Freedom

Modern society is pretty much fucked. The world is made up of vacuous, self-centered morons brainwashed by the internet and mainstream media, who in turn are no more than puppets of .ooo1% of the population who own 99% of the wealth and pull the strings of every major government, bank, business and institution. 1984 is a reality, we just don’t realise and acknowledge it, because if it was made that obvious then we might just say “wait a minute, they’re fucking us!” We are made to believe we have freedom, whereas, in reality, all we actually have is the illusion of freedom.

Cycling may be the only real freedom we have, and even that is surreptitiously controlled for us, and is controlling us. We are told we need the latest carbon frame that looks like dog shit and rides not much better, while a 30 year old steel bike does exactly the same job, which is: to move us across the earth and put a smile on our face, yet we are convinced that we won’t be happy unless our new standard bottom brackets constantly creak and need fortnightly servicing. Mountain bikers are now being cajoled into believing that an extra 6mm of width on a rear hub will change our lives. It’s enough to make me go back to a hardtail. With a longer fork, slacker angles, wider bars, shorter stays, bigger wheels, fatter tyres, less gears, naturally.

Of course, advancements in technology do make a difference to our rides, especially for mountain biking. Road, I’m not as convinced. My Bosomworth, while heavier, with less gears and slower shifting than my Jaegher, is still a great bike to ride and would no doubt make me stronger if it was my only ride. Suspension and dropper posts for the MTB are pretty much essential and improve the experience, but if I lost the rear shock I’m sure I’d still be able to ride most of the terrain I do now, maybe with a bit more discomfort and a little less control, but wouldn’t that put the emphasis back on me to sharpen my skills and pick my lines a little more carefully? Thinking? No, we can’t have that.

Same can be said with the choices we think we make in our everyday lives: we aren’t making them, they are made for us. We don’t need all that shit they are selling us. We have the freedom to think for ourselves and make our own minds up, yet still just go along with the status quo, what the tv tells us to buy, what the corporations tell us to consume, what the 000.1% want us to do. Be good little happy consumers and shut the fuck up. Or go ride your bike, any bike, and use the time to think about what’s real and what we’re told is real. Don’t be afraid, set yourself free. It’s the only truth we can really believe.

Now head over to The Gear page and buy some shit.

 

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139 Replies to “Freedom”

  1. @wiscot

    Kicking in early I think. I hope it’s not gonna be a long winter . . .

    Cripes Biggles we could be in a dashed pickle here if the weather turns.  We could be in for a beastly long Winter of dastardly skulduggery.

  2. @wiscot

    Biblical and coincidentally I carried today a Bible given to me in 1967. Politics don’t work here or most anywhere else.

  3. An easier note, here is some research on handmade tyres from Italy. Challenge 00518 Strada Bianca Gravel Open Tubulars Black/Black*** 30mm 355g 700; Challenge 00525 Almanzo Gravel Open Tubulars Black/Black*** 33mm 385g 700; Challenge 01938 Gravel Grinder RACE Black/Black*** 38mm 375g 70.

    Useful review from Guitar Ted at ridinggravel

  4. @wiscot

    Clearly what we have going on here (at least for us in the northern hemisphere) is the evidence of stress caused by the impending winter. It is manifesting itself in some of the worst, rudest and most belligerent posts I’ve ever seen. Sure, we take a lot of stuff lightly and seriously here, but if you want to be an asshole, go and post on cyclingnews or some other site. We are all getting a bit nuts as we realize that opportunities to ride are going to get fewer and those we do get will require more Rule #5 than we can muster right now. So everyone take a deep breath and remember, please don’t post anything that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face. Even if it means putting some sort of coda that you are joking/kidding/being sarcastic. Thanks.

    WTF?

  5. @senharv

    @Oli

    I was always thought that people who use bad language are really only hiding a lack of education, vocabulary, imagination, manners and any semblance of self respect. I think you have just proven my point.

    I can curse with the best of them, but lets try,at least try, to maintain some form of decorum , shall we.

    Now there’s a lot of words for “you all” to lookup.

    Well the opposite is certainly not true: Bill Cosby never swore in his act (at least the one on stage) and lord knows he has been hiding some things and it isn’t anything you’ve mentioned.

    I don’t know about others here but there are a list of words I would very much like to use in my professional life, but certainly decorum warrants otherwise. Fucktard, though stands a solid #2 on my list. I walk around all day saying things like loop of Henle.

  6. I did something like 5 or 6 years as a phone agent in a tech support call center. You get really good with the mute button when on a call with the typical upset customer.

  7. @senharv

    And by far y’all is one of the best contractions there are. It’s the only pleural with it’s own pleural.

    Observe, there is “y’all” and “all y’all” as in “all y’all need need to shut up.”

  8. Watching y’all justify your casual use of a term demeaning to persons with disabilities is just embarrassing. Are all y’all good with racial slurs too? Shall we expect a return to sexist and homophobic taunts? This kind of frat-boy fuckwittery only makes the community smaller and sadder.

  9. @pistard

    Watching y’all justify your casual use of a term demeaning to persons with disabilities is just embarrassing. Are all y’all good with racial slurs too? Shall we expect a return to sexist and homophobic taunts? This kind of frat-boy fuckwittery only makes the community smaller and sadder.

    That’s two threads off the rails in as many weeks.  Come on folks.

  10. @senharv

    me just like sweering

    @Uncle V

    My grandfather was an erudite Lieutenant-Colonel who swore constantly.

    @wiscot

    Sorry if my poor attempts at humour come across as belligerent at times, I’m aware I’m not the best at banter and it’s often hard for me to judge the response I might elicit online. But I think Brett would back me up and tell you that I would definitely say something like that to someone’s face, and have on occasion.

    @pistard

    I must admit I hadn’t thought about that aspect of the word, to my shame. I’ll stick to fuckhead from now on…

    @Teocalli

    And both with my involvement – coincidence? I think not. I think I should just leave my commenting to identifying obscure riders in posted photos in future.

    Seriously though, I am sorry all for any offence I have caused. I just thought it was a bit rich someone coming in here with a holier than thou attitude towards swearing that deserved a serve. Although I totally hadn’t considered @pistard‘s point about the offensiveness of that particular word, there’s certainly never been a shortage of gratuitous foul language around these parts.

  11. @Oli

    I must admit I hadn’t thought about that aspect of the word, to my shame. I’ll stick to fuckhead from now on…

    And just who told you that fuckhead won’t insult anyone ?????

  12. @Oli

    Not having a go at you at all.  I accept it’s part of the way around here but also recently the behaviour seems to have gone beyond the spirit of respect for others that underwrites The Rules.  I will continue to try to limit myself to cripes, dash-it and you bounder.  In extreme circumstances I might resort to cad.

  13. @Mikael Liddy

    @minion

    Got a link for that? Sounds like something that would be worthwhile to keep on hand…

    It was lifted directly from Facebook, just one of those random things that float around from time to time that occasionally seem to strike a chord because of coincidence and timing.

    The rest of my post, is just a general outlook on life rather than any specific link.

  14. @Oli

    @Teocalli

    Gosh!

    Wankspanner.

    I regularly got pulled up by Marcus for occasionally dropping insults that hit a bit close to home for him, and respected his wishes in that respect. Ironically, as a Kiwi I was the brunt of the majority of his incredibly colourful language, and I take it as a personal mark of pride that he considered me too stupid to insult. It’s all part of  a ROBUST exchange round here that we can collectively manage as adults.

    Just don’t be a fuckwit.

  15. @pistard

    Holy smokes, I’ve painted myself into a corner defending swearing (which I do infrequently, and mostly in my head) but I find my inner Libertarian coming forward. People can take anything and make it offensive, or alternatively interpret things said by others as such. I have already heard kids use the term “Special needs” in not nice ways abandoning the previous version (maybe because it’s lost it’s cache?). And bear in mind, many of these words started out their lives as medical diagnosis re: idiot, moron, dickhead (ok maybe not that last one).

    I had @senharv pegged as a Troll (stirring the pot) and responded in kind. Alternatively, he (?she) could be one of those people who feel compelled to correct other people’s bad behavior (@Senhav if this is true, please come to New England: people here have ATROCIOUS dining etiquette here and need someone to tell then to stop chewing with their mouths open. It’s driving me crazy!)

    I suspect that were we allowed to use emoticons in our communications (per union bylaws, they’re not allowed when you’re over 30 I was told) that there would have some different interpretations of some of these posts. I always find it helpful to mull over Rule #43 in situations such as these.

    By the by, the y’all bit is 100% true, only pleural word with it’s own pleural (I was’t telling people to shut up, that is how it is mostly used when deployed in action, alternatively “all y’all sit down” is probably #2).

  16. @brett

    Ned knows that the bikes we used to ride sucked.

    Mountain bikes still looked half decent back in 1992

  17. @Ccos

    @Oli

    Oh hell no. I give no fucks about swearing, and I’m no SJW, just sensitive to issues that shouldn’t even be issues in this day and age.

    Nothing I love more than a creative blue streak. Anyone who says I curse like a sailor hasn’t met my wife.

  18. @Chipomarc

    @brett

    Ned knows that the bikes we used to ride sucked.

    Mountain bikes still looked half decent back in 1992

    LOL, looks are deceiving! When is the last time you saw any Suntour parts on any MTB? That front fork had about 35mm of travel and weighed about 4lbs! I would not want to race a hardtail from 2002 never mind 1992! FLEX city!

  19. I have a really old Diamondback from the days before any suspension was used.

    The trick to riding a bike that looks good but is shit is to slow down and avoid any kind of trail that my have obstacles and other crap on it.

  20. @Ccos

    please come to New England: people here have ATROCIOUS dining etiquette here and need someone

    Many years ago when I first started doing business in the USA we were out at dinner with our hosts and I realised a couple of folk there were watching me eat.  So thinking I had breached some local etiquette I stopped and said – sorry have I done something wrong.  The response was “No it’s just fascinating watching someone use a knife and a fork without changing hands”……….

  21. @Teocalli

    In the South you can peg someone’s upbringing, from white trash to high Southern, by watching them eat. Here even the high born eat like four year olds with nasal congestion.

  22. @Michael

    @Chipomarc

    @brett

    Ned knows that the bikes we used to ride sucked.

    Mountain bikes still looked half decent back in 1992

    LOL, looks are deceiving! When is the last time you saw any Suntour parts on any MTB? That front fork had about 35mm of travel and weighed about 4lbs! I would not want to race a hardtail from 2002 never mind 1992! FLEX city!

    Last time I saw Suntour on an MTB was this morning as I looked at my 1993 Trek 8700. Hard front and back and three main tubes pretty much solid carbon.

  23. @Ccos

    @senharv

    And by far y’all is one of the best contractions there are. It’s the only pleural with it’s own pleural.

    Observe, there is “y’all” and “all y’all” as in “all y’all need need to shut up.”

    How about y’all spell pleural “plural.” Or is the extra “e” a southern thing y’all do? (Forbidden you know what here).

  24. @Teocalli

    @Ccos

    please come to New England: people here have ATROCIOUS dining etiquette here and need someone

    Many years ago when I first started doing business in the USA we were out at dinner with our hosts and I realised a couple of folk there were watching me eat.  So thinking I had breached some local etiquette I stopped and said – sorry have I done something wrong.  The response was “No it’s just fascinating watching someone use a knife and a fork without changing hands”……….

    Really…maybe they thought you were from Canada because you weren’t eating with your hands!!

  25. @wiscot

    @Ccos

    @senharv

    And by far y’all is one of the best contractions there are. It’s the only pleural with it’s own pleural.

    Observe, there is “y’all” and “all y’all” as in “all y’all need need to shut up.”

    How about y’all spell pleural “plural.” Or is the extra “e” a southern thing y’all do? (Forbidden you know what here).

    Ha! Nope, that spelling is “of the pleura” rather than “more than one.” In times like this, I like to defer to the late great Butterfly McQueen: “I don’t know nothing about (spelling).”

    Though, some irony in being scolded by a Brit for putting extra vowel’s into words.

  26. @Ccos

    @wiscot

    @Ccos

    @senharv

    And by far y’all is one of the best contractions there are. It’s the only pleural with it’s own pleural.

    Observe, there is “y’all” and “all y’all” as in “all y’all need need to shut up.”

    How about y’all spell pleural “plural.” Or is the extra “e” a southern thing y’all do? (Forbidden you know what here).

    Ha! Nope, that spelling is “of the pleura” rather than “more than one.” In times like this, I like to defer to the late great Butterfly McQueen: “I don’t know nothing about (spelling).”

    Though, some irony in being scolded by a Brit for putting extra vowel’s into words.

    Touche, good sir, touche! Mind you, I’m American now so I have to spell certain words like color and labor the US way. Mind you, I still park my car and keep my bikes in a garage (pronounced garridge) not a gah-rahj!

  27. @The Pressure

    @Teocalli

    @Ccos

    please come to New England: people here have ATROCIOUS dining etiquette here and need someone

    Many years ago when I first started doing business in the USA we were out at dinner with our hosts and I realised a couple of folk there were watching me eat.  So thinking I had breached some local etiquette I stopped and said – sorry have I done something wrong.  The response was “No it’s just fascinating watching someone use a knife and a fork without changing hands”……….

    Really…maybe they thought you were from Canada because you weren’t eating with your hands!!

    I’m Canadian. I moved to the USA for a job in my early 20s and was surprised to see people cut food and then swap the knife and fork around to eat it. I’d never seen that done before.

    @ccos – the word you wanted was “cachet”. It’s not my habit to patrol the grammar streets, but as long as Canada is a partial theme here the French-derived word “cache” is pronounced like the English word “cash”.

  28. pleural – of the lining of the lungs, as in pleurisy (horrible lung disease, inflammation of the pleurae).  Something none of us want to get !

  29. Modern society is pretty much fucked. The world is made up of vacuous, self-centered morons brainwashed by the internet and mainstream media, who in turn are no more than puppets of .ooo1% of the population who own 99% of the wealth and pull the strings of every major government, bank, business and institution. 1984 is a reality, we just don’t realise and acknowledge it, because if it was made that obvious then we might just say “wait a minute, they’re fucking us!” We are made to believe we have freedom, whereas, in reality, all we actually have is the illusion of freedom.

    Never have truer words been written. Absolutely fucking nailed it.

  30. @Ron

    +++1. And for your follow-on posts too. I know this is an old thread, but I take a couple month hiatus and look what I miss! There’s nothing wrong with being a cynical mid-30 ‘something’, you’ll find the transition to a mid-50 ‘something’ curmudgeon (me) to be seamless.

  31. @minion

    Bookmark this. Could be useful here in San Antonio, the land of pick-up trucks, poor infrastructure, and resistance to spending any money on an actual multi-model transportation plan (it’s social engineering!).

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