Categories: Defining MomentsExportLa Vie Velominatus

Youth

René Privat wears yellow as Master Jacques reads a newspaper and tries not to notice.

I’ve never been afraid of imitating my heroes, they always seemed like the best examples available and as a student of life (as every child is) it seemed normal to me to copy every aspect of their lives that I had visibility into. I copied my dad’s handwriting as I was learning to write just as I copied Greg LeMond’s position on the bike as I was learning how to get serious about Cycling. None of my friends recognized my dad’s handwriting; they all thought my handwriting looked different from everyone else so they figured I had “cool” handwriting. All of my friends who rode bikes recognized Greg Lemond’s riding style; they all figured I was a copycat.

It was an early lesson; neither the complement nor the criticism meant terribly much to me; I was busy learning and that was good enough for me. I have to say, though, that as I’ve grown older, I’ve become more fond of my younger self, that version of me who didn’t feel the influence of what others believed so much. As we age, we “know” more and we “believe” less. Preserving the ability to believe is what keeps us young; for that reason alone, I refuse to grow up and insist on believing in everything I find beautiful, however irrational it might be.

Which brings me to Cycling; Cycling is the perfect way to stay in touch with the more delicate aspects of what we love in our lives. Riding in the first place is already enough; breathing the air and indulging in the tension of strength in our muscles and body as we ride brings an awareness that most people don’t have the opportunity to experience. As we develop in the sport, we start to test the limits of our bodies and equipment; testing is the way we experience growth and the development of our skill.

Every time we climb aboard a bicycle, we are testing our limits the same as we did as children; to be a Cyclist is to be young again. Vive la Vie Velominatus.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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piwakawaka says:

Feb 14 2017 at 9:24 pm

@RobSandy

I've been riding this, most impressed, Trek do full groups so it is all Ultegra, (I swapped mine out for DA9100), the wheels are excellent, nice and wide, throw on some Vittoria Corsa in 25mm and it's a great ride. I race masters 45-50, certainly not the flashest bike in that demographic...

http://www.trekbikes.com/nz/en_NZ/bikes/road-bikes/performance-road/émonda/émonda-sl-6-pro/p/1441990-2017/

google tells me £2875
Buck Rogers says:

Feb 14 2017 at 10:45 pm

@Randy C

Then I think to myself, thank goodness we’ve evolved and have moved beyond the black shoes white sox thing exhibited here…

Cheer all

Ha! Now don't start that again (b/c we all know that it does not get any more classy than pure white socks with pure black shoes!)
Cary says:

Feb 15 2017 at 3:21 am

@Buck Rogers

@Randy C

Then I think to myself, thank goodness we’ve evolved and have moved beyond the black shoes white sox thing exhibited here…

Cheer all

Ha! Now don’t start that again (b/c we all know that it does not get any more classy than pure white socks with pure black shoes!)

agreed!
Mikael Liddy says:

Feb 15 2017 at 4:02 am

@RobSandy

@Teocalli

The purple bike’s seattube looks more angled back – but the saddle looks like it’s pointing up so perhaps the front wheel is slightly raised on something.

I want a new bike. Racy, carbon, Ultegra (but not Di2), not too pricey. What should I look at? More concerned with stiffness, aerodynamics and position than weight.

Don't know the pricing in the UK, but the Focus Izalco Max might be worth looking at. Same frame all the way through the range, pricing changes pretty much come down to wheel & group combo you choose.
Mikael Liddy says:

Feb 15 2017 at 4:07 am

@RobSandy

@Teocalli

The purple bike’s seattube looks more angled back – but the saddle looks like it’s pointing up so perhaps the front wheel is slightly raised on something.

I want a new bike. Racy, carbon, Ultegra (but not Di2), not too pricey. What should I look at? More concerned with stiffness, aerodynamics and position than weight.

Looks fucking sexy too
Randy C says:

Feb 15 2017 at 4:45 am

That Focus is a gorgeous bike as shown in that pic. But I'm a sucker for any bike in black I guess. Still, that's a hot bike.

I'm also a sucker for alloy bikes. Just love the price/performance idea. Both my CX and road bikes I race are alloy 'dales. And really, nowadays with the modern wide rim-bed wheel sets and high volume low p tires one can get a pretty good ride on any decent well engineered bike. I've bombed the CAAD10 down miles and miles of dirt roads and pounded out fast century rides over chip seal with no comfort issues. And I also have a C Roubiax. So I've compared the two "ideas" over a bazillion miles. The C bike is just a little lighter. I'd posted a little back about the idea that a CAAD12 had to be a damn good bike for the money and a blast to ride fast and I wanted one. But there is the aesthetic quality about this:

that I just can't get past. See what I'm talking about ? Seriously, does that look like a wad of chewed bubblegum that the tubes are all joined up with?
Ccos says:

Feb 15 2017 at 5:06 am

No matter how they feel, I think cyclists look younger on the bike. I also think I (and most people) look heavier when on the bike for some strange reason. The Gorilla for example looks well, like a gorilla on the bike and like a little kid on the podium (if you don't look at his guns that is).
chuckp says:

Feb 15 2017 at 7:12 am

@Randy C

I’m also a sucker for alloy bikes.

I was/am so tempted to pick up a new CAAD12 Ultegra bike just because I suspect it’s a awesome combo of great bike and price, I dig the color (yep, black, go figure) and I love my CAAD10. I’m sure the bike would be a blast to ride fast and race and a mech Ultegra you know is gonna be buttery smooth. And so far I’ve successfully resisted that temptation. You know what’s stopped me ? I was looking at the junction of the seat stays and seat/top tube and w/the alloy welds it looks like they’re all attached with a big blob of bubble gum. Seriously.

If you want to be tempted by a new alu bike, check out Bond Bikes. Beautiful frames. One of the co-founders is my fellow PEZ contributor Lee Rodgers. If I had the $$$ lying around for another bike, I'd be seriously tempted to get one.

https://www.bond.bike/

https://www.facebook.com/bondbikes/

https://www.bikerumor.com/2016/11/30/newcomer-bond-bikes-touts-customizable-frames-wont-break-bank/
chuckp says:

Feb 15 2017 at 7:29 am

@Randy c

I'll just put this here for you to contemplate.
chuckp says:

Feb 15 2017 at 7:35 am

WTF? The pic didn't post. Trying again.