Fahrradsozialismus

Having mentioned the possibility of having a Sentai show (re-edited into the Power Rangers series in the West) about cyclists in jest a few posts ago, it occured to me that the stereotypical cyclist, in this country at any rate, have more in common with the your average sentai member than meets the eye, which is plenty in itself.

Going through the hit stats for the past few months revealed an curious fact – Audrey Hepburn is still really popular:

By far the most Google hits to my little rant factory are searches for “Audrey Hepburn” linking to the three images I alluded to here, which is really rather interesting since one of the points I tried to make is that having such graceful & elegant idealisations (no matter how selective) such as Audrey Hepburn or the inspiring snaps from Cycle Chic is great for getting people into cycling. If one more person got interested enough to hop on a bike because of this superficial but ultimately human mental association, then all the linguistic & logical burden I’ve placed upon the blogosphere & the English language in general will not have been in vain.

Having recently signed up for flickr, it was wonderful to discover some great pics of bikes with or without people on them, and finding communities where you can share your visual experiences in things that interest you. One particular group of some considerable interest is Vélocouture, dealing with an issue I think quite important to many cyclists & potential cyclists alike - that of what to wear when you ride a bike & look good at the same time. It’s something I think that deserves some serious intellectual scrutiny & contextual analysis - but since I lack the ability to even maintain rudimentary cohension, you’d have to look elsewhere for that.

“Vanity thy name is Whoah man those are some totally awesome jeans!” is something you will never hear or say unless you are a total fool with no regard for the sanctity of the Bard. But beauty, or more plainly looking good - be it appreciating it in others or pure narcissism, is something most people enjoy, regardless whether it is just an uncontrollable animalistic drive or not. Fashion is but one facet, albeit perhaps the most overt & immediate realisation of such mental processes. Whether we admit it or not, we do make choices, however minor, in what we wear most of the time, and having to alter one’s choice just so you can ride a bike is agreeably disagreeable, to say the least – at least in the minds of some potential cyclists.

As it can be seen, however, in all established cycling cultures such as Copenhagen, Beijing or Tokyo, you don’t really need to get all kitted up for the daily commute, though of course that’s all fine & dandy if you combine your exercise/training with your daily commute. In fact it would be actually quite an efficient way of utilising your time. But for most people, especially if you’re terminally lethargic like me, you really can’t be bothered to shower or change once you get to your destination, or lack the facilities to do such things conveniently. Many cyclists are therefore reluctant to commute by bike so they won’t be too sweaty and/or smelly for the rest of the day, and understandably so.

As I shall demonstrate here with obviously irrefutable proof by the very virtue of having given them myself, I’ve posted a few images of yours truly in the Vélocouture of the stuff I wear when I cycle around commuting. If you ignore the pretentious obnoxious poses, you’ll find everything there are just normal clothing that you see on people who drive cars, catch buses or if you’re James Bond, defuse nuclear devices wear.

To me it might have something to do with one’s attitude towards how one should cycle for different purposes. I must admit I do enjoy trying to catch up to (and usually fail miserably) the bike in front when I ride my roadies when I ride for fun, I mean it’s just like a car racing game - except for the car & game bit. Such competitiveness, innate or otherwise, is something we all experience every now & then, regardless of what things like Taoism preach in terms of achieving equanimity through disengagement – something so very ideal & yet impossibly difficult to convince oneself with. What is life but a continual struggle of the self against !self?

Again I did have a point to make apart from drivelling sentimentalities. For most people like me it doesn’t take long to work up a good puff & sweat when you pushing 30km/h, so riding in such a manner when you’re just trying to get from A to B is probably a little excessive, and I ride at a pace which only exerts my body minimally, in fact far less than walking since there’s always wind to cool you down. For most commuting distances – say around 15km one-way, you really don’t save too much time by going from sub-sonic to warp 5, at most perhaps 10-20 minutes depending on your easy going speed & “racing” speed. Indeed the faster your easy going speed is to begin with, the less time you knock off by pushing yourself & going faster still.

A few things that might help in changing the road racer mentality:

1. Ditch that Speed/Cadence/Power computer/HRM/GPS, etc, so you are not constantly trying to keep an eye on maintaining that golden AVG or Cadence whilst monitoring your heart rate to achieve optimum output. Also, your bike also looks less cluttered without all those dials & readouts which imho looks better.

2. Ride “clunkers”. I don’t mean something that’s mechanically broken down, but something that puts more emphasis on comfort & durability rather than performance or speed. In Australia, many who start out to cycle as adults often end up a mountain bike – or more usually an imitation of one, I know I did. There’s nothing wrong with these especially at the price point, and are perfectly adequate for commuting once you get some slicks on them & sort out the riding position. However if you are looking for something more specialised, then some of the modern hybrids are very good also based on what I have read and are designed for commuting, though I have no personal experience with them. For some style (again a personal thing), by which to me is old-fashioned roadsters & ladies’ step-throughs, there is eBay where there’s usually a few on offer in most major cities. Some Danish, Indian & Swedish models are also available in Australia through various retailers. To me, and I am sure many others, full on road bikes aren’t really ideal for everyday commutes, unless it is turned into something that resembles a tourer/hybrid/roadster.

3. Just relax & enjoy the view along the ride, you’ll find there’s so much curiosity & beauty around if you just look, it’s makes the ride a whole lot more enjoyable – just don’t get carried away & missed that turn to school or work, ahem, unintentionally.

Having never been a big fan of anything that’s skin-fitting, I had very few pieces of actual dedicated cycling apparel – that is until I got into road cycling on a proper road bike. Riding for anything more than an hour on a “performance” saddle with normal pants is not an experience I wish upon the worst of my enemies. No, not even the one-eyed bastard son of Ming the Merciless & Megatron.

So I got a few pairs of cycling knicks, certainly not the most comfortable to sit down in, as basically you are wearing a glorified diaper, but there be certain localities concerning about oneself that would eternal gratefully thanked upon its own personage (as perhaps English as she is spoke will put it). Unfortunately there’s very little choice when it comes to the design of knicks, and as with all situations like this, I went with black.

Thankfully there are far more choices when it comes to jerseys. It is surprising how many riders from Predictor Lotto & Team CSC you’d meet on a daily basis. Many think it is pretentious to wear team jerseys if you don’t ride for one, and some would even consciously avoid wearing anything yellow whilst on a bike. I think people should have the freedom to wear (or not wear) whatever they feel like, but to me, most team jerseys, particularly in the modern era, are simply poorly designed & unattractive, regardless of contractual obligations with the sponsors concerning what must be displayed. They are too often covered with several vastly clashing logos displayed as often as space would allow. I pity the fool whose responsibility it is to design (unintentionally putting a rather heavy burden on the word) the jerseys, as Mr. T would say. But aesthetics is very much a personal thing, so who cares what others think – especially in the blogosphere.

One thing about jerseys, is that like the number fetish that is the modern clothing industry, sizing labels are practically meaningless. In addition to variations between manufacturers, depending on where the garment is marketed, the sizing can be very misleading. Always try to find out the actual measurement rather than go with the labelled size.

This is the first jersey I bought – unsurprising considering my unhealthy obsession with totalitarian symbolism & propaganda in general, just in case you haven’t noticed.

This is the second, purely typographic, can’t go wrong with a strong sans-serif. Thanks to google, I now know ARBÖ stands for der Auto- Motor- und Radfahrerbund Österreichs, sort of like our NRMA I guess, though it also caters explicitly for cyclists as well.

The hammer & sickle is one of the most recognisable non-commercial symbols worldwide, and imho one of the most successful asymmetrical symbols ever. As I am with most media that doesn’t exist in 1s & 0s, I am a certifiable imbecile, so the workmanship is definitely sub-standard, though I could claim that I was aspiring to capture the proletarian ambiance & spiritual voluntarism of the Spanish Civil War.

One thing I have notices is that many jersey from minor local teams are far better looking than those from the pro-tours, simply because they tend to have a lot less sponsorship details to cram in, there are many jerseys like these on eBay at a fraction the cost of new ones, and being the retro grouch that I am (especially when it comes to clothing):

Another important piece of garment for cycling in the sun a bandanna, they are great for soaking up the sweat, & will prevent interesting patterns on your forehead if you ride for any considerable period of time under the Aussie sun.

It is a truth unilaterally acknowledged that a pretty girl in a dress on an old bicycle fitted with a woven basket sporting a straw hat is one of the most pleasing sights on Canberran roads, as scarce as such a mode of transportation may be, since it is not technically legal (though some might argue that anything after the word “pretty” is somewhat redundant, but that’s beside the point).

Need some proof? Visit the “social documentary in high heels”. Real snaps of real people riding real bikes in a real city. It emphasises an aspect of cycling no longer taken for granted by many Australians - that cycling should still be a legitimate form of transportation, and can be done with style, and more importantly, without fear of intimidation from other road users. Granted that the subjects are rather selective on the part of the photographers, but it is no surprise that there are a lot less obesity in Denmark than in Australia. It is common sense that the more you move the more energy you burn, and incorporating exercise into daily commutes gives you very little chance to talk yourself out of doing it - you gotta get there somehow! After a while it will no longer seem like a hassle, and you’ll start to enjoy it.

On a side note, to me, there’s something intrinsically elegant about the classic step-through ladies’ roadster. It is somewhat out of fashion these days - or at least so in Australia, where it is difficult to find one new regardless of make. There’s one based in Melbourne selling Indian ones, and also Swedish makes such as Skeppshult & Kronan are also available, but the better alternative might be keeping an eye out on eBay & your local classifieds, especially if you are just starting out or want something to customise with, you can pick one up second-hand for well under $100 in pretty good nick, usually with full mudguards & rear rack, and full chain guard if you’re real lucky. Designs such as these are perfect cases where aesthetics triumphed along with functionality, regardless of any structural and/or performance disadvantages it may have compared with modern women’s bikes, which are conceptually identical to men’s bikes with subtle differences in sizing. Take these for example:

Okay, okay, it IS after all Audrey Hepburn AND a puppy, and Audrey Hepburn AND/OR a puppy driving a Hummer would probably still be cute - but it certainly won’t be nearly as graceful. If pictures like this makes cycling more popular, then we need a lot more of them. Sure, like all forms of propaganda, it is just a carefully choreographed idealisation, but apart from visual appeal, it is what is embodied (or envisaged) in such idealisations that makes it beautiful, looking sexy is just an added bonus. Besides, I don’t see any harm using such method of promotion as the aim is actually quite beneficial for the individual & the community in general - and nowhere as misleading & misrepresented as ads for fashion, sports cars, fast food, soft drink, alcohol, cosmetics, electronics, laundry products, ad infinitum.