Old-School Goes New-School

MY FATHER’S NEW-FOUND ENTHUSIASM FOR RIDING HAS BECOME A PROJECT IN UPGRADES.

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MMY 75-YEAR- OLD FATHER RECENTLY INVESTED IN A FULL- SUSPENSION, 29ER CANNONDALE RUSH. It took a while to convince him to sell his old 26er and upgrade. When I hinted at the cost, I was met with the same incredulous look he used to give me back in my schooldays, when I presented my report card.

“You can’t be serious…” he mumbled; and suggested that there was little need for an upgrade, because he was only riding for some light exercise.

However, light exercise turned into more regular exercise; and suddenly, he was gallivanting around the trails of Summerveld in KZN with his fellow pensioners, and complaining that he was battling on the ‘ technical stuff’.

To be fair, the ‘ technical stuff’ amounted to anything that wasn’t tar; but it was enough of an opening for me to pounce on his competitive spirit and suggest that a fast-rolling, dualsuspension trail bike was just the thing for him to raise the bar – literally and figuratively – on his cycling career.

So eventually, the deed was done: tyres were converted to tubeless, new gloves bought, sag measurements done, barends added and Strava signed up for (and successfully linked to Facebook). Quite frankly, I should be given at least 10 Strava Kudos – for successfully upgrading my father’s rig, and for his new mastery of the single-lane trails of Summerveld!

There are some signs that my father really does appreciate the upgrade. He’s riding more, and he’s spoken (very briefly) about entering a race, none of which could have been achieved on his aging 26er.

The question, now, is: how much is enough? There are still a few more upgrades to consider – not least the controversial addition of cleats and cycling shoes to his armoury.

But my father, in his regular trolling of the interwebs, discovered an article which suggested that flat pedals and tackies are just as effective as riding with modern cleats. He claims he posted the link on Facebook; but I’ve scoured its depths (to no avail), and every cycling website I could Google, to establish if there’s any reputable basis for this view. I found none.

But the process itself led to some enlightenment. I realised that instead of trying to upgrade my father’s riding experience further, I should just be grateful that he’s riding at all. Does it really matter that he prefers flats and tackies to clip-ins? No. The important thing is that my Dad is seeing the world through different eyes – it doesn’t matter how he does it.

This, perhaps, is our responsibility when it comes to encouraging others in the sport. Getting them riding is far more important than what or how they ride.

I’m super-proud of my Dad for many reasons; but his enthusiasm to experience as many different aspects of life as he can has always inspired me to do the same. I’d hate to ruin that with the distractions of constant upgrades and tech talk.

Okay Dad, I’ll shut up now.

To be fair, the ‘technical stuff’ amounted to anything that wasn’t tar…