Travelling at the speed of marmite
Apart from the obligatory helmet, I’m not really into cycling kit. It seems a bit unnecessary and, in the case of cycling shorts, frankly indecent. Cycling gloves are a slightly different matter. A few years ago I remember being mystified and asking a friend why he wore his. He said they made it easier to grip the handle bars and you got less grit gets in your palms if you fell off. I bought some shortly afterwards. Now it’s the summer, I also have a pair of cycling glasses to prevent pollen and dust getting in the eyes; but ordinary plimsolls and shorts still do the job.
It all began to change last Christmas when I was given a very swanky Marmite cycling top. It’s dapper and, I thought, pretty original. It turns out that Foska, the manufacturers, use it in their website meta-description: ‘A unique range of cycle and running clothing, including the MARMITE® jersey’. So, they’re a selling point, rather than a rarity. Now that I wear it, perhaps I am into cycling kit?
Perhaps it’s just more comfortable than a cotton t-shirt; they’re well-ventilated with better maneuverability. However, there is a problem. Wearing a proper cycling jersey I feel obliged to tear through the traffic at maximum speed. With a tatty old t-shirt on it doesn’ t matter if I pootle along at my own pace.
Wearing the Marmite top – a proper racing jersey – a complex wave of emotion washes over me as soon as someone pedals past. Initially my c0mpetitive streak is piqued: ‘Grrrr. I’ll get ‘em.’ This usually means that I’ll have to run red lights, so rivalry is tempered with disappointment (if only I drove through red lights), and resentment (if riding through London is a race, then riding the lights is breaking the rules and unsportsman-like).
Of course, riding through London is not a race: it’s a jerky, stop-start procedure that usually involves riding 2/300 metres, then stopping for lights. I wonder if Foska do a looser-fitting, tweed-pattern ‘Three Men on the Bummel‘ number. A chap could roll amiably through the streets of London in such a garment without anyone implying that he should be working up a sweat… even if the person who is making these suggestions is himself.
Tags: Foska.com, London cycling, Marmite cycling jersey, meta tags, Three Men on the Bummel
June 22nd, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Humm……a tricky situation you find yourself in. Maybe getting yourself a basket on the steering wheel of the bike will balance the marmite shirt out and you´ll be able to take it a little easier? Or you could get yourself one of those indoor cycling events helmets, bright yellow cycling trousers and completly go bonkers in the traffic in London.
June 25th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
That’s it. I’m stuck between the two. A basket is a really good idea, perhaps I should get one of those ten-ton Dutch bikes – there is no chance of getting frisky on those.