The Lucky Few Generation

My generation were known as the Lucky Few, or sometimes the Silent Few. Born between 1928 and 1945, we came between the Greatest Generation, who fought in WWII, and the Baby Boomers who came after the war. It was the period of the Great Depression and WWII, when fewer babies were born.

I was barely 4 years old when the war started, 9 years old when it ended. I never understood the war, at the time it was all I knew. I guess we were known as the “Fortunate,” or “Lucky” Few because we were too young to be drafted into the military, and we came of age in the 1950s, as the economy boomed after the war.

We were also known as the Silent Few because we did little in the way of protesting, marching or banner carrying. In the UK in the 1950s things were pretty good, and as far as we were concerned there was little to complain about.

In America it was the era of McCarthyism, with people being blacklisted and persecuted for having leftist views, so I would imagine it was wise not to express one’s views publicly.

In the UK too, we grew up with strict discipline, both at home and in the school system. Children were taught to be seen and not heard, and you never questioned or talked back to an adult.

As a result, we grew up completely isolated from adults, neither asking for advice nor seeking their help in any way. Big Business had not caught on to the potential market for fashionable clothes aimed at teenagers. We created our own fashions.

We followed trends of course, just as teens do to this day. We wanted to look different and did so by dressing the same. Fashions for young people started in London, and slowly spread to other areas throughout the UK.

We wore expensive handmade suits made by some of the best tailors in London, cut in the style of the Edwardian era of the early 1900s. (Think of Sherlock Holmes.) The press and general public called us “Teddy Boys” and we were openly ridiculed on the streets. Which I guess gave us the attention we wanted.

Our musical tastes in the early 1950s was Big Band Jazz. I got to see Count Basie, and Duke Ellington when they toured England in the mid-1050s. We frequented jazz clubs in London that featured small jazz trios, quartets, or quintets.

Records we bought and listened to on Juke Boxes were imported from America. I was a huge fan of Hank Williams, as were many other young people in Britain. In 1956 when Elvis Presly hit the scene, along with artists like Chuck Berry and Little Richard they had a large following.

However, not everything coming out of America was accepted by young British people, especially the college kids. They stuck with their interest in jazz, but by 1958 or so had switched their allegiance, to Traditional Jazz, Dixieland, and New Orleans style played in America in the 1920s.

Bands were being formed to play this kind of music, and an offshoot of this was an interest in early American Folk Musicians like Josh White, Woody Guthry, Hudy Ledbetter, and Big Bill Broonzy.

Yet another offshoot was an interest in “The Blues,” played by Black Artists in America. In the 1960s when there was an explosion of British bands and musicians, it may have appeared that this was an overnight sensation, but far from it.

It had been brewing for at least ten or fifteen years before that. Brought about by a generation of young people who did their own thing, created their own styles and had their own musical tastes. Uninfluenced by adults, or large Record Corporations. It spread to America, and the rest of the World, and other young artists carried it forward.     

Brought about by a set of circumstances beyond any one person’s control, and being so unique it will probably never happen again. Being born during a World Depression, and spending their childhood during a World War, under a very repressive education system.

I am indeed “Fortunate” to be part of the generation known as the Lucky or Silent Few. The old saying, “You had to be there,” comes to mind, and being there gives me a perspective on life that I would not otherwise have.

A summary of the two Tour de France races

I missed posting here last week for the first time in a long time. The reason, I got wrapped up in the Tour de France. First the men’s race, one of the best I had seen in recent years. Followed by the women’s race.

In the men’s race it was good to see that Tadej Pogacar was indeed human, and could be beat, although I can’t help feeling that Jonas Vengegaard was not greatly superior to Pohacar, rather equal, but having a stronger team.

Anyway, it was refreshing to see the respect these two young riders had for each other and it brought me back to what the sport used to be, as I remember it years ago.

I didn’t know what to expect in the Tour de France Femmes, but from the first stage on, I was hooked. Shorter stages meant that tactically the race played out quicker and was extremely entertaining and exciting to watch.

In the flat sprinter’s stages for example, there was none of the holding the break at two or three minutes for the entire race, until the last 10 kilometers.

Because the stages were shorter, breaks were brought back quickly, often followed by more attempts to break clear. This fast, attacking style of racing, over a shorter distance was not only exiting to watch, but it also meant by the end of the stage the peloton had split into smaller groups.

The result being, only the strongest riders contested the sprint, instead of the chaotic entire field, bunch sprint that has become all too common on the flat stages of the men’s races.

As for the final two mountain stages, Annemiek van Vleuten just dominated the entire race, winning both stages and the Overall Classification. It was a joy to watch her climbing ability.

It was great to see the support of fans by the roadside, especially as they had been exposed to three weeks of the men’s race. Apparently, the TV coverage was also watched by more viewers world-wide.

I can only imagine that having a Women’s Tour de France, will create an increased interest in the sport, by people who would otherwise not usually watch.

This can only be a good thing for the sport in general and perhaps create a way forward from the somewhat tarnished image that unfortunately the sport has created for itself over the years.

Chillin

"You do know the aero-tuck is banned now?"“Chillin” is a word that has crept into the Urban Dictionary. A word for “Relaxing, doing nothing in particular.”

Chillin, in my book would require having happy thoughts, or better yet no thoughts. Living in the moment.

Children do that so well, they are not thinking ten minutes into the past or future. Animals too, like the cat on the right.

Their brain is not developed enough to have a whole a lot of memories of the past, or thoughts of the future. Human kind’s intelligence and memory capacity is both a gift and a curse.

I left the bike business in 1993. Almost 30 years ago, or a lifetime for some young person. Since that time I have practiced doing nothing.

If you think that sounds easy, the next time you go to a doctor’s office or take your car in for an oil change, try to sit in the waiting room with your hands in your lap, and do nothing. Do not pick up a magazine or fiddle with your cell phone. More important keep your mind blank, free of any thought.

In the 1990s to achieve this state of mind I would have to make a point to set time aside each day to meditate. I did not get into meditation out of any desire to engage in some mystic eastern religion, but after reading about the practice it seemed like a good idea.

At the time my mind was constantly filled with negative thoughts, and as a result my life was filled with negativity. Throughout my waking hours my mind was filled with either thoughts of the past or future. I was either reliving the bad events of my past, or worrying about the possible misfortunes of the future.

My daily life was a constant torment and I realized it was of my own making. In time I realized, no matter how hard I tried my past would never get any better. What was the point of constantly reliving it, over and over?

The same with the future, it was only imagined. I have heard "Worrying" described as mourning some future bad event before it even happened. Worse still, my negative thoughts most probably brought about the very thing I was worrying about.

At least by consciously sitting quietly and pushing all thought from my mind, I was not thinking negatively. At first it was extremely difficult, I could not go but a minute or so before a thought about something or other would pop into my head.

I became an observer of my own mind. I could see that one idle random thought would lead to another and pretty soon there would be a whole train of thought on a track leading to who knows where.

At first my meditation sessions went something like this: Sit with my mind blank… a thought pops in… push it out… repeat… sit with my mind blank. In time, the periods I could consciously keep my mind blank increased, and if thoughts did pop in, they were pushed out with ease.

Even more beneficial, in time throughout the day while driving to work, or during my time at work I observed idle thoughts entering my mind, idle chatter that served no useful purpose. I began to consciously push these thoughts from my mind and keep it blank.

It probably took me about five years of effort to banish idle chatter from my mind. Today I rarely set aside actual time to meditate, instead I practice keeping my mind blank at all times.

While I sit and drink my coffee in the morning. If I drive my car, or ride my bike, or as I already pointed out while sitting in a waiting room somewhere.

Having a blank mind while driving or riding my bike is actually better and safer than being deep in thought. To be deep in thought, especially about something troubling is to be distracted, even to be in a state of trance.

Driving or riding a bike does not require conscious thought to anyone with experience, it is automatic. By that I mean even defensive riding or driving is automatic. As long as one is mindful of their surroundings, by keeping the mind clear of extraneous thought, one is actually more alert should an emergency occur.

Keeping my mind blank is like sitting in front of a blank computer screen, or having a blank page of a notebook in front of me. It is an opportunity for creative thoughts to appear.

Just as it is impossible to convey my thoughts to someone else if that person will not stop talking and listen, if my mind is filled with constant chatter, creative thoughts have nowhere to enter.

I can highly recommend doing nothing when nothing is required, my life is mostly stress free. It is not necessary to be thinking if all you have to achieve is waiting for the oil to be changed in your car.  It is not difficult either, but it does take time, it is not going to happen overnight.

It has taken me over thirty years to get to the peaceful happy place I am now. But looking back it took me a great many more years to get to the mental Hell where I lived before

10 useful tips for car drivers

1.)    If you see a cyclist ahead and you can’t pass because of opposing traffic, resist the urge to run over him, even though you can. You know what a mess it can make of your car if you hit a deer, a cyclist will probably do even more damage.

2.)    Don’t throw stuff at cyclists. In some states there is a $250 fine for this, plus there is a $1,000 fine for littering, it can add up. If you feel you must throw something at a cyclist, think of the environment, throw something that is biodegradable.

3.)    Don’t waste time thinking of clever things to yell at cyclists as you drive by at 50mph. Just shout, "Garble, garble, garble, fucking road." It is all they will hear anyway

4.)    If you are approaching a right turn, slow and wait behind the cyclist ahead of you. If you can’t do this, at least be consistent and race ahead of other cars, then cut them off by turning right in front of them.

5.)    Use the buddy system. If you can’t resist the urge to text while driving have a buddy ride along to look out for cyclists.

6.)    Pedestrians can also be annoying. they will not stay on one side of the road and are likely to interrupt your texting by crossing over to the other side at some point.

7.)    Resist the urge to lay on the horn. If you can’t do this, consider fitting a second horn inside the car a few feet from your head. This will give you a realistic feel of how incredibly fucking loud your car horn is.

8.)    Watch your blind spot. Looking in store windows or at pretty girls as you drive by creates a huge blind spot ahead of you. Cyclists have an annoying habit of riding in this blind spot.

9.)    If a cyclist is riding in the middle of the lane, it could be because he will not ride within five feet of a parked car. (The door zone.) If you expect cyclists to ride within inches of parked cars, set an example by driving within inches of parked cars.

If more cars did this and removed a few car doors, and grazed a few knuckles as a result, it would help by reminding people to look before opening a car door. At the present time cyclists hitting car doors does not have the same impact.

10.)  Avoid hitting cyclists by simply going around them. If you should hit one because he happened to be there when you were applying makeup, don’t say “He swerved in front of me.” Simply tell the police officer, “I didn’t see him.”

This is becoming the more widely accepted defense, after all it is the truth, and a driver can’t be expected to see everything. (Don’t try the “I didn’t see it” defense if you run a stop sign. For some strange reason this does not work.)  

Transport

I started this blog in 2005, later this year it will be 17 years old. Looking back over the hundreds of articles written, I realized I had seen the Fixie trend arrive and disappear again’

Hipsters riding fixed wheel track bikes (Sometimes brake-less.) on the road. What happened to the “Hipster?” They must still be around, but probably under some new name that I have yet to learn.

I imagine they are all riding e-bikes and e-scooters now. Electric assist. The bicycle industry finally overcame the last drawback to riding a bicycle, it requires effort to propel it along, especially up hill.

There has never been a perpetual motion machine made that will run for free without some energy input from somewhere. In terms of efficiency, the bicycle is the best renewable source, form of transport that you can use over and over again for free, aside from initial cost, and a little maintenance.

I am ignoring skates, skateboards, scooters, and the like, because although slightly more efficient than running or walking, (The most basic form of transport.} In a straight-out race, the pedal bicycle would win every time.

In the mid-1980s when my business was operating at its peak, the bikes I produced were probably the simplest and most efficient of that era. Simple friction shift, and rim brakes, and aerodynamically efficient’

However, for an unfit person, the saddle was too hard, the aero position was uncomfortable, and the friction gear levers needed a certain skill set to operate. Add to that, the fact that the bikes were over geared for most but the strongest of athletes.

In other words, a person needed enough dedication to stick with it until their body reached a level of fitness, where riding ceased to be a chore and became a pleasure. Few had this level of dedication, which is why many of the bikes I built in the mid-1980s are still in nearly new condition when re-sold on eBay or Craig’s List.

Any form of exercise regime requires effort and dedication. How many people pay a gym membership or buy an exercise machine and then fail to use it regularly? The bicycle is both a form of transport and an exercise machine, but few take full advantage of that fact.

The drawbacks of commuting to work on a bike is that one is exposed to the elements. You arrive at work soaked in rain or sweat. The advantages of electric assist do not go unnoticed.

Many see electric bikes and electric cars as the future but remember even electricity needs to be transported. The best places for producing wind or solar power are not necessarily where electricity is needed, and there is a cost in getting it there.

Even our most basic need like water must be transported from its source to where it is needed. That means pumping using electricity. Everything, including ourselves needs to be transported often on a daily basis.

In the meantime, all the batteries for these electric vehicles are being produced in China because they are cheaper. One of the reasons they cost less is because China uses cheap fossil fuels to produce electricity.

We also have an abundance of cheap fossil fuel but may do the right thing and not use it. Isn’t that the principle they used when restaurants had a smoking section?