Piratebike

https://bedrocksandals.com/blogs/adv...ois-no-problem

HTupolev

Amazing.

TimothyH

I don't understand why people have to be condescending toward everyone else.

It would be a good article of the guy just said what he loved about touring but all the sarcastic insults are just childish. Calling race wins "petty", referring to chamois as "diapers" and other such insults renders the article unreadable for me.

Contrast the tone of this article with a truly great tourer and genuinely nice person Iohan Gueorguiev. -Tim-

jefnvk

Considering he was describing himself, I'd call it more of a tongue-in-cheek self-deprecation than condescension.

Humorous write up of the transition of road racer to hippie wanderer, that I doubt was meant to be taken all that seriously. I enjoyed it! Pretty epic pics, too.

Crawdaddy

Its a beautiful thing man

mstateglfr 

Ha, someone who has experienced opposite ends of the cycling spectrum(race driven to relaxed) doesnt seem insulting to one side of the spectrum, he just seems like he has a new perspective. The blog posting and entire website isnt geared to the race crowd.

Ive seen his bikes on Instagram or some other social pic site. The guy has quite the cult following. Some wonky looking setups, but they clearly work for him!

blakcloud

It was a fun read and obviously written for it's audience thanks for posting this.

10 Wheels

Loved the pics.

bruce19

If this guy is real...and given that he's shilling for Bedrock sandals, I'm not sure he is...it seems he was a serious roadie who labeled the non-lycra crowd "Freds." Now he's become a "Fred" which somehow makes him freer than those "diaper" wearing roadies he used to be. So, he looked down on Freds but now he looks down on diaper wearing cyclists. His style of cycling may have changed but his condescending attitude seems intact.

Juan Foote

I got more of a "let me give you the shortcut from my been there age and wisdom to being as cool and hip as me"
vibe from the article. Certainly an expose on how he has matured as a cyclist.

Don't YOU want to be cool too?

FBinNY 

There is no superior way to cycle.

Or, if there is a superior way, it would be to do whatever makes you happy.

Ride where you prefer, how you prefer, dressed however you wish, on whatever bike makes sense for you.

johnnyace 

Coming from a former kit-wearin' road racer (mid-late '80s, when I was a 20-something), I am in agreement. Although I like riding in my Keen sandals.

hueyhoolihan

yesterday, i briefly posted a critical response, then deleted it, thinking i may have been a little too harsh.

i guess i needn't have worried...

KenR

In reading the article I wanted to say "cool, he's taking the road less traveled!" But to me it just seems like just another case of "marketing". I agree with the comments about his "new" take on the road crowd. He's making something that looks like a lot of fun and muddying the waters with condescension. The stuff about wearing Lycra "diapers"? Petri dishes? He should know better.

Seattle Forrest

Great photos! Thanks for posting this, it brought some enjoyment into my morning.

SquidPuppet

Diapers and Ballet shoes. LMAO. Holy crap that's funny. Good stuff.

People need to be able to laugh at themselves. If a joke is funny, it's funny. If it adds a chuckle to my day, I don't care if I am the brunt of the joke.

Piratebike

On a side note....
I got this off the Bedrocks shoes FB page. Because I have a pair of Bedrocks. Having always love Chacos, these are great sandals also. Yea t 56 I get some laughs like "why is that old man wearing minimalist sandals.....they should be glad I have on shoes. I would go barefoot everywhere year round if I could.

So of course this is kind of an advertisement for them. But I felt his blog spoke to an issue is see mentioned here some times.

supton

Pretty cool. Not the lifestyle for me I'm afraid, my light skin just burns off too fast. And I have kids to raise: one of my goals in life was to have 'em, and to find my place in the family tree. Different paths for different folks. Maybe once I get ahead in life (kids out, retirement funded) I'll pursue such a lifestyle: slower pace with "lesser" gear but for days a time.

bmthom.gis

So it was just an advert for Bedrock Sandals. Got it!
On that note - there's no wrong way to ride a bike, and one need not box themselves into being one type of cyclist.

Milton Keynes

That's kind of the same vibe I got from the article. Why not be happy with how you ride and not be concerned with how everyone else rides? Me, I'm kind of a cross between the lycra "diaper" wearing crowd and the laid back "Freds." I don't own lycra, don't have clipless pedals, ride a cheap department store hybrid, but on the other hand I wear a helmet with a rear-view mirror, brightly-colored polyester workout shirts, and the usual water bottles in racks.

There's nothing wrong with being a serious road cyclist who later decides to adopt a more laid-back attitude toward cycling, but there's no reason to sneer at other on bikes who are dressed differently.

canklecat

Darned dirty hippies.

Sounds a lot like me.

Well, minus the sandals. I don't have any sandals that fit well enough for cycling, but I might try to find some for this summer. I had some Birkies from their 1990s experimental phase with synthetic materials for beach wear. Comfy but the uppers never adhered to the lowers for long. I've tried all kinds of adhesives and nothing holds the two materials together. Even Birkenstock admitted it was a material flaw and they replaced one pair free before discontinuing that lineup.

Only time I've worn my tighty diaper shorts in a year was Tuesday when the wind was a steady 20-25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. The route I planned to ride would be mostly headwinds. I know from previous experience my usual casual baggy shorts would be catching wind like a sail. Besides slowing me down to a crawl (I'm never fast, my average this year is a modest 14 mph), it's potentially dangerous when my comfy, loose-legged shorts suddenly become parachutes.

It felt weird to be wearing the tighty diapers again. Especially when I had to stop at a park to refill my water bottle and catch a breather. Kids were romping around everywhere. I was glad my only short sleeve jerseys are a casual club fit and longer than usual to cover my butt and crotch. No matter how long I've bicycled and been around many folks who routinely wear the tighty stuff -- including me, years ago -- I've never become comfortable with that skin tight look around civilians, or getting off the bike to dine in a restaurant or pop into a grocery store.

But the tighty diapers do have their place for wind resistance and comfort on longer rides. They're just a necessity with unfortunate cosmetics. Too bad men can't wear a wraparound skirt like women do to cover their bikini bottoms when going into restaurants, etc. We should have wicking fabric kilts. And sporrans for holding our goodies. I mean phones and keys and stuff.

OldTryGuy

Different clothes and bike, still a jerk.

TimothyH

He seems very angry at himself.


-Tim-

Seattle Forrest

I didn't read any of the text, just looked at the pictures. I enjoyed.

1Coopgt

100 plus for flip flops ... really ? That's insane.