How upright for touring?
#76
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,484
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1182 Post(s)
Liked 830 Times
in
433 Posts
I posted this awhile back(it is tongue-in-cheek).
Words of Wisdom
As my wife and I were riding along the beautiful Main River Route in Central Germany an older couple passed us. They were typical of many European bike tourists; gray haired, dressed in street clothes, one pannier each, and riding what we call comfort bikes here in the States.
I am not a gear snob, contrary to what my wife says, but I do take note of what people are riding. For instance, on this trip I observed that out of the hundreds or touring bikes we saw, only 5 of the obvious touring bikes had drop bars.
The first thing I thought of was how much easier it would be for them if they were riding modern touring bikes rather than old utility bikes. Changing the bullhorn bars for flat bars will change the aerodynamics, and will look a lot better too. Everyone knows that replacing those heavy fat tires with light, narrow, kevlar-beaded slicks will noticeably decrease rolling resistance, increasing speed, and reducing weight.
Thinking about the couple, I couldn’t help but wonder if their enjoyment and efficiency could be improved by incorporating some of the wisdom I have acquired over the years. The first and most obvious area was appropriate cycling clothes. How can you ride all day wearing “golf” clothes; polo shirt, slacks, jeans or Bermuda shorts for the men, and similar attire for the women? I would bet that they both would be much more comfortable in padded shorts; and just think how handy those three pockets on a full zip jersey are. While we are discussing attire, a pair of gel-padded cycling gloves would certainly be a welcome addition.
I’ll bet that they would also really be thankful for the boost in pedaling efficiency and comfort gained by replacing their sneakers with cycling shoes. Adding toe-clips and straps has the potential to add miles to their touring day.
As my wife and I cruised along, I was wondering how I could share some of my hard earned touring wisdom with this couple. I finally decided it really didn’t matter because I don’t think I could catch up to them anyway.
Words of Wisdom
As my wife and I were riding along the beautiful Main River Route in Central Germany an older couple passed us. They were typical of many European bike tourists; gray haired, dressed in street clothes, one pannier each, and riding what we call comfort bikes here in the States.
I am not a gear snob, contrary to what my wife says, but I do take note of what people are riding. For instance, on this trip I observed that out of the hundreds or touring bikes we saw, only 5 of the obvious touring bikes had drop bars.
The first thing I thought of was how much easier it would be for them if they were riding modern touring bikes rather than old utility bikes. Changing the bullhorn bars for flat bars will change the aerodynamics, and will look a lot better too. Everyone knows that replacing those heavy fat tires with light, narrow, kevlar-beaded slicks will noticeably decrease rolling resistance, increasing speed, and reducing weight.
Thinking about the couple, I couldn’t help but wonder if their enjoyment and efficiency could be improved by incorporating some of the wisdom I have acquired over the years. The first and most obvious area was appropriate cycling clothes. How can you ride all day wearing “golf” clothes; polo shirt, slacks, jeans or Bermuda shorts for the men, and similar attire for the women? I would bet that they both would be much more comfortable in padded shorts; and just think how handy those three pockets on a full zip jersey are. While we are discussing attire, a pair of gel-padded cycling gloves would certainly be a welcome addition.
I’ll bet that they would also really be thankful for the boost in pedaling efficiency and comfort gained by replacing their sneakers with cycling shoes. Adding toe-clips and straps has the potential to add miles to their touring day.
As my wife and I cruised along, I was wondering how I could share some of my hard earned touring wisdom with this couple. I finally decided it really didn’t matter because I don’t think I could catch up to them anyway.
Last edited by Doug64; 05-17-22 at 09:56 PM.
Likes For Doug64:
#77
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times
in
1,122 Posts
#78
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times
in
1,122 Posts
You are welcome, I have them on my touring bikes and my rando bike. Those are the bikes that I sometimes ride 6 or 8 or ... 12 or 14 hours a day.
But do not have them on my road bike or folding bike, I almost never ride those bikes more than three or four hours in a day.
But do not have them on my road bike or folding bike, I almost never ride those bikes more than three or four hours in a day.
#79
Senior Member
I posted this awhile back(it is tongue-in-cheek).
.......
As my wife and I cruised along, I was wondering how I could share some of my hard earned touring wisdom with this couple. I finally decided it really didn’t matter because I don’t think I could catch up to them anyway.
.......
As my wife and I cruised along, I was wondering how I could share some of my hard earned touring wisdom with this couple. I finally decided it really didn’t matter because I don’t think I could catch up to them anyway.
Oh, my commuter bike last year.
Last edited by djb; 05-18-22 at 12:57 PM.