Cycling is a mighty sport with a rich and complex history. Every company, racer, piece of kit, and component has a legend, a story behind it; in many cases it also has a personal and nostalgic connection to our lives. While this particular sport is steeped in tradition, it is also fiercely modern, a fact that serves only to deepen its complexity.
All these factors combine to provide an unique atmosphere and breeds devoted and loyal disciples of our great sport. We are of a peculiar nature; we seek out the highest mountains and the roughest roads on which to worship at the altar of the Man with the Hammer. Our legs are what propel us; our minds are what drive us. We refer to our shaved legs in the third person – the legs – and speak of distance in kilometres and measure sizes in centimetres regardless of what country we are in. We adhere strictly to the Canon of Cycling’s Etiquette: The Rules.
A Velominatus is a disciple of the highest order. We spend our days poring over the very essence of what makes ours such a special sport and how that essence fits into Cycling’s colorful fabric. This is the Velominati’s raison d’être. This is where the Velominati can be ourselves. This is our agony – our badge of honor – our sin.
I have a unique way of looking at bicycles. A good bicycle and it’s components are beautiful things to me. I’m not just talking about appearance, but also how the frame and components show the dreams of those who made them.
– Gianni Bugno, Hardman and Italian cycling legend
Perhaps we are too wrapped up in the past, but the Velominati don’t believe that to be the case. After all, the greatest lessons can be learned from the past and those lessons can then be applied to the present and may then allow us to more fully experience the future.
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Velominati.com is less about the articles and more about the conversation. Those of you who read more and poster more, become an integral part of the discussion and help carry the momentum forward. There are several levels of Velominatus*:
Level 4 Velominatus: The casual observer and occasional poster.
Level 3 Velominatus: The regular reader and casual poster.
Level 2 Velominatus: The devoted reader and regular poster.
Level 1 Velominatus: The most committed of reader and poster.
Gray, Black, and Orange Order Velominatus: Once having passed Level 1, the inducted among the Order wear three color badges, based on their rank.
We strive to foster an open, fun, critical, and censure-free environment. Any criticism of our writing, spelling, grammar, or intelligence is welcome and nothing said will ever get you suspended from the site. That said, the code of conduct is governed by Rule #43 and the Piti Principle. Members consistently exhibiting behavior that falls outside these parameters will be warned to check themselves; should warnings go unheeded, we may elect to issue a suspension. The first offense will result in a one-week suspension, the second in a two week suspension, and the third in a three week suspension. A fourth offense will result in a lifetime ban.
Velominati reserves the right to edit posts with the express interest to preserve the spirit of the conversation and the community. Regarding posts that address a grammatical or typographical error, Velominati may elect to take their input, correct the error in the articles where appropriate, and editing posts that point them out. This editorial action is not to serve as a censure entity, but to preserve the spirit of the conversation. That said, we endeavor to only edit those posts that point out a minor issue and only in the event that we make the edit before the post has yielded further discussion. Furthermore, when possible, we will strive to acknowledge said poster for their correction.
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*Levels are calculated based on the previous year’s activity.
View Comments
@meursault
@meursault
Looks like I have been demoted back to level 1?! Or I got to grey order in error in the first place?
Wow....I never even knew you could get demoted.....
I am going to have to send Frank a bag full of used notes now just to keep my position!
@meursault
@Deakus I think if your level of posting goes down so does your badge. Once I had a black cog, but when my temporary V cog went after six months it went back to grey. I figured I'd not been posting as much.
@snoov
Having been protected by the KT12 badge and then a contributor cog I have been protectively keeping up a stream of inane drivel just in case... bet nobody could tell.
@ChrisO
Sounds like a good tactic, problem is, my best stuff is inane drivel.
@meursault Me too, decided to keep my mouth shut and not worry about it.
@meursault, @Deakus, @snoov, @ChrisO
All y'all are onto it. I'd have to go look at my algorithm, but it has to do with your posting frequency over a period of time (6 months or so). Otherwise everyone would eventually have the same badge.
So how did I end up here?
I think I surfed in here while doing a search about epic rides, I think I was trying to figure out the hardest baddest stages ever etc... and next thing you know I was reading Rule #5....
A little about me ... I recently turned 40, I celebrated that by getting myself a Pinarello.. and man it is a sweet ride...
But lets go back and see where it all started ... one day in 1977 or 1978 I threw my leg over a 16" CCM Swinger (Imperial Blue colour) for the first time. From that time on my bike became a key fixture in my life ... I think from age 5-15 if someone asked me what I did I would have said "rode my bike around".... It was just what we did EVERY day... a brief stint at BMX racing, a large amount of mt. biking and then something changed... I was a cross country runner in high school, and one day I watched the Ironman on TV... the next morning I was out on my dads Raleigh Record ripping up the roads, probably running about a 50 cadence in the largest gear, I never looked back. I did some triathlons, rode my bike and then it happened one day in the fall I went out for a ride in THE RAIN. Something happened out there on those roads that evening and I have never been the same. I road and it rained, and rode and it rained more, so I rode more and faster, I am only now beginning to understand what happened
When I first started triathlons all I wanted was my name in the results, and a good finish line photo... if Facebook was around I would have been a slave to updating my status and profile pictures. LOOK AT ME!! LOOK AT ME!! now not so much... lets go F$%king ride man...
After that one ride in the rain it was different. I wanted to ride, I wanted to ride hard, I wanted to suffer .. 20 years later I still ride, I still suffer, I wouldn't be caught dead in a triathlon, I refer to those as the "dark years".
I think I have reached a level that I can't quite describe, I ride along hard and think about very deep thoughts like:
1 - in the n+1 calculation what really makes a bike an "n"? does it have to be rideable that instant or is there a minimum time cut off to get it on the road (1hr perhaps)? When your VMH says but you already have 5 bikes!, I don't think a frame and box of parts really counts? comments or advice anyone? is there an established threshold?
2 - the jewellers like to tell us that 2 months salary is a good guideline for an engagement ring. So is one month salary (pre-tax of course) a good bike guideline? thoughts?
I had a friend drive by me the other day while I was riding, at the destination he said he saw me. I had to ask him - Did I look pro? And I really meant it, I spend more on kit I am wearing now than I did on my first bike (note - I also rode that bike faster than I have ever ridden my Dogma). Again it appears that all you here understand this... I do have a job and a family and when I am allowed the bike does come first, luckily my boys appear to have the "V" gene and are into riding. the best part of that once the y get bigger will be disposing of bikes to them and getting new ones for me.
This is a wonderful community you have here and I look forward to being a part of it.
Note I have done away with the under seat saddle bag and have begun to follow the rules and lead by example. Interestingly my LBS has the tire label /valve stem thing taken care of already..... good for them
Cheers
@GogglesPizano Wow...a lengthy introduction but good background...now you need to show us your "mochine"
I was getting more and more disturbed with your references to triathlons and you had me gagging for a chunder until you quite rightly inserted your "Dark Years" statement...you could have done that earlier and saved me a lot of bile!
You did ask a question though
2 - the jewellers like to tell us that 2 months salary is a good guideline for an engagement ring. So is one month salary (pre-tax of course) a good bike guideline? thoughts?
I think you know the answer to this.....lie to her!
One months salary is nowhere near enough.....but you are wise enough to know that she needs to think that your bike/s cost less than her engagement ring. This is a re-occuring theme here in V-land and there are many wiley tactics discussed.
What is more funny are the tales told when one of us gets "rumbled"..
Welcome to the site...enjoy your stay...