It's an Awkward Time in Cycling

There's a pretty good chance that you've hard all about this by now, but if you missed it: Specialized tried to sue a small bike shop called Cafe Roubaix because they used the word Roubaix in their name. Specialized thought they owned the word because one of their bikes is called the Roubaix and felt that nobody should be allowed to use that word unless they're Specialized. Then Fuji stepped in and said "hey Specialized, we had a bike called the Roubaix before you and we're the ones who let you use it and you guys are jerks", or something like that. Then the internet exploded, and the Specialized-shaming posts were flowing.

I almost didn't even want to post about this whole fiasco and would rather ignore the corporate drama, but then I saw the video above on Facebook. In one of the most awkward internet videos in the history of cycling, Mike Sinyard, of Specialized, visits Cafe Roubaix and makes an on-camera apology to the owner of the small bike shop in Canada. The level of discomfort in Mike Sinyard's face and body language is off the charts. I cringed throughout the entire 2 minutes and 45 seconds, and for some reason, found it highly entertaining. There is something to be learned here, I think. If you act like an asshole, the internet will publicly shame you, and you will be forced to desperately recover your image in the most embarrassing of ways. I think that's an OK punishment.

All entertainment aside, this is a prime example of what happens when a company in this industry gets too big and loses touch with what really matters, and another reason why you should support small companies and independent businesses whenever possible. Know who you're giving your money to, and help those that deserve it. This whole situation represents much of what's wrong with the cycling industry, and I think the best thing to do is forget about it and move on. Don't show Specialized your support, but forget about things like this and go ride your bike I guess.