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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@chuckp
Oops. Hit submit before typing anything. Correction. It's a Trek Domane WSD.
@chuckp
After I posted I looked again, I thought it must be a VMW steed, but I wasn't convinced enough about the difference in the saddle heights to correct myself. Or care enough.
My wife's Bianchi looks like a child's bike next to my Felt.
@RobSandy
My wife's saddle height is almost the same as mine. But I have a long torso (relative to inseam length) and she has a short torso. So her bike is a smaller frame with a shorter top tube (plus relatively short stem). And due to bike crashes resulting in different neck/shoulder issues, she has to have her bars pretty high up (almost level with her saddle). Not very "pro" but I'm happy that she's able to ride a road bike. And happy when we go out on rides together.
@RobSandy
I've never elected to ride a carbon frameset either. There is still no need to change my investment and commitment from Columbus Tubi nivacrom steel to carbon. I need to see and feel lug construction. I'm with you in the sense that we can continue to rescue and save steel frames. Those experienced guys at the bike shop may have had a connection with steel, but did not have the passion to save your frameset. It would be expensive and something not to consider – maybe. It could be worth it despite those opinions. Realizing that it was just the bb becoming fused to the shell, someone could remedy that and bring it back to life. We should both get busy finding the "right" frame allover again.
@RobSandy
Looks like just the right size to keep a shrunken head.
@RobSandy
this reminds me of Roger Waters' Amused To Death (the actual song) where he included an interview, a story telling, the narrator wishes "there must have been something more that I could've done." Amused To Death re-release 2015 is very good and has a strong effect.
@chuckp
I'm curious to know if your wife has a similar penchant for handbags? (I am fortunate in that my wife is a minimalist) It might serve to explain the size of that thing on the top tube.
That said, it's great that she gets out and rides with you. Hopefully you have been leaving photos of The Divine Ms. V, Armistead, and Ferrand-Prevot laying around for her to notice and realize that proper jerseys really do look better than anything her friends are wearing to spin class.
@DeKerr
Nope. She's not really a purse girl/woman. But when she rides, she doesn't like stuff in her jersey pockets. Hence the top tube bag, which is actually more practical for her than a seat bag since she can put everything she needs, i.e., spare tube, tire levers, CO2, ID, phone, etc. in it. And as for proper jerseys ... What can I say? She just prefers sleeveless jerseys. That said, she's been known to wear a "normal" jersey. Even a proper one. :-)
@chuckp
Yeah, but sleeveless jerseys still have pockets, non? Does the "etc" imply a tent and a stove? (emoticon here)
@chuckp
I hear ya. My wife's madone had a "bento box" thing like that on the top tube. She could keep her gels, sunscreen and phone. Visually, an abomination. Luckily it "disappeared". Enough said.