Shyheels

Big travel day today - Manchester to London to Leeds (and back to my boat) saw many a block heeled boot - from 2.5” to 3.5” but what surprised me was in Manchester I saw several quite high - 4” to 4.5” stilettos, both boots and pumps. And worn by people who knew how to walk gracefully in them. Their ages varied from about 30 to mid fifties. it’s been quite a while since I’d seen people wearing high stilettos.

None of those things would be hard to repair, although collectively that may not be worth it unless the bicycle was special to you in some way. If we lived closer by I could probably fix a lot if that - some of those things do require specialist bicycle shop tools which I have but you may not. But Yorkshire is a ways off Iowa …

Nice boots! I’ve not seen any with block heels. I’ve a pair of their classic green ones. Very handy

I don’t sweat in boots. In another sense I feel rather cool

It’s nice to think we boots guys have accomplished something! I’m always surprised and impressed when I read that you’ve been wearing boots of some sort!

That style of bicycle is called a mixte. Definitely not for racing. What parts can’t you find?

But it’s nice boot weather though! 😊

There are actually quite a few people who ride bikes for transport, at least in London, noticeably more than there were twenty years ago. And yes electronic shifting is very much for public consumption - although not many commuter bikes have it. It’s expensive and tend to be used for sport bikes, both road and mountain. It is technology that is being foisted upon us. And is working its way down the line to the less expensive bikes and group sets.

Oh yes, and the prices of these setups are eye-watering. And integrated shifters that nobody can repair, 12-speed rear sprockets and delicate chains, and disc brakes - it’s all very complicated, expensive and designed with short service lifes. I am very old school. My bicycles are all lugged steel frames, with classic components - but I am in the minority and a lot of these elegant old components are no longer available or being phased out

Actually I can tie up just anywhere - or nearly so. Life on the canals is one of the last vestiges of genuine freedom left to us these days. As a continuous cruiser - one with no home mooring - I can tie up along the towpath pretty much anywhere I like along our 2000-mile canal network, free of charge, as long as I move on every fourteen days. That can be the heart of London, Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds or some remote stretch of countryside in the Pennines or rural Wales.

Much the same can be said about narrowboats - finding a competent marine engineer is a total crapshoot. And the relentless drive for more complexity and flashy new technology is making it harder than ever to maintain anything yourself, assuming you gave the tools, workspace and the aptitude for such things. i am a qualified bicycle mechanic but most of my skills are becoming obsolete with the new fanged technology like electronic shifting etc. None of it is necessary or wanted by all. It is just being foisted on us by profit driven companies offering expensive solutions to problems that don’t really exist, and selling us in the idea that we must have these things. And raking away alternatives. its nothing new though. Many years ago - decades - E.B. While writes charming essay called Farewell Model T, lamenting the fact that cars used to be repairable by anyone, and how you could just order whatever parts you needed through a mail order catalogue like Sears, roll up you sleeves and fix whatever needed fixing. That simplicity was vanishing even in his day. It’s gone forever now.

Yes often the cost of the MOT plus whatever repairs are indicated exceeds the value of the car. It may still be worth paying it if you think you can get another year or more out of the car - especially if you know it is basically sound. Everything costs more over here. Cars, repairs, taxes and petrol.

Hard to imagine there used to be a time when people would go for a Sunday drive as a means of pleasure and relaxation

For some reason I’ve not been in the mood for wearing stilettos for some time. I’m certainly going to notice when I resume.

Our public transport still leaves much to be desired - Europe leaves us for dead - but you really can get just about anywhere by bus or train. Living on a boat, and without a car, I have to rely on it. It can be slow and inconvenient but it’s doable for most things. Obviously there are commuters who must have a car because the distance and complexity of the public transport options make getting to work on time and home at a reasonable hour almost impossible. But for most other purposes - shopping, etc - a car really isn’t necessary