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.
There is no place for electronic shifting in cycling – it should most definitely be a Rule.
There is no place for electronic shifting in ROAD cycling – it should most definitely be a Rule.
I quite like the idea of it for MTB, thin edge of the wedge as far as road goes, power steering, ABS disc, energy capture servo’s – all just around that next perfect bend, don’t encourage the f*ckers don’t buy that shit.
@RVester god I miss my 3 group lever action machine!
On shifting skills, the early miles of L’eroica Brit this summer were amusing. At the start of each transition to a climb I’d pass groups of excruciating mechanical grinding sounds accompanied by a chorus of; Shit, Bollocks, Oh Crap (and worse) cutting out those who had ridden miles on friction shifters continuing uphill vs those who had not and who probably had just borrowed a bike for he event. Inevitably with groups then having to do a static gear change and a following hill start.
@Ken Ho
While acetone won’t do anything to the actual carbon fiber, it does attack and break down the resins that hold everything together.
@DeKerr
Or sock length
Or sock color
Or whether one should wear a helmet
ad infinitum . . . that what makes this site fun. We could be like other sites on which 95% of the comments generally fall into the “he’s doping for sure” vein. Some riders we’ll never know if they juiced or not, but damn we can all see the length and color of their socks.
Oh, and by the way, I remember dt shifters, wool clothing, toe clips and straps and 7 speed freewheels with some nostalgia, but I ain’t going back there. A bit of old school every once in a while is fine, but let’s be honest, we’ve never had it so good as we do today.
@frank
I disagree, sometimes I will eschew the carbon and take the steel/dt on a Sportive simply because it is harder and to enjoy the experience “a la mode”. It’s almost like a treat for the bike to go on a special trip. Cue the recent trip through Pas de Calais which I could only have dreamed of in my teens. At what point does the V and masochism coincide?
mas·och·ism
ˈmasəˌkizəm,ˈmazəˌkizəm
noun
1.)(in general use) the enjoyment of what appears to be painful or tiresome.
Based on this definition @Teocalli I’d say the V falls right in the middle.
@DeKerr
Ha ha. Like it.
@ChrisO
A bit like the analogy of “reading” The Sun newspaper…………..
@Haldy
Careful there homey, as mentioned in previous posts, Frank reads this drivel too.
And yes, comment away, one does not need facts or logic to sound authoritative.
@Teocalli
I never get past the third post to be honest . . .
@Ccos
No worries..one, I am sure that Frank knows its in jest( it’s the point here after all isn’t it), and two…if he doesn’t, he knows where to find me. ;-)
@Rob
A mechanic? Not for me. I love working on my bikes, and if/when I ever win the lottery it will afford me the luxury of spending MORE time caressing and fondling all things velo in my workshop.
@MangoDave
+1 – I’d be building bikes whenever I wasn’t riding them.
@Haldy
@ChrisO
Like it ? More specifically, love it! I’m guessing it’ll be a couple years when most road bikes in my garage will be made predominately of carbon and have fully functioning electronic and hydraulic systems on board. Hard to believe we can plug a bike in to diagnostics software nowadays. And ya can’t order a Ferrari with a manual stick shift. Cheers!
@freddy
Something I work on in training in the hills. Change down a gear, to bring the cadence back up, BUT keep the power/speed the same. It is natural to take a break after the downshift and ease off. The other thing is riding over hills, not just up them. Most folks will start to back off as the grade eases near the top. Don’t do that, keep pushing and accelerate right to the top and down the back side.
@ChrissyOne
When building/fixing bikes become one’s job, a lot of riding goes out the window.
That said, I probably put as many miles on my 2×8 downtube commuter as I do on my 1×10 XC race sled.
@wilburrox
It wasn’t me that was dissing electronic shifting..it was @ChrisO, I was poking a bit of fun at him…I am of the opinion that electronic shifting doesn’t in itself solve any problems we were having, but in it’s creation mechanical systems have improved. Example- much stiffer chainrings to withsatnd the electronic mechanism make the mechanical shifting much smoother, and also help us get more V from the pedal to the ground.
@Haldy Its so frustrating when you put so much effort into an argument that was actually an agreement.
@markb
If they spent so much on their bike, why are they riding with 200 pound spokes? Seems a bit heavy?
@RVester
I love coffee, I love beer. Tea is a suitable substitute when I can’t drink one of those or get started on some win.
I have a Rancillio Silva and Rocky gringer and love the fuck out of it. I am now browsing http://www.wholelattelove.com/ for a manula lever machine because obviously the gear I’ve relied on since 2003 are inadequate. They cost the same as a set of wheels. Easily worth it, from the romance you paint. Chapeau, sir; I’ll soon be founding espressominati.com.
@Geraint
I think shifting under full load is a totally Pro benefit РI think Cav and Andr̩ like being able to crank down the gears under load Рin their 1200 watts Рbut its going to fuck their shit up.
Me, I’m like you, even with my best stuff, I always unload the drivetrain – even when shifting standing up. If you have any kind of weight distribution skills (probably from climbing steel hills offroad) then you know how to get your load off the chain for the instant it take to shift, even if its for the instant the chain moves over the peak of the cogs. Its a beautiful thing.
What the fuck is a hair shirt? I blacked out for the rest of this.
@frank
Somebody here has to keep you on your toes!
@Ken Ho
I don’t know, I black out every time I use it.
@Ken Ho
BRILLIANT! +1 badge to the Big Brain Ken Ho.
@markb
Haven’t laughed this hard in a while. This is brilliant stuff. If I could give out two +1 badges at once, I would.
Even better to be the one making this observation about someone than to be the guy who does it.
@Adrian
Of course, but we’re talking about post-lottery winning here, not for a living. Quite a different thing if I can drop what I’m doing at any moment and go to Mallorca for the weekend. I’d have a bike shop on my yacht anyway.
@wilburrox
I’ve been talking to the guys at Brandford Bike about electronic sets and all that, and they love the setup of the Shimano rig – its so easy with plug and play connectors etc. The bemoan the Campa system and how hard it is, and invariably a customer will take it home, decide to adjust it, and fuck the whole thing up.
I asked, “So, you think the Shimano is better?”
Doug, “Oh, I hate setting up the Campy system, but there’s no way I’d ever put that shit on my bike (points at Di2).”
I think that sums up the Campa/Shimano camp. Its engineered by Italians, for fucks sake – its more beauty and performance than it is ease of use. Have a bottle of wine (alone) and maybe you stand a chance to work out the details on the first try.
This is the heart of it, no question; eat before you’re hungry, drink before you’re thirsty, and shift before you’re fucked.
@VeloSix
Ok, just between us two girls: I fucking love SRAM Red. Upgrade to Yokozuna cables and the shifting is flawless after you sort it all out. And the downshifting with the flick of the index finger…ohmamma! That is some serious buddah right there.
I have had some blackouts where I’ve thought about putting it on my next #1 (whenever that happens) but the record doesn’t show it because I’m a Campa guy.
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.
@frank I am sure the campagnolo stuff works great. After all italian auto manufacturers are rightfully famous for qulaity electrical systems.
@antihero
I love this. This belongs somewhere in the tenets of The Velominati Manifesto. If not the first experience (its hard to come by at this stage) like with the Jedi Trials, this needs to be part of the Pedalwan’s path.
@ChrisO
This is as reprehensible as taking the easy way because it’s easy. Its about the genuine value that an individual gains from the experience that matters to me. 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.
@Haldy
This seems to be the modus operend-V, so go for it. I hate to see you expose yourself and having a clue what we’re arguing about. Mostly we just latch on and dig in. Its great fun.
@Ccos
You’ve come far, Pedalwan. Mostly you need volume.
@Gibson
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.
@Haldy
Have you noticed how quickly that stuff evaporates? Apply it lightly to remove excess glue from the braking surface and there is no conceivable way it can impact fully cured resin. Just sayin’, maybe don’t put the wheels in a Acetone bath, but rub down the outside? No sweat, your brake pads and the forces of pedaling are causing much more structural damage at a practical level.
Also lets not think about our wheels breaking.
@MangoDave
This is a nice dream.
@Puffy
This is the hardest part, mostly because your body is used to the pressure and rhythm it went into during the climb. Its agony to accelerate over the top not because it gets faster but because your heart and lungs are in sync and you need to force them into a new pattern as the gradient changes.
Says a self-proclaimed diesel.
@Adrian
True enough; but I think the point of winning the lottery is that you don’t ever have another job again; its all just hobby – which has its own challenges, not riding not being one of them if I can type that many double negatives.
@ChrissyOne
Or this. Exactly.
@frank
Ahh….yes…lightly applied it’s probably safe, but in my line of work I often see the results of folks that think that if a little is good, more is better.
@frank
I shall try to not read your drivel, and just wing it.
@frank
Do it, put it on the #1, I won’t tell anybody.
What are we arguing about? Why friction shifters are great? Is a Bianchi a Bianchi if it is not celeste?
@RVester
Well played on the level espresso machine diversion, but no one went for it. Those machines don’t have enough dials and valves for my taste. Plenty of chrome but too straightforward. But then again, I need something to research and obsess about so this will do nicely. Grazie.
@Haldy
I was more concerned that Frank was giving queer advice ti get revenge for the amount of shit I’ve given him over the stupid mirror rule. As noted, I’ve seen acetone used to clean up a surfboard. I had a fit initially, thinking it would smear the polished finish, but it just buffed it up nicely.
@ Frank, yes, I have often changed front and rear simultaneously while standing under load, attacking a climb, with both Veloce and Record I didn’t ever think anything of it, taking for granted that any drive-train would acceot that. I’ve done similar with the fishing gear on my MTB without hassle, mind you it’s pretty high end stuff on there too. True, I probably feel the changes through my tootsies, and adjust my stroke accordingly to keep thing smooth, but that’s not exactly difficult to do, is it ?
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.
I think the point is that being brought up on primitive equipment develops skills that (mostly) remain valid even though the technology has advanced. One can sit stationary at the lights pressing one’s Di2 buttons all one likes, the buttons are still operating a mechanism that needs to be rotating in order to work. This is plainly obvious to most of us, but not to everyone.
Down tube shifters are primitive, but refreshing one’s skills by using them occasionally, and putting the modern technology into perspective, can bring enjoyment.
I’m not really a retro-grouch, my old steel bike with down tube levers hasn’t turned a wheel in decades, but I can appreciate the enjoyment in going back there occasionally.
@wilburrox
Hmm, this sounds suspiciously like a moped to me, maybe it’s time to brush up on the High-Wheel skills, in readiness to defend True Cycling in a few years’ time.
P.S. Saw an exhibition race of High-Wheelers (penny-farthings) at Herne Hill Velodrome earlier this year. Not a piece of electronics, Lycra or carbon-fibre in sight.
@Ken Ho
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.
@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.
@Teocalli
The owner of my LBS was on the l’Étape du Tour 2014 this year, I quote from an article he blogged:
Full article: http://www.ratracecycles.com/2014/07/letape-du-tour-2014/
@conrad
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.
@frank
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.
@Gibson
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!
@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 42×26 was considered sufficient for hill climbing – but down here in NY it’s just about ideal.
Thanks for the welcome guys, great site.
@frank
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.
@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.
I think there should be a rule that says ‘though shalt own a bike with down tube shifters as part of your stable’