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Archive for the ‘Look Pro’ Category

The Seduction of Symbols

by frank / Dec 7 2011 / 480 posts

There was a time when bicycles were lovingly handmade by artisans who themselves loved the sport more than those for whom they built the machines. Lugs were filed to become Luggs; chain and seat stays were beautifully chromed for durability despite the grams it added to the frame’s final weight; spokes were chosen for their purpose and lace...

Rule 8: It’s Gotta Be The Shoes

by Marko / Nov 15 2011 / 208 posts

What Gianni humbly omitted from his last article is that once he finishes ranting about sock color (actually, the lack of need for any color other than than white), he recovers quickly and we wrap up the Keepers executive board meeting with him tearing our legs off on the ride home from the bar with his Magnificent Stroke.  Because after all, he i...

A Study in Casually Deliberate: Wait Properly

by frank / Nov 2 2011 / 130 posts

We spend a small enormity of time waiting. We wait for lights to turn green. We wait for riders to arrive to the ride. We wait for riding partners to finish repairing a flat or mechanical. Due to various practical considerations including the perceived notion that armchairs don’t stuff well into jersey pockets, we generally find ourselves d...

Look Pro, Part IX: Proper Cycling Caps

by frank / Aug 4 2011 / 159 posts

Rule #22 is perhaps the most complicated Rule amongst the (currently) 85. Part of the complexity springs from the fact that we are all very attached to this small cotton cap. Off the bike, it was once a badge used to recognize one of our own; now it has been taken over by the hipster crowd which subsequently ruined it for those of us who wore th...

Look Pro, Part VIII: The Phantom Menace

by frank / Jul 12 2011 / 66 posts

Casually Deliberate is at the core of Looking Pro; it’s something that comes from a lifetime spent on a bike, becoming one with the machine. There are two components to this phenomenon, two organisms forming a symbiotic bond and working together in perfect harmony towards an end.The Machine. Immaculate. Every piece of kit in its place, adj...

Look Pro, Part VII: Sur la Plaque, Part Deux

by frank / May 13 2011 / 55 posts

Our last Look Pro edition discussed moving Sur La Plaque as you approach the top of the climb, thereby reducing your riding companions to withering leaves of wet lettuce. But the article ignored the other component of climbing like a Pro, which is commonly referred to as going Steady Up with More Speed.  Right from the bottom.Many riders make the...

Look Pro, Part VI: Move Sur la Plaque

by frank / Apr 29 2011 / 51 posts

There’s something not quite the same about how the Pros climb and how we climb. They go faster, I suppose. There’s that. They’re skinnier, too, and climb better for their weight to boot. And they’re stronger, that probably helps although I can’t speak from personal experience. I’ve also noticed that while under p...

Look Pro, Part V: The Power of Hair

by frank / Apr 18 2011 / 66 posts

The power of hair is not to be underestimated. Especially when it comes to having it carefully disheveled, with little bits poking out of the vents of your helmet. Indeed, hair sticking out of your helmet vents can be thought of as a conduit to The V; the strands reaching into the Ether, channeling its power like a lightening rod into your very b...

From A to B: A Commuter’s Manifesto

by jim / Mar 14 2011 / 71 posts

With the spring racing season upon us, there is a lot of talk about the pros– what it means to be pro, how to look pro, and so on.  There are two things that distinguish the professional cyclist.  The first is talent, which is a mysterious thing and best left for another discussion.  The second thing is that the pros ride every day.  This...

Look Pro, Part IV: Don’t Look Down

by frank / Feb 21 2011 / 93 posts

Shifting is perhaps the most pure expression of our art as Velominati. It is the conduit through which we control our cadence; it effects our power, our breathing, our heart rate. When those essential things come together with the rhythm of the road, we are cast in the spell of La Volupte. The more in-tune with our bodies we become, the more we...
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