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.

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View Comments

Teocalli says:

Oct 8 2014 at 3:40 am

@Ken Ho

Do people really have that much trouble changing gears on a bike ? FFS, it's 2015. The average housewife can fire up a computer and construct web-pages that baffle me, but a bunch of middle-aged twats in lycra get confounded by a derailleur gear ? It's about as complicated as the horse-collar, not the horse.

Well, on Ride London the first serious hill is at Newland's Corner. My LBS has a service stand there the two years it has been run. Judging by the number of trashed mechs they have apparently repaired both years then the answer may be surprisingly - Yes.
Ken Ho says:

Oct 8 2014 at 4:00 am

@Teocalli

That's mildly fucking depressing. I was contemplating this subject on the ride I just did, between posts. There was a small hill just before the turn-around that a mate and I have been known to have a wee race up. I found myself changing down gears while giving it the Standing V, possibly sneaking in some secret training (though I'm not admitting to that), and without any particular application of technique, the changes were seamless. OK, so I anticipated the gradient, and changed before I was mashing too hard, but otherwise, the mech just worked. Italian stuff has come a long way. The lights on a Ducati don't even go out half way around a corner any more. Mind you, my Record was set up by a German dude who knows his Campag and it's definitely the tits.
markb says:

Oct 8 2014 at 4:15 am

@Teocalli

Well, on Ride London the first serious hill is at Newland's Corner. My LBS has a service stand there the two years it has been run. Judging by the number of trashed mechs they have apparently repaired both years then the answer may be surprisingly - Yes.

The owner of my LBS was on the l'Ã‰tape du Tour 2014 this year, I quote from an article he blogged:

I was surprised, so early on, to see lots of dejected riders sitting by the sides of the road on the climbs - most had torn off their rear derailleurs and buckled their rear wheels, and for at least a couple this had sent an expensive derailleur smashing through an even more expensive carbon fibre frame! Just putting my mechanic's hat on for a moment, it really is a strong reminder to check your gear adjustments

Full article: http://www.ratracecycles.com/2014/07/letape-du-tour-2014/
wilburrox says:

Oct 8 2014 at 4:26 am

@conrad

I still use down tube shifters. Even on my race bike. I can shift easily whenever I want to, even on a hill, using the same skills that you would use with any other shifting system. Its not hard when you are used to it. So easy to set up, lightweight, very little maintenance required. What is not to like?

The thing about electronic shifting.... you are screwed if the battery dies. And if you ride long enough, or forget to charge them up, it is just a matter of time.

It only happens once. And before it totally dies your FD shifts to the little ring and stays there. You have plenty of juice to get home using the RD from where ever you are. The real kick in the ass is when you leave home with your bike in the van and the battery on the charger in the garage. That only happens once too. And, that's fixed by using an internal down tube battery that's charged with USB connector to the junction box.

When you're ready to give up the down tube shifters and get a new bike, trust me, just skip the whole index shifting/STI lever thing and go straight to button mashing Di2. 11 speed. With hydraulic brakes. And carbon wheels. Cheers.
Buck Rogers says:

Oct 8 2014 at 6:42 am

@frank

@ Posers are posers (we've been accused of it more times than I care to consider) but when the emotion is genuine, then its authentic.

THIS! And if you really want to know if someone is a poser, or even worse, a Hater (someone that derides someone or something b/c secretly they want to be or do what the other is doing but they do not have the guts/ability to do it) then bring a kid into the scene. Kids can instinctively call out Bullshit soooo much better than any adult I have ever met.

And emotion and passion, when sincere, are just such beautiful things to behold. Wish I could bottle them up and drink them when I am lacking either.
Buck Rogers says:

Oct 8 2014 at 6:46 am

@Gibson

Hi All - first post here, so let me preface by acknowledging my awe at your collective knowledge and commitment to the essence of cycling. I've found that the Rules become more true as one spends more and more time on the bike.

All I have to add here is an example of personal experience. Because of a last-minute packing decision during a coast-to-coast move, my only bike with Ergos remains in storage and I now must choose between indexed downtube shifters (Superbe Pro as it happens) and friction downtube shifters...and I am convinced that the advantage of being able to shift front/rear simultaneously and across multiple cogs goes a long way to counter the benefit of being able to shift while standing. I did my first 200 km in the Vermont mountains a couple weekends ago - friction shifters and half dirt roads, and pure joy.

A fellow VERMONTER!!! EXCELLENT!!! Do you live there permanently now? We should ride together sometime soon. I actually live in West Point, NY but I am from VT and visit often and will be moving back in 5.5 years forEVER. Email me at kbaldwin00@hotmail.com if you want to try to set something up in the future. I have an old steel Motorola Team Issue Eddy Merckx from 1995 with all period DA groupsan and Mavic wheels. Would love to toil over some back roads with you sometime!
Gibstone says:

Oct 8 2014 at 7:11 am

@Buck Rogers

Alas, I'm an up-rooted Vermonter as well...live in NYC for the time being. My folks still live there (Jericho) and I usually make it up a few times a year. Vermont is great for riding - I was up there for a brevet in late September. I'd for sure be up for it if we can get it coordinated. gibson719@gmail.com.

Your Merckx sounds sweet with that setup - is that your primary ride? Mine is cut from the same cloth. I'm on a 1990 RB-1 with Superbe Pro and also Mavic wheels. It's (ahem) over-geared for real mountains - it hails from the days when a 42x26 was considered sufficient for hill climbing - but down here in NY it's just about ideal.

Thanks for the welcome guys, great site.
Gibstone says:

Oct 8 2014 at 7:39 am

@frank

@Gibson

Hi All - first post here, so let me preface by acknowledging my awe at your collective knowledge and commitment to the essence of cycling. I've found that the Rules become more true as one spends more and more time on the bike.

All I have to add here is an example of personal experience. Because of a last-minute packing decision during a coast-to-coast move, my only bike with Ergos remains in storage and I now must choose between indexed downtube shifters (Superbe Pro as it happens) and friction downtube shifters...and I am convinced that the advantage of being able to shift front/rear simultaneously and across multiple cogs goes a long way to counter the benefit of being able to shift while standing. I did my first 200 km in the Vermont mountains a couple weekends ago - friction shifters and half dirt roads, and pure joy.

Ok, first of all, I had a minor reading orgasm when I read "Superbe Pro Friction Shifters" (it might not have been in that order, orgasms - even small reading ones - tend to distort time and order.

One of my great regrets in life is that SunTour went out of business and that I didn't keep any of my Superbe Pro stuff - glorious stuff that worked like a horse.

And if you ride Campa, you can still enjoy the pleasures of shifting multiple gears on both the front and read - all while standing if you have some skill.

Ah, Suntour. I lament their passing as well. Even the S.P. is invisible to most cyclists these days - I suppose it just looks old to them - but every so often in a group ride, some wise and cagey veteran squints at the rear derailer and asks, "is that...Suntour?" and then their eyes move to the brakes, then the crank, then the DT shifters. I love those days.
eenies says:

Oct 8 2014 at 8:51 am

@markb Thanks for posting that link to the Rat Race Blog, it's the best piece I've seen about the horror that was this years Etape. Rule#9 is of no consolation when you are colder than you have ever been on a bike but at least I got round with my bike intact, although my rims were fucked from all that wet braking.
rfreese888 says:

Oct 8 2014 at 8:55 am

I think there should be a rule that says 'though shalt own a bike with down tube shifters as part of your stable'