Pros and cons of bicycling shoes

Posted on January 17, 2019 by John Kevin Hickey

Cycling shoes – getting in touch with my inner Fred.

     In the bicycling world there is a derisive term for male cyclists who do not properly conform to cycling norms in regard to appearance and gear: they are called a “Fred” (women are called “Doris”, but this is apparently rarely used).  A Fred can be somebody who spends a ton of money on cycling clothes and gear even though their skills and abilities come nowhere near needing such things.

Platform style bicycle pedals: clip in on one side, regular on the other (click for larger view).

     I personally don’t give a shit what people think of me as a rider.  But this past summer I finally gave in to my Fredness and purchased a pair of SIDI bicycling shoes and iSSi platform style pedals.  Platform pedals have cleat clips on one side and a standard pedal on the other.

      My primary reason up to now for not using bike shoes has been because I am prone to tendinitis and when you clip into a pedal there is a limited amount of “float”, or yaw motion of the foot.  Prime conditions for overuse injuries.

      The second reason for my hesitation was fear of falling while clipped in.  I kept imagining myself coming to a stop and not being able to un-clip myself and going asshole over elbows.

      Nevertheless, bought them I did and I now have a riding season behind me to judge the results.  Here are the Pros and Cons I have found while using bicycle shoes and pedals.

PROS:

  • Definitely improves cycling up hills.  Cycling shoes are more efficient in regards to how much force you are able to apply consistently to the pedal during the pedal stroke.  Without cleats/pedals you can apply force for approximately 160 degrees, where with the cleats/pedals you can apply approximately 30-40 degrees more force (there is an ongoing debate on just how much more force application you actually get during a pedal stroke).  I didn’t see much improvement on flat terrain, but I was able to go up hills easier and faster.
  • My feet never slipped off the pedals, which was nice.
  • I looked very stylish and Fredish.  Screw the snobs!

CONS:

  • I fell.  Several times.  Even though I was aware that I was coming up to a stop, I either forgot to un-clip or didn’t give myself enough time to do so and would keel over in slow motion.  Fortunately, the only thing I injured was my pride.
  • They can be uncomfortable.  I didn’t develop tendinitis, but not being able to move my feet into different positions tended to make my feet tired.  I recently installed some cleat wedges to my shoes that seem to help some, and I’ve purchased arch sleeves to provide support for my flat feet.
  • You’ve got to check the cleat screws from time to time, because they loosen up.  I lost a screw on one of the cleats during a ride, which in itself is a big deal.  But at some point I had to get off the bike and I couldn’t unclip because the shoe just kept rotating around the remaining screw, so I had to unshoe my foot.  Try cramming your foot back into a shoe locked into place on the pedal.  Unpossible.  I finished the ride with my foot shoved partway into the shoe.  Lesson learned; tighten them screws!

Conclusion:

Bicycling Fred’s of the early 20th century.

     I have no regrets getting bicycling shoes and pedals, because hills are a bitch and anything that makes them easier is worth it.  Nevertheless, I am glad I got the platform style pedals, because it is nice to be able to unclip the shoes and move my feet around.

     The only question now is: will these shoes/pedals lead me further down the path of Fred-dom?  Will I be spending beau coup bucks on professional grade clothes and accessories? Stay tuned to find out!

     (Spoiler alert:  probably not).

 

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Life after retiring from the military

Posted on January 13, 2019 by John Kevin Hickey

   

    It’s been four years now since I retired from the Air Force/Colorado Air National Guard.  I often run into airmen I know who are still serving, and they invariably ask me if I miss it.    I usually give them the stock and cliched answer “I don’t miss the job, but I miss the people”.  Which is true to a point.  But for me it’s actually kind of complicated.

     Colonel David Hackworth was a decorated Vietnam vet who wrote several books after got out of the Army.  (to learn more about this very interesting man checkout his Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hackworth).  In the Forward to one of his books he wrote (paraphrasing from memory here) “I used to tell people that I loved the Army.  I came to realize that I hated the Army, that it was the people I loved”.  I can so relate to this.

Mrs. Vintage, the Vintage Daughters and myself at my retirement ceremony. A great but bittersweet day.

      There are two aspects of the military life that I do miss.  One is obviously the men and women whom I had the honor to serve with.  Most of them were hardworking and dedicated troops.  Oh sure, there were a handful of douche-bags and morons but the vast majority of my fellow servicemen and women are awesome and they give a shit.  And I miss them.  Sometimes when I drive on a military installation and see the troops out and about, I actually get a little homesick.

     The other aspect I miss a great deal is the sense that what I was doing was important.  I never could relate to the whole finding purpose in your job mentality, because I had a sense of purpose.  Don’t get me wrong, sometimes the job just flat out sucked and was incredibly stressful, but I always felt a sense of pride on seeing a jet that I had just fixed take of into the sky.

     What I don’t miss is the life sucking bullshit that Air Force and the military in general seems to enjoy dishing out.  I don’t miss deploying to shitholes like Iraq.  I don’t miss being gone for birthdays, anniversaries and holidays.  I certainly don’t miss the endless inspections and war-games.

But I do miss my compadres and the sense of purpose I felt.

Every. Damn. Day.

 

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Myth of winter garden interest

Posted on January 10, 2019 by John Kevin Hickey

 

    

Myth of winter garden interest:

Soak up all the winter interest of the Red Twig Dogwood. (Click to see larger image. Note, it doesn’t get any better).

      Invariably, around this time of year, garden magazines and gardening websites go on and on about something called “winter interest”.  Winter interest is usually a list or suggestions of ways the gardener can make his or her garden look attractive in the colder months.  Plant breeders use the term “four seasons of interest” on certain plants that have some feature that stands out in winter.  Red Twig Dogwood is a case in point; it’s bare red branches provide a spot of color in the more somber months.

There’s nothing I enjoy more than sitting on the patio in the winter, freezing my ass off, just so I can appreciate this “interesting” tree bark.

     Trees with unusual bark are suggested to provide your yard with “four seasons of interest”.  I shit you not.

     Folks, I am here to tell you, that unless you live in climes like San Diego or Tampa Bay, there is no such thing as winter interest in the garden.  It’s an illusion.  The garden is dormant, and no amount of squinting at it is going to make it interesting.

      Landscape designers will talk about a garden’s “bones”.  They are referring to a garden’s hardscaping. specifically paths, walkways, arbors, trellises, patio’s and ponds.  Things that are permanent.  A garden’s bones are very important because you want to build your garden around these features.  Good bones help make a garden feel whole.

      So you will hear gardening “experts” who speak of winter interest say that the garden’s bones are perhaps the most important item in creating winter interest.  In other words, the secret to winter interest is having interesting…architecture.

Ornamental grasses left standing do actually provide some winter interest. (Click to see larger image)

     However, all is not gloom and melancholy in the garden this time of year.  You can find a few bright spots out there if you try. Leaving ornamental grasses standing through the winter season does in fact create a little pockets of beauty in the yard.  There is just something about watching the dry stalks and plumes waving in a winter breeze.  It’s a reminder that the winter doldrums will soon pass and the garden will one again erupt into wakefulness in just a few short months.

     Nevertheless, if you want real “winter interest”,  you’re going to have to step outside the ordered confines of your garden and into the natural world.  Perhaps take a trip to the mountains or the seashore where you can soak up some real winter beauty is just the ticket to get through the “dismal” season.

 

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