In most situations, silence is an ominous thing that signals impending doom. Having never been in any danger myself, I base this largely on my experience watching box-office movies. As a general rule, I use Hollywood as the principal source of information on all subjects as they relate to doom and politics, principally because I’m loath to do any “reading” or “research” of my own; the more thinking an actor or actress can do for me, the better. The more glamorous they look, the more trustworthy they are.
For the Cyclist, however, silence signals efficiency. Noise is loss; every creak, squeak, click, clack, groan, moan, or other emanation of sound from our machine or body is energy escaping the system. Energy that we put into the system through hard-fought application of The V. That includes uncontrolled, dog-like panting or wheezing, and the creaking and clicking of body parts, by the way.
Sound is energy carried on waves of vibrating air. Sound escaping our bicycle or body as a consequence of us applying pressure to the pedals is evidence that some portion of our energy is being expended to produce noise instead of moving us forward. This makes noise intolerable and infuriating in equal measure and in extreme circumstances may precipitate a Rule #65-violating Millarcopter. Drivetrain noise means loss with every link of the chain that passes through the derailleur and over a cog. A click in the bottom bracket or a creaking in the cleat signals energy poured into compression of bearings or plastic, not speed. Wheezing or panting indicates air converted from V-giving breath into the useless rattling of a larynx.
Silence the machine, control your breathing into a steady, muscle-fueling source, and maximum V will follow. The mind fixates on noises and is distracted from The Work; it is only through the Principle of Silence that we may find Rule #6.
But riding a quiet bike is far from riding in the silent vacuum that signals impending danger. On the contrary, a silent bike submits us to the genuine beauty of our Sport: the whisper of the wind in our ear, the song of a bird who encourages us along our way, the crisp click of a perfect shift, the rhythmic patter of rain on our helmet, cap, or the tarmac as we carve our path along La Vie Velominatus.
But the most beautiful sound of Cycling has come to me late in my life as a Velominatus. My reluctance to ride sew-ups has for many years denied me the sublime sound of a handmade tubular rolling along the road. This world opened up to me early last year when I finally built a set of Golden Tickets for my introduction to the Hell of the North. This year, almost by accident, I wound up riding my Café Roubaix Arenbergs for all of Keepers Tour 2013, glued to the best set of tires available – the FMB Partis-Roubaix. The amplifying qualities of the deep-section carbon rim allows the supple hum of the handmade tubular to sing like Merckx’s mighty rollers upon the rock of Mount Velomis.
This sound inspires. It is a reason to get out to ride. It is a reason to be a Cyclist. This sound is a reason to live.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@wiscot
I like to ride with nugget potatoes roasted with sea salt, pepper, and olive oil. They're cheap, easy, hit the gullet and get absorbed instantly. I'll also bring along some balsamic tomato crackers, a bar, a handful of almonds, and some EPO laced Stinger chews. Mid velo I'll stop at the always rule 56 compliant Musette Cafe. They even have menu items for delicate flowers like me with food allergies.
Any ride over 90 minutes or so and you'll need to eat. If you don't you'll blow up and your body will start eating away at muscle. Ever get in the shower apres velo and all you can smell is ammonia? That's your body eating muscle instead of fat. Eat carbs! If you don't you'll run a calorie deficit, get home, and eat All The Things, making you even fatter.
Here's me wishing there was an easy way to bring sauerkraut on a ride:
(sorry my glasses are askew, this is after climbing 3500m)
Mid velo respite:
Apres velo:
Recommendations for mid-velo full on mini-meal at a cafe or such?
@wiscot
East Maui Loop; 170km, 2200km. Bidons: 2. Food: none. Pace: moderate. Lost one bidon on the bumpy section but did refill the other one once.
That's training.
@Ron
Everyone gets bored on a long, solo ride. The trick is not minding that it hurts. Training alone is about exploring the darkest corners of yourself. On a 12 hour solo ride, things get very musty in the ol' mind. Doubt, obsession on the inconsequential, highs, lows. Its a beautiful thing that inspires one to become a better person.
I don't do those rides solo for the enjoyment of it, I do it because of how I feel afterwards. I do enjoy them, but at this point I can't separate the reward of having pushed myself to do something like that from the enjoyment of a long day on the bike. A group ride of that length gives you other things, but when you drop the flashlight deep in the pain cave, you would be alone even if you were riding through Times Square.
@mcsqueak
squeekers, my c24 dura ace wheels were chirping a while back.. I was sure it was the bearings, took it to my lbs and they put a dot of tri flow on each spoke where it meets the rim. No more noise. The guy said you always have a problem at the interface of two different materials like metal and carbon. Now I do the same oh every once in a while and the noise has not returned.
@ Frank. I like that...so true about being all alone in the pain cave. I like the fact that my minds wanders on a solo ride but I love that state of meditation on a group ride when following a wheel or going to the front and nobody is talking. Just concentrating on the job in hand and not thinking about anything else. 4 hrs can vanish in no time at all doing that.
@DerHoggz
Breakfast panini with egg/ham/english muffin. Carbs/protein/fat, not sweet, easy to digest. Worked the trick today.
Long solo rides can begin to feel like you've been dropped and no one gives a shit. Then you dwell on every negative aspect of your existence and consider chucking this stupid fucking sport of all suffering, and for what? Super cathartic to let that stuff percolate out of your psyche so you have room for more positive stuff to flood in.
Unless your squeak suddenly turns into an exploded bottom bracket, as happened on my old Bianchi, after which anger and resignation get to hang out for a while. At least you're the only one truly inconvenienced, a minor blessing.
@paolo
Absolutely right, matey. Silently suffering together, it is a beautiful thing.
The fact is, Cycling is beautiful in all its forms, except recumbentism.
@mcsqueak
Check the spokes, as @paolo suggests, but also the skewers and the spacers between cogs, though those generally seem to emanate as creaks more than clicks. The skewers are a deadly thing as well; they can really creak, especially after a rainy winter. Take them apart, and grease them before any further panicking.
Oh, and axels should have a little play in them - you don't want them perfectly tight.
@frank
A few year back I did a group charity ride - 1000km's over 5.5 days at ave 30 kmph - about 36 riders. My most memorable moment from that ride was the sound of the collective wheels - a dull roar really - no one talking, just "silently suffering together", but remembering that rumble coming from the group still sends a shiver through me. Great article!
I tried to relate that