EdIsMe

Well, I just finished a 50 mile group ride in the rain and am feeling a bit silly.

How about we list at least one cycling faux pas that we are or have been guilty of?

Me first:

Unmatched saddle and bartape color
Specialized saddle on a non-specialized bike
Using non-bike-specific lubricants (lithium grease)
Colored bottle cages
Tires installed backwards

vermilionx

hmmm...

- wearing MTB shorts on a road bike
- wearing regular shirts, but i wear underarmour on longer rides.
- i've used motorcycle lube to lube my chain once.
- for a while when i started cycling... i didn't know you had to unscrew the tip of the valve to put air in it. lolz
- forgetting to unclip
- im sure i can think of more later...

Menel

Last I checked, Italia, San Marco, Prologo, and Fizik don't make bikes. Many people riding unmatched saddle and frame. I have Toupe saddle on both my Roubaix and my Helix.

How do you install tires backwards? If you have directional tires, without a smooth contact surface, you are doing it wrong. Get some some GP4000S or PRO3/4's.

EdIsMe

1. You're missing the point.
2. Faux pas only applies to a Specialized saddle on a non-specialized frame
3. Why would you post in this thread without participating?

I once experimented with a hydration pack...

Edit: and yes, it is possible to mount a treadless tire backwards. You've probably done it.

Homebrew01

Specifically Poseur faux pas .... actual cyclists, not so much.

Yo Spiff

Sounds like we are talking about style errors?

-I usually ride with a Camelbak. (Went on a club ride Monday and after 35 miles, almost everyone with bottles was needing water. Myself and the one or two other Camelbak users had plenty left. Win.)

-Have some tall cut cycling socks that my daughter thinks are as bad as wearing black over the calf socks with sandals and plaid shorts. (I now need to buy some SPD sandals, I think)

-I use a full size Zefal HP frame pump carried under the top tube.

-Mountain bike shoes on a road bike.

Yo Spiff

Someone suggested a while back that unless we are pro racers, then we are all either Poseurs or Freds. I think I am a bit of both.

manutd

I was wearing a Cervelo jersey while riding on my Specialized Roubaix and my wife was wearing a specialized jersey while she was riding her Cervelo.

And we did this twice just last week alone!!!!

island rider

You mean that guys who win races don't care whether or not my bar-tape matches my saddle or my bottles don't match my kit or whatever? Say it ain't so...

Which doesn't actually diminish the point of the thread... Now excuse me while I go read "The Rules" to see how many I break daily.

grolby

Whoah, whoah, whoah - hang on! This is all wrong.

First of all, saddle and handlebar tape colors need not match. If you want them to look nice, it's good for them to be complementary, but that's not the same thing. If you have a black saddle, you can use pretty much any color tape you like except for white and it will look good. Pick something that complements the rest of the colors on the bike. If you have a white saddle, you're in more of a pickle. White tape is the easiest solution, but again, you might be able to find a color that offsets the frame color and looks good without necessarily matching. If the frame is black, white tape will actually be a bit much in addition to the saddle. Come on. Tasteful color coordination isn't about matching everything. It's about complementary colors that sit well together.

As for the saddle brand thing, are you kidding!? It might stand out to you, since Specialized has such a recognizable bike brand, but there's no reason not to use their saddles on a different bike. If they make your butt happy, just do it. No one will say a word.

White lithium grease, of course, has a long and honorable history of use in bicycle applications. It has often been a popular choice because of its low viscosity and drag, though its relatively low durability and poor water resistance means that any parts packed with lithium grease should get regular attention. But that's the point - packing your bearings with white lithium grease is old-school PRO. Not a faux pas. Besides, if the people you ride with can see the color of grease you're using, you've got way bigger problems than what it says on the tube.

I don't even know what to say on water bottle holders. Really? Just, really? See above point about color coordination. It's not about hard-and-fast matching rules, or no-color rules. Just try and pick something that goes nicely on the bike.

And no can tell if your tires on are on "backwards." The only faux pas is forgetting to put tires on in the first place.

island rider

Rule #8 // Saddles, bars, and tires shall be carefully matched.[SUP]3[/SUP]

Valid options are:

• Match the saddle to the bars and the tires to black; or
• Match the bars to the color of the frame at the top of the head tube and the saddle to the color of the frame at the top of the seat tube and the tires to the color where they come closest to the frame; or
• Match the saddle and the bars to the frame decals; or
• Black, black, black

Note 3. It is possible for experts to mix these matching guidelines successfully without breaking The Rules. This is a very risky undertaking and can yield unpredictable results. Proceed carefully and, if in doubt, run your configuration by the Keepers for approval.

Bob Dopolina 

Road bike tires are non-directional. If you believe they are directional we have some lighter than air tubes in our clearance section...

Any tire used on any surface other than paved surfaces is most likely directional.

grolby

I'm not referring to a stupid set of arbitrary, one-size-fits-all "rules." I'm talking about tasteful color coordination and pairing. It's not a faux pas to have a nice-looking bike that doesn't obey "the rules."

EdIsMe

Mounting them backwards simply placed the logo on the wrong side. Ride quality was not affected.

It seems like you all need to brush up on The Rules.

island rider

I know, I know. Relax. I was pointing out the "Rule" in the same way I read them. Tongue firmly in cheek.

island rider

It seems your thread has thus far not been viewed in the light you intended, or at least the light I thought you intended.

Homebrew01

I'm neither.

Bob Dopolina 

There are many and I know them and their younger sisters well.

Glasses inside helmet straps. I done it. Sometimes on purpose. There has been considerable sleep lost over this one.

Equal tire pressures in both front and back tires. Well, there's a red line on the gauge so I pump to there. If I needed two different pressures pumps would come with two adjustable red lines. Think about it.

A saddle bag. I hate packing my jersey pockets full of tubes, levers, patches, tire boot, spoke key and mini allen tools every time I ride to the 7-11for beer - I mean train. I lash that junk on my bike because if I put it in my jersey it's easier to see my spare tire. No-one wants that.

Recording my AVE SPD. I download a bunch of stuff from my PM but I have never made a special spread sheet to record my AVE SPD. Perhaps this is why I never went pro.

Aero bars. I wish I'd left them on my road bike. I only used them for a short while on my road bike until our TT bikes were ready but, since I am older and much slower now, I could be seeing time savings like nothing I've seen before. That stuff could be really paying off now!

Waving. I always wave. I don't care who you are. You're out for a ride and having a good time. I can muster a nod, wave or finger flick in your direction - accept for the tri-geeks. In all the years I've been riding not one has waved back. ****'em. I've had lots of folks who do tri's smile, wave, nod or flick back but not a single tri-geek has deigned to do so.

Carbon. I use it for everything. Frames, forks, bars, stems, rims, seats, posts, cranks and a bunch of component parts. I know it is a ticking time bomb and I must be delusional because I have yet to buy a CAAD 10 to use in the crits I don't do but this **** just keeps showing up at my door so I use it. This must be some sick kind of voodoo risk taking, gambling thing. I don't know. It's just not right because I know this stuff is just a bunch of plastic waiting to asplode and who knows how many I'll take with me.

Bents. I should really just own up right here. I'd love to try one but, to me they are like mopeds; They're both fun to ride until your friends find out. For the bents, I am ruined.

Mirrors-helmet or otherwise. I'm just too busy jammin' to my tunes on my iphone to bother with mirrors. They're too much of a distraction.

Bells. I had a metal bell with a solid spring and knocker on my FG/SS yellow Merckx with white full fenders that let out a single, crystal clear sound, that cut through traffic noise and carried for a block. I sold it with the bike. I loved the bike. I miss the bell.

I need a moment.

Bob Dopolina 

Silly mortal.

The logos are the same on both sides of a non-directional tire.

LesterOfPuppets

So far I'm guilty of all posted faux pas except vermillionx' and Yo Spiff's #4s.

I've run Specialized tires, tubes, racks, bottle cages, helmets, saddles, stems, shorts and probably even a jersey or two on non-Specialized frames.

Just bought my first Specialized frame a couple of weeks ago and it's a flipper MTB. Seriously considering keeping the tires.

EdIsMe

The tires were Hutchinson Intensives and this particular pair had a large logo on the non-drive side and a much smaller logo on the drive side. (and yes, there was a little directional arrow on the sidewall).

:shrug:

LesterOfPuppets

I've had some road tires with directional siping and arrows on the sidewall. I ignore them. I have some Forte Strada tires that have a label on both sides of tire but they're 180 degrees out of phase. That would drive some folks absolutely insane, I imagine.

island rider

You forgot to add the other thing that's fun to ride until your friends find out... oops, family forum.

Brian Ratliff

How's this: I have a Madone I've been trying to fit myself on. Cane Creek headset with FSA stem cap and bearing top cap.

shadoman

Campy NR Brake levers that are wrapped rather than hooded (with hockey tape, no less...)
GIANT (white) saddle on my grey SomaSport with Dreamcicle swirl cork bar wrap.
Grey Selle San Marco suede saddle with black tape (x2)
Nishiki branded saddle on my VINER SS (with urban camo paint, btw...)