Future Proofing

Arguably there’s no such thing, everything must evolve to stand any chance of survival and those, no matter how “intelligent” who refuse to acknowledge and evolve will find themselves obsolete. Change is difficult for us to accept, it challenges our sense of certainty, presenting a new sense of vulnerabilities.

For many decades there prevailed a myth through Dagenham (a town built around the Ford motor company) that educational attainment was completely irrelevant since said motor giant would always grant local people (comparatively) well-paid, semi/unskilled work on their assembly line.

By 1995, according to schools liaison officers the average Dagenham school leaver “Stood a cat’s chance in hell” of being considered for the line’s most rudimentary jobs. Engineering has continued to make a low key return here and in other regions of the UK but levels of remuneration are incomparable with previous decades.

Those of a technical grade, with “valuable” transferable skills will move sideways into other industries/roles, those without face a decidedly uncertain future, forgotten by political administrations-regardless of their ideological “convictions”. 

Many people purport to understand social media but until recently, I’d been an operator, as distinct from mechanic. Rather akin to being stranded by the roadside with an elderly car haemorrhaging litres of coolant, oil and similarly vital fluids, grappling with the running gear is proving a steep but empowering and arguably essential learning curve.

Suspension systems are another perpetual evolution, though have never really fired the imaginations of road riders or at least enjoyed sustained commercial success. Two decades back, Steve Bauer’s Eddy Merrcx Paris Roubaix bike (sometimes sporting Rock Shox front boingers) looked loosely contemporary, though hasn’t aged well-its profile and seating position more reminiscent of Harley homage cruiser motorcycles.  Ditto Bianchi’s curious celeste dual road sussers from 1996 that resemble bicycle shaped objects flogged on petrol station forecourts.   

Weight and added complication have been the traditional lines of resistance. Carbon fibre and titanium  has long been the zing of choice-justly so in most contexts, though I must confess to a soft spot for Girvin’s Flexstem and AMP research’s simple forks-both now rapidly gaining anorak status, having vanished from production at least fifteen years ago with very modest spares availability.

Seatposts have been another mixed bag, from simple yet serviceable elastomer types slipping under £25 to ultra-smooth units employing a heady mix of nitrogen gas cartridge and coil sprung technology. Shorter travel designs have always nudged my consciousness for rough-stuff touring, cyclo cross and tandem stoker applications with Cane Creek’s Thudbuster proving one of the more enduring designs I’d not had the opportunity to test until now….

For the uninitiated, there’s two versions-LT (long Travel) aimed primarily at the enduro /cross country mountain bike audiences whereas its’ ST (short travel) counterpart is for lighter trail/cross/tandem stoker antics. Nudging 454g for the standard 350mm version, it’s offered in a refreshingly comprehensive range of sizes.

Other diameters are accommodated via a series of long shims. Back in the 1990s, several manufacturers of “trick” sub 200g CNC machined exotica produced a single size, supplied with the corresponding shims. Thing was, these were decidedly minimalist, often shallower than penicillin tablets, resulting in seat tube stress fractures. Thus some very prominent brands wouldn’t honour frame warrantees when paired to such.

Popular culture, though TV in particular seems central in engendering an “us n’ them” vehicular tribalism, which misses the point and isn’t remotely conducive to forming intelligent, cohesive integrated transport systems. 

Cycling plays a big part in Joshua’s continued quest for greater autonomy, requiring carefully reasoned, rational risk management. Knee jerk “cotton wool” protectionism is perhaps understandable but disastrously counterproductive, hence why I instilled the basics of road craft and an awareness of the increasingly maddening crowd who substitute skill for varying levels of aggression during his formative tagalong tenure.

Instrumental in this slackening of parental reins are his phone and this bar mounted waterproof Aquapac mobile phone bag. Some would advocate tracking apps and other surveillance but to me, this is decidedly Orwellian and recognising he’s not easily distracted, I’m happy knowing he will ride within his limits, can be contacted and communicate with me should circumstances arise.    

Coming Together

The kind folks at Ison distribution www.ison-distribution.com generously dropped me two of these lovely Genetic (Campag homage) seat post binder bolts yesterday (19 and 22mm just in case). Seizing the moment, I gently manipulated the frame’s ears, applied some composite friendly grease to bolt and post before introducing said components at their correct nm. Some folk still regard torque wrenches as a new-fangled luxury but in my book, lying prone in A&E while an overworked and undervalued nurse plucks shards from one’s buttocks is extremely undignified and totally unnecessary. Emblazoning my moniker along its top tube, fiddly bits are finished and with freshly herded goodies, my ferrous friend can resume secure hibernation until spring while I address pressing business matters and chart long, slippery outings aboard suitably dressed Ilpompino and Univega.

The deskilling debate has been hotly contested in many quarters with equally compelling contradiction. Traditionally this has referred to the labour market, primarily in relation to automation and manual labour. However, it appears increasingly prevalent in other spheres. I was somewhat gobsmacked to hear a police (traffic) officer remark that once someone has successfully passed their driving test; they are by default competent and capable users of the public highway (!) This contradicts widespread driving instructor/examiner conviction that such assessments are simply to ascertain someone is safe to be allowed to operate said vehicle(s) unaccompanied.

London’s seamier districts have always been awash with the unlicensed/uninsured and otherwise illegal drivers. However, toward the end of my twelve years spent navigating the capital on two-wheels, standards of PSV (Public Service Vehicles) operation had become obviously dilute to counteract declining numbers. This new breed of operator often substituted skill and courtesy with a deadly cocktail of elephantine ignorance and aggression toward smaller craft. I even recall the story of one, high on cocaine and deciding his passengers would benefit from a more scenic commute through suburban Kingston-Upon Thames (!)

Far from engaging “Victim” mode, I’m advocating for the re-establishment of “Road craft” whereby we have a collective responsibility to adopt a sense of greater humility, while continuously developing our skills and shedding this corrosive them/us tribalism. Aside from the (very real) fear of their driveway resembling a motorcycle salvage yard, my parents weren’t the least bit hysterical about a strange and irrational interest in middleweight motorcycles running in parallel with that of lightweight bicycles. Rather, they preferred to stress the importance of having a car licence-if for no other reason than to appreciate driver perspective and therefore, perceive potential hazards before they arose. Bottom line, I’m pro cycles but only have a pronounced allergy to stupid/ignorant/myopic humans, whether they be commanding car/van/bus/truck/horse/yak or indeed motor/cycle.

Against this backdrop, I am slightly perturbed by the notion of the UK’s sixteen year olds being able to drive unaccompanied on public roads, albeit behind the wheel of a heavily restricted vehicle. Now (before I’m mown down by an entourage of irate parents defending the civil liberties of their offspring) this has always been possible here under P class-trikes powered by engines no larger than 50cc. I can also appreciate why these micro-vehicles would seem preferable to little darlings terrorising commuter towns/estates astride sports mopeds, bereft of exhaust baffles (in the misguided notion such unleashes extra dobbins!) However, these do teach observation/road craft, contributing to an elevation of driver standards.

The Netherlands and to a lesser extent, Denmark are hailed as pinnacles of achievement when it comes to systems of integrated transport but in common with other social phenomenon, notions of being able to prune and re-pot in the UK is extremely naïve, failing to recognise the pronounced differences in public psyche.

Now, time I was charging some high power commuter lights and replenishing tired AAA cells, lest I fall foul of the fuzz, or worse still, become a statistic on tonight’s moonlit meander.