Originally posted by hohobike
Purchase a good frame, good components, good
wheels and hubs. Wear a helmet, if you want to.
No jerseys, no clip-in pedals, no cycling shoes.
Cuts offs and a tank top. Start enjoying your
cycling experience.
I can see the spirit of this post, and how parts of it pertain precisely to the purist enjoyment of the core of what cycling is, but cycling has many faces, just as different people have widely different desires, even within a single sport...
What are "good" frame, components, wheels and hubs? I just started into road cycling recently from mountain biking and I bought a Trek 5200 for about $2300, which is alot of money, but I wanted to do it right the first time... Some cyclists friends said, are you nuts?!?! while others said "Nice bike"
I don't think wearing a helmet should be optional, nor should it be lawfully required, it should just be reasonable judgement. I saw an elderly woman tooling along at very slow speed on a bike trail fall over and hit her head on the pavement (she had no helmet) and I've seen a "ph33r me!" very capable mountain biker guy on a trail get nailed in the head by someone's flying bike as he and some friends were resting off to the side... I never thought a persons head could bleed so profusely (no helmet there either as the rear dropout banged him right on top of the head) To many things can happen that can involve your noggin while on a bike... Wear a helmet always... its not just about when you're bombing downhill at 40 mph or in heavy car traffic... s&$t happens
, always...
I have to wear padded cycling shorts on a bicycle, much more so on a road bike... Not doing so makes me have to ride much less... the Jersey thing is purely decoration I must agree until you get to the high level where the aero advantages actually start to make a difference, but how can you say that a helmet should be optional, but never wear a bike jersey?
I admit that I am guilty of wearing a USPostal jersey sometimes while riding alone. Will people think I am on the USPostal team? Not a chance! but I wear it more because it makes _me_ feel a little more connected in some visceral way to a sport I love... No one ever looks a second time at rabid fans in the stands wearing the official jerseys of their sports teams (football, soccer, baseball etc) and they're just sitting on their bums drinking beer and yelling! at least I'm on the road suffering while engaging in my sport! *laughing*
Clipless and cycling shoes are a more nebulous area... in mountain biking they are far less critical to anyone other than topflite riders, but in road cycling, their advantages are much more justifiable and measureable as spinning efficiently and learning to spin efficiently are impossible without them...
I understand the overall spirit of your post... In many ways it is geared perhaps more toward those who have been repelled by the idea of getting on a bicycle not only because of the perceived discomfort, but also from the perception of the cost and material involved, but once you're already on, following the progression of the equipment that can inspire you and actually help make you better, is alot of the fun as well
I know that what you are trying to do is get more people involved and interested in cycling, but Keep in mind there are also potential cyclists who actually like and want to wear the cycling jersey and shorts, buy expensive bikes, and use the whiz bang gadgetry, to them, that is fun and fulfilling, and your post will make them feel that they may be ostracized for doing so or at least chuckled at
which shouldn't be the case... If they were on a bike in a clown suit with a big red nose and wig I would still proffer them more respect than that big ol' slob in the El Camino with the burger king garbage on the dash and their arm over the passenger headrest (how do people drive that way anyhow?) *laughing*
Have a good one!
Feanor