Almost daily observation: NT$12,000+ bike, be it road or MTB, lycra shorts or capris, jersey, gloves, one or two water bottles, mini pump, seat bag, front and rear lights, computer, helmet, and athletic shoes or flip-flops. Also, is it an unwritten law of cool cycling here that one must wear a head wrap under the helmet, and one of those face wrap things? What’s up?
Back in the US there’s constant discussion on cycling shoes, pedals, and toeclip options and the advantages/disadvantages of each. Here it’s rare to see cycling shoes of any type, and I’ve never seen toeclips.
check the baseball fields, the basketball courts etc…
Taiwanese love getting fully kitted up no matter what skill level they are when they play a sport.
That’s just it, it’s not full kit. OK, athletic shoes with full cycling gear, maybe. Being all decked out with flip-flops… :no-no:
If I don’t wear a head wrap under my helmet, I end up with an annoyingly itchy head.
Because, with “them” it’s all just for looks anyway – not for performance – so they’ve got the italian bike, the pro jersey, etc., but they don’t recognize the need for real shoes, which make all the difference in the world if you’re serious about cycling, but don’t matter much if you just want to impress folks who don’t know better along the riverside paths.
Might as well ask why – as I’ve often wondered – does one see so many guys walking up or down hills on their (apparently perfectly functional with two fully inflated tires) Cinellis. :eh:
Anyway, I don’t care. The weather couldn’t have better on Saturday and I had a fabulous ride. I’m only regretting I had to go to the office today with the sun shining so beautifully out there . . .
[quote=“Mother Theresa”]
Anyway, I don’t care. The weather couldn’t have better on Saturday and I had a fabulous ride. I’m only regretting I had to go to the office today with the sun shining so beautifully out there . . .[/quote]
If it’s any consolation, there are some really strong gusts of wind picking up, so if one direction anyway, you’d have big headwinds to contend with.
I always used to ride in flip flops too - perfect hiking and cycling accesory - however, i recently purchased some bilke shoes =D
I guess that there is a cost analysis being performed with the shoes-cleats coming in at half the price of a bike and by surface area the shoes are around 20,000nt per square meter, but a lycra shirt may be streched to less than 300nt/sqm 
i have also heard that when you hace clipless pedals, it makes it unpractical to use the bike since you then need bike shoes…
Another factor (according to the wife) is that there was a case just as cycling was booming of a guy with toe-clips who couldnt retract his foot when stopping so was run over and killed by a taxi. Took me a week to convince her that clipless (spd) type pedals are safer - even the guy in the shop set them up so they were “weakest pull out” and little of the benefit could be realised - i used to MTB in clipless pedals way back in the day when “platforms are best” since I much prefer the control and cornering benefit as well as power benefit
Me and Bike Dan did a ride a few months ago where one lad was riding a Pinarello Dogma with NTD160,000 carbon wheels. And, yes, he was wearing sneakers. We asked him what’s up with that and he said his mum wouldn’t let him wear clipless because it was too dangerous. :loco:
Learning to deal with clipless pedals for the first time is certainly something to be practiced away from busy streets.
I remember getting my first set around 16 years back and remember how everyone was just waiting for the me to fall over sideways (only happened two or three times). But after that learning curve, well, it becomes second nature.
BTW, regarding clipless on commutes, I’ve taken to wearing leather sandals during commutes simply because they are cooler with the greater airflow, and they don’t look as completely ridiculous as my bright red Shimanos. But I’m also not trying to look like a pro, that’s already impossible on my little folding bike.