Thankfully we've progressed beyond legwarmers made of baby buck sea monkeys.
Innovation is a beast that lurches in leaps and bounds, fueled by its own momentum and restrained by its own progress. It lays dormant for ages before springing to life and briefly disrupting the world around it. And, just as suddenly as it appeared, it ambles back to its cave to slumber once again.
Until 1984, eyewear protection in Cycling was governed by the same parameters that remedied the average librarian’s poor eyesight and kept airplane debris out of the Red Baron’s eyes. But then Oakley solved that problem and within a decade, the riders that had spent a century picking road grit out of their eyes universally were wearing badass shades that simultaneously made them 97% more intimidating and got them 74% more chicks.
That’s just one example. Have a look at Gino here, shadowed by his pal Fausto. On what was apparently a brisk morning during the Giro d’Italia, he had to have his mother stitch a pair of legwarmers together from what appears to be soft underbelly of baby buck sea monkeys. Or burlap sacs, although that seems a bit far-fetched. Not to mention his jersey and bibs are made of wool, which is a terrific material so long as it isn’t used anywhere where holding its shape when wet matters. And, although you can’t tell from this photo, he’s wearing oxfords – literally wearing dress shoes – with cleats nailed to the soles. I’m nostalgic for the look, but I’ll be fucked if I ever wear any of that on a bike, and not only because I’m fond of baby buck sea monkeys.
Right around the same time that Oakley was contemplating how to better shade a rider’s eyes, some bright spark at Castelli realized that elastic would do a better job accentuating a rider’s curves than wool ever could and the Lycra bibshort was born, forever changing the way Cyclists cultivated their tan lines. As with Sunnies Revolution, within the decade synthetic fabrics took over nearly every aspect of Cycling kit, with the Giro d’Italia being the last stronghold of the wool jersey and not giving way to a synthetic leader’s jersey until 1989. I might also mention that prior to the invention of the synthetic jersey, no one needed to install mudguards on their bikes because whenever it rained, wool jerseys stretched out below the saddle, making fenders unnecessary.
This innovation in kit was mirrored in bicycle technology, which had laid similarly dormant since the invention of the parallelogram derailleur. Seemingly all at once, aerodynamic equipment, composite frames, clipless pedals, and brifters arrived on the scene, easily making the 80’s the most innovative period in Cycling, apart from the 1880’s (when the bicycle as we know it today was actually invented).
In my own journey as a Velominatus, this was the most exciting time in the sport. The cyclic nature of innovation suggests that I will not see another such period in my lifetime, and 50-100 years is a long time to wait, unless you’re a Grail Knight. The problem with innovation, if we can call it a problem, is that disruptive change tends to polarize; we either love it or we hate it, and in order to accept accept change we have a tendency to reject the old in order to justify the new. The trouble is that we can’t tell the difference between innovation that solves a real problem and innovation that feels exciting because it’s different. But irrespective of that, legacy is brushed to the side and rejected as antiquity.
The Velominati are often accused of being luddites, praising the ride of steel and espousing the merits of wool over modern fabrics. But Legacy and Innovation are two ideals we hold equally in our hearts; we desire the latest, lightest carbon innovations as much as we cherish the steel rides we also keep in our stables. (Rule #12, remember?) We are judiciously skeptical of new developments like disc brakes and electronic shifting, but also re-evaluate what worked well in the past that perhaps doesn’t work as well today. I don’t see the need for electronic shifting, but admire the change in paradigm that SRAM’s eTap provides. And I will go kicking and screaming into the disc brake world, but if time demonstrates the value, I will change eventually.
Contradiction and myth occupy the gray space between absolutes where we find the most interesting revelations in life. I live in yesterday’s future; I have no intention of going back. But I will always respect those who have laid the path upon which I ride today.
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Having the ability to jump between wildly different eras in cycling via my new Force 22 equipped carbon bike, and my old steel Lotus has let me appreciate the convenience of indexed shifting. Though I would say there is a certain magic in executing a perfectly silent shift without interrupting your rhythm mid pedal stroke. An even more magical feeling is executing that perfectly silent shift from little ring back to big with downtube shifters. (Yes I know, I'd never need to do that if I lived in the Big Dog all day, but alas my Starter Pistols are still growing) I love both bikes for different reasons, and wouldn't think of parting with either.
I've never had to ride in a wool jersey, but I do love my merino base layer to bits. As a former Maine resident, and all around fan of being outside in winter, the superiority of wool for insulation is well established in my mind. Come summer however I also love me some lycra. I sweat an inhuman amount when the temps go up, and couldn't imagine dealing with wool in that condition. Breathability wins the day.
I guess in summary it would depend on my goals any given day. Riding to enjoy some dirt roads, get lost, and see new things? I take the steel bike every single time. Wanting to smash some buddies at the Saturday morning ride? Give me carbon.
I've never ridden a carbon framed bike.
I did used to have an old fashioned steel race bike that my father-in-law put flat bars on then gave to me. That had DT shifters, and as I used it for commuting I remember not really thinking about shifting. I certainly didn't look!
I knocked the pedal on a kerb, and some time later the whole crank snapped off the BB spindle - I'd cracked it and corrosion got inside. Bike shops I spoke to said there was no way to repair/replace any of the parts because it was so old but I wished I'd tried harder. Wish I still had that bike, actually.
I hung onto friction shifters until the mid aughts (2005 or whatever the hell we call that time period). Making the move to index, brake lever shifters completely changed my riding: from masher and infrequent shifter to spinner and frequent shifter.
I don't know about disc brakes, I try not to use my rim brakes now as it is. Maybe in 2025...
Steel (Reynolds 653, to be exact) ... check ... and still using a downtube shifter for the front derailleur
Carbon ... check
It's all good.
@chuckp
What's that....THING...on the top tube of your Trek?!
Talk of carbon vs. steel frames, downtube vs. brifter, etc makes me think of my record player.
I like listening to old vinyl records, and I've got some really great albums, but when I get in my car I don't haul out the turntable. That's what the phone is for. We embrace new technology (within reason, as Frank notes above) because it makes some aspect of our lives better and/or easier.
I doubt Merckx in his heyday would have turned his nose up at a full carbon rig with Di2 wireless. He'd have gotten on and crushed fools.
"I might also mention that prior to the invention of the synthetic jersey, no one needed to install mudguards on their bikes because whenever it rained, wool jerseys stretched out below the saddle, making fenders unnecessary."
This is exactly WHY mudguards were needed. It's exactly why an EPMS is needed. Wet wool, shit load of stuff in your back pockets - that's a mini dress not a jersey you're wearing. Once stretched, acrylic and wool stayed stretched.
Damn, Frank. As a historian I feel like I need to point out, based on your first sentence:
Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
I had to read this in graduate school and his biggest argument is that science(tech) changes not gradually, but in big leaps and jumps. Interesting idea, interesting book. The history of science and medicine was a reading field for my comp exams, so I read a bunch on this area, though I'm far from fully versed.
Cool to turn what I read there in school back towards bikes.
@RobSandy
That's my wife's Trek Madone WSD. Top tube bag that she puts her phone, ID, etc. in when she rides. Yes, she is a heathen (she loves wearing sleeveless jerseys). :-)
@chuckp