You’re Doing it Wrong
- At November 11, 2010
- By Russ
- In stories
80
The single most controversial piece of gear on our bikes is our pedals. Yes, they are flat. No, we are not clipped in. At this point, some cyclists pedal away resolving that we are hopeless beginners. Other cyclists subject us to a lengthy discourse on efficency and speed which boils down to the fact that we’ve been doing it wrong all this time.
Yes, after 15 months and 10,000 miles, we still haven’t gotten it right. We’ve met some people who honestly wonder how it is possible to get up hills without clipping in, as if before the advent of cleated shoes, cyclists resigned themselves to walking up every hill.
Of course, the pedals are just the beginning of a long list of things we didn’t get quite right. Laura doesn’t have drop bars, we’re carrying a paella pan, we don’t have STI shifters, our handlebars are too high, our alcohol stove is too slow and we’re carrying a cribbage board. According to current cycling wisdom, it is a small miracle we were able to pedal out of our neighborhood, much less across the country.
Thankfully, we are not the only ones who have been doing it wrong. We know people who have toured on Bromptons, on hybrid rental bikes, who have carried guitars and surfboards with them. There’s even a popular CrazyGuyOnABike cyclist that has pedaled around the world on a penny farthing. He is definitely doing it wrong.
The prototypical “wrong” cyclist is Arthur, who we met last summer in California. He was a recent grad from Wisconsin who decided to spend his summer touring down the Pacific Coast. He wasn’t wearing any cycling clothes, just gym shorts and black sweats. His bike was the proverbial boat anchor of bicycles – the Schwinn Continental. You know the bike, lovingly welded together from the finest lead pipe money can buy. It is so heavy and dense, it is reported to have its own gravity. Yes, Arthur was doing it completely wrong, but somehow he was blissfully unaware. And because he was unaware, he was also blazing down the coast at a clip that amazed most of the other tourists around him.
Bicycle touring is not immune to fads, trends and know-it-all-isms. There are prescribed “right” ways of doing things and “wrong” ways of doing things. While most of it is really just harmless fun and nothing to get riled about, we’ve also seen where gear self-consciousness has kept people off the bike, and that is just plain wrong, my friends.
We have met couples who are just starting to get into touring. Along the happy progression from newbie to serious cyclist, the decision to go clipless is made. Conventional cycling wisdom tells you that it will make you go faster (and that is the only legitimate thing you can do on a bike, right?). What follows is a tragio-comic drama. One partner takes to it like a fish to water and the other is about as graceful as an emu on skates. The partner who struggles gets frustrated and tries even harder but still can’t get the hang of it. At some point in all the failure and the repeated thinking that clipless is what “real cyclists” ride, the person gives up on the dream and misses out on a whole world of wonderful experiences – all because of the stupid pedals.
This isn’t a tirade against pedals, as it is about the self-imposed obstacles that prevent people from touring. In our journey, we’ve discovered how wonderful bicycle touring is and are constantly encouraging others to hit the road. It truly is a life-changing and life-affirming activity. If you don’t like clipless, don’t ride clipless. If you don’t like drop bars, ride with uprights. If your bike feels too low, raise the stem. It is ultimately your bike and your adventure, so you should pick a configuration that suits your riding style.
A few days ago, I met someone who recently did a bike tour on a carbon fiber bike with low spoke count wheels and a trailer. He was riding with a group of friends and they all had matching jerseys and were riding in a paceline down the coast. 1000 miles in 10 days. Yes, he was clipped in. I was about to tell him that he was doing it wrong, but I saw the big grin on his face and that familiar “far off” look people have when they are in their happy place and I simply smiled in agreement.
Tim Forker
Great post. As one who forgoes the bike shoes & shorts, I concur with the sentiment. Two things to do “right” though: obey traffic laws and use lights at night!
Matt Clarke
And Adventure Cycling will really tell you how to do it by telling you where to go so throw those maps in the trash.
Gourry
Sometimes it’s goes really wrong. I got my first long trip on near new GT comfort bicycle, with camo pants and cotton T-shirt
Had to return halfway cause got very bad sunburns, and was dead beat (extiguished myself and bike almost lost ability to move – no front brake, and split rear axle), but it was fun. So some consideration is vital.
As for fancy parts – one girl from our club got 2006′s bike with heavily abused tourney transmission, and fine with it (beats me how she manages to make this thing shift and brake) – she can give handicap to many men
PS But clipless still very handy.
PPS If you interested in russian offroad bike touring way – feel free to ask
Roger Bolden
Great article. It’s the journey that matters, not the gear. I cycled around the world in 97-98. Sometimes I had ‘white-line fever’ caring more about getting to the destination as fast as I could and my gear reflected this; cut- down toothbrush, the lightest gear etc. Eventually most of my gear broke or went missing and ended up making do. This slowed me down and had a great time. Incidentally, I met a Swiss RTW cyclist who was spending 5 years on a bike. He also had clip less pedals but one of the cleats on his shoe broke in Laos and had to resort to wearing smart shoes instead.
Claus Lykke Jepsen
I did Manila-Bangkok in 2011 in sandals, no under wears just shorts, because I did do not want to look like a neon biker. For me that was the right way because that way I felt it was easier to meet the locals.
Next winter I will finish my trip around the Chinese Sea going Bangkok-Hongkong.
Claus
Bloke on a folding bike
Hallelujah! I am so fed up of the pressure to conform to cycling norms. I love my folding bike, yes for its practicality, but also for its quirkiness. I love people being surprised by how fast it is on “those little wheels” and I’ve given up trying to find a pedal/clip/cleat combination which works on a folding pedal. Flat pedals and trainers all the way for me from now on and I’m much happier. Screw conventional wisdom!
Calvin Schaeffer
Last week I cheerfully threw my toe-clips in the trash.
If you borrow a little bit from here and a little bit from there and are able to make up your own mind you will find your path.
Zorra on a bike
“At some point in all the failure and the repeated thinking that clipless is what “real cyclists” ride, the person gives up on the dream and misses out on a whole world of wonderful experiences – all because of the stupid pedals.”
Love the article and comments. True about the pedals, worried so much about my clipless that I lost the excitement to get out and just ride and then I fell! Bought some platform pedals yesterday and a BIG weight is gone. More about the journey and less about the destination and being happy with your bike setup.
Kathy
I agree. After riding several international rides and seeing people from other countries have a whale of a time riding any old bike in any old clothes, I realized Americans are gear crazy and like to buy things. A road bike rider for years, I am now happily using flat pedals for my commute to work, city errands, and fun rides but I got all terrified about a 350 mile ride coming up so I was researching pedals and shoes. I didn’t want to go back to clipless pedals so you helped me decide to stay flat and stop agonizing about it! Thank you very very much.
Highwayman
Wow! That is the best of your blog entries I’ve read so far. And I feel so vindicated! You also gave me a good laugh –thank-you.
The problem for North America (or more specifically, Anglo-North America) is that, today, bicycling is regarded mostly as a sport rather than as transportation or travel. This is reflected in the majority of bike shops we have in our part of the world: they are geared toward the athletic.
Then there is the propensity to conform to the latest fad. Americans especially are notorious for that.
Still there is hope. As more of us tour, more people will look upon the mechanical steeds we ride as the custom jobs they should be for each of us riders. The understanding will grow that each of us has the right to customize our bicycle (or tricycle or any other cycle for that matter) according to our needs, peculiarities, and –dare I say it?– eccentricities.
Let each of us ride our own journey and allow ourselves to truly have our own bikes.
Again, truly the best post I’ve read! Thank-you!
Kevin from Trailsnet.com
God I loved this post… right from the beginning. I tried clip/clipless pedals for a year just so I could say I gave it a shot. They didn’t work for me. I much prefer regular flat pedals or the old fashioned bear traps.
The other thing I apparently do wrong is forsake roads. I drive my car on the roads way too much. When I bike, I want to be safe and see different scenery. Give me a rail-trail, canal trail or river trail over a road any time. Now that’s my kind of biking. Beautiful, relaxing & safe trails are the way to go for this bike traveler.
Kevin from Trailsnet.com
Amen to that, Highwayman. It’s nice to hear from a fellow bike traveler. It’s not always about competition. Bikes are pretty darned great for recreation, transportation & touring, too!!
Eileen
Yea yea! Make your own rules! Just go!
Linny
Yes…..there are alot of “Legends In Their Own Minds”..
out there. As has been said before….Go out there… however it works for U… and have a Great Time…..:)
alf
If you are having fun, then by all means you are doing it right.
I am leaving Bulgaria next month with a regular backpack (thinking of getting a flatbed trailer), and a second hand mountain bike. I don’t care if it takes three months to reach UK at 20km a day. I plan to have a blast doing it wrong, and tweaking the bike, setup and gear as I go if something is not going well.
Ken Wallace
Russ, you nailed it again. Be comfortable, ride within yourself, rest when you need to and have fun.
Lainer
Guess I’m doing it wrong too. I have nice WellGo flat mountain bike pedals on my Road bike, a Kona Dew Drop. LOL!
Sharon McN
Great points. You tempt me to get the Trek 520 out of the garage and go bike camping, something I’ve never had the nerve to do. Of course, I’d wear my clippy shoes because that’s how I roll.
Loneviking
Hooray! There’s others doing it wrong! I wheel along on a 40 year old Schwinn Varsity with clip less pedals, saddlebags from an Army surplus store and enough add ons to make most bike mechanics laugh. I don’t wear Spandex, and I usually wear clogs. And yes, I’ve been told I’m doing it wrong!
John
Couldn’t agree more!
John Donahue
I fell and broke my hip 16 years ago, partly because I couldn’t get out of a clipless pedal.
I went back to an inexpensive cruiser style platform pedal for my touring, etc. and been Very happy.
I actually believe it has helped me improve my symmetry and muscle tone throughout the complete arc of repeated pedal strokes.
Clipless pedal benefit is one of the Great urban myths of bicycling.
arnel
It is not the bike and its components, for me, its the biker that counts the most. This ain,t Tour D France, its just plain touring. If your happy and comfortable with your set up. GO !
dave
Good comments. I too love Rail Trails, Canal Trails and dedicated bike paths. I ride a recumbent and love my clip-less peddles but I can understand the convenience of not having them too. And sometimes I wish I could leave them at home. But I just can’t.
Doug
I used clips and straps for many years. It was always fine. Early last year, though, I decided to switch to clipless. I very much prefer it for all riding, including touring.
1. More comfortable
2. I wear out fewer shoes
3. More secure, especially in rain or on rough roads
4. Steep hills are a bit easier, though there’s no real difference in speed most of the time
5. Clipless shoe plus pedal is lighter overall
I find walking in MTB shoes is fine.
Each to his or her own, of course.
Thomas Arbs
Ten years ago on the East coast of Sweden we encountered a young couple who were going the same way, so we rode along for a day or two. They were touring. On Dutch bikes. Without gears. With a cotton tent and heavy army sleeping bags, sealed in dustbin liners and belted down on their racks. Without any consideration for their gear, they had simply picked what they had and started off. Their stuff was so heavy and unsuitable as if it were picked for parody. Well, they were in love, and happy, and boy did they have legs.
Ken
I know and old gent in his 80′s, in 1949 he and his friend set off on their Raleigh sit up & beg 3 speed tourers to camp in Scotland. They set off from Newcastle at the beginning of the school holidays and six weeks later had gotten as far a the Isle of Skye – from there they caught the train back so as to start teaching in the new term. They had wooden tent poles tied to the crossbar with string (as you did)everything in a large saddlebag and the tents on top. They stopped in farmers fields and bought bacon, eggs & milk fresh from the nearest farm every morning.
How I wish I could recreate that trip…. and all without clipless pedals, lycra or any of the modern “necessities”
Annie
More than years ago I biked down the West Coast from Portland to San Francisco. I’ll never the cowboy we met. He was riding from Montana to SoCal. He wore cowboy boots, jeans, and a cowboy hat. He had his blanket roll around the top tube of his bike. It taught me you can keep who you are and still get there.
Otis
I’m a “gear freak” myself, but this is a great article. Get out and do it.
Love my SPD pedals, but you’ll never see this body in full lycra.
paul
Currently in Japan, riding a Bike Friday Pocket Llama (for the second time) I have MKS removable pedals with good old S/Steel MKS toe clips, two rear panniers, an Ortleib duffle strapped on the rack. Carry a laptop,iPad, camera and phone with all the requisite gear.Ride in a pair of Keen walking boots, wool socks, wool jumpers/jerseys,other assorted items of clothes to keep me warm and dry in a Japanese winter. I also have mudguards/fenders , a bell,lights and a leather saddle. Pretty much the same sort of gear I had when I was 10 or 11 and ventured out onto the roads for 1 or 2 day trips depending on Dad. All of this started around 1960-62 so I am buggered if I’ll change for someones else’s idea of cycling correctness. I still get a sore butt, push my bike when I feel like it and don’t mind having a hot coffee container instead of an extra electrolyte/stamina drink bottle. Oh ! I forgot the bar bag has a supply of nuts , dried fruit and fresh, and indulgence ,a Snickers bar or two. It’s day 20 and I have covered 615 klms through rain , snow and bloody head winds and enjoyed every bit of it at 62 years young.
Anonymous
[...] [...]