Goodbye, Sheldon

I've just learned that Sheldon Brown has died at the age of 63. He was a bicycle mechanic and expert in the USA who came to the attention of many cyclists through newsgroups, forums and above all through his legendary website. There was nary an item of technical or aesthetic interest about bicycles on which Sheldon didn't have an informed and enlightening opinion. He was a true expert and enthusiast, who didn't hesitate to share his insights with anyone who cared to enquire. Always the first thought, when faced with a problem or a tricky choice, was "What does Sheldon say about it?"

In recent years his cycling was curtailed through illness, but his presence on the internet was little diminished. Although he wrote frankly about his troubles with MS, his sudden death from a heart attack comes as a complete shock.

It's a measure of his influence and position that my first thought on reading of his passing was a very selfish one - "Oh no, who am I going to ask now?"