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

frank says:

Oct 6 2014 at 8:21 pm

@PeakInTwoYears

Somewhere in The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith-a scholar and great thinker that Murican tea-baggers love to reference in spite of never having a read a fucking word of his or knowing fuck-all about him or anything else in the fucking universe-remarks that the division of labor allows for some enormous number of pins to be manufactured in one place in n hours compared to some other place in which pin-makers make whole pins, but on the other hand it makes the people making the pin heads and the pin shafts and the pin points into something more like Gumboot chitons or tea-baggers.

This tension between collective and individual capacities is the most interesting thread of our species' story, in my opinion.

I'm not sure about the Wealth of Nations (I'm such a hack I only italicized it because you did; I basically have no education that stuck) but I'm fascinated by the question of outsourcing and its efficiency. Less expensive labor versus the management overhead not to mention the moral question of keeping labor and wealth within the local market (local being defined generally to one's context of interest).

I'd like to say I have an answer but profitability and ideals are ever at each other's odds.
frank says:

Oct 6 2014 at 8:25 pm

@wilburrox

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.

I'm having electronic fantasies, let there be no doubt. I think the point is to remember what it takes to shift gear more so than how its being done. We want the advantage but need the connection. If I ever go electronic again (and manage to shake off my post-mektronic-stress disorder) I will justify it by returning to dt shifters every so often and flubbing a gear change or two.
frank says:

Oct 6 2014 at 8:31 pm

@retrorider_83

@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.

I recently had the chance to have @gianni ride one of my bikes, which was the first time I'd seen it ridden. Until then, all I'd ever seen were photos of me on it (and the odd video) but mostly it was sitting in my workshop. For the majority of time, I was on it, not seeing it. I care about the color when I am not riding it more than I do when I'm on it. When I'm on it, I'm more obsessed with the feel.

If we get to ride together, I'll let you take her out. I'll care more about the color then than you will.

The Rules offer a complex path to walk; so defined and so subtle at once. You will learn to find the way, Pedalwan.

Welcome aboard; we're going to have some serious fun yelling at eachother, I can tell already.
frank says:

Oct 6 2014 at 8:38 pm

@Ccos

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.

The point on selecting gears is a good one; I found I'd gotten into this pattern where I needed to be in "just the right cadence". In the last several seasons I've spent so much more time in the dirt that I've gotten used to riding at 40rpm just the same as 120rpm. Its very liberating; you have to learn to pedal in different styles but those styles wind up being useful in all sorts of different riding scenarios.

Back to the single speed/fixie point brought up earlier, its all about commitment; are you the chicken or the pig?

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.

And possibly also more beers.
frank says:

Oct 6 2014 at 8:42 pm

@freddy

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.

Excellent point. More proof that we should all ride low positions.

@Rob

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.

The V is strong with this one. There's a mate I've got in SFO you need to meet.
frank says:

Oct 6 2014 at 8:52 pm

@Haldy

@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.

That is a fair enough point and in my amazingly intuitive Dutch ability to morph an argument to my favor, proves the point I'm making in the article; you have to understand the basic workings of the underlying system in order to understand the complex system built upon it.

A friction shifter, for all intents and purposes, has the barrel adjuster of the RD built into the lever; you pull the lever to tension the cable and move the derailleur up the cogs. Too much and you overshift, too little and you undershift. That cascades to the brifters and ultimately gets turned into hocus-pocus with some totally different operation of solenoids and whateverthefuck.

Nevertheless the experience of the stone age informs the wisdom of the silicon age.
Haldy says:

Oct 6 2014 at 9:13 pm

@frank

@Haldy

@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.

That is a fair enough point and in my amazingly intuitive Dutch ability to morph an argument to my favor, proves the point I'm making in the article; you have to understand the basic workings of the underlying system in order to understand the complex system built upon it.

A friction shifter, for all intents and purposes, has the barrel adjuster of the RD built into the lever; you pull the lever to tension the cable and move the derailleur up the cogs. Too much and you overshift, too little and you undershift. That cascades to the brifters and ultimately gets turned into hocus-pocus with some totally different operation of solenoids and whateverthefuck.

Nevertheless the experience of the stone age informs the wisdom of the silicon age.

I agree with your amazing Dutchery and the conversion of points. I was in essence agreeing with you the whole time...there is an artistry to shifting and those of us( you and I apparently) who have learned the fine art of shifting via friction shifters will always be able to make whatever system we ride, be it Ergo, STI, Double-Tap, or Di2...yes..probably even soon enough wireless shifting, sing in it's smoothness.
cognition says:

Oct 6 2014 at 9:18 pm

While we've been through this before, I'd have to post a nod towards the celeste side of the argument for Bianchi's.

What really kills me, though, is the unicrown fork. Get a proper flat or semi-sloping fork crown on that beauty, for fuck's sake.
markb says:

Oct 7 2014 at 12:36 am

@frank

A friction shifter, for all intents and purposes, has the barrel adjuster of the RD built into the lever; you pull the lever to tension the cable and move the derailleur up the cogs. Too much and you overshift, too little and you undershift. That cascades to the brifters and ultimately gets turned into hocus-pocus with some totally different operation of solenoids and whateverthefuck.

Nevertheless the experience of the stone age informs the wisdom of the silicon age.

Have to agree with this. I'm always amazed when I see some City-boy commuter on a £10k bike wondering why their drive-chain is shagged after trying to change gear when stationary. Electronic, index etc. are all great innovations, but if you don't know what they are actually doing you'll make bad mistakes and one day end up 50 miles away from home with a rear mech wrapped round your £200 spokes. I promise I will laugh as I (slowly) pass by.
RVester says:

Oct 7 2014 at 1:07 am
@ChrisO

The critical question for me is whether the hard way offers some advantage - it may be quality, cost or beauty but if you do it just for the fact that it is more difficult then it's a bit masturbatory.

Shaving for example - a safety razor is better than a cartridge but a straight edge blade is just for the sake of telling people you use one.

Tea, coffee and beer also seem to give rise to these questions.

I do not know about tea. I don't know if there is a hard way with beer.

However, I do take offense at the implied notion that coffee doesn't get better with effort. I'll discuss espresso since that's the preferred way to drink coffee for a cyclist. the most labor intensive way to pull a shot is done with a lever machine. These machines combine mechanical simplicity, thermal equilibrium and pressure profile perfectly. The advantages of a lever group cascade through the design of the entire machine. I'll explain (taking all kinds of shortcuts since there is a ridiculous amount of variation within the subset 'lever machines')

A key advantage is the pumping of hot water, instead of cold water as in an electric machine. An electric machine pumps cold water into a boiler, or into a heat exchanger after which water of roughly the correct temperature comes out, and then your temperature depends on external variables. A lever machine pumps brew temperature water, and only pressurizes a small part of the machine, leading to reduced chance of failure/less required material in the rest of the machine. A lever group allows for mechanical tuning of the pressure profile and the temperature profile. An electric machine needs complicated electronics to do any sort of profiling. Also, the lack of pump and the lack of electronics mean that for the same external volume, a lever machine can pack a larger boiler or more insulation. Which leads to an increased duty cycle, more steaming power and less power use.

I understand if you're not impressed by just some guy on the internets, so I've compiled a list people also thinking lever espresso machines are better:
- The entire city of Naples
- Kees van der Westen (http://www.keesvanderwesten.com/mirage-idrocompresso.html)
- The H-B lever machines subforum