Every once in a while, I’ll repeat myself by writing an article like the one you’re about to read for the purpose of reiterating that it’s probably best to approach bicycles with an open mind. While bicycles can definitely be for sport, they are made better when also viewed as a great method of transport, a creative outlet, vessels for escape and pretty much anything else you can morph them into. This particular missive is focused on my perpetual relationship with road biking.
With a good couple of decades (and a bit) of cycling of various flavours under my belt, the majority of my riding these days consists of a mix of low performance mountain biking, mixed terrain adventuring and utility cycling like grocery getting and commuting. Like many other people, my past also contains a fairly committed and in-depth amateur road cycling phase for a number of years. In that time, there was a lot of kilometres at maximum effort ridden, a lot of leg shaving, a lot of tight clothing worn and a lot of concern shown for what the “cycling fraternity” deems acceptable while riding a road bike.
At some point though I began to question what it was all for and whether it was the best or the only way to enjoy riding a bike. And so I began a gradual journey away from the mindset of performance, adherence to cycling norms and institutions and over to a mindset of enjoyment, adventure, creativity, practicality and comfort. The results of that journey are covered in the articles on most of the rest of this website.
Despite all that, I still really enjoy hopping on my road bike and immersing myself in the smooth, effortless speed that only a road bike can offer. There’s something really pure, meditative and mesmerising about the rhythm that comes with road biking. Or maybe it’s the minimalism – the reality of yourself minus most of the “stuff” you’re used to having all around you in your home or your car and just riding this very simple, very waif machine under the power of your own body through a metropolis, a rural locality or any other environment and being able to almost completely bypass reliance on the trappings of modern society (for a few hours at least).
But road cycling culture presents its own set of trappings if you’re not careful and fall into the vortex. It can become quite dogmatic, elitist and prescriptive. A lot of unwritten rules enforced by jeering and questioning and ultimately serving to give bicycles and cycling a bad name – pidgeonholing it as a pursuit of arrogant, fit, young men. There’s a time and place for racing, cycling kits and performance but bicycles are actually a great deal better and a great deal more than that. Including road bikes.
I find the centre of any status quo a really detestable place to be but when that status quo no longer offers me anything practical anymore either, I’m going to break out. That might sound very philosophical and intense but in this case it’s really quite simple and maybe even obvious – ride your road bike (or any bike, really) however you like. It’s a great machine so flavour it just the way you like it.
That said, one of the first things I eventually came to jettison was the wide three bolt SPD SL style road cleats. I like to get off my bike on rides to take photos, walk a little way to eat food or just look at something interesting. With three bolt cleats, at best you look like a penguin when you walk, at worst you slip and fall on your arse. Probably the latter if there’s stairs. On the whole, cleats on a road bike still make sense to me and three bolt cleats probably give you this or that power advantage but if you want a little comfort too just use the two bolt mountain bike ones. They allow you to walk more normally and I find them easier to clip in an out of as well.
Knicks still make sense to me most of the time on a road bike but if it’s cold and I want an extra layer for the nether regions or I just want a few more pockets to use that day or I wanna be in normal clothes when I step off the bike, I’m wearing shorts over my knicks. Period. Maybe I’ll no longer look like a “cyclist” and maybe I’ll ride a few percent slower but I’m not training for a stage race and I don’t make a living from cycling so I don’t need to look like a cyclist. Chances are that the same applies to you.
On a similar note, the world won’t implode if you wear t-shirts (quick dry or otherwise) rather than cycling jerseys on your road bike with knicks or even with shorts if it better suits the occasion. A bum bag is a great substitute for jersey pockets and I find a t-shirt is way less restrictive, cheaper and generally more comfortable. That element of creativity I mentioned also comes in here. On any other occasion, part of the process of selecting clothes to wear has to do with the expression of your personality and probably how you’re feeling that day. Selecting clothes for riding your bike need not be any different as opposed to putting on what is essentially a uniform when you put on a cycling kit. There’s probably more performance related arguments to be made around that but I have no problems punching out 50, 70, 90km in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt even if it is 3% slower than doing in a kit.
I’ve done a fair amount of grumbling and ranting here again but I guess at the end of the day the takeaway is to just wear what you want when you ride. Life is too short to worry about what this or that marketing department is prescribing today. Your road bike is an awesome piece of gear so just get on it and start turning the pedals.
Ride safe and see you out there sometime.