Sneaking Pics at The MAD

I got scolded by the security people at the Museum of Art and Design for trying to take pictures of the bicycles on display - apparently photos are not allowed. Being the daredevil that I am, I defied the rules and snuck a couple of pictures anyway. Unfortunately I was so busy trying to look nonchalant that I completely messed up the settings on my camera and ended up taking mostly useless pictures. Oh well.

The show itself was good, though underwhelming in its scale. I was expecting a larger room - or several rooms - with more bikes and more supporting material. Sadly 'Bespoke' felt a bit like an afterthought when compared to MAD's other current show 'Dead or Alive'. My companions, being less enamored with the minute details of bespoke bicycles than I, made their way through the exhibit in about ten minutes. I on the other hand was instantly mesmerized by the absolute perfection of the three Peter Weigle bicycles on display, and stayed longer hoping that the nice security man who had reprimanded me earlier for taking pictures would take pity on me and let me take one of the bikes home. It didn't work. No matter how long I stood around no offers of ownership transfer materialized, and even though by the end I would have settled for one of the several Richard Sachs bicycles on display, I was forced to leave empty handed. I say forced because apparently not only can you not take the bikes home, or pictures of the bikes home, but trying the bikes for size and riding them around the museum is also frowned upon. I was politely asked to leave.

Jokes aside, the bicycles at 'Bespoke' are spectacular examples of the art of hand made bikes and well worth the price of admission for anyone interested in bicycles. For those who can't make it to New York before the show closes on August 15, there will be a catalogue available in July.