Categories: Accessories and GearLa Vie VelominatusMusings from the V-BunkerNostalgia

Inflation

A ride for the people, the Sean Kelly Cyclosportive

My first bike was a Sears Moonlight Special. It was literally a piece of shit – figuratively. I mean, it would only “literally” be a piece of shit if shit was made of sand-filled steel tubes salvaged from the plumbing of the local sewage facility. Which it might have been, but I simply don’t have the peer-reviewed evidence to back that claim up.

I feel comfortable stating that this bike cost less than $50 USD back in the early 70’s, and it was yellow. It also had a saddle which, upon my personal dissection (Go Science!) was conclusively comprised of a shaped steel plate covered by a thin foam pad and a faux-leather shell. Made in America, fuck yeah. That’s one reason right there that the United States doesn’t have the same over-population problems China does.

After that, I was given my dad’s Raleigh, made of Reynolds 531 tubing which I loved deeply, apart from the exposed brake cables and Weinmann centerpull brakes. I installed some aero brake levers on it and quickly learned the value of owning some proper brake-adjustment tools like the Third Hand. (I’m not sure why a Third Hand is a bicycle-specific innovation; having one more hand feels like a genetically-viable mutation.)

Finally, after a summer of saving up, I bought my own proper racing bicycle, a Cannonwhale SR700 with Shimano 105. In hot pink, for $700. I loved the shit out of that bike, crowning it with every accessory (apart from an EPMS) that one can think of: I couldn’t afford Scott Drop-ins, so I happily accepted my brother’s bar-ends from his Bridgestone as substitutes. I saved up for ages and bought a Selle San Marco Regal and got one step closer to looking like Greg LeMan. Benotto bar tape was a no-brainer at only a few bucks a roll. So Pro, so cheap. And it never wore out and it didn’t matter how bad you were at wapping bars; if you needed four rolls to cover the real-estate (wrapping the brake levers cleanly is the crux), then you were still only out about $10.

It was such a great bike. I rode it in France, Belgium, The Netherlands, not to mention most of the northern United States. I rode with my family, my friends; I rode with my dad the most. In fact, the only time I dumped that beautiful Regal saddle was with him, five minutes into the first ride with that saddle when he decided to change the route and hang a louie when I was overlapping wheels with him. Scraped the leather clean off the right-side of the saddle. No worries, a little super-glue and the saddle lasted me another 10 years.

I lost and found my way back into Cycling two or three times during the lifetime of that $700 bike. If I was the man I am today, I’d have kept it, too. I still have many of the parts, but I dumped the frame because it’s too big for me, and I didn’t realize how much it would mean to me today. We all walk the path of La Vie Velominatus in steps; it is only natural to wander off the path from time to time.

My #1 is worth something like $10k, maybe more, maybe less. Which in any case is a stupid amount of money for a bicycle. My Nine Bike is the hand-me-down, worth a bit less but in practical terms, almost the same. An entry-level bike, like my ‘Wale SR700 would cost a few thousand dollars today, well out of reach of a young Velominatus hoping to get into the sport.

Cycling is supposed to be the accessible sport, the sport of The People. What happened?

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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chuckp says:

Oct 8 2015 at 7:27 am

Back when I was still racing in the 90s, my bike (notice singular, I basically had one) was a custom (that's bespoke for my British friends) Hollands frame built with Reynolds 653. Dura Ace everything. ITM stem and handlebars. Mavic GEL 280 tubs (that I built). I didn't pay full retail for all the parts and bits, but the whole thing probably set me back somewhere in the neighborhood of $1500 (full retail would probably be closer to $2000). Back then, that was considered a small fortune for a bicycle but also about "right" for something considered "top shelf." Fast forward to today ... I have a hard time with something similar, i.e., a top end carbon fiber bike with Dura Ace and fancy wheels, costing $10,000. Back when steel was still real, you used to be able to buy an off the shelf 105-level bike for $600-$700. Ultegra would set you back maybe $800-$1000. Dura Ace $1200. Now, a comparable carbon fiber "entry level" 105 bike will cost you at least $1500, if not $2000. Because my wife is in the bike biz, I was able to build up my Felt FC with Ultegra (DA was beyond my budget), RS81 C35 wheels, 3T cockpit, and Fizik saddle for less than $2K. Figure $4K+ full retail. I love my Felt FC, but is it two times better than my Hollands (and BTW, the Hollands was still my one and only road bike last year when I got back in the saddle after 15 years and logged 4000+miles)? I could "justify" spending $2K to build the Felt (and it was my reward to myself for riding again), but I'd have a harder time justifying $4K ... especially since I'm just riding to ride and not racing. That said, if I had the $$$ I'd have no problem spending big bux on something like a Sarto. :-)
chuckp says:

Oct 8 2015 at 7:51 am

I don't which is the best/most relevant thread for this, but I'm just going to throw it in here.
LawnCzar says:

Oct 8 2015 at 8:11 am

@antihero

@Oli

I think that poor attitude is the same world wide, unfortunately. But as my Uncle Anatole used to say, “There’s no bike finer than the one you’re riding.” If you love your bike, fuck the snobs.

@KW

@LawnCzar

It’s once you know what you’re on about, and once you start getting social pressure to have a better bike, have nicer kit, that things get harder. I recall getting some attitude on rides and at races because my Nishiki was old, not nice enough. That’s an aspect where I don’t think our sport does itself any favors, at least not in the States.

There is only one solution to that kind of thing. Crush souls.

Yes. And yes. If someone looks askance at your machine, there is no other solution but to crush their spirit under your heel.

This is 100% true. You can buy a bike... but you can't buy backbone. Sur la Plaque.
chuckp says:

Oct 8 2015 at 8:26 am

@wiscot

@chuckp

You can still get bikes for cheap. You just can’t get the bikes most of us ride for cheap. At least as long as I’ve been riding, that’s always been the case. I guess the difference is that “not cheap” has become a lot more expensive. Probably harder to find a “quality” road bike with “good” components for less than $1000. But a 105-level equipped bike can be had for ~$1500 retail for aluminum w/carbon fork and ~$2000 for an entry level carbon frame. But that’s still not cheap IMHO.

I hear ya. But take another outdoor activity popular with males in the age ranges that I expect are represented on this site: golf. Even the most cursory search says a full set will run about $500.

Hell, you can spend $500 on just a driver these days! That's what the new TaylorMade M1 (carbon fiber) driver costs. Any top-of-the-line current model year name brand, e.g., Callaway, etc., driver will set you back at least $400.
wiscot says:

Oct 8 2015 at 8:30 am

@chuckp

I don’t which is the best/most relevant thread for this, but I’m just going to throw it in here.

Octalink bottom bracket? How appropriate for an organization that seeks a return to the dark ages. (those are ISIS guys I assume?)
wiscot says:

Oct 8 2015 at 8:32 am

@chuckp

I was trying to go budget on my golf gear estimates. Good on ya for supporting the daughter's golf habit.
LawnCzar says:

Oct 8 2015 at 8:34 am

@chuckp

@LawnCzar

As others have mentioned, affording a bike — and gear — was difficult. My family had very little money. The funny thing is that, not knowing anything about cycling initially, it was fairly easy to just get a bike and get riding. It’s once you know what you’re on about, and once you start getting social pressure to have a better bike, have nicer kit, that things get harder. I recall getting some attitude on rides and at races because my Nishiki was old, not nice enough. That’s an aspect where I don’t think our sport does itself any favors, at least not in the States.

Yup. But there’s also the inverse. People who spend loads of money on bikes and then basically don’t ride them or ride very well.

Yeah, I was on a used bike Facebook group here in DC for a while and was amazed at the number of people selling high end bikes that had to have cost them many thousands of dollars with lines like, "bought this, but never really got into biking (sic)." Good God, man! Respect the art form!
chuckp says:

Oct 8 2015 at 8:36 am

@wiscot

At least in the U.S., I would argue that both cycling and golf are sports for the more affluent rather than the masses. I'm not talking about people who ride bikes for transportation or casual/family/recreational riding, but people who take their riding more "seriously." Golf is a shrinking sport because of, in large part, the cost of equipment and the cost to play. Cycling (as a sport, not just riding around on bikes) in the U.S. could go the same way. I've always contended that the cycling boom in the U.S. was driven by a certain Texan winning TdFs. Even without his fall from grace (in the eyes of most people, but not all ... and not wanting to start a debate about that), without a U.S. "hero" in cycling, the popularity of the sport (maybe even just riding) is likely to wane. If I wanted to be more "harsh," I'd argue that a lot of people who took up cycling in that era were really Lance fans and not cycling fans (certainly not Velominati). Kind of like a lot folks were Tiger fans and would watch golf as long as Tiger was playing/winning, but now that he's not don't. So they're not really golf fans. A lot of similarities between the two sports.
chuckp says:

Oct 8 2015 at 8:43 am

@wiscot

@chuckp

I was trying to go budget on my golf gear estimates. Good on ya for supporting the daughter’s golf habit.

I'm a decent golfer. Used to play a ton, but hardly much these days. Still carrying a 17 handicap but I'm lucky if I can play to it. My daughter's (16 years old) golf swing is technically better than mine and more consistent. She's all of 5'2" (and that's as tall as she's going to get) and is now driving the ball 180-200 yards. When she's playing her A game, I just watch her play ... fairways and greens (or very close to the green). When she's not on her A game, I have a chance of beating her. But those days won't last for very long.
wiscot says:

Oct 8 2015 at 8:45 am

@chuckp

I think another big factor is golf's woes is time. If you've ponied up the $50 to whatever fee to play 18 holes, you're gonna play 18 holes. Figure in travel time and a drink afterwards and you're talking what 4-5-6 hours? The beauty of the bike is you roll out of the house and if you want to do a hour or two hours you can. I have routes that I know will take 2 hours, 2 1/2 hours and 3 hours so when time is short, I can get what I can/need in.

Cycling is a much more time-friendly sport in our age of too-many-things-to-do-on-the-same-day lives. I had a conversation to this effect last year with a guy who had been on the swim team at Boston College. (Ok, swimming isn't a gear-heavy sport, but it does require rather rare specialized facilities and ones that may impose significant time restrictions on use). He loved the bike because he could ride when and where he wanted.