Rhythm
I read in an article in Bike World magazine , long ago , that the gently meditative hypnosis which comes over the cyclist , and allows the miles to melt away with mental pleasure , during the physical exertion , is called ,
trip rhythm
But thinking about how not every ride needs to be an official trip , to a definite destination , perhaps a better term is ,
ride rhythm
Your body and the bicycle flow together as one smoothly operating set of machinery , and your mind drifts free .
The neuro-biologist would point to endorphins .
The psycho-therapist would point to positive mental & emotional benefits .
And about sensing the subtle differences , I'll never forget how surprised I was after I'd put some miles on my c. 1978 Ron Cooper , and then made a subtle change in the equipment . The bicycle is Ron Cooper Touring frame-set # 169 , and was customized as a pretty racy ultra-light sort of more-race-and-less-tour kind of bicycle . I assembled it with a pair of 1st generation Specialized Turbo Kevlar-bead tires ( wired-on , "clincher" ) , and very specially-ordered , exotic-at-the-time , latex tubes .
I'd spoiled the front tube the day before a small group ride was going to take place . I didn't have a replacement at home . The shop didn't have exactly what I needed . I settled for a very narrow , but slightly thick , butyl tube . I was very surprised at how that inner tube changed the feel of the next day's ride . I'd read that people could feel the difference between the very finest inner tubes , and the cheap stuff . I'd never really believed it , until I found out for myself .
Subtle differences .
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas
> Drove down the mid-coast area of Maine today. A
> gorgeous fall day, sunny and breezy, with the
> wife at my side, and my Armstrong fixed in the
> back seat.
> At Sanford she let me out and I started to ride.
> As we had already driven route 202 to get there,
> I decided to go a little more inland and ride
> back on 11, then 25. All told it would add a few
> miles, making it about a 50-miler.
> I have to say it was possibly one of the most
> amazing days riding I have ever had. The
> temperature was pretty much T-shirt perfect, the
> sun was beaming in a perfectly blue sky, there
> was a lot of wind (mostly in my face the whole
> ride), and the fall colors were breathtaking.
> 202 is pretty flat, and I had never been on 11
> before though they are only separated by about 10
> miles, so I was quite surprised at how hilly it
> is. My old legs were only just able to propel me
> up a few of the grades in a 42 x 17, and I had to
> use the front brake to scrub speed on many of the
> downhills. By the time I got to the junction of
> 11 and 25 (after about 30 miles) I was starting
> to get tired. Luckily 25 is much flatter. I
> started to become aware of the relative lateness
> of the hour, and that I had no lights with me.
> Every so often I would be laboring up a grade,
> and I would be transfixed by a particularly
> beautiful patch of color. At that point my mind
> would be focused outside of myself, and all the
> aches and pains would recede into the background
> for a few seconds. This was truly one of those
> days when I revisited yet again my love for the
> bike, and realized again some of the reasons why
> I ride.
>
> Possible "classic content:" There was a recent
> thread on CR about the wealth of knowledge that
> may have been lost when the builders of British
> (and other countries?) bikes of the 50's and 60's
> stopped building. Maybe that's true. I am now in
> the fortunate position of having 2 fifties
> British bikes, and 2 50's French bikes. Each has
> a great ride, yet each is subtly different. I
> ride them in turn, note the differences, and make
> small changes to the wheels, even just the tires,
> and note that even these small differences can be
> perceived and appreciated. I don't try to make
> changes to bring all the bikes' rides closer to
> each other, but to enhance what I think are the
> particular strong points of each bike. Amazing,
> isn't it, how a similar base of quality frame
> tubing and lugs can give subtly differing rides
> and sensations?
>
> =====
> Neill Currie, Portland, Me 04102, USA.
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