Gone the way of the frame pump
Returning to your roots can be both a rewarding and sobering experience. The nostalgia one feels for the halcyon days of youth, the memories of carefree times in the sun with the only concern to make it home in time for dinner, the hidden alleyways and secret spots where the bike would take you and not another soul in the world would know your whereabouts. To return to those very places only to find that they are gone, buried, replaced or neglected beyond redemption is a slap in the face, as if to say, times change, the past is gone, move on.
These past few weeks spent back in the stomping grounds of my childhood, youth and most of my adult life have reinforced a few things: some memories last forever, others are wiped fairly quickly, and sometimes the grass really is greener etc. Other times, the grass is burnt brown and crisp, but it’s still grass. Even with the ‘better’ choices we have in all aspects of our lives, there remains a certain romanticism and sense of ‘doing it right’ that comes with utilising the very things that were once themselves new and exciting. Like driving a Triumph Stag, or pedalling trails that you last rode under power of internal combustion in the 80s, or drinking a coffee in a building that was last used to vend goods in the 70s…
And shifting your Bicycle’s gears by taking your hand off the bars, reaching down and moving a lever.
Although it may be easier to push a button on an electronic device to play a song or shift gears, the ritualistic quality of placing a vinyl disc on a turntable or manipulating a lever and cable to achieve the same result still seems that much more… cool. We strive to Look Pro, but feeling Pro is so much harder to accomplish, even with the same equipment available to us. Jump on an 80s steel frame with 8 speeds controlled by down tube shifters, and immediately the Pro-ness quotient is doubled or tripled. Sure, you may need to employ a bit more coaxing to perfectly mesh chain and cog; granted you’ll be looking for an even lower gear that just doesn’t exist; fair enough you’ll struggle to keep up with the electronic carbon freaks as they beep and blip away up the road.
But they’ll never be cool. Not proper cool. Not Greg Lemond-playing-The Cure-on-a-Walkman-while-climbing-l’Alpe-in-the-19t cool. While those days may appear to be well behind us, we can still honour them and transport ourselves back in time by simply reaching down, not only into our memories but to a pair of small articulated levers, and shifting consciousness.
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Looks like the tape is good old Tressostar adhesive cotton.
I run it too, don't dump on the horrendous tape job, I did that late at night after far too much wine and has now been done properly.
@Joe Cline, @chuckp
Excuse me both: a true "Velominati" would know "Velominati" is plural and that the singular form is "Velominatus".
Fuck sake, sometimes I feel like I'm speaking into an empty drum.
@frank
Hey @Frank Try not to be such an old fuck!
Since I missed saying it in the discussion on Rule #30, the fade paint job on that bike is absolutely tits.
Can't find a photo at the moment and the light here is shit so I can't take a reasonable photo - but I recently upgraded my Campa Syncros shifters on my Bianchi TSX to Simplex and its amazing how much more smoothly they shift.
I don't miss my DT shifters - a fact that is pronounced every time I ride the TSX, having to sit down in the steepest bit of the climb so I can shift - but it does exemplify the beauty of being connected to your machine. A DT shifter reminds you how much work it takes to shift gear; you have to sit, ease off the gear so you can shift the chain over across presumably straight-edged cogs. Then ease it back into the next gear, subtly finding the perfect position for the lever where the gear is noiseless.
I don't miss having a DT shifter when I'm riding day to day, but I appreciate being reminded of what it means to shift in the same way I appreciate gluing tubs on to remind you of what it means to ride along on a curtain of air.
These beautiful things in life shouldn't be easy to come by; they should be a struggle.
@Chuckp
You're going to have to try harder than that.
https://youtu.be/J2qHbEriQ6A?t=1m41s
@frank
I don't miss my rear DT shifter in the least bit. But I can get on just fine with my DT front shifter and rear STI when I ride my Hollands. Yes, it takes a fraction more time to shift the front. But I love being able to trim the front derailleur just right. Admittedly, a DT front shifter is a PITA when you have to double shift both the front and rear, but that's really rare for me.
@frank
I could never resist finishing a clean shift with a little twist on the fixing bolt too just to tighten up a bit on the committed gear.
@wilburrox
Kind of like under-tensioning a guitar string and bringing it back up to tune, knowing the extra tension will help keep it in tune when you're fucking bringing the vibe later.
@brett
Why are you holding the frame pump (ZEFAL?!!?!!?) with your hand while shifting? You are a mere child.
Been running a DT shifter on the right hand side of the winter bike for the last few years in able to use an assortment of old shit wheels