The More Things Change

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Although I'm not going to 'fess up about how young (or old) I am, I've been cycling and running for long enough to see some dramatic changes in the equipment used for these sports.

The thing that hasn't changed, however, is that cyclists still have to push on their pedals and running still means quickly putting one foot in front of the other.

Like many other men my age, I learned to run (or to hate running) during basic training in the military.

The famous Nike waffle trainers didn't appear on the scene until almost a decade after I completed my 'government issue' running lessons.

Running was also much lower-tech back then - no MapMyRun web sites, heart rate monitors, GPS watches or RunTracker apps on smart phones to post each workout on Facebook.

Most runners kept track of their workouts using pencil-and-paper training logs from Runners World magazine.

To measure the length of different running routes, we simply drove around the course using our car's odometer to determine the route's length (note - gas was also less that $1 per gallon at that time).

After being a somewhat-serious runner for a few years, I decided to take up cycling as a form of cross-training.

My first adult bicycle was a 'high tech' 10-speed Sears and Roebuck bike with 36-spoke 27" wheels,

My initial cycling apparel consisted of running shorts or jeans, athletic shoes and a baseball cap (no helmet in those early days).

Today there's a company that is solely focused on manufacturing bike-friendly jeans for cyclists (osloh.com).

In the early 80s mountain bikes started growing in popularity and I upgraded my ride to a bright yellow rigid-fork off-road bike that had a seven-speed rear freewheel, big fat tires, a triple front crank, indexed thumb shifters and platform pedals with toe cages and straps.

One of the important riding skills in those days was being able to flip the pedal over and get your shoes into the toe cages while trying to get moving again after stopping.

Fast forward to today and one of the 'new' trends in fun-to-ride bicycles is a reincarnation of those original mountain bikes complete with a steel tubing frame, rigid fork, fat tires and retro-style shifting.

The road bike and multisport bug caught up with me in the late 80s and I became the proud owner of a Bridgestone RB-1. That bike, a classic that's no longer in production, was made from lightweight thin-wall steel tubing with lugged joints and outfitted with top-of-the-line Shimano 600 components that included indexed down tube shifters.

 Today you'll see carbon fiber bicycle frames and components, 11 speed shifting with integrated shift and brake levers, specialized running shoes designed for every imaginable type of running activity, high-technology electronics to track your workouts, and expensive workout clothing that's marketed as being much faster than the older apparel.

Concurrently, retro bike components such as thumb shifters are selling for a premium on eBay, old-school wool jerseys and steel-framed bikes are back in vogue and flat-sole 'zero drop' running shoes with waffle treads are the hot ticket for many runners.

And yet - some key things have not changed.

Cyclists are still pushing on the pedals to make their bikes go forward and runners still have to quickly put one foot in front of the other

The more things change, the more they stay the same.


Upcoming Events
Dec 7: Bike Through the Lights, conchochristmascelebration.com/additional-activities
Dec 13: Run Rudolph Run, conchochristmascelebration.com/additional-activities
Now-Jan 4: Texas Cup cyclocross series: http://txbra.org/events
Jan 7-11: Cyclocross National Championships, usacycling.org/2015/cyclo-cross-nationals
flat pedals with reflectors, a heavy frame that made from cheap sewer-pipe-grade steel and friction shifters that clamped onto the stem.

completed my 'government issue' running lessons.