The Keepers

Cycling is a mighty sport with a rich and complex history. Every company, racer, piece of kit, and component has a legend, a story behind it; in many cases it also has a personal and nostalgic connection to our lives.  While this particular sport is steeped in tradition, it is also fiercely modern, a fact that serves only to deepen its complexity.

All these factors combine to provide an unique atmosphere and breeds devoted and loyal disciples of our great sport. We are of a peculiar nature; we seek out the highest mountains and the roughest roads on which to worship at the altar of the Man with the Hammer. Our legs are what propel us; our minds are what drive us. We refer to our shaved legs in the third person – the legs – and speak of distance in kilometres and measure sizes in centimetres regardless of what country we are in.  We adhere strictly to the Canon of Cycling’s Etiquette: The Rules.

A Velominatus is a disciple of the highest order. We spend our days poring over the very essence of what makes ours such a special sport and how that essence fits into Cycling’s colorful fabric.  This is the Velominati’s raison d’être. This is where the Velominati can be ourselves. This is our agony – our badge of honor – our sin.

I have a unique way of looking at bicycles. A good bicycle and it’s components are beautiful things to me. I’m not just talking about appearance, but also how the frame and components show the dreams of those who made them.

– Gianni Bugno, Hardman and Italian cycling legend

Perhaps we are too wrapped up in the past, but the Velominati don’t believe that to be the case.  After all, the greatest lessons can be learned from the past and those lessons can then be applied to the present and may then allow us to more fully experience the future.

The Keepers:

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The Community:

Velominati.com is less about the articles and more about the conversation. Those of you who read more and poster more, become an integral part of the discussion and help carry the momentum forward. There are several levels of Velominatus*:

Level 4 Velominatus: The casual observer and occasional poster.

Level 3 Velominatus: The regular reader and casual poster.

Level 2 Velominatus: The devoted reader and regular poster.

Level 1 Velominatus: The most committed of reader and poster.

Gray, Black, and Orange Order Velominatus: Once having passed Level 1, the inducted among the Order wear three color badges, based on their rank.

Conduct:

We strive to foster an open, fun, critical, and censure-free environment. Any criticism of our writing, spelling, grammar, or intelligence is welcome and nothing said will ever get you suspended from the site. That said, the code of conduct is governed by Rule #43 and the Piti Principle. Members consistently exhibiting behavior that falls outside these parameters will be warned to check themselves; should warnings go unheeded, we may elect to issue a suspension. The first offense will result in a one-week suspension, the second in a two week suspension, and the third in a three week suspension. A fourth offense will result in a lifetime ban.

Velominati reserves the right to edit posts with the express interest to preserve the spirit of the conversation and the community. Regarding posts that address a grammatical or typographical error, Velominati may elect to take their input, correct the error in the articles where appropriate, and editing posts that point them out. This editorial action is not to serve as a censure entity, but to preserve the spirit of the conversation. That said, we endeavor to only edit those posts that point out a minor issue and only in the event that we make the edit before the post has yielded further discussion. Furthermore, when possible, we will strive to acknowledge said poster for their correction.

Want to contribute a story to the Velominati? Tell us why.

*Levels are calculated based on the previous year’s activity.

View Comments

  • @Brett

    Gianni and I have been trying to get our book royalties for months, nay years, and we don’t even get replies to our emails. We’re owed a lot of money but have just about lost hope of ever seeing it, like all the people who got ripped off with kit orders too. Sad state of affairs, especially as we were all (supposed to be) friends.

    0

    wow.

    So Frank has not only taken money for kit that will never be delivered (June 2016 was my order date), he isn't handing over money to (presumably ex) mates for the books.

    So, either Frank has officially adotped the COTHO moniker, or..........  struggling to find the way to end the sentance.

    Sad.

  • @davidlhill

    @Brett

    wow.

    So Frank has not only taken money for kit that will never be delivered (June 2016 was my order date), he isn’t handing over money to (presumably ex) mates for the books.

    So, either Frank has officially adotped the COTHO moniker, or………. struggling to find the way to end the sentance.

    Sad.

    0

    or... @Frank has given a new meaning to the word Keeper

  • I'm sorry to hear that @Brett and @Gianni have also suffered materially. That's an even worse state of affairs than I imagined.

    Personally what annoys me most was that all the stuff about it being a community has been thrown under the bus.

    We all contributed to this site and in small ways helped it be successful - how many people came here because they heard of the Rules and then stayed for the different articles and comments which were completely unlike anything else you could find. In many ways it provided some deflection from the people who viewed the rules as a bunch of silly wank. It was truly a very different place to the rest of the internet and nobody begrudged it being leveraged into some success and reward for Frank and the other keepers.

    I think that sense of community was genuine on our part and it could have continued as a community-run thing, even if Frank wanted to go off and do his thing. Various offers and suggestions have been made to that effect, all ignored. It's a great shame that someone who often spoke of and encouraged that sense of community has apparently just left it to rot.

  • @KogaLover

    @Brett

    I still visit regularly and somewhere I still have a hope that my kit-order of December 30, 2016, still will find its way to my bike-laden garage; after all, I do not want to have to remove the name tags/decals from my other bikes simply because I could not get the name tags for my new bike (which is already more than one year old), just because I am OCD about symmetry.

    But your comment confirmed what I suspected: it’s all about the money and the money/success is what brings this site & community down. Really too bad.

    @Wiscot

    I agree with your “house” analogy but I do not think the house has become unreceptive for new ideas or that the foundation is crumbling (not yet at least); rather that it is not well maintained or heated anymore (Rule #5 and #9 correct me in my thinking here) hence people move out and do not even come in anymore.

    I also think @emerson referred to @chuckp as someone who advertises for/promotes his mag and articles and not that @chuckp is not around anymore.

    Who is not around anymore is @BuckRogers! What ever did Uncle Sam do to him; last thing he was still eye-balling US-privates in Germany?

    0

    Chuck's links and references to his other site never offended me.  His socks, on the other hand...

  • @ChrisO

    I’m sorry to hear that @Brett and @Gianni have also suffered materially. That’s an even worse state of affairs than I imagined.

    Personally what annoys me most was that all the stuff about it being a community has been thrown under the bus.

    We all contributed to this site and in small ways helped it be successful – how many people came here because they heard of the Rules and then stayed for the different articles and comments which were completely unlike anything else you could find. In many ways it provided some deflection from the people who viewed the rules as a bunch of silly wank. It was truly a very different place to the rest of the internet and nobody begrudged it being leveraged into some success and reward for Frank and the other keepers.

    I think that sense of community was genuine on our part and it could have continued as a community-run thing, even if Frank wanted to go off and do his thing. Various offers and suggestions have been made to that effect, all ignored. It’s a great shame that someone who often spoke of and encouraged that sense of community has apparently just left it to rot.

    0

    Hear hear.

  • @KogaLover

    @JohnB

    @Brett

    Gianni and I have been trying to get our book royalties for months, nay years, and we don’t even get replies to our emails. We’re owed a lot of money but have just about lost hope of ever seeing it, like all the people who got ripped off with kit orders too. Sad state of affairs, especially as we were all (supposed to be) friends.

    0

    It’s unfortunate that this site is such a global phenomenon, Frank’s behaviour is nothing short of criminal but who really has jurisdiction when the aggrieved parties are spread around the world? There will be no 3rd book, Frank has shown his true colours and we should demonstrate our disappointment and exasperation at him and those who still support him by boycotting their product. Yes, I’m looking at you Cyclist mag (although he’s missing from the latest edition 69) I expect to see a letter about mates ripping off mates to answer for any return… And Rouleur? Don’t even think about it.

    0

    Gents, while I also think something’s fishy and something big happened, I think we should abide with the “innocent until proven guilty” paradigm, as well as letting the protagonists state each side of their case. It’s all hearsay and blackbox to me, so would appreciate if particularly @Frank can explain. Last thing I heard was, he fell of a ladder (not a wagon) and is still recovering. He must be doing something with the website since old articles get recycled every now and then.

    And where’s @BuckRogers?

    0

    I'm inclined to agree with @KogaLover here. While there is evidently ill-feeling and perceived wrongdoing, I think it's the civilised thing to do to give @frank a chance to explain.

  • @MangoDave

    Chuck’s links and references to his other site never offended me. His socks, on the other hand…

    Mission accomplished!

    I know I engage in shameless self-promotion but II do so with stuff I think y’all might be interested in. And I get no financial compensation in return. FYI, PEZ isn’t my website. Richard Pestes is the publisher. I’m just a contributor.

    i’m still around but not as active for a number of reasons. One is because the content has fallen off. I try to chime in whenever someone posts something of interest. But while I can access the site during the day, I can’t actually post from my work computer. And when I get home, it’s usually some sort of bike ride and then family stuff.

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