splash of common sense. Snobby knows who he’s writing to and what he has to say, and that’s a lethal combination that’s rarely found on the Web today. 

 

Posted by Jesse on 05/31 at 06:47 PM