Time to rebut the rebuttal:
Originally Posted by
carleton
Most of the stuff is funny. But, some of it is offered (and often taken) seriously. I take particular objection to:
Really? This isn't
SCCA. You can't just buy a fast bike like you can buy a fast car and be competitive.
Even a dog knows when to come in out of the rain. Your legs don't know if you are indoors warm and comfy or outdoors in the cold sleet. But, your skin and lungs do.
I don't mind riding in summer showers on training rides. But, not in the Fall, Winter, or Spring. Screw that.
Pfffft. So you can have all of that crap sloshing around your back inside of your jersey pockets? Whatever.
Whatever.
Do what fits best...not what looks best. Don't be the guy on the bad-ass bike limping in 30 minutes behind everyone else.
The valve cap maybe, but the washer nut is functional. It serves two important functions. 1) It keeps the valve stem from recessing into the tire when pumping a tire that has little pressure. 2) It keeps the valve stem from tap, tap, tapping the edge of the rim if it ever becomes off-center. If you've ever had this happen on a ride, it will drive you nuts. "tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap tap ..." for 2-3 hours.
First off, you are not in a position to say what is offered seriously. Aside from that:
1. The "it's all about the bike" rule is not intended to mean what you think--that performance comes only from the material object, the bike. In the context of the rules (and ALL the rules, as they are cross referenced) it actually means something more along the lines of "one should never do anything or think of anything or live any other life not related to bikes."
2. I can't imagine how anyone can take this one absolutely seriously. Is it awesome to ride in bad weather? I think so. They do too. It implies a sort of passion in the sport. Using the idiom, it's like someone would be willing to do something 'rain or shine.'
Does that mean we should all go cycling in antarctica so we can all collectively be badasses? Probably not.
3. Slam your stem thing is debatable. Yes, you should do what fits. Can you achieve the proper fit
and slam your stem? Generally speaking, yes you can.
4. I have personally found the washer nut to be useless. In fact, I've even seen tubes being sold without it. For MTB tires and bigger CX tires, I think it makes sense, though.
Lastly, I just want to ask what exactly is wrong with a list of rules like this just for fun? I feel like when people do things for fun, you complain about it not being serious enough, and when people take things serious, you can complain about it being too serious.
Cycling is a culture--it has been, and it will be. If you really despise and reject the culture, that is fine. But why ruin the fun for everyone else?