White is a troublesome color; hard to keep clean. I have a white dress shirt that I never wear because even if I manage not to spill on the front of it, the cuffs and collar will look crap by the end of the day regardless. I mean, I can keep from eating something all day, but I can’t keep from drinking coffee or wine, and before very long some of it is going on the shirt, right were people check out my man-boobs.
I can’t keep my dress clothes clean, the ones I wear to my office. That’s a clean business, going to the office. And Cycling is a dirty business, even on sunny days there is a road grit and chain grease to contend with. And our feet and hands get the worst of it. Who in their right mind would ride with white socks and bar tape?
In my younger days, I started a website called ControlFreak, for which the tagline was “a term used by lazy people to describe someone with standards.” Obviously my writing skills had some room to grow and I was also too young to understand the practical complications of having things like “standards”. Nevertheless, I am proud of the sentiment. It was a first (malnourished) seed of Velominati; its uncompromising attitude built a fiber of the vein that runs through our heritage in this community. In the ControlFreak sensibility, white socks and bar tape are for those of us with standards of cleanliness; they are for the aesthetic steadfast who are willing to invest both the time and inventory to maintain a matching set of curtains and drapes. Black is for those who are too lazy to keep a clean house.
My Number #1 has always had white bars. The other bikes can have black tape because white bar tape is for leaders; Bike #1 is Alpha, the others are Beta – no matter how much I love them.
So why is it that I have been attracted by the blackness of my handlebars every time I unwrap the tape from them? I’m not talking about the Betas, I’m talking about my Alpha: my Veloforma Strada iR. It was a time of turmoil, maybe. Perhaps some unrest in the Force, where the Dark Side grew in strength. Or maybe I enjoyed too many Recovery Ales that day. The event was too long ago and too poorly documented for anyone to be certain, but the fact is, I wrapped Bike #1’s bars in black tap.
Let me say that again in a separate paragraph: I wrapped Bike #1’s bars in black tap.
No one else. Not the guy down the shop because he didn’t have anything else. Not the VMH. Not my sister. Me.
And I loved it.
The bike was so stealth I felt like I was riding a Sith. Actually, maybe not – I don’t think a Sith would stand for that sort of thing. Maybe I felt like I was riding a Sith Speeder.
But something was missing. I didn’t feel right. I felt a few centimeters off-center, so one night I picked up a new roll of fizik microtex and rewrapped the bars in white.
It felt good to go back, like taking a shower after a long camping trip. Or brushing your teeth after a night on the piss. There was something visceral about it. I brought the bike up to the bedroom and leaned her (gently) against the wall so I could gaze at her as I fell asleep. It felt good to know I had come back to my center. I had come back to expecting more of myself. I would keep my bar tape clean.
Darth Sidious said, “If one is to understand the great mystery, one must study all its aspects.”
Just because he’s a jerk doesn’t mean he’s wrong. Just so long as we find our way back to The Path.
That night, I slept soundly.
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@Gianni Yeah, she did have a hand in doing the graphics. Cost a bundle but it was worth it I think!
@unversio
@Barracuda
@wiscot
@GogglesPizano
Did I miss anybody? Sorry if I did. Yeah they came out great. If you are interested, I will be doing a pre-production sale, like last year. $200 off the retail and that will be in Canadian funds, so it should stretch most people's dollars. Just trying to update everything on the web shop....slow going
@Dan_R
The look and design is spot on, well done.
Canadian to the AUD at the moment nearly on par.
@PeakInTwoYears
In theory, yes - differences in construction should result in different performance, at least in the lab. That's where all the "3% lighter, 7% laterally stiffer and 113% more vibration damping" marketing brochures come from. In practice, however, people can't even tell apart the much larger differences.
About a month ago, a guy on a different forum - experienced coach and Cat 1 roadie - debated between a Cervelo R3 (the pretty choice) or an S3 (the aero choice). He set out to test whether the claims that the S3 is "less comfortable" are true, or rather whether he could spot that difference. He rigged a ridiculous full-face helmet with sheets of cardboard to hide the bike, locked them in identical gears and had the shop mechanic switch between the bikes at will, and swap the same wheelset between the two. After 6 runs on a rough-paved loop, the error rate was 66% - admittedly not a high sample, but goes to show that the differences, if any, are not that significant.
@tessar
Thanks for that link. Very innerestin'. I guess I'm not completely surprised that we make up bullshit about what we think our bikes are doing underneath us when we can't tell one frame or wheelset from another in a blind test. Making up bullshit about minutiae must be 60% of our conscious activity, generally.
Best part of that article: the guy who worked for Zipp and conducted all these blind tests ends his remarks by saying "After doing this for a long time, my criteria for my personal bike is based almost entirely on paint and people behind the company who made it, everything else is components and tire pressure."
@Barracuda
get.in.fucking.line son! Don't be thinking they'll make their way down south without some shakedown time in the hills first!
"everything else is components and tire pressure."
@piwakawaka
I know, right?
@azryder
@PeakInTwoYears great article, aero is not only everything it's the only thing, dam ugly tho'
Had to quote the bike above because she's blimmin' loverly !! @azryder something looks a bit off with your saddle, maybe the angle of the shot?
@piwakawaka
Okay, yeah, I'll have a go, then. It's a beautiful bike! Rotate the bars a bit forward?