Considered Cycle Riding, Town & Country

UPDATE:

27/02: The Tweed Run is now full, no more spaces are available:

http://www.tweedrun.com/london2010/

A significant announcement! And some critical information…

On the 10th April 2010, at midday, 400 finely-attired bicyclists will traverse the streets and adorn the monuments of old London town, at a pace ideal to keep a pipe lit.

You and I will be amongst them, owners as we are of the most inherently suitable bicycle for such a magnificent event, the Pashley Guvnor.

On the 27th February 2010, at some ungodly hour, countless pyjama-attired tea-sippers will perambulate the internet to the home of the Tweed Run

This is the only way to register. The ride will fill up very quickly.

Do not miss it!

Since last year’s inaugural event, tweed cyclists have spread across the globe, with rides in San Francisco, Chicago, Portland, Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Sydney, Canberra, and many more.

London’s second run is not to be missed. A short film about the first:

Don’t forget: 27th Feb, registration. 10th April, the run.

***

PS Do note, the first Guvnor Owners’ Club run — an entirely separate event — is to be announced soon.

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Anyone who knows anything about cycling will tell you this:

“Most cyclists have their saddle too low. This makes pedalling inefficient and is an injury risk.”

This simple notion is so prevalent, so universally agreed, it has spawned a pseudo-science of half-baked formulae, cod-physiology, unquestioned propaganda and suspicious ergonomics. Here are some methods to achieve the ‘correct’ saddle height:

• While leg is fully extended ensure knee joint angle is 25–35° (Holmes method)
• Make leg straight when heel is on pedal at lowest point (common shop system)
• Saddle height = inside leg x 0.883 (the LeMond formula)
• Have your knee over the pedal when the cranks are level (anecdotal observation)
• Saddle height = inside leg x 109% — crank length (Loughborough measurement)

I’m sure these methods can help you achieve a saddle height. However, they all take the following assumption at their basis:

“Cyclists ride far, and should ride fast”

But the problem is: 

Most cyclists do not ride far and do not ride fast. 

So injury risk is virtually irrelevant, and efficiency demand is minimal. 

Everyday cyclists mount and dismount throughout their journey, and stop and start unexpectedly. They scoot along on one pedal and sit side-saddle for fun. They enjoy cycling because of its incredible convenience. A convenience thoroughly marred by a complex myth that results in a saddle that is too high to:

• pop to the shops
• hop off through an alley
• take a leisurely pause, anywhere
• stop urgently and safely

A saddle height that commits you so thoroughly to the act of cycling at the complete expense of the act of stopping could be positively dangerous. See that dubious gap in the traffic at the road junction? The committed cyclist will use his momentum and readiness to slot himself in, safely or otherwise. The lower-saddled, more relaxed rider may stop safely for a moment; it’s just a case of extending a leg to the ground after all.

The Pashley Guvnor is the kind of bike you can ride gently to a picnic — stopping at the market — then race your friend home through the back lanes. I have absolutely no idea what would be gained by positioning the saddle other than by what looked right and felt comfortable, to you, for fun.

Please help dispel the myth of saddle height.

Keep it for Le Tour.

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