Categories: IrreverenceKitMusings from the V-Bunker

The Punter

Socks over the booties? Please say it ain't so.

They say you can measure the quality of a man’s character by his ability to admit when he’s wrong. That in itself seems wrong, since it would obviously be better to be right in the first place, but I’m probably missing the point because I’m Dutch and everyone knows Dutch people are 97% more righter 84% of the time than the rest of the world.

I must confess to a certain hubris when it comes to kitting up for a ride; I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’ve gotten accustomed to making good decisions about what to wear and how to wear it. But today I strayed from the path: my socks were carefully and deliberately pulled out over the tops of my overshoes. Not only is it the most concrete evidence that my socks are too long, it looked like I had two orange gaskets stuck to my ankles. Not to mention that this resulted in only a tiny amount of my shins being exposed between my knee warmers and socks.

Sometimes we must stray from the Path in order to understand where it lies; today I have wandered far indeed but have found my way back. Do not lose faith and always seek to return to the Path.

VLVV.

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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View Comments

wiscot says:

Dec 2 2015 at 2:15 pm

@Ron

Well, that makes me feel less bad about my stockpiling. Thanks, Frank!

I was just gifted a new drawer by the VMH. Hot damn, more space! And hopefully I’m not the only one…but I have trouble tossing kit, even when it is definitely shot. When the hell am I going to go for the threadbare bibs that the VMH told me I can absolutely not wear? Since I don’t ride rollers anymore, the answer is never. But I’ll be damned if I’m tossing ’em.

Congrats! A whole drawer more? How many does that give you? I've a five drawer chest that holds, in descending order: shorts and socks, short sleeved jerseys, long sleeved jerseys, under shirts and finally, miscellaneous tights, knicks, shorts. The back of the door to the room has multiple jackets, gilets etc. The bikes and shoes, tools and other ephemera are downstairs in the garage.

As for shedding old gear, I've gotten as far as putting them in the goodwill pile. After 10 years, lycra and elastic tends to get . . . nasty. Mind you, I still hold onto a 25 year old skinsuit. Too many memories there!
Ccos says:

Dec 2 2015 at 2:20 pm

@frank

@Ron

I was wondering why my one of my bigger cycling drawers wasn’t didn’t have room for my long sleeve jerseys anymore.

Apparently this is why.

Ah, a bib bezoar, those have been known to clog my dresser too from time to time
RedRanger says:

Dec 2 2015 at 2:21 pm

@frank

@Steampunk

Also on Dutchie rightitude: tulip-based economy and building a fucking country below sea-level.

You’ve got to be pretty fucking right to pull that shit off, son.

@Steampunk

And orange: what the holy fuck??

are those V leg warmers? or did you get some XXXL arm warmers on your legs?
gilly says:

Dec 2 2015 at 2:28 pm

@Mike C

Could not agree less with this. Knee warmers are my go to through Autumn and Winter. I can't abide tights, love the look of the EVH's and it keeps me shaving the guns all year round.
frank says:

Dec 2 2015 at 2:29 pm

@RedRanger

They are; they are part of the VMR (Velominati Racing Team) kit but as soon as I get around to setting up the product page I'll chuck them up on the site. Having some prototype knee warmers made right now as well. V from head to toe baby!

Some shitty photos the bottom one you can spy them at the bottom of the shot.
RedRanger says:

Dec 2 2015 at 2:50 pm

@frank

Very cool!
bea says:

Dec 2 2015 at 3:38 pm

@frank

Having spent many years racing cross country skis in Minnesota, I am basically immune to cold feet.

One important note: riding with bare knees is actually quite dangerous, so I highly recommend covering them below 6 or 7 degrees. This is where knee warmers really come in handy as full leggings will likely be too warm.

Since I cycle in those temperatures with bare knees quite often, you got me interested. Why is it dangerous?
bea says:

Dec 2 2015 at 3:40 pm

@Oreos, @chuckp, Thanks for the advice!
frank says:

Dec 2 2015 at 3:45 pm

@bea

Basically, tendons don't get blood flow so have no good way to keep themselves warm. Since the tendons in the knees are carrying most of the power, the risk increases for tendon injuries.

Possibly reliable source I just googled:

http://www.wholeathlete.com/assets/documents/winter_knees_01-09.pdf
Chipomarc says:

Dec 2 2015 at 4:07 pm

Look at this pro's setup from a training camp ride today