This Is The Reason Klunkers (and other custom bikes) Are Getting More Popular

In a world where human beings are drifting further and further away from one other and AI is stepping in to increasingly isolate us—custom hand-built works of art are only going to be more valuable.

So, I did something so dumb the other day. Well, what I did wasn’t so much dumb as was the result of what I did.

I’ll admit, I use AI in my day job. But not to create content or supplant the human touch, but to handle administrative tasks, data entry and other things that frankly machines should be doing for us.

But while I was in our AI client, I saw they’d announced a new feature. It was called the “AI Song Generator.” Curious like a child, I clicked into it and entered a simple one-sentence prompt: make me a song about riding a Klunker in the style of 1970s rock.

And in about 25 seconds, this is the absolute turd-burger it shat out:

I mean that’s bad, right?

Like hilariously you-probably-spat-out-your-coffee-bad. If you ever worried that AI was about the supplant artists for good, let this put your mind at ease. Wow.

As Ben Affleck said in a recent interview, AI generated content is designed to head to the middle. It craves the median; the obvious; the uninspiring. The broadest possible interpretation of “art.”

Now, technological credit where credit is due, the above AI figured out what a Klunker is and how and where they’re ridden and created a song about it in a snap. The mention of the flannel jacket was a detailed touch.

But it’s still a godawful song. Billions of dollars of innovation, for that.

But this brings me to the point of this post. Why we build these bikes, and why they’re only becoming more popular.

We crave something made by a human hand that you can shake in admiration or appreciation; we crave human ideas and unique takes on existing projects and problems.

Not the median—the apex.

It’s why companies like Landyachtz Bikes are doing what they do—not necessarily Klunkers, but handmade custom bikes that cannot be replicated by drop-shipped overseas brands. Or, when it comes time, AI.

And it’s why, on Facebook forums or what have you, I just stop and stare for a minute at a beauty Klunker… admiring every detail and wondering how the builder came up with the colour scheme, why they decided to bring in the details the did, right down to the accents on the headset and choice of grips… you’ve probably seen a build like I’m talking about.

The above are just some examples. For others, just search “Reader’s Rides” on this site. And if you have one, send it to me via this page.

This is why these bikes attract us. They’re a usable, movable, workable, physical expression of human creativity. But not just to be hung on a wall—actually ridden as transport and recreation.

They’re at once a throwback and as modern as AI itself. And they matter. Made of steel and heart, they matter.

I want to create an archive of these beauties that doesn’t belong to a Tech Overlord in a forum that can’t be erased on a whim because Zuck changed his mind about something. (Hell, I’ve at least pre-paid this hosted site until 2028!)

That’s why that stupid song made me laugh, and also bummed me out a bit. Please, let’s not make this the future, OK? (And I know I probably shouldn’t have made it… but alas…)

Keep building bikes, by hand. Keep making mistakes. Keep learning. Keep Klunking!

It’s us versus the machines, folks. And we ride at dawn!