Here now comes the
cautionary tale of becoming overly attached to aging Lycra- you know, those old
faithfuls plucked from a shop’s sales bin for £10 or less that have soldiered on stoically for a decade or so. Slowly but surely the buttock region has become
progressively thinner, there’s some obvious tell-tale fraying around the insert
but otherwise, they’re socially acceptable...
Crashes aside, the humble
polyester/elastane mix has few natural enemies and literally recedes by
stealth. Thundering along the lanes late one night, headful of ideas turning me
every which way but loose, I was suddenly conscious of an unusually ambient air
coursing around the buttock region. Far from uncomfortable, this agreeable
cooling sensation coincided with traffic gliding past serenely at a greater
distance than usual for this locale.
Catching sight of one’s
derriere’, the reason for this newfound curiosity became brutally apparent-
those fibres had worn perilously thin, leaving little to the imagination.
Mercifully, bricklaying gangs had left their lintels earlier; otherwise the
procession of hoots, jeers and Dagenham smiles would’ve made matters all the
more difficult to ignore. Conversely, I was disappointed not to encounter
“Colnago man”; a relatively local rider who refuses to acknowledge others, even
by way of a discrete nod.
While relatively courteous,
I’m not the most welcoming of figures and don’t generally appreciate folk cruising
alongside uninvited for a chat but wilfully ignoring someone who has bid you
good morning/afternoon/evening is pretty ignorant.
The politics of pleasantries
have become increasingly complex too if forums are any barometer. Some folks
taking great offence (an affront to their masculinity perhaps) at being
overtaken by a faster rider unleashing a cheery “Hello”; Personally, I’m only
mildly irked if someone has cut me up, or done so to make a point/for effect. Often
I’ll whizz past on the following climbs, or laugh hard as a tandem blows them
into those proverbial weeds, showing clean heels n’ chrome plastics.
More changeable conditions
i.e. pelted with hail stones the size of sugar cubes ricocheting from my
Ilpompino’s top tube certainly brings waterproof jackets to the fore. However,
until recently and with the exception of some eVent models, choice was between
three seasons’ training models or the classic “Condom” cape synonymous with late
80’s massed start road racing. Admittedly these offered some protection from
biblical stuff but left one feeling decidedly boiled-in the-bag after twenty
minutes or so.
Micro types which fold much
smaller and whose technical fibres facilitate a reasonably comfortable,
hygienic inner climate have become increasingly affordable. Dhb Cosmo is a case
in point. Subtle (rather than dull or wall-flowerish) colour schemes, gender
specific cuts and rugged, “racing snakes” polyamide fabric has come to my rescue
on several recent outings. These have been spent evaluating the durability and
cleanliness of several different
chain preps, not to mention some very fancy
material specific cleaners and polishes.
The latter supposedly locks
in a blemish-free lustre for several weeks following a single application. So
far, so good on titanium/carbon composites, though I’m very curious to discover
more of their precise chemical makeup. Better quality polymer based, composite
friendly waxes promise similar performance and thus, the coming weeks could
present some unexpected findings.
Now…Can anyone guess the identity of this frameset that’s just arrived at the
doors of Maldon Shot Blasting & Powder Coating?
