A Tale of Two Bike Riders
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2024
- For many years I've thought that the bike industry built itself on a house of cards when it went all in on racing. My two interactions just reinforced that belief.
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I've had almost the exact kind of interaction multiple times. They'll ask what kind of bike I have and I'll say "Rivendell" and they just have no idea what I'm talking about. They'll all know Surly, though, since I am in Minneapolis.
loving the shirt(s) - hoping to get a quick ride today here in central/southern IL with temp in the 60s....
You planted the seed…diy haircut video!!!😂. Great to see ya. The MMD is the best way to start the week!
That would take some doing. I could show what I use and basically how I do it. There isn’t enough room in the bathroom for me AND a camera! 😆
So much room for madcap mayhem!!🤣. …and crank the background music to 11!
Totally checking out twisted toucan! Thank you!
Gift idea for a friend who moved to Florida from Minnesota 🎉
I had an All City Space Horse years ago that I called the Warthog because it was a do it all sorts bike, like the A10, lol.
Here's to your knee getting better and soon!!! Stay Safe!
I've recently been converting my Specialized Diverge from drop bars and brifters to Albatross bars and bar end shifters. I needed a little help setting everything up. My local bike shop is staffed with young 20- something mtn bikers who just look at me all bewildered wondering why anybody would do such a thing. I had to drive over 2 hours away to a bike shop that actually gets me.
I've recently been converting my Specialized Diverge from drop bars and brifters to Albatross bars and bar end shifters. I needed a little help setting everything up. My local bike shop is staffed with young 20- something mtn bikers who just look at me all bewildered wondering why anybody would do such a thing. I had to drive over 2 hours away to a bike shop that actually gets me.
1. Good on y’a for finding a good shop. 2. Get used to it. 3. Start buying some tools, watching some videos and planning on doing it yourself. I’ve said it a million times, mechanic was never a line on my CV. I did things for myself because I wasn’t too picky. Then I found that my “not too picky” worked for other folks. These bikes we ride are not complicated. Knowing how they operate really takes your relationship with the bike to a new level.
Great job with the straight razor. I have quite the useful collection of double edge razors myself. Another hobby to slow down and enjoy. My bike electronic is simply for distance tracking
Seems like you and Russ at Path Less Pedaled got the best outlook on bicycling. As a off and on bike commuter for 40 years, leaning my bike against my desk ,having it be a conversation piece, I’ve been asked how far, how light, how this and that about my bike or bike riding. The real measure was always about getting off work and riding, just ride.period.
Simple. Freedom.
It’s the best way. For me anyway.
I really enjoyed your conversation today. I've been an avid cyclist for 56 years now, and have never owned anything carbon, or anything with rear suspension. I have owned about 12 Surlys (including a Long Haul Trucker), though.
I was a LHT hauling anything west or south and hauling produce (garbage in truckin’ lingo) back to Chicago. Now I ride a LHT and that’s a lot more fun.
Good to see you again, Chris. Like you A) I have been cutting my own hair since 2020. B) My knee is booggered out and to top it off, so is my backI have not been riding either. Hope your knee heals and you're back in the saddle soon.
Awesome shirt. I'm not sure I'm cool enough to pull one off though. I'm the exception to your 2-biker rule, but I know I'm a bit odd. I've ridden over 100,000 miles as an adult and have bought dozens of bikes. I've owned/own several Surly bikes, a few Rivendells, several high-end carbon bikes, a few recumbent trikes, and even a Jones bike. My current favorite is a heavily upgraded Jamis Sequel 2 that I ride 90%+ of the time and weighs 30 lbs., but I still enjoy riding my lightweight road and mountain bikes when I'm in the mood. I've spent way more money than I want to think about on bikes and gear, and have no intention of moving on to some other hobby or interest as retirement looms in my near future.
I like exceptions. You’ve experienced different types of riding. My point, perhaps not well made, was that those that get into riding because of the tech, rarely continue once that fancy has faded.
Love the shirt Chris. Especially the Warthog/Thunderbolts. I was fortunate enough to watch a few of them rip off their 30mm Gatling auto-cannons on the firing range while I was in the USAF in 1983. A couple of them still do low flyovers over our house once a month or so. When I hear them whistling I run outside as fast as I can. Yes, like a little kid. The sound of freedom never gets old.
I do the same thing
Maybe it's where you live or lived, Chris. Where I live now and where I've lived in the past, there have been lots and lots of OLD roadies, some still riding their old Masis and Colnagos. In Berkeley, many owned "townies" they rode to the grocery store etc. I can't speak for more recent club riders, whose bikes live in cars between club outings.
I've had similar musings over the years Chris. I still lament how some "bike scenes" I was part of evolved into hardcore, race-only vibes. My Sunday's used to be reserved for CX "racing" and hanging with friends, but that scene changed and so too did my friend's focus on fun vs. competition. I just wanted to have fun and blow off steam- work and life are stressful enough and pinning a number on for anything other than to be amongst friends wasn't my jam. As the scene changed and more and more people took their CAT6 status seriously I saw the writing on the wall. I did what made the most sense for my mental well being...stepped away from the scene and focused on why I loved riding- the escape and moments of clarity and discovery it gives me. Like you, I ditched electronics for the most part and focused on the healing powers of time behind bars. Fast forward 10 years and I see those race scenes attracting fewer and fewer people due to the "fun vacuum" they tend to create. I used to be frustrated and disheartened as stepping away meant losing touch with some folks I really liked, but at the end of the day I now better understand that things come and go in cycles and the bike world is a perfect example. Today it's all about racing and thresholds and tomorrow it's about "adventure", like bike trends people come and go from the scene and there is nothing you can or should do about it. I say that from a place of love and from experience. I really struggled with my Mental Health and self confidence because I fell into the measuring stick trap where I looked left and right and compared myself with the other person on a bike, often with a negative lens. I used to think the problem was with my fitness or mileage, but it turned out I was in the wrong place all along. So I think the key thing anyone can do is to just be you, enjoy the bike you like, let your vibe attract your tribe (and not vice versa) and don't sweat the noise created by trends and trend followers. Also...love your thoughtful videos and wisdom.
Thanks!
Seems to me that the roadie customer (maybe mtb as well) is about margin and the transpo customer is about troubleshooting. (And mtb folks break stuff so a bit of both.)
Or there’s a triangle of bike riding approaches with points at fitness, outdoor adventure, and lifestyle/transportation. Environment and demographics influence how much of each type folks pursue.
I currently have and use four bikes: one straight/simple transpo, one transpo/touring with racks & fenders & rando bag, one gravel, and the newest a hardtail. Each is a different sociology/anthropology focus with implications for diplomacy. When I’m working with customers at my shop or out riding, it’s as if I jump from one language to another.
I needed a good laugh this morning, thank you!!!
Thanks for the video! The Crosscheck guy is the better customer. I’m a transportation rider and a cheapskate. So I do a lot online. I appreciate everything you independent guys do but am also a price based infidel. Yesterday I clicked buy on a VO part to find the website geoblocked my purchase. I phoned the store and the attendant could not have been nicer as he processed my transaction over the phone.I thanked him profusely and apologised for being a cheap arse which seemed strange. But I really want the independent guy to know I appreciate what they do and I’ll be trawling the bike internet spreading my crumbs until I’m in a wheelchair.❤
Great shirt Chris! Any cyclist specific shorts recommended for the everyday around town cyclist? Always looking for ideas I tend to wear what I have for the 3-4-5 mile stuff but then I wonder when I head out on the 10-12 mile to-do-list stuff.
Swrve LA. Quality stuff. I have two pairs of canvas and one pair of light weight shorts. The light ones are my favorite all summer.
I found rock climbing shorts are made with an crotch panel for better mobility. Also they have plenty of pockets.
I haven’t worn cycling specific shorts in well over a decade. Unless you count the MUSA shorts that Riv sometimes sells. Which I don’t.
Aloha shirt? No thanks; I'm a northeastern WASP, and our idea if wild color is navy and beige. As for the bikes: I mostly do fitness cycling, because here in Central Jersey there's no good place to cycle to for chores and transportation (car-centric malls, mostly). But my "thing" is affordable cycling: I'm co-manager of local bike exchange, and my titanium-frame bike with exposed cables has Tektro brake levers and friction shifting. I work on the carbon bikes of my fellow riders and club members... but most of them wouldn't know what a Surly was, either.
I enjoy your thoughtful commentary Chris. Keep it up!
Nice shirt...
Edit,
Good subject.
Lifetime DIY haircutter myself.
Sometimes I wonder . . . would a carbon-tech buyer transition to more-a-lifer if introduced to the appeal of a handbuilt steel product?
Waterford comes to mind. The hook I guess is maybe appeal to a sense of elitism but call it beauty . . . as in fine lug work for example.
In my experience it’s the “speed” as well at the gadgets they have trouble letting go of.
I would go for that shirt if they were warthogs and not airplanes. Story: I once got my a** handed to me on a long hill climb by a guy in Levi’s riding an old department store 10 speed. The bike was super clean and well maintained - pride of ownership. I was the guy with the expensive bike and the correct clothing. I was very fit at the time as well. I was humbled and have never forgotten that lesson. Respect the person, not the equipment. A fellow rider is firstly a fellow human…