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
@scaler911
Here is a little inspiration for you:
@Nate
Sooo fucking HARD. No leg warmers, snow piled up in his helmet vents. I'm tough, but not THAT tough.
@scaler911
The V generates its own warmth.
Dudes, you've all straightened me out on a lot of details with the Rules ... but I gotta say ... you've gone a bit too far with this one. SIDI is the ONLY shoe in cycling ... end of story ... read rule #5 a bit more ... and realize that when your climbing ... you need a shoe that is not loose in the heel. SIDI is the only shoe that has figured this out in my experience. I spent $200 on sale for some Mavic furies for cyclocross and I might as be wearing ballet slippers ... back to rule #5 I guess ...
@Burger
Being a Sidi man myself, I agree 100%. And white, of course.
Also, always remember: climbing is easy. All you have to do is go harder.
@scaler911
How was your ride?
Shoes are in fact kit and should at all times match or co-ordinate with your kit. The ONLY exception to this rule is when they match the bike which does not match the kit. If the shoes match neither the rider shall meet with scorn and derision from his or her bunch companions.
@Nate
Well as it goes around here, the weatherman got it wrong. It was cold, wet roads, but didn't rain or snow on us. http://app.strava.com/rides/2380100
Check these out. These should be the official shoes of the Velominati! A big fucking V right on the arch strap! http://pezcyclingnews.com/cgi/gallerypicget.asp?pic=http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/photos/tech/vittoriashoes/vslarge.jpg
@Mikel Pearce
Yup, they got spied by @Sgt during his mission at Interbike...pretty sure there was a guest article on the whole visit a couple of months back.