In Memory of Sheldon Brown

[bobswire]

Hard to believe Sheldon passed away 5 years ago(Feb.4,2008).
He was one of a kind and has been deeply missed

Sheldon was kind enough back in the early 90's to respond to an email I sent in regards to a Miyata 1000 I had purchased. That exchange started me down the road of building and collecting vintage frames.
We exchanged emails every so often thru the years when a particularly cool frame was available.
I was shocked when I heard he died of a heart attack but I was unaware of his health problems at the time.
http://sheldonbrown.com/org//journal/health.html.
I've tapered off collecting these last couple of years but my love and enthusiasm of cycling is as strong as ever and I owe some of that to Sheldon. My one regret was never having met Sheldon face to face.

Thanks Sheldon

http://i49.tinypic.com/2e1rd07.jpg

[buddybikes]

He should be put into some sort of hall of fame for future generations!

[dbrk]

Sheldon always always had reasons for his opinions even when those reasons were, well, I just like this stuff. And he was always clear about his good reasons and his preferences. You knew what he meant. He could argue with the passion of an academic for his point and he could just as happily sell you what you like if you weren't a dick about it with him. We did a hundred transactions over the years and it was fun meeting him a couple of times in the shop. Life in bicycles is surely less informed and waaaay less interesting without him. Characters in real life like this, well, they are rare and valuable.

[ctcyclistbob]

Sheldon's knowledge and prolific writings are still helpful today, and will be for a long time (http://www.sheldonbrown.com). His willingness to respond to questions from those he didn't know and offer help was extremely generous.

Every now and then if I was trying to figure out if or how something would work I'd send him an email, and he'd always reply with a helpful answer.

RIP Sheldon.

[Steve in SLO]

He is the one person that seems universally respected and quoted across all cycling forums, and he left a group of writings that really demonstrate the positive power of the internet.

Wonder if he ever realized the magnitude of the difference he was making?

[maxdog]

As another who appreciated Sheldon, I think it is interesting how an intelligent, reasonable, rational and well grounded person as he, stands out for so many in our society. Food for thought.
I didn't always agree with his opinions, but did respect them and miss his presence in the biking community.

[JLP]

I love the way people call him Saint Sheldon, and everyone knows who that is.

[Ken Robb]

I tried to buy my Rambouillet frame/fork from Sheldon as a way of saying "thanks for all your help" but it was his day off. I think it was Skip who took good care of me in his stead.

[schwa86]

Lucky to have Harris as my LBS; funny how often I wind up at Sheldon's site when trying to figure out how to do something on my bike for the first time.

[Keith A]

Sheldon always always had reasons for his opinions even when those reasons were, well, I just like this stuff. And he was always clear about his good reasons and his preferences. You knew what he meant. He could argue with the passion of an academic for his point and he could just as happily sell you what you like if you weren't a dick about it with him. We did a hundred transactions over the years and it was fun meeting him a couple of times in the shop. Life in bicycles is surely less informed and waaaay less interesting without him. Characters in real life like this, well, they are rare and valuable.Hey DBRK -- Great to see you here! And if I might be so bold, I think I could say the same about you.."Characters in real life like this, well, they are rare and valuable."

You are also correct about Sheldon, although I never spoke to him, but back in the days of newsgroups, I had a number of email discussions with him. He was always willing to share his immense knowledge of bikes with those of us who were less informed. Great guy and the cycling world isn't the same without him.

[Ahneida Ride]

Hey DBRK -- Great to see you here! And if I might be so bold, I think I could say the same about you.."Characters in real life like this, well, they are rare and valuable."

You are also correct about Sheldon ....

Amen ....

[MattTuck]

I love the way people call him Saint Sheldon, and everyone knows who that is.

Seriously. I don't know who runs his site now, or if it has even been updated since this death. But if that content is ever wiped from the internet, it will be a huge loss for the cycling community.

[Keith A]

Seriously. I don't know who runs his site now, or if it has even been updated since this death. But if that content is ever wiped from the internet, it will be a huge loss for the cycling community.I'm pretty sure his son is keeping this going.

[LegendRider]

I never spoke with him (sadly), but his site was one of the first online resources for bike mechanics that I ever used. I bought a peanut butter wrench from Harris - that seems fitting somehow.

[Ahneida Ride]

Seriously. I don't know who runs his site now, or if it has even been updated since this death. But if that content is ever wiped from the internet, it will be a huge loss for the cycling community.

100 years form now ..... it will still be relevant.

[dlui]

whenever I get stumped on a bike problem, Sheldon's site is the first thing I turn to.

[cat6]

The story takes place on the planet Grool, a planet inhabited by mostly short, anthropomorphous felines. The idyllic and mundane lifestyle of the feline aliens is interrupted when an alien invader known as Kat of Nine Tails kidnaps Grool's sentient populace, inadvertently leaving one of them, Squeak, behind. Shortly after, Squeak encounters a human boy known only as Bubble who agrees to rescue Squeak's captured populace.

[giverdada]

i got a serotta ti frame almost 5 years ago and that started all of this new phase of stuff in my life. i started reading sheldon's site to figure out how to build up that frame. i started my time on the forum and built the most extensive community i've ever had about bikes here. and i even had a couple e-mail exchanges with sheldon. great guy. i would be lost without a lot of his knowledge.

n.

[19wisconsin64]

he was one of the pioneers of being an online-advocate of sharing bike knowledge. he posted thousands of times to online forums, and had so many great discussions on all sorts of cycling-realated things.

loved reading his online answers to people on the user-groups for bicycles...and when he would chime in, along with folks like andrew muzi and jobst brandt. one can still get a treasure-trove of advice by searching old posts of his.

he was kind enough to advise me, in person, on my 1982 motobecane (he had a wealth of knowledge when it came to french bicycles...and all things french!)

he truly improved our cycling community, and that was part of his legacy.

[Wilkinson4]

5 years, hard to believe. He was and will always be the Captain.

mIKE

[NHAero]

A couple of Sheldonisms:

- I want a wheelset with Phil Wood hubs and wood filled rims
- On taking care of your leather saddle: give your seat a treat from the feet of a neet!

Met him when he was a mechanic at the Bicycle Revival, fall 1971, and I was a college freshman who liked riding a bike. Definitely started me on the path to ruin :-)

Did you know his wife Harriet Fell was the first American woman to ride Paris-Brest-Paris, in 1975?

Attached is a photo he took of me in 1972 when my Bob Jackson was first built up

[cogclog]

Built my first wheels thanks to Sheldon's tutorial.

[Louis]

Some e-mail traffic I had with Sheldon a while back (I've posted this on this site before, but figured it's worth repeating)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sheldon Brown" <CaptBike@sheldonbrown.com>
To: "Louis" <xxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 2:05 PM
Subject: Re: Sheldon, we're pulling for you


> At 9:42 PM -0500 4/17/07, Louis wrote:
> >Hi Sheldon,
> >
> >I just came across your health journal after someone posted a link
> >on the Serotta forum here:
> ><http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?p=340054#post340054>http://forums.thepaceline.net/showth...054#post340054
> >
> >We've exchanged e-mails a bit in the past as I've been looking for
> >various parts, and of course you, Harris and the info you provide
> >have been invaluable to the cycling world. You're one of the good
> >guys out there and we all appreciate it.
> >
> >Best of luck as you go through this, and I hope that they can figure
> >out how to fix you up. Like I said in the title, we're pulling for
> >you. Take care.
> >
> >Louis
>

I had not seen that, thanks for the link.

Thanks for your concern. I'm bearing up OK, some days better than
others. I guess I'll just have to play out whatever cards I've been
dealt.

I'll continue updating http://sheldonbrown.com/health as news comes in...

All the best,

Sheldon
--
> Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
> Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
> http://harriscyclery.com
> Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
> http://captainbike.com
> Useful articles about bicycles and cycling
> http://sheldonbrown.com
>

[tiger]

The way he selflessly shared his knowledge in such a gentle manner is something to be treasured by us all. His life was full of generosity, kindness, and grace. He gave his all to the world of cycling, yet never forgot that a bike was, well, just a bike. Cycling was his pulpit to show us how to live by doing good deeds, the peanut butter wrench his baton for the choir.

I still have the image of him with the whirligig propeller on his helmet locked in my head. Sheldon made it fun.

[majorpat]

Yep, I emailed him a question once and got a reply in short order that was concise and correct. He was a gem and I am grateful to say I interacted with him. We need more guys who wore sandals and wool socks all winter.

[bironi]

A couple of Sheldonisms:

- I want a wheelset with Phil Wood hubs and wood filled rims
- On taking care of your leather saddle: give your seat a treat from the feet of a neet!

Met him when he was a mechanic at the Bicycle Revival, fall 1971, and I was a college freshman who liked riding a bike. Definitely started me on the path to ruin :-)

Did you know his wife Harriet Fell was the first American woman to ride Paris-Brest-Paris, in 1975?

Attached is a photo he took of me in 1972 when my Bob Jackson was first built up

C'mon, that's Jeff Goldblum. You may have a future in Hollywood.

[bironi]

The way he selflessly shared his knowledge in such a gentle manner is something to be treasured by us all. His life was full of generosity, kindness, and grace. He gave his all to the world of cycling, yet never forgot that a bike was, well, just a bike. Cycling was his pulpit to show us how to live by doing good deeds, the peanut butter wrench his baton for the choir.

I still have the image of him with the whirligig propeller on his helmet locked in my head. Sheldon made it fun.

Me too.

[ctcyclistbob]

Built my first wheels thanks to Sheldon's tutorial.

Yes, I built mine with his help too. His tutorial was straightforward and the wheels came out great, and still are today.

[veggieburger]

100 years form now ..... it will still be relevant.

Amen.

[monkeybanana86]

This is a great thread. I too learned to build my first wheel with his tutorial. I once saw a guy on a train who looked like him and I was super stoked to meet the man. I wish there more websites like his on every topic.

[davidj]

It's late, you've just finished repacking the hubs and the wheel still wobbles. Why. Google Sheldon.

I was at the NAHMBS in Portland when he died. A collective sadness came over the event as the word spread.

[carlucci1106]

I was not on cycling forums when he was alive, but I have found his resources invaluable. Everything from fixed gear conversion (the articles and the gear calculator) to bottom bracket compatibility. His diagrams are so easy to follow, and directions the bicycle layman can understand.

Had I known about him before when I lived in New England, never more than an hour or so from Boston, I would have made a special trip. I have read many of his articles about building his one-off sleds and he inspires me to dig deeper with the wrenches.

Anyone can be a bicycle mechanic, and install new stuff. But Sheldon knows how to do everything with anything. Props definitely are owed to Sheldon. May he rest in peace.