Rule 8: It’s Gotta Be The Shoes

Rule #8 Compliance" src="http://www.velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/P1010593-620x413.jpg" alt="" width="620" height="413" />
Shall shoes be added?

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.

Marko

Marko lives and rides in the upper midwest of the States, Minnesota specifically. "Cycling territory" and "the midwest" don't usually end up in the same sentence unless the conversation turns to the roots of LeMond, Hampsten, Heiden and Ochowitz. While the pavé and bergs of Flanders are his preferred places to ride, you can usually find him harvesting gravel along forest and farm roads. He owes a lot to Cycling and his greatest contribution to cycling may forever be coining the term Rainbow Turd.

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  • @Nof Landrien

    the old Carnac Quartz in yellow, blue and black. They were boat anchors and didn't have any fancy buckles but they were exceptionally well made and wore beautifully (maybe it was the real kangaroo leather). The Quartz was the last decent shoe that Carnac made, that orange and white one is horrible.

    Ha! I didn't realize what boat anchors they were, not unlike ski bots in stiffness and weight, until I bought Specialized S-Works shoes. But, wearing my first pair was a revelation too, perfect snug fit and wickedly stiff. I was in love.

    @Oli

    @Gianni
    Metrosexual!

    Thank you

    @Marko

    I like the R3"²s for their understated and traditional look. Plus the idea that they were made from baby kangaroos makes me giggle.

    Beauty

  • @ itburns @mcsqueak
    I was thinking more like not wearing booties when it's cold because they cover up the kicks. Or a particular set of bibs that will remain nameless whose straps dig into the shoulders and yet they still aren't "Goldielocks".

  • @Oli

    @frank
    Frank! I think I agree with you!
    I think shoe colour is, and should remain, totally independent of bike or kit colour, in the same way that sneakers are. In fact, I'd go so far as to suggest that the louder the shoe and the bigger the clash the better. It shows you have some personal identity, and aren't just a sheep or a slave to conformity. Right on.

    Lets dig deeper, I'm sure we disagree! We also agreed on the valvestem nut thingie Rule; this situation needs to be remedied immediately!

  • @Marko

    @ihcnaib

    Of the three Sacred Connections, les pied, les mains, et là derrière, the foot must of course be encased in something not less in value to the sum of the other two... this simple formula will ensure adequately high standards are met across the three Sacred Connections. .

    This post is worthy of a V-kit badge next to your name. Spot on.

    Done and done.

  • @scaler911

    @hardtop

    Just as with socks shoes have to be White, shoes are kit not equipment.

    Na. They're equipment not kit. Try riding on a pair of Powercranks with tennis shoes. They're attaching you to the bike, transferring power. Kit makes you look pretty.

    I have to assume that refrigerator is stocked to the hilt with IPA.


    Except with good beer.

    @Oli

    @frank
    No it doesn't!

    YES IT DOES!

  • @itburns

    Discomfort from effort or elements is fine. Discomfort from bike setup or attire is my signal that something needs adjusting. For me, function always trumps fashion. After the start of a ride and the blessed road trance kicks in, I hope I'm having a good enough ride that all else falls away except the Stroke and the Road.

    Agreed completely - form follows function. But, when considering form, there is nothing wrong with making it purdy. If, for example, I were buying new Sidi Ergo 2's, I'd get the color that best suited my fancy.

  • @Marko

    I like the R3"²s for their understated and traditional look. Plus the idea that they were made from baby kangaroos makes me giggle.

    Italian Baby Kangaroos are called Kangabambinos.

  • @frank
    I never meant to imply form didn't matter - once function is not compromised, form should be the most awe inspiring version that money allows. I do have a Mandible bidon cage, after all. We are cyclists, not barbarians.

    Time for some Lake Kangabambinos.

  • I have black and white shoes, with red trims which goes with my black and white bike with red trims, but who cares anyway about my set up, I'm only saying it as an excuse to share with you my glorious day

    Today was my birthday, an event which I normally ignore, but today I think I might just have had the most awesomest one ever

    Today, I did my first ever Horse Category climb

    I did 1200m straight climbing, betwixt 3-10% (never saw 11% on my Rule 74 thingy) up into the mountains of Andalucia in Southern Spain

    Big deal I hear you mutter under your breath (admittedly nothing compared to Haleakala), but I'm fucking blowing my trumpetto about this, coz I'm fucking pleased with myself

    What's more, I feel as if I have just discovered a whole new existence, having dismantled my rear derailleur, and wiped all the shit gathered in it from 7 months of thrashing Irish Bogtarmac - today I ascended in complete silence, probably rather slowly, but what struck me was not just the extra 3 teeth on my biggest sprocket I suddenly had by virtue of this overdue maintenance, but the extraordinary peace I felt

    I have a job that entails my listening to good and sadly also rather indifferent folk, for 9 hours a day - my head was fucked - I needed this trip

    I was suffering appropriately I reckon, when suddenly, half way up, everything changed. This wierd sense of almost floating began - I was climbing at 20% more speed for the gradient than I normally can, with no pain - surreal, and rather emotional, for one who only got my first road bike 9 months ago - I wanted it never to stop (just as well, as I still had another 600 metres to climb)


    Was it the heat (descending from a pretty chilly top, into the warm air of the coast was such a beautiful thing) - was it the sound of silence I now have achieved - was it the new adherence to Rule #33?

    All I know is my bibshorts are permanently deformed due to the prolonged climbone I had, and the equally proportioned descentbone I had for the entire 14 mile full chat descend (apart from a couple of photo stops...) of what felt like a hundred corners (90 degree bends, no hairpins, it was like a perfect fresh powder day)

    Apologies for the self indulgence, but for me, today, and emotional day, with my first HC conquest, was a very very special day - I returned to my hotel to find a bottle of champagne in ice courtesy of the DOB prompt on the hotel puta....seemed rather appropriate!!

    Thanks to @all for getting me to this day, I now feel like a real Velominatus

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Marko

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