David Byrne *still* rides a bicycle
David Byrne made a big splash with the Bike Internet when he arrived at the Met Gala last night on his Paul Budnitz titanium cruiser bicycle as he cheekily showed off his car parking valet placard to the paparazzi.
Byrne’s bike is smartly outfitted with a Gates carbon belt drive connected to a single speed hub for low maintenance and grease-free operation to avoid staining his crisp, white outfit. Custom wooden fenders also work to keep road schmutz from Byrne’s bespoke attire.
Brooks leather saddles are known for their all-day riding comfort. Obvious wear and marks on this bike’s Schwalbe Little Big Ben tires show this bike is not just for looks, but is used as a daily get-around bike.
I’ve asked the Internet about the disc brakes on this bike. I’ve gotten a few interesting ideas.
By guess is Yokozuna hybrid cable actuated hydraulics. I think I recognize the cable as Yokozuna compressionless but not sure about the brakes from the back side.
— CDB (@CDBreeler) May 2, 2023
Byrne uses some of California's own @PaulComponent Love Levers. They look like a special vintage.
— Jake – King of California Trails (@theHONYOCKER) May 2, 2023
Avid calipers – He should probably upgrade to Paul's Klampers for a matched set. Way prettier, too. pic.twitter.com/35R2NB6QSF
Byrne keeps his bike secure with an Abus folding lock that he stores in a bottle-cage mount. A chrome bicycle bell alerts people in front of the former Talking Heads frontman to his approach. The bike’s utility is rounded out with a Wald handlebar basket, which you can buy for an easy forty bucks online.
Byrne is long known for his love of bicycling as a means of transportation. This modern, upscale take on the paperboy bike is a nice upgrade from the three-speed Schwinn he rode around Manhattan in the early 1980s, as he recalls in his book Bicycle Diaries, excerpted here: