Sheldon Brown (July 14, 1944 – February 4, 2008) was an American bicycle mechanic, technical expert and author.[3][4][5][6] He contributed to print and online sources related to bicycling and bicycle mechanics, in particular the web site Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Technical Info. His knowledge of bicycles was described as "encyclopaedic" by The Times of London.[7]
Brown's website, developed with Harris Cyclery, includes a deeply knowledgeable and accessible database of technical bicycle information. In particular a wide selection of knowledge of common bicycles from the second half of the 20th century that use non-standard parts. The site remains current as of 2023, maintained by his widow, Harriet Fell, and his friend John Allen, "a nationally recognized bicycling expert who helped found the Cambridge Bicycle Committee."[18][19] Up until 2021, the commercial pages were maintained and updated by Harris Cyclery employees,[20] but Harris Cyclery closed in 2021 due to economic pressures and supply chain shortages.[21][22] Brown maintained the site's glossary of bicycling terminology, online guide to wheelbuilding, as well as the mirror sites of the technical work of Damon Rinard,[23]Jobst Brandt,[24] and others.[25] Brown had also participated in online cycling forums such as rec.bicycles.tech newsgroup and bikeforums.net.[13]
Brown was a proponent of fixed-gear, single-speed bicycles for ordinary street use.[26] Brown, with Galen Evans and Osman Isvan, developed a method to determine and compare bicycle gear ratios. For any combination of front chainring, rear cog, wheel size and crank length, his method results in a number that Brown terms the "gain ratio".[27] Also, Brown expressed opinions on chain cleaning, lubrication and wear,[28] a source of controversy in the field of bicycle maintenance.[28][29]
In addition to the wide array of bike mechanics and repair articles, Brown's website also contains sections on family cycling,[30] touring,[31] a bike humor section,[32] as well as essays and fiction about cycling.[33] His humorous online articles frequently appeared on April 1.[34]
Brown was a contributing writer for Bike World magazine (USA)[38] and for Bicycling magazine (USA),[38] and then for the trade magazine American Bicyclist.[38] Brown wrote the "Mechanical Advantage" column for Adventure Cyclist, the magazine of the Adventure Cycling Association,[38][39] "from 1997 through 2007."[40]
In October 2003, Brown was awarded a certificate of commendation for his contribution to cycling by the UK's Cyclists' Touring Club (CTC).[41] Brown received the Classic Rendezvous Vintage Bicycle Award in 2005.[42] MassBike presented Brown the Influence Pedaler Award posthumously in 2008.[43]
CTC's Chris Juden mentioned Brown's site in his response to a letter to the editor email,[44] and Lennard Zinn, technical editor for VeloNews, cited Brown in his regular Technical FAQ with Lennard Zinn column.[45][46] Frank Berto cites Brown's writing in The Dancing Chain, published by Van der Plas Publications,[47][48][49] and Zack Furness cites Brown's writing in One Less Car: Bicycling and the Politics of Automobility, published by Temple University Press.[50]
References
^ abcBrown, Sheldon. "Sheldon Brown's Home Page". Retrieved February 4, 2008. Unfortunately, due to health problems, I have not been able to ride bicycles since early September, 2006.
^Sheldon Brown. "Postings by Carapace Completed Umber". Retrieved December 27, 2012. Although I am well known to have no sense of humor whatever, my alter ego, Carapace Completed Umber, is silly enough for both of us. This page collects some of his postings to various bicycle-related newsgroups.
^"Friends pay respect to Sheldon Brown". VeloNews. February 5, 2008. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Bike-tech wizard Sheldon Brown died of a heart attack on Sunday. He was 63.
^Matt Wiebe (February 4, 2008). "Tech Guru Sheldon Brown Dies". Bicycle Retailer and Industry News. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Sheldon Brown, who could explain the intricacies of 40-year-old Sturmey Archer hubs with the same patient clarity with which he would explain suspension or integrated shifters, died from a sudden heart attack Sunday night.
^ abSingel, Ryan. "Sheldon Brown, Web's Cycling Guru, Dies". Wired. Retrieved December 25, 2012. Brown worked as the technical guru and Webmaster for Harris Cyclery in West Newton, Massachusetts.
^ abKerber, Ross (February 8, 2008). "Homespun wisdom". The Boston Globe. Retrieved December 25, 2012. To a worldwide readership, Brown was a sage in cyberspace.
^ abBoulanger, Gary (February 4, 2008). "Sheldon Brown: 1944 - 2008". BikeRadar. Bath, England: Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved December 25, 2012. Sheldon Brown, the human encyclopedia of bicycling knowledge and a famous employee of Harris Cyclery in Massachusetts, died of a massive heart attack Sunday evening, February 3.
^Sheldon Brown. "Sheldon Brown's France Page". Retrieved December 27, 2012. Our family lived in France for the 1988-89 school year, in Chevreuse, a small village 30 km southwest of Paris. We loved the place and the people, and we miss them very much.
^https://www.sheldonbrown.com/home.html "Some Things I Do Not Believe In: Angels, Astrology,... Devils, Elves, Faeries, Faith, Gods, "Intelligent Design", Leprechauns, ...Magic..."
^Kristen Lombardi (August 2002). "A dangerous & now deadly bicycle policy". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved December 27, 2012. John Allen, a nationally recognized bicycling expert who helped found the Cambridge Bicycle Committee.
^"Damon Rinard's Bicycle Tech Site". Retrieved December 27, 2012. Damon Rinard maintained and hosted the Rinard Tech Pages up until May, 2001, when a change in employment made it impractical for him to continue. Since this site is too good to be allowed to disappear from the Web, Harris Cyclery is now hosting it, with Damon's permission and cooperation.
^Brown, Sheldon. "Gain Ratios". Sheldon Brown. Retrieved February 8, 2008.
^ abSheldon Brown & John Allen. "Chain Maintenance". Retrieved January 10, 2013. Chain maintenance is one of the most controversial aspects of bicycle mechanics.
^Greg Kopecky (December 16, 2012). "Chain How-To - Part 1". SlowTwitch.com. Retrieved December 31, 2012. Why then, is there so much controversy surrounding chains? For such a (seemingly) black-and-white topic, there is an astounding amount of perceived 'chain black magic'. How do they work? Why do they break? What's the proper way to lube a chain – wax, oil plus additives, sewing machine oil, or something else entirely?
^Brown, Sheldon. "The Bright Side of MS by Sheldon Brown". Sheldon Brown. Retrieved February 5, 2008. I haven't been able to ride a bike since early September, 2006 though I can still ride my Greenspeed trike, very slowly.
^Cyclists' Touring Club (October 6, 2003). "Sheldon Brown's Journal". Sheldon Brown. Retrieved December 31, 2012. One of the oldest and most highly respected cycling organizations in the world is the 125 year old Cyclists Touring Club. I'm very, very proud that they have voted to issue a Certificate of Commendation to me for my Website and other Internet activities.
^Lennard Zinn (October 26, 2010). "Technical FAQ with Lennard Zinn: A detailed look at canti' geometry". VeloNews. Retrieved January 19, 2013. Nobody said it better than the late Sheldon Brown in his eloquent description of the geometry that determines the leverage ratio of cantilever brakes