Comments on Kent's Bike Blog: Sheldon Brown

I live in Bucharest, Romania and I miss Sheldon. H...

2008-04-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

I live in Bucharest, Romania and I miss Sheldon. He's website was gold for me.

Just heard the word about Sheldon Brown. I used hi...

2008-03-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Just heard the word about Sheldon Brown. I used his web site all the time and considered him a hero. Thank you for paying tribute to him.

What a beautiful tribute to a wonderful man. He is...

2008-02-21T10:58:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful tribute to a wonderful man. He is sorely missed. I have made a tribute to Sheldon in the form of stickers. www.bikepunk.com gives the info on how to get them. RIP Sheldon.

i've read a lot of what he's written, in fact, my ...

2008-02-19T01:16:00.000-08:00

i've read a lot of what he's written, in fact, my good friend is building a fixie on my porch with a bottom bracket (in transit) from harris cyclery. Sheldon is amazing. is.

on a very side note, edit this out later, you have an {it's} where there ought be an {its}. some of us are typophiles, grammar slaves, and cyclists to boot. sorry, but go figure.

My first encounter with Sheldon Brown came via an ...

2008-02-13T15:32:00.000-08:00

My first encounter with Sheldon Brown came via an article he wrote about wheelbuilding. Because of him, I have built wheels and can do basically any kind of work on a bike except a frame repair. I say this is because of him because I am not a "tecchie." Sheldon made the world of mechanics, and later cyberspace, accessible and even inviting to people like me.

More important, though, is the example of his life, upon which Kent commented so eloquently. I e-mailed him a number of times, and every time was astounded by the speed, relevance and humaneness of his responses. And his website reflected his generosity of spirit about things bike-related and not.

I am reminded of what Pere Teilhard de Chardin said: "We are not human beings having spiritual experiences. We are spiritual beings having human experiences."

I had the unique opportunity to mee Sheldon at a b...

2008-02-09T13:51:00.000-08:00

I had the unique opportunity to mee Sheldon at a bike show. I even had the good luck to capture him taking a photo of one of my vintage bikes a RIGI. This brief encounter was followed with a minute of discussion about the bike. He wanted the photo as he said he never saw one for real. Here is the photo and my small tribute to Sheldon.

RIP Sheldon

http://share.shutterfly.com/view/flashslideshow.jsp?sid=0RcNnDlq2YusA&a=67b0de21b35c4cbf256c

Ray

"When there are so many we shall have to mourn,whe...

2008-02-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

"When there are so many we shall have to mourn,
when grief has been made so public, and exposed
to the critique of a whole epoch
the frailty of our conscience and anguish,

of whom shall we speak? For every day they die
among us, those who were doing us some good,
who knew it was never enough but
hoped to improve a little by living."

-- W.H. Auden

very beautiful, very wise. reminds me of cicero, "...

2008-02-07T01:12:00.000-08:00

very beautiful, very wise. reminds me of cicero, "non nobis solum nati sumus" = we are not born for ourselves alone. sheldon really lived like this, practising a constant exchange of kindnesses.

i've linked to your post from http://sheldonbrown.blogspot.com

if anyone wants to organize a sheldon ride, there is a place to list it there.

peace all.

Kent,Thank you for your post. I would like to add...

2008-02-05T20:29:00.000-08:00

Kent,

Thank you for your post. I would like to add my thoughts.

Sheldon means very much to the bicycling community. To many of us, he was a resource, a friend, a mentor and an inspiration. He wrote with passion, authenticity and with a love for humankind and bicycles. He shared his wealth of knowledge so that we would benefit. Thank you, Sheldon! We will honor you by sharing with others your passion, love and the knowledge that you gave to us.

Thanks Kent. Several years ago, after having stopp...

2008-02-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

Thanks Kent. Several years ago, after having stopped cycling five years prior and grown increasingly out of shape, I stumbled across Sheldon Brown's website, got reminded why I used to love riding bikes, and started riding again. Won't know until the end whether Sheldon "added years to my life" as I suspect, but as the cliche goes, I know he's "added life to my years". As you say, beyond having an encyclopedic knowledge of bicycles, he showed people how to behave -- with civility and kindness.

Kent, the dignity of your postsremind me of Sheldo...

2008-02-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

Kent, the dignity of your posts
remind me of Sheldon's work.
This is such a sad day.

Nicely said, Kent.Sheldon was always the "source" ...

2008-02-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

Nicely said, Kent.

Sheldon was always the "source" on the web, the page(s) one could click on to get that final, definitive word on whatever the bicycle-related topic was.

He'll be missed. My thoughts are with his family.

This is one of the most beautiful posts to him tha...

2008-02-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

This is one of the most beautiful posts to him that I've read. I didn't know him, but sure used his website.
Thanks.

That has to be one of the most beautiful posts to ...

2008-02-05T08:05:00.000-08:00

That has to be one of the most beautiful posts to Sheldon. I never met or emailed him, but used his website more than I can even remember.

He will be missed.

Sheldon's site was one of my mentors as well. I ne...

2008-02-05T06:44:00.000-08:00

Sheldon's site was one of my mentors as well. I never had the pleasure of meeting the man, but my cycling was greatly enriched by his generosity.

All the cycling community will want his website to continue, and not to be a burden to his family. How do we provide support to his survivors and to the cycling community going forward?

I did not know Sheldon but had one email exchange ...

2008-02-05T00:45:00.000-08:00

I did not know Sheldon but had one email exchange with him as he took the time to answer a couple of questions I had as a new(ish) cyclists.

When I found Sheldon's site I at first thought, "who was this mad man?" But the more I read about him, his knowledge, and his family, the more I felt I actually did know him and the more I felt that I wanted to know more about cycling.

What a major loss for his family and friends and the hole it leaves in the cycling community.

Good luck Sheldon on your grand tour.
tdp

Very eloquent Kent. Your tribute is worthy of the...

2008-02-04T23:51:00.000-08:00

Very eloquent Kent. Your tribute is worthy of the man. Sheldon was definitely one of the great men of cycling, who also had a personal effect on so many of us.

David Cambon
Vancouver, BC

Beautiful and so true."Our world is poorer for his...

2008-02-04T23:38:00.000-08:00

Beautiful and so true.

"Our world is poorer for his passing, but so rich for his having been here with us, showing us a wonderful way to live."

Sheldon will be missed but not forgotten. Thank you, Kent.

Kent, thank you for your wonderful tribute to a ma...

2008-02-04T22:35:00.000-08:00

Kent, thank you for your wonderful tribute to a man who, more than a gentleman, acted like a friend. Sheldon answered all my questions with patience and respect. I always felt honored to correspond with him online, but for Sheldon it was ordinary.

Kent, your words, here, read almost like Robert Fulgham's Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.

"He taught a lot of people how to behave. Share what you know, do what you love, live life beyond the computer screen and report back. Sign your work. Laugh often. Read. Sing. Rejoice."

I'm joining thousands of others in missing Sheldon tonight.