Jamie, although I share certain of your sentiments regarding bike messengers (on my last trip to Boston I saw so many cool bikes), I respectfully disagree about the cycling community at large. I ride with a group every weekend that has grown from a handful of cyclists just a few years ago to a group of 25-30 on a routine basis. Many are newer riders, some young & some my age (read OLD), many on their first ever nice road bike. The one thing common to a rider is that whatever brought them out to begin with, and their reasons are many, they all share the "passion", to varying degrees. I love the look of wonder on some of these faces who are on their first ever group ride and cannot believe they are moving with such ease at over 20 MPH in a paceline! The lightbulbs are going off all over with folks realizing just how cool this sport is. Sure, they want to ride & wear what the pro's are, that is their frame of reference. But, the enthusiasm that I first felt some 3 decades ago is the same. It's very cool. Granted, many (most?), wonder about this old guy with the wool jersey & the steel bike, but at least they wonder. Maybe I can teach them a few things. Cheers, Richard Rose, getting ready for the lunch hour ride... Toledo, Ohio
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-admin@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-admin@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of Jamie Swan Sent: Friday, June 07, 2002 10:47 AM To: classicrendezvous Subject: [CR]bike messingers
Hi Gang,
If this off topic you can flog me with a red Twizzler.
When I sell vintage bike stuff at swap meets many of my customers are bike messengers. Most of them are too young to know anything about bike stuff from the 60's and 70's. Nevertheless many of them seem to be drawn to my wares from a purely aesthetic perspective. In fact they are very enthusiastic about the stuff. I find this phenomenon interesting.
When I was first drawn to cycling, part of the appeal was that I was escaping the mediocrity of my middle class culture. The counter culture movement of the 60's and early 70's was about examining the social values of the time. There was a cultural revolution. I believe that we now live in a more enlightened and open minded society.
Back then if you clip-clopped into a deli in you cycling clothes you were likely to get harassed. It felt good to be different. The status quo sucked! Today when I clip-clopp in to deli the guy is likely to say something like "great day for a ride". This a good thing...
It is great that cycling has become a mainstream activity. Everyone knows about Lance and many remember Greg. Lots more people ride.... On the other hand I feel that cycling culture has lost something. Maybe its me, but it seems like the bike world is really bland. The bikes and the apparel are made by a cookie cutter. Everybody is on a "program". They are all reading the same magazine! Where is the creativity? Where is the innovation?... Where are the race tactics? The best thing about bike racing was that every once in a while you could pull off a nifty move. Today the digitally trained pawns turn the pedals and the graybeards on the radio tell them when to attack and when to follow.
I find the bike messengers refreshing. They are colorful and creative. Many are articulate. They see a rusty old Lejeune track frame and go crazy over how beautiful it is. They usually can't afford my stuff. I feel like giving it to them. Sometimes I do. They buy parts and immediately install them on their bikes. They are startled when I am willing to give them information or lend them tools. Being stuck single handed at my swap meet table, and having forgotten to bring anything to eat, I have actually bartered bike parts for food. I had a guy offer me a Russian novel that he had in his bag for a moth eaten wool jersey.
These people are way outside the Bicycling Magazine culture. They are riding all kinds of interesting stuff. They have sole. Many are good athletes and successful competitors. They have something that the mainstream cycling world is lacking: passion.
Peace, Jamie Swan - Northport, N.Y.