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.
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32 year young Shimano Altus LT shifters that still work flawlessly. Uhhh, relatively speaking. Though the "novelty" wears off pretty quickly it is fun keeping up the chops so to speak and jumping on the old bike every now and then. This cat I ride with operates old Campy down tubes on his collection of Italian bikes w/one hand shifting both front and rear at same time. Smooth. Don't mistake me for getting romantic or nostalgic for the old stuff. This past w/e I was having one of those rides where I was wondering if could get any more perfect than Di2. I flat out love Di2.
@ChrisO
I think it comes down to how you define value; if you get pleasure or enjoyment out of it, for me that is value. In fact, when it comes to something like Cycling, getting pleasure and enjoyment is basically the maximum value possible.
Also, have you tried masterbating? You might have answered your own question.
@robkhoo
My friend Doug has the same love; something about the momentum. Singlespeeds don't offer the same benefit but are similarly minimalistic and still require the rider to be committed.
@Teocalli
Yeah, and if you're driving cross-country, you're taking the fucking BMW. Same with the bikes; I ride my dt bike only on days I'm out for a joy ride and it is just that. If its serious, there's no way I'm giving up my carbon and brifters. But that doesn't mean there isn't pleasure isn't there when you use it.
@Ken Ho
Apply some alcohol to the worker and some acetone to the rim when you make mistakes. And if you get it wrong, just take if off and start again with a fresh layer of glue. Good luck!
I have ridden electro, integrated brake shifters too and every time when I get back to my old girl (she's a blue Bianchi but labeled Bertoni!) with down tubees I am relieved and calmed. Electric was the tits, sure, smooth, bullet proof. Integrated I do not like, it never seems to get past it's cleverness.
Aside from not liking the mechanical feel on the integrated, both modern systems are way too complex. My shifting is simple and accurate and virtually maintenance free. Yes if I win the lottery, I mean the BIG one I will get a Felt with Di2 and along with spending 14 thou it will be maintained by an on call mechanic.
Until then I find I am at no disadvantage with the carbon boys, I do not covet their rides, nor their ability to shift without taking hands off the bars.
@frank Edoardo is rolling over in his grave after hearing you say that about his signature color. And he woke up Fausto in the process. At least you had the smarts in school. You'd probably buy a Ferrari in something other than Red. Wrong is just wrong. Gotta be a rule somewhere regarding that? Keep your nose into the wind brother and ride that red thing like ya stole it.
Merckx I miss friction shifters. You could always tell the noob by the clank-clank-clank of their efforts trying to find the right gear. And with only 5 or 6 gears you had to be a little more selective in your choices. That said, the electronic crap is taking away from the newer skill of being able to shift under power without making a mess of your cogset.
AND YES, modern life has stripped away any Dawinian influences much to the detriment of our species. We coddle way too many people- people who would have been eaten by bears a thousand years ago.... We need more bears.
As I'm incrementally working on Rule 45 compliance and spending more time in the drops, the "hard way" almost seems more natural than flicking your finger at the brake lever--the down tube is right there within easy reach.
@frank -
"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 would contest this point a bit. Modern drive trains do require a bit of skill to shift, although not as much as in the past. I would suggest that without really noticing you still probably enact all the needs of making a good shift with a friction system when shifting gears in your modern system. I see many..many results of bad shifting skill( with modern..even the electronic..) at the shop. Broken chains, dropped chains, bent chain rings(!!) and carved up carbon frames( from those dropped chains). What the modern systems have helped us with are shifting more often since the controls are at our fingertips. With them a finger stab away we can keep our cadence in the optimum range more easily by constantly shifting. But, more shifting and wonderfully designed chain ring cutouts, profiled teeth, etc., still don't make up for the artistry of paying attention of when to shift. I bet you could roll along in any group and see what I am talking about if you pay attention.
I was rolling along with the team that my shop sponsors on my pre-work spin Sunday morning...and let me tell you, I could tell you who the old guys on the team were, and those new to the sport( as in post STI/ERGO) just by the shifting noises. And these guys are all on the same bikes and component groups.