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"Just Ride" by Grant Petersen

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"Just Ride" by Grant Petersen

Old 05-25-12, 07:48 PM
  #126  
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Originally Posted by alhedges
What I am surprised by is the large number of thin-skinned cyclists on this forum who react defensively if someone like GP even suggests that they don't have to wear bike specific clothing to ride to work, and who suggests that you might try something different.
I agree. People seem to be trying to read more into his words than he has intended, and are become oddly defensive.

I can't damn the guy for having perceptions that vary from those of the majority of American recreational cyclists. Especially since his views correspond so closely with so much of the rest of the world. The US does have a very large land area, often requiring longer cycling distances than European destinations, creating some need for cycling specific clothing, but many Americans could still easily get away without looking like they belong in some kind of fundo.

And yes, I do wear cycling shorts on my commute, but I consider my 30-mile round trip commute to be the exception, not the norm. I sure don't bother wearing them on a 5-mile trip to the market, or even a leisurely 10-mile ride on the MUP with my wife and daughter.

As for knickers, I wear them very often, both on and off the bicycle. For non-cycling shorts, I love Unionbay Panama Cargo Messenger Shorts. Good quality, comfortable, and pretty cheap too. $25.00 a pair at Kohls.

https://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/mens...ger+Shorts.jsp

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Old 05-25-12, 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Andy_K
Anyway, the vast majority of people will read just the title of the book and comprehend the point. The sales price of the book is a tax on people who don't get it.
How about that it might be entertaining.

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Old 05-25-12, 08:45 PM
  #128  
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Originally Posted by Booger1
Grant Petersen......The Emily Post of the bicycle world......I'd buy his book but my parrot doesn't like paper on the bottom of his cage......

If I see people with wool sweaters and shorts,at the same time,right or wrong,it does make me wonder......I wear both but it's either cold......or it ain't.
Ha! That would've been me cycling home from work yesterday. Warm enough to not need tights on my way in to work, cold enough at 1AM for me to put a sweater on for the ride home.
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Old 05-27-12, 11:15 AM
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is the large number of thin-skinned cyclists on this forum who react defensively
bwahahahahaha!

most of the time i just wear a flappy cotton t-shirt and rei quick dry shorts. imo, the "slow bike" and "cycle chic" movement are bike stockholm syndrome. instead of looking forward to a time when motorists no longer dominate our roads, these folks want us to be restricted to cycling ghettos and "normal" clothing. any reasonably fit cyclist can propel their bike at 20+ mph. and why the **** shouldn't they? when riding in bad weather or when putting out some effort, sporty clothing just makes sense. and for crying out loud...sport clothing is what mainstream american wears (even when not excercising). i wonder what GP thinks of lulemon.

i am also not a fan of GP's atavistic worship of dead cow skin and sheared sheep hair. industrial animal farming (leather and wool industries) promote brutal mistreatment of animals and cause incredible environmental degradation.
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Old 05-27-12, 11:23 AM
  #130  
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I would like to find some high quality, high vis cotton T shirts. Where did you get yours Chip? Are those pants what my wife calls capris?
Originally Posted by chipcom
I'll let the diss of my knickers pass...diss my sandals and we're gonna dance!

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Old 05-27-12, 11:30 AM
  #131  
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Originally Posted by Andy_K
There are like maybe five people in the world who look good in kit. The rest of us look like dorks. Most of us, I'm pretty sure, know that we look like dorks. But it's useful.
Yes.
For a long time I swore by spandex padded shorts.
Then I bought a Brooks, and soon realized I could ride just as comfortably in normal shorts.

So, first I wasn't afraid or ashamed of looking like a dork.
And then, I concluded I didn't need to anyway.
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Old 05-27-12, 12:29 PM
  #132  
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I hate riding in jeans, and I work in jeans. So I use bike-specific clothing to ride to work. It seems to me that "Just Ride" is the wrong title for a book by Grant Peterson. "Ride my way or you're a poseur" might be more fitting. I like many of his products so I can ignore the BS
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Old 05-27-12, 07:43 PM
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For a long time I swore by spandex padded shorts.
Then I bought a Brooks, and soon realized I could ride just as comfortably in normal shorts.
even a modest amount of riding builds callouses that make padded shorts or expensive dead cow skin saddles entirely optional.
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Old 05-27-12, 08:34 PM
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Originally Posted by spare_wheel
even a modest amount of riding builds callouses that make padded shorts or expensive dead cow skin saddles entirely optional.
Eh... cows aren't exactly an endangered species.
And I haven't bought another saddle in 10 years.

That, right there, has to count for something in the reduced consumption column.

EDIT: And I just checked - no butt calluses.

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Old 05-27-12, 08:49 PM
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
I hate riding in jeans, and I work in jeans. So I use bike-specific clothing to ride to work. It seems to me that "Just Ride" is the wrong title for a book by Grant Peterson. "Ride my way or you're a poseur" might be more fitting. I like many of his products so I can ignore the BS
I think roadies have thin skins, and that Grant's message is that you don't have to be one to be a "real cyclist".

The spandex crowd just gets butt hurt when lycra is questioned.
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Old 05-28-12, 06:34 AM
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Can a vegan ride a Brooks?
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Old 05-28-12, 07:58 AM
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.
Originally Posted by sci_femme
Can a vegan ride a Brooks?
Why, are virgins particularly at risk from a Brooks?

No, wait, I got it: Why are virgins particularly at risk from a Brooks?

(I am sorry, I'm leaving now....)
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Old 05-28-12, 09:31 AM
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I see no reason to get bent out of shape over this. Remember, the NPR story was about Bike to Work Day. The idea behind this promotion is to coax less experienced cyclists into riding more, and to help them view bikes as transportation rather than just recreational toys. It seems to me that Petersen was speaking more to these people, to let them know that expensive, hi-tech cycling gear is not necessary for short to moderate commutes. So, one need not dress in racing gear or spend a lot of money to participate.
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Old 05-28-12, 10:08 AM
  #139  
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Good stuff, reminds me a bit if Portland where I live but just a bit
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Old 05-28-12, 10:31 AM
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Originally Posted by Brennan
It seems to me that Petersen was speaking more to these people, to let them know that expensive, hi-tech cycling gear is not necessary for short to moderate commutes. So, one need not dress in racing gear or spend a lot of money to participate.
not a bad message when it comes right down to it. I don't think that's holding a lot of people back though. Around here, the number one issue has got to be hills, number two issue is sweat.
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Old 05-28-12, 10:17 PM
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Originally Posted by WestMass
I searched the forum and couldn't find any posts about this book in the commuting forum, so here goes - a mini-review of sorts. This book was a really fast read.

The book is tall, skinny, and deep, but the thickness comes from the paper used, not the number of pages. It is 212 pages of short chapters of 1-3 pages each. Whenever you have a spare 5 minutes, you can bang out a chapter or two. Each chapter contains a rant of sorts from Grant Petersen, founder of Rivendell Bicycles. Some of the chapters might leave the typical non-racing bicyclist thinking "duh!," while most chapters push to challenge us, as cyclists, to think critically of what we're being fed by bike companies and bike culture. Do you really need clipless pedals, an "aggressive" stance, a helmet, blinking lights, padded shorts, lycra jerseys, and rain pants? Certain chapters of this book will certainly rub each and every reader the wrong way, but I found that most of the chapters were very interesting, and if they didn't necessarily change my mind, they at least challenged my ideas about riding a bicycle. I found that the book inspired me to try out new things as I ride, and has helped me take steps toward being an "unracer."


Thingy on NPR:
https://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/...grant-petersen


Anyone else read this? Did you like it?
I've just finished reading it. I agree with most of what Grant has to say, and in person I'd probably like him but, all the same, he's a bit annoying in print. His insistence on framing a racers-vs-everyone-else argument is a bit much to take, for example. (I personally do not think that racers have any more influence on the average bicycle commuter than formula 1 drivers have on the average car commuter.) He also has an irritating tendency to present common-sense, practical ideas that have been around forever as a brand-new idea that he came up with on his own.

I disagree with some of it: I don't think it's a bad thing to have 27 gears, for example, and I disagree that anyone is delusional enough to think that bicycle helmets will help much in a serious accident.

That said, he has some ideas worth sharing: Clip-in pedals probably aren't necessary for most riders. When you factor in the weight of the rider and all of his/her gear, five pounds one way or another isn't worth worrying about on a commuter. Fenders are a good idea in areas that get a lot of rain. It's a good idea to know how to fix things. Nothing is terribly original here, but it doesn't hurt to be told the obvious from time to time, and people new to commuting by bicycle may actually find this stuff to be a revelation.
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Old 05-28-12, 11:19 PM
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Can a vegan ride a Brooks?
its not just about animal rights its about concern for the people who work in leather mills. few tannery workers in india or china live long healthy lives. its an industry that makes apple's sweat shops look like club med.
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Old 05-29-12, 05:32 AM
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As far a Brooks saddles, his chapters on saddles make more of an argument for $30-$50 synthetic saddles. He does say that he rides brooks, but it seemed he mostly road them because he preferred the aesthetic.
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Old 05-29-12, 09:29 PM
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Do you really need clipless pedals, an "aggressive" stance, a helmet, blinking lights, padded shorts, lycra jerseys, and rain pants?
Do you really need two wheels? Unicycles are perfectly functional methods of getting from point A to B.
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Old 05-30-12, 04:58 AM
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I like my clipless peds/shoes, and I really like my brifters, and I love padded shorts. I use these on my lugged steel frame (made in the USA BTW). My bad! I'm so confused.
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Old 05-30-12, 01:03 PM
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OK now that the thread is a week old I can report that I do all my bike geekery on my commutes, but when I'm riding around town for errands from home I pretty much never wear bikey clothes (except for the spd sandals). I also never wear bike jerseys, ever. But padded shorts are awesome. Also, combining padded shorts w/ a plastic saddle that I lucked into appears to be more comfy than any combination of clothing plus my b-17. That could be a fit issue, maybe the frame is too big for me to sit upright enough on the brooks, or something. Anyway, onward. Today I drove.
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Old 05-30-12, 01:10 PM
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Wow.

Thank you, Grant Peterson.

After reading nearly 20 pages of BF posts (between the two competing threads, this and the NPR one), I've learned two important things...

1) I could haul 200 lbs of broccoli on my bike
2) I can refer to certain...ahem...anatomical parts as "Mr. Winky"

I can't wait to share these two important facts with Mrs. Gretz.

Woo Hoo.
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Old 05-30-12, 06:11 PM
  #148  
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i am also not a fan of GP's atavistic worship of dead cow skin and sheared sheep hair. industrial animal farming (leather and wool industries) promote brutal mistreatment of animals and cause incredible environmental degradation.
I've read many articles about Brooks workers and they don't seem like mistreated, beat-down animals working in a sweat shop. You read Upton Sinclair too much. Honestly, if I could NOT ride a brooks and be comfortable -- I'd never buy one because they're expensive and require maintenance. I ride a brooks because it's the most comfortable damn thing I've ever sat on when cycling. Please don't assume that people are either a) too ignorant or b) enjoy torturing animals because they choose to use leather and wool.

I'm not a fan of GP mostly because I get tired of listening to him whining about how he can't make money. Change some aspect of your business if you can't make a go at it!
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Old 05-30-12, 11:30 PM
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Originally Posted by TurbineBlade
I'm not a fan of GP mostly because I get tired of listening to him whining about how he can't make money. Change some aspect of your business if you can't make a go at it!
Well, he wrote a book. :-)
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Old 05-31-12, 12:39 AM
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Originally Posted by TurbineBlade
I've read many articles about Brooks workers and they don't seem like mistreated, beat-down animals working in a sweat shop.
I think they were talking about the people who produce the leather that the workers in the Brooks factory use. Tanneries are notoriously noxious and deleterious to the environment, many are located in Pakistan where it's easy for the money to end up supporting terrorist organizations. (Though they do prefer the opium and gem trade.) It can be really difficult to get leather at commercial quantities from anywhere in Europe because of the labor and environmental protections. Even when people are willing to pay a premium it's hard - I worked in materials sourcing for company that produced handbags, and quite often leather that was LEGALLY considered to be produced in Italy or France was actually from Pakistan/India/somewhere else with no worker/environmental guidelines.

Of course, the process for producing synthetic materials uses fossil fuels, is also environmentally harmful, and the end products do not biodegrade, and the money goes to multinational corporations who use it to further their own short-term interests at the expense of the health of the earth and private citizens. So pick your poison.
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