Well, there’s training, and then there’s training.
From the June 2019 issue of BRAIN.
Training has gotten a lot of attention in the bike biz lately, with the rise of the Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association and the increasing complexity of the two-wheeler.
The Mud Stud knows that you can fix anything with the right-size hammer, from a creaky bottom bracket to a loose headset. The occasional irksome customer likewise can be corrected with a snappy tap on the Campy cap.
But even an old hand like him needs the occasional refresher, and if the shop is paying the tab, so much the better.
Tags: 12 Days of ’Toonsmas, Mud Stud, Professional Bicycle Mechanics Association, Shop Talk
Mad Blog Media 
December 25, 2019 at 7:06 am |
Training is like practicing. The implication is that no fun will be had during the time spent training or practicing.
December 25, 2019 at 8:31 am |
I always liked training better than racing. But I was a chronological adult when I took up bicycle racing. As a young pup I was not fond of practice, especially on the piano. I wanted to rock and roll, but my teachers insisted on classical.
I’s hard to get your Bach on when you have The Doors in your head.
December 25, 2019 at 10:06 am |
I just call it riding and playing. However. some practice is required to play barre chords. I just play the chord progression for “Lay Lady, Lay” over and over again so it doesn’t feel much like practice. Easier to play with barre than open.
No riding today. Spitting rain right now. Supposed to clear up but a high of only 51. Maybe tomorrow? Alan and I making a run to Rainbow Guitars on Friday if the weather doesn’t really get bad. Thing snow above 4k feet. Mt. Lemmon road is closed right now due to snow. WTFO?
December 25, 2019 at 3:28 pm |
Only 51°? That’s about where we wear socks with our Chacos around here.
Sister in law got 4” and she was ecstatic, being the first real snow of the year. Problem is, she lives two hours north of Anchorage, and the bears haven’t been alerted that it’s snooze time yet.
Everyone wants to talk about the weather, but no one seems to be doing much about it, someone smarter than me once said.
December 25, 2019 at 3:58 pm |
Socks and Chacos? I thought I was the only one people made fun of for doing that. My niece thinks it hysterical and a serious fashion crime. “But, I don’t worry, no I don’t mind, cause I’m sitting on top of the world.”
December 26, 2019 at 2:02 am |
Training? On the bike? For what? I ride a bike because it’s fun and I don’t think anyone needs to train for that. The other kind of training. the PBMA kind I’m all for, signing on as a supporter pretty much at the start. These days, the mechanical know-how is about all that’s left as a profit-center as it can’t be delivered by a brown truck or shoved through fiber-optic cables.
If I ran a bike shop these days the per-hour labor rate would be sky-high (like getting your German car serviced) but buying the bike or parts from me would result in a hefty discount. I’d make money either way – with no reason to explain to a client (as a guy I worked for in the automotive biz used to do) that you don’t bring your own eggs and bacon to a diner and ask them to cook ’em for you!
December 26, 2019 at 8:03 am |
Yeah, I don’t really train anymore either. Riding seems enough. Some days I go long, some days short; some days hard, some days easy; and some days not at all.
Initial setup and service are The Future®, I think. And maybe getting a proper fit so you know what size to buy.
How many bikes to floor is always gonna be an issue, though. I used to want to lay hands on a selection of bikes before coughing up the cash. Now, having owned dozens of bikes and reviewed 40 or so of them, I’m thinking that the test ride might be a little less important than it was Back in the Day®. It’s really hard to buy a bad bike from an IBD.