Categories: NostalgiaTradition

The Hard Way

Doing things the hard way is a luxury. It says to the world that we’ve beat evolution; intelligence is no match for technology and economy is no match for indulgence. We need only step a bit outside our bubble to realize the scale of the illusion, but nevertheless it has become reality for many of us who live our lives happily and fortunately in the middle and upper classes of the developed world where survival has nothing whatsoever to do with being the fittest.

One of the things that struck me within weeks of moving to the Pacific Northwest was the frequency with which people die here; not from disease (although Ebola can go fuck itself, pardon my francais) but from tucking into the wilderness for some weekend relaxation. The PNW has some of the world’s biggest cities, but most of it is untamed wilderness – including radical weather systems, cougars, rattlesnakes, bear, The Sasquatch, and possibly ManBearPig. This place will mess you up, son; your GPS or iPhone isn’t going to be your savior.

The first-hand experience of the realities of a system provides a more intimate learning tool than does the passive observation, although in an evolutionary sense the latter is the more effective method for the survival of a species; our ancestors learned to stay away from bees by watching the guy who drew the short straw poke at a hive and die from anaphylactic shock without needing to then poke at the hive themselves. Nevertheless the tangible nature of repercussions forges an indelible bond between action and result.

It is also interesting that complexity and abstraction are inversely bound; the more complex the system, the farther the user is removed from its operation. The simplicity of the friction downtube shifter is in sharp contrast to the complexity of an electronic drivetrain. My steel bike has friction downtube shifters, a fact that makes itself especially well known while climbing. To shift requires planning and skill; I have to find a part of the climb where I can be seated, unload the chain, and shift by feeling the chain as it slides across the block and listen for the telltale silence when the chain is securely seated back onto an adjacent cog. At that point, I’m committed to that gear until the climb grants me the next opportunity to shift. On Bike #1, I can shift under full load at my whim and without consequence. The artistry of shifting is lost, though I wouldn’t go back to downtube shifters on any bike I plan to ride seriously.

I love the contrast of evolution and tradition in the modern racing bicycle, with carbon tubulars being perhaps the most fitting contrast where the most modern technology is dependent on the oldest form of affixing a tire to a rim. Gluing on a set of tubular tires is no longer a necessary skill in our sport with good clinchers being readily available. Gluing tubs takes time and careful attention, two things that are in short supply in our modern society. But to glue on a set of tires brings you closer to the machine and from where our sport has progressed. To build a set of wheels does so even more, and I imagine building a frame by hand builds the ultimate bond to our history.

We live at a time when the things that are irrelevant to survival take on their own crucial importance; we return to tradition in order to remember where we came from so we may understand where we are going. Doing things the hard way is a beautiful way to remind ourselves of the history that built the luxuries we surround ourselves with.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

Next Where Have You Been All My Life? »

Previous « Kermis: To Carbone or Not To Carbone-That is No Longer The Question

View Comments

the Engine says:

Oct 11 2014 at 11:07 am

@frank

@wilburrox

@piwakawaka

@ChrisO

@Ken Ho

@ChrisO

@Teocalli As he says... "of most interest to people doing triathlon and TTs. "

No further comment needed.

Long course tri is so demanding that even the effort of changing gears becomes significant after a while.

And this is why electronics are wrong.

Just to show I put my money where my mouth is - I'm in the process of buying a Giant Trinity TT bike which I can get near cost price through our team sponsor, who is the Giant and Shimano distributor.

I've ordered the Advanced 1 with mechanical Ultegra not the 0 with Di2.

I already feel criminal just at the thought of using fishing tackle.

good god, changing gear is part of being a cyclist, if we have an 'auto' doing that for us, we are losing part of the joy, I said before I don't mind it in other applications, MTB, CX, Fatbike etc , but being able to change gear while fucked and redlining on the limit is all part of what we do, the heathens are at the gates, don't buy that shit, it only encourages 'em.

Shimano's new XTR electronic for mtb can be operated with one shifter.

Have you noticed the state of mountain biking? Most are 1x drives - which means any MTB drivetrain can be operated with one shifter.

In fact, a fixie can be operated with none.

Wonder what a V-Bike with a single ring would look like in a race?
PeakInTwoYears says:

Oct 11 2014 at 4:40 pm

@the Engine

Wonder what a V-Bike with a single ring would look like in a race?

Right at home? At least in this race.
Haldy says:

Oct 11 2014 at 5:11 pm

@PeakInTwoYears

@the Engine

Wonder what a V-Bike with a single ring would look like in a race?

Right at home? At least in this race.

A V-bike in a race..? Wouldn't that be any track bike..?
Haldy says:

Oct 11 2014 at 5:30 pm

Meant..V-bike with a single ring in a race...
PeakInTwoYears says:

Oct 11 2014 at 7:58 pm

@the Engine

Love seeing Jeremy over there leading us out in his Carhartts and Filson oilskin jacket. Dude's a hell of an organizer and a great guy and a snappy dresser.
frank says:

Oct 12 2014 at 10:46 am

@the Engine

How'd it go offroad on those skinny tires?

@Haldy

Very Pro. You even make that Giro look cool. But those bars are still massively fucked.
Haldy says:

Oct 12 2014 at 12:40 pm

@frank

@the Engine

How'd it go offroad on those skinny tires?

@Haldy

Very Pro. You even make that Giro look cool. But those bars are still massively fucked.

I love how they confound you so....
Ron says:

Oct 13 2014 at 3:30 am

Time and careful attention. Every time I teach I become more convinced that these two things are going to be absolute relics for most folks with access to a smart phone and/or wifi. Heck, even just a huge t.v. with 300 channels.

I think anyone who can focus on a task for five, or even ten whole minutes, is going to have a serious leg up on everyone else. Most people are completely unable to not know something and ponder it for a few minutes.

I know I'm not the only one who walks away from a group of people at a party or gathering when something is unknown and five people pull out their phones. I've also taken to telling people, as they go for the grab, "It's cool. I don't have to know right now."

What's so awful about not knowing a small bit of data for a bit, then having the desire to come back to it at a later time, think about it some more, then maybe go search for the answer?
Ron says:

Oct 13 2014 at 3:34 am

Ah, shifters. Nice timing! I'm considering a shifter swap on my do-it-all commuter. It's a cross bike with full fenders, 30mm tires and 9-speed 105 shifters on drop bars. But, I'm never in the drops and I often ride with two full panniers. Hmm, some slightly rising bars with rapid fire shifters might be a nice change. Riding in traffic with two bags of groceries makes the upright position and easier shifting reach a nice option. Plus, I have a bunch of road bikes. I don't have a roadie set up with riser bars and rapid fire shifters. And, I can always go back if I don't dig it.
Haldy says:

Nov 10 2014 at 8:08 am

@frank

I have been pondering this for a bit since we briefly discussed it( and since I have been gluing a bunch of nice tires/wheels at work lately), and it falls in under doing things the "hard" or maybe Proper way..I think we need to have an addition to the Rules. I propose Rule 96..No Tubular Tape!