These boots are made for walking...

I once read or heard this story of this exclusive shoe shop somewhere in Great Britain that would sell shoes made to measure. This is nothing exceptional you might say but on top of that they offer(ed) a service whereby someone of the staff would walk in your shoes for a couple of days so they would be more comfortable when you received ‘em. This might be an urban legend, just like baked beans and kippers for breakfast, but it still sounds like a good idea. The walking in service, not the baked beans and kippers.

I recently bought me a new pair of insulated waterproof cycling shoes. And I must say that only now after 2 weeks they really start to get comfortable. I really hate to buy new cycling shoes because of all the hassle that comes with attaching the SPD cleats and adjusting them; 2 millimeters to the left or the right can make the difference between a comfy ride and sore knees or a sore back. I’m sure that there are companies out there who would be able to scan me from head to toe and tell me what my ideal seating position should be and under what angle the SPD cleats should be attached to my shoes and everything, but they charge big money for that, money I just spent on the shoes. So poor I had to go through a period of trial and error to get a good fit.

For those of you who don’t have a clue about SPD cleats; it basically is a little strip of steel that gets attached to the sole of your cycling shoe. This cleat does not interfere with your walking; you can still walk with the shoe like with any other shoe. The cleat is designed to click onto the specially designed SPD pedal. The advantage of this system is that your feet are always well positioned on your pedals which eventually results in more effective pedaling. Sounds great no? I think it is but the first time couple of times you go for a cycle tour you will have the scare of your life. First of all you have to fumble around a bit to click onto the pedals and once you are clicked onto the pedals you should remember that your feet are actually fixed onto the pedals. The first couple of times you break to a halt and you want to take one foot of the pedal only to realize that you’re stuck.

The result is you tipping over on your bike like a kid who tries to cycle for the first time without the training wheels; very painful to the knees and the ego.

There were hardly any cars around this morning, very bizarre; it looked a bit like some alien flying saucer had come by to abduct the whole lot. Plan 9 from outer space.

Dear alien(s),

We don’t need the cars any more you can keep ‘em, if you get tired of the noise and pollution then just drop ‘em in some nearby black hole. Would you, on the other hand, be so kind as to return the brain of Ms. Honda who took over this morning and braked like an utter c**nt without using any indicators thus seriously endangering the life of yours truly.

Thank you very much,

Pt3r.

Ps: A well meant it’s-okay-to-be-polite-I-don’t-bite goes out to the dear colleagues in the elevator this morning. Cycling into work does not make me invisible does it? If someone wishes you a nice day then you should at least have the decency to reply.