spokesNspin

What do bicycles, airplanes and fighter jets have in common?

The first thing is that the Wright Brothers had a bicycle shop.  Their work with bicycles had influence on their thoughts regarding flight.  But that is not what this post is about.

This post is about the need for speed.  And more particularly the  misconception that it really is “about the bike”.  Let me start with an interesting story from Chuck Yeager’s autobiography. 

On our final day in Okinawa, there was an amusing incident between Chuck and two combat pilots who had flown in our Sabre chase planes from Korea. One of them, a lieutenant colonel, asked Chuck why we didn’t attempt to dogfight the MiG with the Sabre. Yeager told him that the outcome of a dogfight depended more on pilot experience than on an airplane’s performance. The combat pilot just didn’t believe it, so Chuck asked him if he would like to fly in the MiG 15 and dogfight Yeager, flying in a Sabre. The colonel agreed and Chuck checked him out in the plane’s systems and off they went. Chuck easily got on the MiG’s tail and stuck there. They landed and switched airplanes, Chuck taking off in the MiG and the colonel flying in his own Sabre. Again, Yeager waxed his tail unmercifully. When they landed, the colonel was extremely abashed. He said to Chuck, “I didn’t think the pilot mattered that much.” Chuck grinned and told him’, “The pilot with the most experience is gonna whip your ass, Colonel, -no matter what you’re flying-it’s that simple.”

A couple of weeks ago bikenoob was lamenting the fact that he got dropped by a moutain bike.  On the other hand, Bob at Daily Cyclist has an amusing story about how he smoked a couple of posers.  I have been in both of those situations.  Of course when I get smoked I tell myself that I am on a recovery ride.

Let me put a new “spin” on Yeager’s words.  “The strongest rider is gonna whip your ass -no matter what you’re riding- it’s that simple”.  That is what fast riding, bicycles and jets have in common.

Don’t believe me?  Here is an excerpt from an article by John Schubert.  Don’t hold me to the authorship on this article but I think it is correct. 

The true differences between a go-fast bike and a touring bike are much exaggerated. Do you want to have a one unit bike collection and still go fast? Buy a touring bike. Put skinny tires on it for your go-fast days. Your misinformed riding companions will marvel at your moose-like muscles, but you and I will know that you really aren’t overcoming a huge mechanical disadvantage.

Schubert goes on to explain a few things about weight, tires etc and the impact it has on speed. 

I have been there.  I have been on rides with groups with my touring bike outfitted with fenders and racks front and back.  My fellow riders have been in awe at how I spent most of the time at the front.   I did a two hundred mile bike race on that bike sans fenders and racks of course.  But I still had 70×35 tires on it.  At the starting line a fellow rider commented, rather derisively I might add,  on my bike.  A companion who had ridden with me on several occasions told the guy to take a good look because it was probably his last chance to check out my bike.

I must point out here that I am by no means a bike racer.  I have no type of racing classification.  I would call myself a serious recreational rider.  But there’s the rub!  Probably 99 percent of the fellow riders out there are not pros either.

At ride starts and rest stops you will find cyclists discussing various components, weight etc.  What I find humorous is that a large number of these cyclists will be men carrying anywhere from 10-30 lbs around their waist.  You can count me in that category. 

What are a few grams in a pedal or even a pound or two on a frame when you are carrying thirty pounds of fat around your middle?

It’s not just bicycles and jets.  Thirty years ago I was taking guitar lessons.  I was playing an old used f-holer that I had purchased on the cheap.  My instructor had a very nice instrument.   I would play my guitar and think about how it sounded next to my instructor’s guitar.  One day he picked my guitar up and did some extensive playing on it.

I was quite impressed with the sound coming from my old f-holer.

There is no substitute for flying time, hours in the bike saddle or time spent practicing a musical instrument. 

If you are Yo-Yo Ma or Lance Armstrong then the tool of your trade makes difference.  But for the rest of us mortals, a more expensive bike won’t reduce the time for our next century ride.  As Schubert says in the end of the article.

“…if you want to go fast, it ain’t the bike that’s holding you back.”