Bike Repairs, E-Bike Laws, and Cycling Adventures: An Episode with the Men of Leisure

Speaker 1: 1:13

Well, it's time for Road Adventures with Cycling Men of Leisure, the podcast for cyclists who understand that riding is not just about getting to the destination but the experience along the way. Now here are the original cycling men of leisure Adam and Michael.

Speaker 2: 1:27

Hey, good to be with you again.

Speaker 3: 1:30

Happy to be with you again, Adam. How are you doing?

Speaker 2: 1:32

Doing good. Doing good, just, we're ramping up for the annual fall school year here. What about?

Speaker 3: 1:39

you. We are beyond ramping. We are in the fall school year.

Speaker 2: 1:44

Yeah, but you're in central time. I mean, everything is like you're early to everything, aren't you?

Speaker 3: 1:50

No, that would be. Eastern time is early to everything. Central time is right on time.

Speaker 2: 1:57

So my wife and I don't have kids, but I know that you do so. Is your daughter in school?

Speaker 3: 2:03

Yes, started on Tuesday.

Speaker 2: 2:05

Tuesday.

Speaker 3: 2:06

Yeah, so yep.

Speaker 2: 2:08

Well, on behalf of my family, let's hope she has a wonderful school year this year.

Speaker 3: 2:12

So Absolutely, and if she has problems with advanced math, she'll be contacting you.

Speaker 2: 2:18

It is 1-800-advancemathcom. So hey, listen, I got an Excel program. I help her out. So no, I just figured we could chat about a few things. But you said you were in the market for something.

Speaker 3: 2:32

Yes, I am, I'm on a quest, I am searching.

Speaker 2: 2:38

Searching. Okay, you're on a quest.

Speaker 3: 2:39

Yes, searching.

Speaker 2: 2:41

Are you searching for, like what came first the chicken or the egg?

Speaker 3: 2:45

No, nothing quite that deep or profound. What I'm looking for is actually will benefit you. I think we need to reach out to our listeners Okay, which at this point in time? We've got a lot of listeners out there. I'm sure we can find somebody.

Speaker 2: 3:01

We do have a lot.

Speaker 3: 3:02

We do Looking for listeners who may own a bike store, works at a bike store or is a bicycle mechanic. What I'm thinking is we need an expert.

Speaker 2: 3:18

An expert. You mean like when I watch Pawn Stars and like Rick Harrison is going to like buy something from somebody and he's like, wait, let me call a friend of mine who's an expert.

Speaker 3: 3:28

That's exactly what I'm looking for.

Speaker 2: 3:30

Okay, okay. Because here's the deal, because you're coming with the smokers, laugh that he's got too, or no?

Speaker 3: 3:37

No, no, that's optional. That's all on you or them, or whatever, but no, sorry, watching too many reality TV shows, aren't you? What I'm thinking is if we could find somebody who's in the know on a lot of this technical stuff, because we both said many times, we are not experts. No, we're not. What we're drawing off of is our years and decades of experience and that type of thing, which doesn't always cut it, and it would be nice to have somebody who, if we got into something that was super technical or we needed information on, you know something around bikes or bike parts or something like that, we could contact them and they could come in and maybe provide us with the insight that we need. That's a great idea.

Speaker 2: 4:26

But no, that's a great idea. I mean. So we've talked about like flying with your bicycle. I'm by far not an expert. I gave my, play by play, how I was able to dismantle my bicycle and get it when we went to Bragg and get it, you know, put back together and, like I said, there was only three extra screws, so not too bad.

Speaker 3: 4:46

We'll see. If we got an expert, I bet we could find out what those three extra screws go to.

Speaker 2: 4:52

Well, I wonder if it was that duck sound that I had.

Speaker 3: 4:55

Maybe those the squeaking duck sound. We'll see. Maybe we could figure out where to put those three screws to get rid of the squeaking duck sound on your and there's something we could use an expert for, that's right. We could record the sound and say can you help us?

Speaker 2: 5:10

We need help. One of our team members from Bragg, Ed, reached out to me and I thought, just for fun, I have not taken the bike to the shop yet. I've ridden right in my other bike and Ed truly believes it's the bottom bracket. So I thought for fun that we would do a play by play. I want to get the bike to the shop. I think I'm taking it Saturday morning. This is being recorded on Thursday. So the problem is is the freeway that goes on the bike shop is under major, major construction, so to get there it's not as easy as I would like Wait, wait, stop, stop.

Speaker 3: 5:47

The freeway on the way to the bike shop is under maintenance and that's under major construction From driving your bike to the bike shop. Yes, because you live in a large city in Michigan and there's only one road to the bike shop, so that road construction is keeping you. It's not come on, it's not like you're riding your bicycle there, like the back road.

Speaker 2: 6:11

I will, but the problem is is I work money through Friday and the bike shop is only open till six and it's and for me to get there. I would never get there before the bike shop closes.

Speaker 3: 6:21

You get off at 430 or four sometimes. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey my boss listens to this show Be quiet. He's still on call, don't worry about it, that's right. I'm just saying. It sounds like there's some pretty big excuses being made of why you cannot get your bike to the bike shop.

Speaker 2: 6:41

No, actually I have. I in full transparency. Ever since I've been home from Rack Brie, I have ridden my bike here in the house and I've been golfing a lot. There's been some outings and some wonderful charity events that I like to attend. So but no, but I thought for fun. On Saturday, when I take it in, ed truly believes that he had the same sound, and if you're not sure what we're talking about on our previous show all across Iowa and hear this, it just kept happening and so we kept trying to fix it. But I thought for fun. We'll see if Ed is right and he thinks it's the bottom bracket. But this is where your expert could come into play.

Speaker 3: 7:22

Well, you know, ed's an Ed's a intelligent guy. I bet he's onto something. I just don't know what was more annoying in Iowa. Is that squeaking duck, as I call it, or you telling me every day oh yeah, after we get in, I'll, I'll take this down to the bike mechanic and have it looked at next day? Well, now I know why. There was probably a busy road there by the bike mechanic, you know trailer which prevented you from taking it in.

Speaker 2: 7:49

There's about 5,000 tents, and by the time we got in, after riding 90 miles on the hundred degree heat, the last thing I was like, ah, it'll be fine. So hey, it went all the way across the state and it's just fine.

Speaker 3: 8:02

Oh, I heard it all the way across the state, so I can verify that Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 8:07

Well, we will, we will, we will see. And if we had an expert or someone like that, they could definitely help out and and pipe in and say you know, you want to. You want to give this two turns to the right and carry the one and subtract the two, and this is what you need. So I like your idea 120, 120, whatever it takes. In the movie, I think it's two yeah. Yeah, two, two, whatever it takes. So, but see, there's too much TV.

Speaker 3: 8:38

I've been watching there, so so here's what I think you should do. Okay, I think you should take the the many handheld recorder with you and, after he's diagnosed it made the diagnosis of it. I think you should ask him it's like hey, would you just explain what's going on here and we can put it on the show.

Speaker 2: 8:56

I think that's great, I think it's a wonderful idea and I'm willing to do it.

Speaker 3: 8:59

So I mean if he's willing to do it. But I think that would be interesting.

Speaker 2: 9:04

The guys there are all great. I think I could tell them hey, you guys all know I have a podcast. Can I record the diagnosis? Just because there might be someone out there going. I'm actually curious, so Cool.

Speaker 3: 9:16

Well, I'm glad you can get it there. I hope you know this Saturday the road construction does not keep you from, you know, getting over there and getting it fixed. It's kind of crazy actually just real quick.

Speaker 2: 9:28

They're doing this thing called a flex lane and they did it from Ann Arbor. So I live north of Ann Arbor. They did it from north Ann Arbor to like I don't know, like seven miles up, and then they stopped. And then they're like hey, you know what? That was such a good idea. We're going to continue all the way. Well, now they're just disrupting everybody. So it's just crazy. So, but yes, I need to get it down there. So, and I choose to go to the same bike shop the bikes was purchased there and it's just not real, not real great, but we're going to make it happen. So, anyways, expert, I love the idea of recording If he says oh yeah, you know your bottom bracket, because, to be honest, we did check with the mechanics there in camp and he said, no, it's fine, and everyone kept saying that's a, that's a bearing, that's a bracket, that's something. But anyways, so I will do that. So I like your expert idea. Okay, cool.

Speaker 3: 10:30

So if you're out there and you fit within the qualifications of being a bicycle expert, drop us an email. She just says some information on our Facebook page. Get ahold of us somehow, because I think we could probably use your assistance. I know we could use your assistance.

Speaker 2: 10:50

This actually brings up a great transition point, speaking of an expert. So you and I, on our last show, talked about the mayor of Raghbri and how she Sue, sue, absolutely. And how she gave us kind of a basic education on e-bikes.

Speaker 3: 11:09

And then one of our listeners God bless her, elizabeth she wrote me behind the scenes and said that I needed to be corrected on something, and so I would like to take oh, this is beautiful, because I think I have you recorded on a couple of past episodes ragging on me because I got a lot of love and I got like one thing wrong on my historical facts and you have brought it up many times and now you're saying, oh, you were wrong on some of your facts.

Speaker 2: 11:47

I have to confess I was wrong and I also confess that I have teased you about having your history facts incorrect and how we've received emails behind the scenes. And you are correct. There is recordings of that that can be found on our show list. So this has to do with the class one, class two and class three e-bike. So what we spoke correctly about, let me say that first we mentioned on the e-bike classifications that we did not know there was three of them. We mentioned that Sue had told us there was class one, two and three.

Speaker 2: 12:30

And we spoke correctly on the class one e-bike. That is pedal assist. It has no throttle, you have to actually be pedaling and it goes up to 20 miles an hour. So that we did actually say correctly On class two e-bikes it has a throttle and can go up to 20 miles an hour. But here's where we made a little bit of a mistake. You made a little mistake, all right, fine, I was the one riding next to Sue, so I admit it. So the class three e-bike is a pedal assist only, with no throttle, but has a maximum speed of 28 miles an hour. And where I said on the last show and I officially apologize is. I said that class three e-bikes were essentially like a moped and should not be out on the route and that they had a throttle and you didn't have to pedal at all, and so I was incorrect and I officially make that statement and I apologize and I thank Elizabeth. Yes, definitely.

Speaker 3: 13:34

Thank you, elizabeth, for bringing that up. We always like to make right anything we may have incorrectly spoke about. I will cut you some slack on this one. I understand that you know you were on the road riding talking to Sue, taking down this information, so I'll cut you a little slack there that it may have been a little difficult to get everything correct.

Speaker 2: 13:59

I appreciate that, but you know what's interesting, after I found out that I had made the mistake, as I went into doing some research, I had a couple pieces of information that I would love to share with you. So there are two states out there that have basically regulated these things as mopeds and maybe that's where Sue got her information so Alaska, and a state that you're well known, a really big state well, maybe state of confusion, but Rhode Island. Both of these states Alaska.

Speaker 3: 14:31

All right, little roadie. Yeah, we don't talk about that anymore.

Speaker 2: 14:37

But, for an interesting fact Alaska and Rhode Island have basically regulated these as mopeds, making you have a license, and so majority of the states have basically adopted a law that just says you just have to be a cyclist and you can ride an e-bike. There are some states out there that have. It's really kind of confusing because passengers are allowed, there's no minimum age, but they're kind of looking at what they should be doing, moving forward with e-bikes, but there's not a lot of regulations. But they are taking steps towards clarity. But I just wanted to let you know that I made a mistake. So there it is, officially recorded, that's.

Speaker 3: 15:29

OK, I appreciate you stepping with the plate. I'm not going to hold it against you. I could see where you know, if you had an e-bike you could get across Rhode Island in like 15 minutes, so that would be kind of cool. Just cut out that extra 15 minutes, just shoot straight across. But I was interested in the e-bike thing and I did some research and I found some of the same information and I was just surprised how many states you're required to register your bike in.

Speaker 3: 16:03

Yeah, that's an e-bike, I mean you know North Dakota requires you to register it. That's crazy. Massachusetts, new York, wisconsin, west Virginia, louisiana I mean none of the states I would expect you to have to. You know, I could see like New York or something, or you know, but I just think that's funny. They've got a lot of different rules and regulations because it all boils down to the state level on that. So very interesting.

Speaker 2: 16:35

It was very interesting and you know, when I was in college you'd write a paper and you obviously had to quote your source, and my source is coming from boshebikecom. But this is an interesting thing I'd just like to read real quick, taking steps towards clarity Since 2014, with leadership from People for Bikes, the National Bicycle Advocacy Group and Bicycle Industry Trade Association, more than 30 states have passed a standardized regulations for e-bikes with a simple, straightforward approach known as a three-class system. This model legislation defines the three common classes e-bikes based on speed, wattage and operation, and it allows states to decide which types of bicycle infrastructure each class can use. Typically, class one and class two e-bikes are allowed wherever traditional bikes are allowed. It also requires e-bike makers to place a high, visible sticker on the frame to indicate its class, what class it lies in. And in 2015, california was the first state to adopt a three-class approach and since then, 32 other states followed.

Speaker 2: 17:43

Anyways, I'm not going to read 32 states, but anyways, you can see that at boshebikecom Sorry, bosh-ebikecom. So very interesting, I had no idea. So Elizabeth actually helped me go down a wormhole, to kind of educate me even more.

Speaker 3: 18:02

Bold new world, man Bold new world.

Speaker 2: 18:04

It sure is.

Speaker 3: 18:07

All right enough about e-bikes. Good enough, what else we got?

Speaker 2: 18:11

Well, our next adventure that we have coming up although where we're going an e-bike may not be a bad idea, I'm just kidding, but our next adventure together is Bourbon Country Burn. This is in Lexington.

Speaker 3: 18:27

Kentucky.

Speaker 2: 18:27

Yes, you stay at the Kentucky Horse Park. You and I attended this event last year. We actually did a couple of shows about it. I'm actually hoping that we can do another show about it after this year, now that we're second time attendees, and looking forward to that. And so some friends of ours that we've talked about on the show are actually coming with us and camping near or around us, I think anyway. So I know they're going and they're more than welcome.

Speaker 3: 18:59

It's just they've been invited to camp in our site, so absolutely so.

Speaker 2: 19:05

Last year you and I did four VIP tasting. So at the Bourbon Country Burn yes, if you've never been to the event, let me try to do my best to give you the 30 second elevator speech. It is a single camp based event where you camp in one location all week in long and then they have multiple routes of depending on how much you want to ride, such as a casual ride, a 20 mile ride, 60 mile ride, 100 mile ride, 80 mile ride. You don't have to do it, it's all volunteer. Whichever route that you feel like you want to go out each day. One day goes to the east and one day goes to the west just for safety concerns, and then the next day goes, like the other, opposite way.

Speaker 2: 19:48

But you can actually take each route that you want and they go out to distilleries along the route that you can visit different distilleries and then you come back each day. They do have this really cool thing called Sherpa Service, which is a bottle service where if you go out to one of the distilleries and you're like, hey, I'd like to buy a bottle of this for my consumption, as you would say, collection, as I would say, and then they'll actually truck that back. You don't have to carry it on your bicycle. They'll carry it back to base camp Bourbon Country Burn. If you are a registry of the event, you get two nice, really nice, meals. They have campfires. Oh, they were good meals.

Speaker 3: 20:31

I mean they're like fully catered, absolutely Full plates of food, fantastic meals, absolutely.

Speaker 2: 20:39

There's like bomb fires at night. There's music. Just an A plus event in my opinion. Of course, that's my unofficial review, but on top of all of that, they bring in distilleries to the camp each night and you get these tickets and you can say okay, I'm gonna use my tickets and try these different Bourbons, and then you can try the samples there.

Speaker 3: 21:02

And there's about eight per night, eight, nine, 10 somewhere in there. So I mean it's not just one or two, and they bring in some decent names. I mean Four Roses, was there New Riff, jefferson or Jeffrons, because the sign was spelled wrong.

Speaker 2: 21:18

Yeah, somebody was up there.

Speaker 3: 21:20

So they do bring in some really good tastings.

Speaker 2: 21:23

They sure do. And then, on top of all of that, something that you and I were definitely honed in on and we've talked about before in the show, which was their VIP tastings. So last year in Bourbon Country Burn 2022 edition, they had Makers, mark, lux, road Distillers, they had Buffalo Trace and then Phil, who we'll get to him in just one second, the guy who puts on the events. He has his own PhilTalks Whiskey website and he has his own tastings where he does some games and does like a secret sample of what you're having to drink and everything and you kind of guess. And so this year, for the 2023 tastings, we were able to get Buffalo Trace again.

Speaker 2: 22:17

Now, the reason why Buffalo Trace is neat for us is their ambassador, freddie Johnson. The third is gonna be there and if you've never seen him, he is a phenomenal storyteller and he was there last year telling stories about was it his nephew or grandson, grandson, right, grandson, grandson, and thank you. So he's gonna be there again this year and just, he's awe inspiring. If you are incredible speaker, oh, absolutely. If you're into whiskey at all, if you like Bourbon whiskey, curious about the history, curious about anything? There's a program I think it's on Amazon Prime called NEET NE18. And in there he talks about how his dad rolled off the sixth millionth barrel of Buffalo Trace and I don't wanna give it away. If you watch it, your hair and your arm will stand up. So he's there, and so we decided to do that. And then this gentleman who actually is gonna be on our show, our next show, we're gonna have Phil Collin on the show.

Speaker 3: 23:24

I love his music. This is gonna be so cool.

Speaker 2: 23:29

I can feel it coming in the air. That's not cool, okay well unfortunately for you, it's not the same. Phil Collin, I know you, you know I mean. Oh, I thought you said.

Speaker 3: 23:40

Phil.

Speaker 2: 23:40

Collins. No, this is Phil Collin.

Speaker 3: 23:43

Well, I think we need to get Phil Collins on the show too, but we'll work on that later.

Speaker 2: 23:48

Yeah, I think we're gonna get a lot more listeners before we get them.

Speaker 2: 23:52

I don't know if he bikes at all, but no, but so Phil Collin from Phil Collins, from PhilTalksWhiskeycom is great entertainer and he does like whiskey shows and he's the MC. I hope I'm not insulting him, by any means, but he's the MC for these VIP tastings and then he brings on the guest and then the guest comes on and kind of kind of they kind of play back and forth, if you will, based upon the education and the history of these distilleries, and so just a really cool addition, in my opinion, to Bourbon Country Burn. So anyways, that is my introduction of what Bourbon Country Burn is.

Speaker 3: 24:34

Yeah, it is a really fantastic ride. It's a smaller ride so it's a lot more, you know, intimate. You see a lot of the same people over and over. They have a really great base camp, couple different fire pit areas where you can go hang out at night. They've got music entertainment throughout the evenings, something I'm interested in and I haven't done a lot of research on, but I saw like a brief little blurb come across. Apparently they're going to have some lady, I think, on Thursday night who has tells ghost stories in lore about the distilleries. So maybe you know, tell us about haunted distilleries and things like that. So that would be kind of cool.

Speaker 2: 25:18

That is cool. I mean, every time I hear the word ghost stories, I can't help myself. The old pirate to the Caribbean, so he better start believing in ghost stories, because you're in one so.

Speaker 3: 25:29

But wow, I know A lot of TV time this week.

Speaker 2: 25:34

Well, listen, you know Cherokee, Wisconsin, baby. So anyways, that's actually, that's really cool and I bet you, if we know that when we went to holiday distillery, how they rotate the barrels and how tall they are, but I bet there's, there's noises and creaks and, and you know cracks and and some of those buildings are just old, yeah.

Speaker 3: 26:02

Yeah, I mean think about Castle and Kielash. Here we went. That is just an old, old building.

Speaker 2: 26:07

I was going to say if those walls could talk, so that would definitely be, that would definitely be cool, so, so, yeah, so our next show is going to fill Colin on there and if you're curious about that, go to PhilTalksWhiskeycom. You can take a look at, take a look at a picture of him and you'll see him at Bourbon Country Burn. If you decide to make that event, I highly recommend it. If you're looking for something that takes place September 29th, 30th. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 26:34

So it's a three day, three day long weekend event and I wonder we're right in the Kentucky Horse Park and last year they were having a horse show at the same time, so at eight o'clock there was like and now the next horse up is the Millennium Falcon, and there actually was a horse named that Chewie. Oh no, just kidding, but you know. So you heard the whole when you're in camp the whole day. If you're in camp the whole day, you got to hear all these interesting names for horses. So it was kind of cool.

Speaker 2: 27:06

That was and honestly I said this on a prior show, but that was my first time in that area, and so I'm highly looking forward to going back, so it'll be fun. It's a beautiful area and then when you go out and you do the rides during the day, you just go out by these horse farms and horses eat and live their life better than I do.

Speaker 3: 27:29

So if you find interest in it, decide. Maybe that's a ride that you can take on. Like I said, it can be shorter, long, whatever day you want. It's a lot of fun, you know. Come on out, we'll be out there. Join us of a good time Should be fun.

Speaker 2: 27:47

Absolutely so. But you actually said that you you actually had done a little research. I had mentioned a few times in Iowa that I said I think I need to get rid of these shorts, I think I need to get some new shorts, and you said, actually you had done some research. Is this an okay time to talk about that?

Speaker 3: 28:06

Yeah, we can talk about that.

Speaker 2: 28:09

Because yeah, go ahead no. I was going to say it. So in Iowa at Raghbray, like on day five, I was like man, these, these shorts are just not doing it. I and the threads were kind of cutting into me a little bit and if you're a cyclist you know exactly what I'm talking about. So you had said that part of the show research. You had actually done some. So let me just turn it over to you.

Speaker 3: 28:34

Yeah, um, I actually heard on Raghbray, overheard several discussions about people who, uh, you know, backside might have been a little painful, um, from the several days of writing, and that got me really thinking um, you know, everybody who's out there and is writing for multiple days more than likely is going to get some kind of pain. It's going to happen. I mean, you got the vibrations, you got the pressure you're pushing on. You know, uh, you know very tender tissue and uh, nerves and things like that. So I found it interesting One conversation I heard is this lady says and she was the first year doing it and I was sitting there next to her and she was talking to her friend and and she doesn't normally bike, but she wanted to bike for the 50th because her husband always biked, and she was talking about how she was really feeling it and her seat needed more padding and uh, all I could think about when she said that basically was you know, um, listening to the you know, the Saturday night live blue oyster cult skit.

Speaker 3: 29:46

You know you need more, uh, cowbell, you know, but in this case it's like I need more padding.

Speaker 2: 29:52

And I realized I got a feeling.

Speaker 3: 29:55

I need more padding, um, but you really don't. I mean, and I think that's a most of the time you really don't, and people tend to especially younger writers or new writers tend to look at it. It's like our solution to this is we need to bulk up the padding. I need a, uh, more padding on my seat, I need more padding on my bottom, things like that, and really most of the time, that's that's probably not the best idea, because when you increase the padding, if, if, if, you don't have good density and things like that, you wind up actually having to work harder, uh, and you're definitely not as an effective uh, you know cyclist. So I just did some research on on kind of looking at cycling shorts, um, and I it for for road cyclists. There's really two kinds and you know you're on one side, I'm on the other on this. I always wear shorts, the, the basic cycling shorts. You, on the other hand, like the bibs, I do like the bibs yeah.

Speaker 2: 30:54

You know, uh, if you look at obviously I'm right and you're wrong, so it's okay.

Speaker 3: 30:59

Yeah. Yeah next time you're in a port of John 95 degree temperatures you tell me who's right and wrong.

Speaker 2: 31:07

Yeah Well, I lose on that one every time. So the exact take off my jersey and and my straps of my bibs and I'm sitting on a porta potty nude in the middle of Iowa. We just lost every listener that was actually listening right there. Goodbye.

Speaker 3: 31:22

Thank you.

Speaker 2: 31:24

Have a good day.

Speaker 3: 31:27

Wow, all right. Um, so you know there's there's. In looking at cycling shorts, what I don't think most people understand is there's really like there's different cycling shorts for different, uh, types of writing. That's the first thing people need to understand, cause I think a lot of times, especially nowadays, people just go on. It's like, yeah, I need a new pair of cycling shorts. Uh, you know, I'll go out and buy. And even if you're buying like name brand, um, those brands typically make different styles and designs of the uh, the chamois inside for different types of writing. You know you've got your triathlete type stuff that's made more of a, it's made to get wet and that type of thing the racing stuff is is designed a little bit different. So it's one of those things that you really need to to kind of understand and get some knowledge before you just go out and you buy a. You know you buy a pair of cycling shorts.

Speaker 3: 32:28

Um, what I did in my research, I really found that there's five basic mistakes that cyclists are making in regards to to their the cycling shorts and the chamois. Within the cycling shorts and the chamois is just that, that basic lining. Sometimes it's just a lining, it's just an extra padding of material, other times it has gel, uh, foam, sometimes it's got gel and foam, uh, it can be any number of of uh of things there, but, um, the big things are. The big mistakes they make is that people buy low quality shorts and it's easy going on. You know the internet, just buying, oh, that's pretty cheap, I can afford that. It's like a lot of things like the helmets and other parts of cycling, you kind of get what you pay for, um, so I would I suggest that you go out there, spend a little extra money. It's probably going to make you feel better in one way, shape or form, uh than uh if you don't spend that extra money. The other thing I kind of alluded to is that the uh chamois is too thick. Everybody looks at it it's like, oh, I got to have more Um again. Thicker is not better. Big problem is, a lot of times they sell.

Speaker 3: 33:39

A lot of these companies will sell a unisex and a good pair of cycling shorts is really designed for it's gender specific, because women's set bones and things like that are different than men. So if you buy a unisex one, you're kind of like, oh, maybe this will cover what I needed to cover? Maybe it won't, so that's important to buy a gender specific. Another thing that you see all the time or you hear about is wearing underwear under those. They're really designed not to have underwear under those. They're really designed to be right against your skin, give you complete freedom of motion.

Speaker 3: 34:18

And then people want to add extra cushion to their saddles. You know they want to go out and they want to either buy a saddle that's got a lot more cushion or you'll see a lot of people buying those gel or foam seat covers. And those are really probably the five big mistakes that people are making. I just kind of wanted to bring that up because it came up. Probably I heard it come up more times during this last ride than I ever had. And, like I said, I think some the younger riders look at it as it's a it's a padding issue. I think a lot of the experienced riders don't think about necessarily the cycling shorts. They're thinking more like well, my seat's worn out or I need to readjust it, things like that. But really I think you really need to make sure that your cycling shorts are in good shape and really cycling shorts, depending upon how far you ride and you know how often you ride cycling. Shorts really only have a lifetime based upon usage of six months to two years, so if there's anything with tennis shoes.

Speaker 2: 35:27

people keep their tennis shoes way too long. A friend of mine had that plantar fasciitis and when they went to the doctor and they were like, well, how long do you have your? You know how long you had those shoes? And they're like I don't know nine months and she's like, yeah, the foam, and that's only good for like six months. So of course we never do that. They're so expensive. We are always using for mowing the lawn or we use them for camping or whatever.

Speaker 3: 35:49

But the same thing could be said with biking shorts. But just think day four, seven, day ride, you start to hurt. You're going to wish you'd spend a few extra bucks.

Speaker 2: 36:01

Oh yeah, for sure, for sure. So, and then the other debate is do you put the chamois butter on the, on the, on the on the shorts or bibs, or do you put it right to the skin?

Speaker 3: 36:14

Well, that's a whole different thing too, is you also have chamois butter, which is kind of a lubricant which helps. Technically, the instructions say you're supposed to put that on the seams of the of the of the chamois to help with any resistance that might might be there.

Speaker 2: 36:32

This is where your expert would be great.

Speaker 3: 36:37

You think?

Speaker 2: 36:38

Oh yeah, for sure.

Speaker 3: 36:39

Okay, well, see, there you go. You just proved my point that we need one.

Speaker 2: 36:42

Absolutely.

Speaker 3: 36:44

I, I, I got interested and and I started hearing a lot of people talk about that, so I thought, oh, let's just look at it and see, and and that's what I kind of came up with that you know, find yourself a good, a good couple pairs of biking shorts and recycle them often.

Speaker 2: 37:04

So for years I had cycling shorts and I will confess, I first went to Amazon and just kind of says, oh, cycling shorts, and just bought cycling shorts. It wasn't until later on when I started getting into these long distance rides. But the bike shop I would say, you know, do you guys recommend a certain kind of short for that? And and they were showing me, like you had mentioned, like for triathlons to be able to get wet and stuff like that. He's, he showed me this is like endurance for long distance cycling. They actually make specific ones that should help out better than that. So you're you, you are spot on on that.

Speaker 2: 37:42

And then what happened was is some of the events were offering shorts and some of the events were offering bibs and at first I thought, bibs, why? Why would I do bibs? And then a good friend of mine that I ride with sometimes here just told me that one of the nicest things about the bibs is they stay exactly where you want them to stay at all times. And that was definitely intriguing to me and it mostly that is true for me. I'm not saying I'm right, I'm just teasing about that, but for me they, they, they stay where I want them to stay.

Speaker 3: 38:15

So Well, honestly, I thought you wore the bibs so that you could carry whiskey, but that's just me.

Speaker 2: 38:23

I have. I have before had a bottle of Woodford Reserve between my, between my bib straps and my skin with my cycling jersey around her. For I think 20 some miles I carried the the Woodford Reserve.

Speaker 3: 38:37

That was the only liquor store around and we were out and we wanted some. So he actually used the bibs as his, his backpack.

Speaker 2: 38:46

So it was. It was my pocket.

Speaker 3: 38:48

So I have pictures just to prove it, if no one believes me.

Speaker 2: 38:51

It was definitely a good time, so, and then we we shared with many of our new friends that we had met, so that was great.

Speaker 3: 38:58

So one, one other thing. I got a little bit of history for you.

Speaker 2: 39:03

Oh God, do you hear? Here's where I'm going to get emails. Go ahead, really, I'm just kidding. Go ahead.

Speaker 3: 39:12

Can you tell me what the first cycling shorts with a chamois were made out of Lamb skin. Oh, you've been doing some research, haven't you? Um, I or maybe, maybe you bought a pair back in the day.

Speaker 2: 39:28

I don't know, I believe when I was watching tour to France, um, it was like something that they talked about.

Speaker 3: 39:36

Yeah, yeah, it was either lamb skin or goat skin. Uh, and the shorts themselves were made out of wool, and this was like in the early 1900s. So can you imagine how comfortable those would be? I mean number one Leather and number two wool. I mean, you know how much wool would bunch? Oh, that'd be awful.

Speaker 2: 39:54

Yeah, no, I don't want, I'm please, I don't want to cheat, I I. They had mentioned that they had kind of even showed like this image it looked like um hey, the point is you knew it, that's right, just go with it.

Speaker 3: 40:06

You don't have to explain yourself yet.

Speaker 2: 40:08

Just say yep, but I don't want to think that cheating mother, you know so, uh, but no, they actually showed a picture of it and let me tell you something. What it looked like, honestly, was like um, oh, like, um, discolored, like, uh, yellowed, like you've had a picture on the wall forever. A pair of leather shorts is what it looked like. So Wow.

Speaker 3: 40:32

So, thank God, we got. We got Lycra.

Speaker 2: 40:35

That's right. You know, people who don't cycle always say, oh, you like that spandex. I usually want to say, well, it's not that bad. Thanks for asking. It's actually very cool.

Speaker 3: 40:45

It's actually very comfortable and gives me full range of motion. Thank you for for asking.

Speaker 2: 40:50

Well, cool, and while we were able to talk about the expert, we did the correction bourbon country, burn Phil Collins up next. Uh, we're going to interview him, uh, I think coming up next week, and then we'll have that show put out. Um, and your shorts, anything else that that I have forgotten about, sir.

Speaker 3: 41:11

I don't think so. Um, I I think we got some good stuff coming up, because I know when we go to uh took Kentucky, uh, we're going to try to do a show out there live, so that'll be fun. Oh and um, I'm looking forward to it.

Speaker 2: 41:25

Me too, me too. So after I get my bike to the bike shop I'll record the uh. Once I go back, I'll record what the mechanic gives, the diagnosis and uh. Besides that, uh, when it gets back, you know that day will be no A good day for a bike ride.

Speaker 3: 41:45

Oh, well played, Sarah, well played.

Speaker 2: 41:47

All right, have a good day.

Speaker 3: 41:48

You too.

Speaker 1: 41:52

Thank you for coming along with Adam and Michael on road adventures with cycling men of leisure. If you have enjoyed this, please subscribe to the show and the podcast app of your choice.