CyclePig

Welcome to edition 5 of The Weekly Oink where we take a look at the most interesting and entertaining cycling articles of the week.

Money, Sense, Culture and Stuff

When on your bicycle, how often do you exhibit an inverse relationship between bike cost and practicality? If you have no idea what I am talking about you should check out Too Much Irony, Too Little Time: The Elusive Nature of Bike Culture. Last time I checked there were over 200 comments on this view about how practical a bike is for the occasion. Even I managed to understand the simple graphical explanations (drawn by a 2 year old) of money and sense. But being Australian I am unable to add anything intelligent to the culture debate.

Why Shave?

Have you ever wondered why cyclists shave their legs? Check out the perfect explanation of why cyclists shave over at Daves Bike Blog.

The essence of the argument, and it is a good one, is that cyclists shave their legs because other cyclists shave their legs. Although it originated due to practical reasons it is now just the tradition of serious cyclists.

And don’t forget the psychological impact:

Shaved legs are faster; it is psychological. Like polishing the engine on a hot rod car; you can’t see inside the engine but you polish the outside. The cyclist is the “engine” of his bike; you can’t see the heart or the lungs inside, but by making the legs smooth and clean so you see every vein, sinew, and muscle, it is a definite psychological boost.

What Is An Entry Level Bike

Over at Chicago Bike Blog there is an interesting question about what is an entry level bike. “How much should I spend on a bike” is a common question that cyclists often get asked and their viewpoint is quite possibly going to exceed the real requirements of a new cyclists - sometimes even being a case of cycling snobbery.

In the post, there is a sensible list of the minimum requirements a bike must meet to be commute worthy and everything additional is described as icing. However, when it comes to the ‘icing’ I think there are two types:

1. Functional icing that will enhance the cycling experience and/or performance
2. Marketing icing purely intended to sell more bikes - such as front forks on cheaper bikes that only act as heavy springs and will bounce the new cyclist down the road

It is the 2nd type that is concerning and the one that new cyclists should be aware of when buying their bike.

17 Reasons Why Bikes Are So Popular

Did you know there are 1.4 billion bicycles and only 400 million cars in the world? Talk about critical mass. Check out the 17 reasons why bicycles are the most popular vehicle in the world today.