What Gianni humbly omitted from his last article is that once he finishes ranting about sock color (actually, the lack of need for any color other than than white), he recovers quickly and we wrap up the Keepers executive board meeting with him tearing our legs off on the ride home from the bar with his magnificent stroke. Because after all, he is Rule #72.
But I digress. All the chit-chat Gianni’s article generated, and the timing of it with a new shoe purchase on my end, has me ruminating on Rule #8. Matching saddle, handlebar tape, and tires is, for the Velominatus at least, quite the no-brainer as it were. The only really poignant question I recall ever being raised is whether Vittoria Open Pave’s have an exemption because they are awesome and scream hardman tire (I think they are acceptable).
But what of shoes? They are the one piece of kit that most often throws a rider’s coordination out of sync. Of course this has traditionally been fine as shoes are such a personal matter that expecting one to match one’s shoes with the rest of one’s kit is hopeful at best. That being said, I wonder if shoes are less kit and more equipment. They transfer power directly from rider to bike and thus they are mechanical, they are engineered by smart people using fancy computers, and they render the machine virtually unrideable without them. In fact, I’ve often wondered why retailers list them under “clothing” and why online review forums don’t put them under “drivetrain” instead of “clothing and accessories”.
So if you don’t accept my premise, at least humor me here. If shoes are equipment and not kit, why would anyone buy a pair that didn’t match the rest of their bike? Surely, with the abundance of shoe choices on the market these days I would think one could make every effort to find a pair that fits, has the features and performance characteristics sought, falls within price range, and matches the rest of the bike.
I happened upon this concept casually deliberately this week. You see, I’ve been sporting considerable carbone over Fi’zi:k’s new shoe line ever since they were introduced (you might say I have a thing for shoes). So when a new pair of R3’s fell into my lap for number 1 I was forced to shift the Yellow Princesses over to number 3. The yellow decals and accents on the Serotta look awesome with the YP’s and the new R3’s are oh so sublime with the BMC. Splendid, indeed.
So I’ll put it to you, the Velominati. Does Rule #8 need amending? Are shoes equipment and not clothing? Do we, perhaps, need a new rule pertaining to shoe/bike matching (I think not but a suggestion might be in order). These are the things that keep the Keepers up at night.
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View Comments
@frank
Baby kangaroos are called joeys. They get carried around my mummy kangaroos in a pouch. Despite the way they look 'roos are fucking mean and nasty. But their hides make for excellent shoe leather. They aren't very nice to eat but good fun to shoot (because they fuck up farms).
A trip to the attic proves this colored shoe thing is one for the ages. The leather sole Sidi's, sized 36, I mowed lawns all summer for and wore the shit out of before I was 13. Duegi had the first white shoes that I recall. Rebecca Twigg wore them. She taught me about carbone before Vitus built frames with it.
@Dr C
Nipple Lube.
Outstanding old son!
@itburns
Indeed. That's why Rule #5 comes before all the others.
@Dr C
It sounds as though you might have been touched by La Volupte. Well done, and happy birthday!
@jimmy
Nice! The original white-soled Times! Well done. I had some old Deugis as my first pair of shoes, too. They didn't have holes for Look cleats, so I drilled them. Then I sewed a leather patch over the laces because I wanted my shoes to look like the modern shoes at the time, with no laces. Then I added a toeclip strap to each to make them look like LeMond.
Fuck, I wish I still had those. Maybe I do. I'll dig around when I next visit the parents.
@frank
I had the black Duegi's in 86 and they died of the same fate in 87. Holes drilled for Look pedals gone awry. Those shoes were the best. And they were black.
@Dr C
Well done! That looks like the road up to Ronda from Marbella / San Pedro. Haven't ridden in Spain yet; definitely high on the list.
@scaler911
Is Mr Fixie racing a guy on a fucking skateboard in that pic? Tell me no, please tell me no. No wonder Frank was dishing out the evil eye . . .
@Dr C
I've just got back in from a rather chilly ride in the dark and my feet are so cold that I can't decide whether to eat my soup or dip my toes in. Last night I punctured in the middle of a an interval session on the rollers. Yes, a fucking puncture on the rollers, WTF! So all I can really say is "@Dr C you complete and utter fucking bastard with you pictures of sunny uplands and tales of mountainous derring do!"
No, seriously, what a stunningly awesome way to spend your birthday! I bet that champagne went down well.
I had a similar experience climbing in Spain in the summer, I don't think I got much faster but the pain fell away and I glided to the summit.