The March of the Machines

Just about any manufactured item can be described as Functional Art. Designed not only to do what it is supposed to do, but to look appealing also.

If you are choosing between two similar priced items of similar quality, you are most likely going to pick the one that looks cool, all other things being equal.

When I built bicycle frames in England during the 1970s my customers were almost exclusively racing cyclists. They bought my bikes mainly because they rode and handled well and were reasonably priced. A few file marks showing under the paint showed it was a handmade item.

On moving to the US in 1979 I saw that American framebuilders paid a great deal of attention to detail and paint finish of the product, because their customers were swayed by aesthetics as much as what was beneath the paint.

However, aesthetics and function must go hand in hand, hence the term Functional Art. If someone made a musical instrument that looked beautiful but sounded awful, what use would it be apart from something to hang on the wall and look at? The beauty of a well-crafted bicycle is in the way it rides and handles.

How did these qualities get into the bicycle frame other than through the builder? Through design and skill, there is a part of the builder in every frame he makes. When a craftsman practices a skill long enough it becomes second nature, automatic without conscious thought.

This is not a new notion, the Native American called this “Hand Magic.” Nature bringing something into creation through the artist’s hands. When an ant colony builds an ant hill, is this any different from man building his cities and roadways? Just on a different scale.

The Native American sees mankind as part of Nature, not separate from it. There is nothing in Nature that is not beautiful, the only ugliness is manmade.

Man builds a barn in a field and paints it red. It is an eyesore, a blight on the environment. Given time the barn becomes derelict. Nature takes over and the barn becomes a thing of beauty. Photographers come to photograph it, artists come to capture it on canvas.

If the artist is connected to the creative source in the first place, then his creation will be beautiful to begin with. It is not even necessary for the artist to be aware of this. Had anyone put forward this point of view to me some forty years ago, I would have dismissed it as nonsense.

It was only towards the end of my framebuilding career in the early 1990s did I realize that all creativity or art comes from one source only, be it music, painting, or even bicycle frames.

You can still find handcrafted bicycle frames, but the majority are designed and manufactured like everything else. That is not to say they are inferior from a functional standpoint, they may even perform better. And as for aesthetics, well they are smooth and shiny, what more can you ask for, or expect.

On reflection, it seems to me that what the customer demands of the craftsman making a hand-built item, is a look of perfection. As if it came out of a mold or was made by machine. When the craftsman attains this, the machines are not only ready to take over, the customer is ready to accept the machine-made item.

Automobiles were once built by hand, and yet the finest craftsman, hand beating an auto body panel, could never reproduce a modern body panel. One that is stamped by a die that was machined by a computer-controlled piece of equipment.

As for function, the modern robot-built automobile will outperform its hand-built counterpart of yesteryear. The robots are of course built by skilled engineers, but once built work for a lot less, and produce more than individual craftsmen.

Items still must be initially designed by someone creative, an artist. However, with the computer being the modern-day design tool of choice, and from there going to the programmer of the machines and robots. I am not sure where the "Hand Magic" comes into the equation.

It appears the hand of the craftsman is about to be bypassed completely, in the name of progress. The march of the machines.

The problem is in time will humankind lose contact with the creative source, his contact with Nature. As I said earlier, it is not necessary for the artist to be aware that he is connected to the creative source, but it is necessary that he at least continue to create.

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War Without Tears

In the 1970s, just before I left England and moved to the United States, there was a TV reality show called “It’s a knockout.” Towns and cities throughout the UK would put together teams to compete against each other. The games would consist of people dressing up in silly costumes and racing each other over various obstacle courses.

It made for amusing, entertaining viewing with a competitive aspect. I believe the idea started in France, there was a European version called “Jeux sans Frontiers” which translates to “Borderless Games.” In which different countries competed. Singer/songwriter Peter Gabriel wrote a song around the theme, Games Without Frontiers, War Without Tears.”

It occurred to me that the term “War Without Tears” was a concept that could apply to all competitive sports, whether they are in the form of races with a clear individual winner, or team games played on a field or some other marked out area. People compete against each, within a set of agreed rules, and no one gets hurt. At least not intentionally.

Each sport has a governing body that agree on a set rules, and referees or some other officials make sure those rules are enforced during the game. If rules are broken, there are penalties. Just as in real life, the government sets the rules, or laws, and the police and legal system ensure that rules are enforced. If they are broken there are consequences and penalties.

Where the system breaks down, whether in a sport or real life, is when people cheat or break the rules, and the referees turn a blind eye, or show bias towards one side. The governing body then needs to step in and restore order and fairness. Level the playing field, so to speak.

When I got into cycling and cycle racing as a teenager in the early1950s, I joined a cycling club. The club itself had rules, older established members of the club taught me the rules and explained the reasons for them being in place. The rules were there to ensure fairness and everyone’s safety.

There was also something called “Ethics,” or unwritten laws. One did not draft on the back of a group for the entire race, then go to the front and win at the end. This even applied to a club run or training ride. What would be the point? You won the race, but you would be a very unpopular winner.

It was common knowledge at the time that European Professional Cyclists took Amphetamines. Amphetamines were invented in the late 1800s about the time the chain driven bicycle was invented, and with the popularity of Six-Day Races and other extreme endurance events, amphetamines were a natural fit for cycle racing and other professional sports.

However, one has to realize that professional sports are for the entertainment of the spectator, whereas the amateur version of the same sport is solely for the participant. We were only in the sport for our personal satisfaction.  Cheating in an amateur race back in the 1950s would have given zero satisfaction, and one would be ostracized if found out. I never heard of amateur cyclists doping during that era.

Today we live in a “Look at me” society, so there is a win at any cost mentality, even where there is no monetary gain. Ethics have completely gone out of the window not only in the sport of cycling, but in the “Game of life” itself. I am so glad I participated during the “Golden Age of Cycling.” It gave me such joy and satisfaction.

I am too old to ride in cycle races now, but I must of course continue to participate in the game of life. Sadly, it becomes less and less fun each day. I thought we agreed on a set of rules, but no one wants to play that way anymore.

Sometimes during English football (Soccer.) games, where poor decisions were made by a game official. The crowd would start singing, “The Referee is a Bastard.” (To the tune of "For he's a jolly good fellow.")

The events of this past week remind me that the referee on the streets is the police, and there is a definite bias against one side. In the real game of life it is no longer “War without Tears,” the war and the tears are all too real.

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A Stimulus Bike Boom?

I was recently asked if I thought the Government stimulus checks had created a mini bike boom? Apparently bike stores are doing well, and sales of bicycles are up, but I only know what I read, the same as anyone else.

However, this is how I see the current situation, and if anyone reading this is actually on the front line at a bike store, I would love the hear what is actually going on, and what feedback are you getting from people?

It seems there is demand for anything that has to do with leisure activities, and that includes bicycles. Stores like Target and Wal-Mart are also doing well, and part of those increased sales are, guess what? Bikes.

The traditional way to entertain children is to load them in the car and take them somewhere, but with everything closed, due to the Coronavirus that is no longer an option. Car sales are down and used car prices are at an all time low. Who needs a car when there is nowhere to go?

The alternative for many is a family bike ride and possibly Mom or Dad need a new bike to participate. Not everyone buys their bike from a Big-Box Store, smart people pay a little more at their local bike store, if only to have the satisfaction that it is assembled correctly and safely, and everything works as it should.

The big question is, will this mini boom continue? If it is only because of the influx of extra cash in the form of stimulus checks, then no. When the money runs out, then so too will the sales boom. However, there is talk of a resurgence of cycling, due to the Pandemic itself.

In some large cities essential workers are riding a bike to work rather than take the bus or subway. With less cars on the road, this is actually a practical alternative, and certainly more pleasurable. But what will happen when this is over?

Will everything go back to normal, or will there be a “New Normal?”

Has working from home been a success and will it continue? With less cars on the road we might see more bike commuters. But there has to be some other incentive offered for people to bike to work, and I can’t see that coming from a government level. It might come from employers who are smart enough to realize that healthy workers are better workers.

Globally carbon emissions are down 17% because of COVID-19. If this ends quickly, people will soon get back into their old habits, which means back in their cars. All those shiny new bikes bought with stimulus money will be gathering dust in garages all over the US.

On the other hand, if the situation gets worse or drags on longer, people may just develop new habits, and new thinking. Right now Mother Nature is saying, “Get off me, I’m having a hot flash.”

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Creating the perfect fork blade

When a fork blade comes from the tube manufacturer’s factory, it is straight, the framebuilder bends it to a curve that suits his requirements. 

An un-raked road fork blade is oval at the top. The oval section runs parallel for about a third of its length.

Then the cross section becomes round and starts to taper gradually to its smallest diameter section at the bottom end.

The fork blade is bent cold on a curved form that is sometimes made from hard wood. I used one I made myself from two heavy-duty steel fork blades, bent in the desired curve, and brazed together side by side. This made a natural groove between the two blades where the blade would sit as I was bending.

I would slip a short piece of tube over the thin end of the form and the blade I was bending. This acted as a collar to hold it in place. Then I'd start bending, first by pushing down by hand. The thin end of the blade bends easily, and I would finish off by squeezing it in a vise.

Bicycle tubing is hardened, and it will spring back after bending. Because of this, the form needs to be a greater curve than the finished fork blade will be. 

A fork blade is several inches longer than it needs to be. The framebuilder chooses where he will put the bend, and where he will cut to length. For example, if I were making a criterium frame and wanted a very stiff fork, I would cut from the bottom, thin end. The desired fork rake (Offset.) also has to be considered. The amount of bend, and where the tube is cut will determine this.

If I were building a touring frame, and wanted a flexible fork for a more comfortable ride and more offset, I would cut from the top end and leave the blade thin at the bottom end. The framebuilder creates the perfect fork blade, by selecting the best place to bend the blade, the amount of bend and by choosing how much to cut from either end.

It is rather like a furniture maker choosing where to cut from a piece of wood to achieve the best end product. Once I arrived at the perfect fork blade, it was then an easy matter to repeat the process again and again. On this John Howard frame below, for example.

 

One exception to this process was the Reynolds 753 fork blades. 753 was heat treated to a degree that the material could not be bent after. These were bent at the factory, then heat treated, and the framebuilder then cut the blade to the required length.

The cut alone determined the fork rake, and I had no control over the placement or shape of bend. You will notice on this 753 Fuso Lux frame (Pictured below.) that the fork bend is a different shape than the ones bent by me.

On the red 753 frame there appears to be more rake, but this is not the case, the amount of offset is the same. The 753 blade has a tighter bend near the bottom, whereas the one’s I bent by hand, have a gradual curve that begins about half way.

Chainstays and seatstays are also tapered and the same selective cutting to length is employed. In this case, where the cut is made depends a great deal on the size of frame and its end use. 

The perfect fork blade is stiff enough to allow precise handling, but with some flex to absorb road shocks. It also looks pleasing to the eye. I have a theory that when something is designed correctly from a functional standpoint, it has a natural aesthetic beauty. This is true of a boat, a bridge, a building, and even a bicycle frame.

The modern trend of building straight forks of course saves the framebuilder a great deal of time and effort. If this look has become acceptable, why should today’s builder go through all the time consuming process I have described here? 

The straight blade is angled forward so the same fork rake or offset is achieved and handling would be the same. I can’t comment on the shock absorption qualities because I have never built a frame with a straight fork.

In my view, a great deal is lost aesthetically, so where does that leave my theory about function being linked to aesthetics? On the other hand, is it simply that beauty is in the eye of the beholder?

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The Wave

A wave of the hand has to be one of the simplest and yet basic of human gestures. A wave can say, “Hi,” or it can say, Thank you.” 

Most important a wave to a stranger is saying, “I acknowledge your existence, I am not ignoring you.”

The wave immediately says, “I am friendly towards you.” Even the most hostile and aggressive of drivers, will give another driver a thank you wave, if they slow and let them in. 

In fact if you don’t get a thank you wave, you feel slightly offended, somehow deprived, “Hey, I let you in and I didn’t get a thank you wave, where’s my thank you wave?”

Some cyclists will not return a wave to another cyclist, or will not do so unless they are wearing Lycra and a helmet like them. Total bull-shit. I know it must be terribly hard if you are lying down comfortably on those aero bars, to struggle up to give a proper wave, but at least raise a hand, make the effort.

Unless you are a serious time-trialist, or tri-athlete, it might be a good excuse to dump the aero bars. Set yourself free to sit up and wave to the whole world.

I wave to everybody when I am riding, not just people who look like me, other people on any kind of a bike, those walking, running, or on skate-boards.

Even ladies pushing babies in strollers. They are all people like me, out getting some fresh air, and exercise. Sometimes, I get a wave back but not always, I don’t feel deprived or offended if I don’t. 

If I see a driver waiting to turn in front of me, or pull out from a side road, I give a wave. This time it is more of an attention getter, “See me, I’m over here.” Rather like the wave to a waiter in a busy restaurant.

However, it is still a friendly gesture, and the driver may interpret it as, “Thank you for waiting, and not pulling in front of me. Often, they will wave back, which is very nice. It means they have seen me, but more important they acknowledge my existence, and my right to be on the road.

A wave costs me nothing, and yet it gives so much. It gives me a great deal of satisfaction and pleasure, makes my ride a better experience.

If you are not in the habit of waving, I can recommend it. It is good for the soul, yours, and your fellow travelers.

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