300 to 500 to 1000 and More!

It certainly seems like running shoes have come a long was over the decades. They're lighter, have more cushioning, more specific foot support, and they even last a really long time. Still, though, the old industry standard of recommending that running shoes be replaced every three to five hundred mies is still in place. My most recent pair of running shoes just hit the three hundred mile mark and they're basically in perfect condition. They look brand new even. My previous pair ran me up to one thousand miles. That's been sorta of my goal for my running shoes over the years and I've taken perhaps ten or more pairs that distance. And, yes, by then they're usually showing signs of wear. I can't say I could recommend anyone run in the same shoes for that long but I wonder if maybe that industry standard could be pushed up to at least 500 - I mean, just get rid of that 300 business. Especially considering how expensive running shoes can be - $100 on sale?! LOL. There are better deals than that if you search around, of course. I suppose one could easily argue that a hundred bucks for 300 hundred miles isn't such a bad deal after all. 33 cents a mile for your health? Still worth it for many people I suppose. 

But then what do you do with your shoes when they've reached whatever distance you've chosen for them to retire. I mean, running is hard on the body which is why we need proper running shoes in good condition. But after lets say 500 miles of running your shoes should still look pretty good and should still be safe to walk in, to garden in, to bike in, to hike in, to sit at the pub in. 

There are recycling programs for old shoes and there are many folks that could use a good pair of cheap shoes from the thrift shop. But I often get attached to my shoes! Not very mindful of me I know. But still. I've got like a whole dang closet full of 1000-Mile Shoe Club members - it's ridiculous but true. Because what if someday, someday... someday what? I don't even know. I should get rid of them. The closet will have lots more space and probably smell a whole lot better too! 

Definitely keeping a few pairs though!

Of Seats and Saddles and Other Things to Sit Upon

There's a funny debate in the bicycling world about whether that thing one sits on should be called a seat or a saddle. Going back to the beginnings of bicycling I suppose it makes some sense to call it a saddle as it was more or less a mechanical horse and horses wear saddles not seats. And calling it a saddle does have a nice ring to it, a nice feel - potentially a bit pretentious. Maybe when a bicyclist starts calling themselves a cyclist their seat becomes a saddle. I go back and forth - a bicyclist/cyclist...

Epiphany, though: The seat/saddle rests on a post that slides into the frame of the bicycle. That post is called a seat post and that part of the frame that it slides into is called the seat tube. It's never to my knowledge called a saddle post or saddle tube. Even in Europe! So there. 

Mindful Mule got a new seat recently. (Or was it a saddle?) The old seat was the beautifully named Mundialita by the famed Selle Italia. That may have been her second or third of that model. They're nice but sometimes they get stolen and eventually they wear out. I'd been riding the latest seat with cracking cover for quite sometime - theft deterrent. But eventually it's nice to have a smooth looking ride with a smooth surface to sit on. They don't make the Mundialita anymore. They can be found on eBay, etc. I entered a few auctions. But in the end (no pun intended) it's just a seat that gets heavy use and doesn't need to be fancy. So I found a super cheap replica of a Selle San Marco Regal saddle - the one with the rivets on the back - just realizing now that those are different companies... Why the Italian saddle (you see, somehow, if it's European it becomes a saddle instead of a seat)? I don't know. They look cool. Or maybe it's in the blood. The new seat (made in Asia?) was thirteen dollars. I figured it was worth a try at that price point knowing that I could replace several over the years and still be under the range of a new-old-stock brand name. It's held up well for a few months and is comfortable and looks good. So I'm happy. I hope Mindful Mule is happy too. 

One of my friends rides a bike called #3 (so boring - at least make it Numeri Tre!) We ride together frequently and we talk about bikes pretty much incessantly - at least, when not talking about the other important B-word in our lives: Beer! (Also, when does a seat become a barstool?) So we've been talking about this new seat for Mindful Mule for some time. Debating and considering options endlessly because that's what bike freaks do. And then one day I switched to the new seat and didn't tell him and though we've been on several rides together and locked up our bikes next to each other he still hasn't noticed the new seat! Granted it's similar in color, although, a bit more towards the grey spectrum than blue - but those rivets! How can you not notice the rivets! It will be fun to see how long this takes. Maybe I should invite him for a ride again soon...