I’m a cyclist, a roadie, there I’ve said it. I’m also a wannabe bassist.
A recent post about toxic behaviours on forums got me thinking about the differences between cycling culture, compared to what I have seen in the bass world.
Perhaps the most stark is gear. Disciples of both suffer from GAS, although in the cycling / roadie world it’s not called GAS, for the cyclist it’s n+1; say that and everyone knows what you are referring to.
The key difference seems to be the attitude towards more ‘vintage’ gear. For the average roadie (well, let’s say me), the focus seems to be on the latest, greatest, lightest, stiffest, most aero bike and associated bike jewellery (think gears, crankset, brakes, helmets, jerseys, shorts, shoes - I could go on). We are constantly ‘sold’ the watts we will save at 40km/h, and then many of us hand over the cash. So much of cycling seems to be about chasing the new. Unless the bike is genuinely vintage, you’re just riding an old bike.
In contrast, I see bass posts where people talk about their 10 / 20 / 30 year old instrument with pride. In fact there is a real kudos associated with owning a [insert year] [insert brand] bass, and some of the prices, wow!
Of course, there are plenty of other similarities, and differences, but I love this delight in the preloved instrument!
And then there’s the synth forums, which manage to combine both old-worship and new-worship. And relative toxicity. They also use the term GAS, but also their more modern, pithy and simpler version, BUY NOW.
I think maybe fewer of them bike but then again the ones that ever leave the basement studio stay skinny from all the sweaty clubs and rave drugs.
Actually, the reason I ride bikes is for the cafe stops - ride, burn kcal, eat cake Keeps me in shape
Regarding the toxicity, I think it’s everywhere. Rather than accepting that everyone is on their own journey, and maybe asking for a bit of advice, some people seem to want to brow-beat them in to thinking their own way. This is the same in some of the cycling forums - blind brand loyalty, spouting manufacturers press releases, getting upset if an older person (yep, I’m in that age bracket) is riding an expensive bike [insert lots of zeros].
But I do like bass love of classic / vintage instruments. Part of me feels it’s an antidote to rampant, new, new, new consumerism. Looking over at my basses, they are all ‘preloved’, with one of them probably being early 2000s (not 100% sure). In fact, I think the only new kit I’ve got are the leads, a couple of straps and a Zoom B1four.
I split the difference at the moment. One of mine was just made in July. The other was also made in July… 2002. The older one is more valuable and is a signature model of one of my bass heroes, the newer one is my daily driver and is the newly chosen instrument of my main bass hero. Both are Yamahas but made in different countries 21 years apart.
I remember way back when that if you got dropped because you couldn’t keep up, you had to find your own way home. That was kinda the norm, but not in all groups.
For example, on my first ever ride back then, I met an older guy and he later shared his food with me because I bonked hard. So there was both, even back then. The cycling world really has come a long way to be more friendly.
And actually, the internet feels a lot friendlier to me than in the early days - but when I think of all the friendships I had online back then, it was a mix of both.
@sunDOG i feel ya. However, the BMW bitch whine and moan of the road bike world are child’s play compared to mountain bike world.
There are arguments on just about anything new, wheel size, dropper posts, disc brakes, flats/ riser bars, clipless/ flats, tube/ tubeless, electronic pedaling assist.
They were/are attacked from all sides for trails access. From hikers, walkers, and horse riders but the worse enemy of all are the mountain bike riders themselves.
Luckily I had 2 major crashes and quite some time to recover then spent the last 8 years deciding whether to return, lol.
A) I hope you are ok now!
B) We could trade stories about crashes, but that would be a whole different thread, and probably forum
C) So what bass do you play, we could argue about that, and plectrums, and ‘extra’ strings, who the most underrated bass player, and ….
I have to agree with you, there are some idiots out there. To be honest, now it’s winter in the UK, I have pretty much retreated inside where I ride a Wattbike and TrainerRoad. This mornings sessions was a rather sweat inducing sweet spot ride…
It’s funny, the slowest crash I had broke a bone. Not to say that the fastest one wasn’t the most painful and scary one. Luckily, no morphine was needed.
Hitting a lamppost is just as silly as hitting a fence. You’d think that you’d see it.
My fracture was bad, the arm was deformed quite a bit due to the impact. I think my hand was about two inches above my forearm. Super painful and very freaky. The docs took one look and immediately put me out. Woke up with a nice cast to a cute nurse (like, I was 7 and I could tell even then) telling me I could have all the ice cream I wanted.
Arm healed as if nothing had happened to it. Kids are resilient
One of the real plusses of mtn biking is that you can take your dog. Our old dog was so excited to go riding. You can’t take a dog on the road with you.
2 years ago I was riding a sportive. I was very fit from a great summer of riding as was in the lead group with a buddy and about 10 other guys.
We crested a hill on a small country road and started to dive down the other side - I was 3rd man on road… the two in front of me sped past the entrance to a large house that had very tall hedge along the front garden, obscuring the driveway. As they passed, they startled a horse (that couldn’t be seen from the road) that the owner was trying to get into a horse box. The horse bolted out into the road and I went straight into its back leg at 30mph (50kmh). I went over the handlebars and landed on my head, destroying my helmet.
My buddy is a doctor. He leaped off his bike and cradled my head / neck on the road. I was eventually taken away in an ambulance to the local hospital for checks. Luckily, my head and neck were ok, my shoulder wasn’t - the damage to my rotator cuff took 3 to 4 months to heal. The bike needed a new front wheel, but was otherwise ok. I believe the horse was also ok
I always wear a helmet while cycling. If I hadn’t that day, I’d either be dead or likely have significant brain injuries.
Blockquote
Recumbents are the headless basses of bikes. There has to be a better way than those ginormous chains, but hey, it’s super fast.
I’m not sure about that comparison, especially given the huge variety of builds, but it is an interesting thought… They are an oddity, that’s for sure.
There are more than one type of FWD recumbent so there you go, each with their very own set of problems which I feel a shorter chainline doesn’t quite justify
Let’s consider other bikes vs basses. For me, the classic Dutch opafiets/omafiets are the Precision Basses: rugged and dependable, if not the most spectacular and a bit heavily built (the only upright bike I still own is a Batavus Flying Dutchman and it’s a perfect city machine)
That would make a racing road bike… a Jazz Bass? An inconspicous and common tool, but in the right hands it will carry a world champion to glory.
I guess it’s what you mean by a ‘racing road bike’. If you mean a standard road machine ridden by a lot of people and could be put to pro use, then maybe. But you have to remember that the majority of bikes that are genuine pro machines are in the £10k plus category these days, with some being an awful lot more than that. Your average Jazz is not really in that rarified echelon… Granted, the majority of pro bikes are not fully customised these days, i.e. the frames are stock, as are the majority of the components, it’s just they are just bloody expensive components. With basses, I assume you need to be in the custom category to be getting anywhere near that kind of money, or looking a rare, vintage bass with history…?
Actually, from a cycling perspective, even the expensive basses, e.g. a Dingwall at £2k to £3k, seem reasonable, considering you can spend that much on a pair of deep section wheels!
Keeps me in shape 
There has to be a better way than those ginormous chains, but hey, it’s super fast.
Luckily, no morphine was needed.
