Chapter Review

Though we have been “on the air,” as it were, for just a short while, with tonight’s passing of the decade, a bit of a review seems in order.

We have informed you of The Event itself, the Dapper Dan Dash / Shannon Tweed Ride, to occur on Sunday, January 10, 2010 (or 01/10/10 for those of you into numerals).  2:00 p.m., gathering at the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge, just east of the Lamar Blvd. bridge over the body of water formerly known as “Town Lake.”

We have suggested that the participants wear tweed, leather, woolens, knickers, and generally Victorian era-to-1930′s attire.  Though the wearing of such dress is not absolutely required, if you do choose to do so,  it will make The Event a bit of alright.

We have imposed a restriction against wearing Lycra garments.  Perhaps a bit of clarification is in order on this latter issue.  In reviewing the fibre content of our knee socks, we have discovered that they contain a certain percentage of said material.  So, what we mean when we say “no Lycra,” we are referring to the modern outfits typically worn by bicycle road racers.  “Kit,” is the word, I believe.  While all are certainly welcome to participate, those choosing to wear their “kit” may feel themselves a bit of an anachronism.

We have suggested the proper type of bicycle for participation in this ride.  While not absolutely necessary, having gear of the Sturmey-Archer variety on your bicycle will certainly go a long way towards the spirit of The Event.

We have also suggested the wearing of proper headgear, whether a bicycle helmet, a bowler (or “derby,” as it is known in the States), a flat cap, a cloche hat for the ladies, etc.   

In the coming days, we will offer more suggestions for participation in this ride. 

One note about these writings… It has come to our attention that there have been some misconceptions about what will happen during The Event.  In particular, some have written that we are going to have the exact same “contests” as have occurred at other tweed rides around the globe.  Perhaps our humble offerings on this site have been too subtle.  To repeat – we are NOT HAVING ANY CONTESTS, save for a possible “best facial hair” category.  We would commend you to carefully read the instructions again, as a successful event is ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON STRICT ADHERENCE TO THE RULES.

Also, one bit of crass commercialism – limited-edition mementos of this ride, which may be affixed to one’s bicycle by intertwining in the spokes, are currently available at our gracious sponsor’s establishment – namely, The Peddler Bike Shop.  There may also be some available at The Event itself.  Profits from the sale of said objects will go to The Yellow Bike Project.

Well, then, Happy New Year to all.  For those who are participating in the multiple rides occurring this evening, we urge you to take care.

Headgear

This is a leisurely ride.  The pace will be relatively slow.  You know (or should know) your own riding ability.  But at least part of the route will be on heavily-traveled city streets.  So, while we won’t insist on the wearing of helmets, you will be assuming the risk should you choose to participate without one.

With that nasty little disclaimer out of the way, let’s talk about hats.  It will probably be cold, at least by Central Texas standards, so you will want some sort of head covering.  Myself, I’ve got a nice ”ivy” or flat cap, purchased at a little bookstore in South Bend, IN that would work just fine.

The "ivy" cap

 I also considered being a bit more formal and wearing a proper bowler.

The Bowler, from Christy's of London

But perhaps that looks too “Odd-Job” (or “Random Task,” if you must).  So, I thought I could put a bit of an Austin spin on it, and wear my Stetson Open Road model.  Also known, albeit informally, as the LBJ model.  The western (not “cowboy”) hat for gentlemen.  You might recall this hat appearing on the advertising mural painted outside the building somewhere around 3rd and Congress.

The Stetson Open Road

By the way, did you know that your finer fur felt hats, such as the Stetson and the bowler pictured above, are actually made with beaver fur?  That’s beaver, like the animal.   Even today, people still make hats out of them.  Seriously.  (Look it up.  It ain’t hard to find.)

Also, years ago, the process by which animal fur fibers were converted into felt involved the use of nitrate of mercury.  Mercury poisoning was a common occupational hazard of hat makers.  A side effect of such poisoning was the development of nervous tics and twitches – leading to the expression “mad as a hatter.”  You might want to hold that one under your hat, so to speak, for your next trivia contest.

If you are looking for proper headgear, the haberdashers down at The HatBox, at 115 E. 6th Street, will be glad to hook you up. 

 

A proper bicycle

In the spirt of this ride, one should consider the proper conveyance.   Any of the British makes will do – a Raleigh, Robinhood, Dawes.  This event might encourage someone to go ahead and purchase that Pashley Guv’nor that has been sitting down at Mellow Johnny’s for quite some time.  

Of course, the ultimate would be a mid-50s Raleigh Superbe Roadster model bike -

Raleigh Superbe Roadster

 but there aren’t too many of those around.

You might show up on a more modern version of a touring bike, the venerable Surly Long Haul Trucker -

Surly Long Haul Trucker, masquerading as an English tourer

Nice compliant steel frame, all kinds of braze-ons for your touring accessories, and the most lovely colors, such as “truckaccino tan” and “hill street blue.”

Then again, I’d love it if someone showed up on one of these:

Surly Pugsley

Quite a monster of a ride.  Perhaps the imposing nature of this beast helps with the daily battle against motorists.

A word about modesty - our ride starts at 2:00 p.m., and it is intended to be family-friendly.  Therefore, if you show up with one of these -

Barely dressed, don't you think?

or worse, this:

I know "indecency" when I see it

then our ride stewards will gladly hand you a swath of fabric (tweed, naturally) so that your handlebars will be more properly dressed for the occasion.

I trust you understand our precautions in this matter.

I tweed, therefore I am…

According to wikipedia -

tweed is a rough, coarse, unfinished woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven.  It is made in either plain or twill weave and may have a check or herringbone pattern.  Subdued, interesting color effects (heather mixtures) are obtained by twisting together differently coloured woolen strands in a two- or three-ply yarn.

There’s more, but you get the picture.  Well, here’s the picture:

So, what does tweed have to do with riding a bicycle?  We return to wikipedia:

Tweeds are desirable for informal outwear, being moisture-resistant and durable.  Once worn in, tweeds are commonly worn for outdoor activities such as shooting and hunting, in both Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Long before the invention of the so-called “miracle” synthetic fibers, tweeds and other woolen fabric were perfect for bike riding in cooler weather.  Old photographs from the Victorian era to the 1930s show riders in tweed norfolk jackets and woolen knickers.  

The whole notion of a tweed ride is more than just a nostalgic form of cosplay.   The tweed ride movement evokes a desire to return to a more civilised time, in behaviour, attitude and dress.   That means obeyance to all vehicular laws, rules, ordinances, and regulations.   Tweed riders are courteous, polite, gallant even.  Plus, as we witnessed during our trip to the Interbike trade show, there seems to be a return to natural fibers in cycling apparel; see “smartwool.”

As an aside, even though the title of our event refers to the variation of tweed made in Shannon, Ireland rather than Miss November of 1981 and Gene Simmons’ significant other, one wonders why a porn star would adopt a name meaning “rough, coarse, unfinished…”  I mean, wouldn’t something like “velvet” be more appropriate?  Just wonderin’…

Happy Christmas to all… and have a good Boxing Day tomorrow.

“High Tea”

Perhaps it is because the first of these events was held in London (January 24, 2009, to be exact).  Anyway, once we started thinking about organizing a ride here in Austin, the idea of ending the event with the British tradition of  a “high tea” sprung to mind.

Having never experienced a “high tea” (I hear the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, CA puts on a good one), I consulted an expert - Ted, the organizer of the Tweed Run for the London Fixed Gear/Single Speed Society.  Ted informs me as to how “high tea” is comprised of cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off, followed by scones and clotted cream, served with lashings of milky darjeeling. 

Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t do cucumber sandwiches – with or without the crusts.  Raw cucumbers wreak havoc upon my innards.  On the other hand, I could get into some serious trouble with “clotted cream” (known here in the States as “whipped cream”).   Speaking of which, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass was one of my favorite groups as a kid…

But I digress…

No matter how British we want to make this thing, we won’t be having “high tea.”  Rather, we will be serving tea-and-scones upon the completion of the ride.   Depending on how helpful the folks at Central Market want to be with our little event, we might need to exact a slight charge for these refreshments.  All profits will be contributed to a yet-to-be-named charity.  Bicycle-related, of course.

A word about contests

It seems obligatory, among the organizers of tweed rides, to post that their particular event will have contests for the “best …”   Indeed, somebody, perhaps the London folks, first published “the list,” and those that follow, seemingly lacking in all creativity, often copy “the list” verbatim. 

If you are at all familiar with these events, you’ve no doubt seen “the list…”

Contests (and prizes for):

• Most dapper chap
• Snappiest lass
• Most gallant behaviour
• Most  stylish “steed” (for those who anthropomorphise their bikes into horses, I suppose?)

To paraphrase Mr. Letterman, our event will be an exhibition, not a competition.  Heck, even Carnaval Brasileiro, arguably the most costume-iest event in all of Austin, had done away with its costume contest decades ago.   

Well, we may have one competition of sorts.  We are in top-level negotiations with a licensed tonsorial artist (that’s “barber” to you), to hire his services as an arbiter of the “best facial hair” …  if only to give us license to forego shaving for a bit.  Confirmation to come.

And now, for something completely different…

Shortly before the concept totally jumps the shark (Dallas even put one of these on, for gosh sakes!) a group of folks here in Austin, TX decided it is time for one of them tweed ride things.

But, being Dapper Dan men (we don’t want FOP, gosh darnit) we wanted to do it a little differently…

So, we’ve decided to honor the woolen fabric made in the small hamlet in County Clare, Ireland…

Hence, the Dapper Dan Dash / Shannon Tweed Ride.

And no, our title does not refer to the nightly romps of Mr. Gene Simmons with his ex-Playmate wife. 

Our first hand-bill is posted below.  A bit crudely-done, don’t you think?

This ride is being sponsored by our friends at The Peddler Bike Shop.  Please check out their new location at the curious 5-way stop at 51st Street and Duval.

We will meet up at 2:00 p.m. on January 10, 2010 at the Pfluger Bridge.  Ride your best 3-speed English touring bike.  Wear your tweeds, woolens, leathers, argyle, plus-fours, flat caps, etc.  Go see the new Sherlock Holmes movie for inspiration.  Make an effort to dress appropriately.  And for God’s sake, absolutely NO LYCRA.

Well, then, there you have it…

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