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reverse ergonomics

a director of one of the uk's former top cycling apparel manufacturers, confided in me the reason for their withdrawal from world tour team sponsorship. while confirming that sponsoring one of the sport's top teams had undoubtedly benefitted the development of better clothing available to you and i, it was ultimately the denial of that development that persuaded him to leave. having created a time-trial skinsuit that reputedly offered the team riders a notable marginal gain, the blazers in aigle stepped in to ban it from competitive use. and while that hardly prevented the company from offering it for retail sale, the idiosyncracies of the velocipedinal realm suggested that if it wasn't available to the pros, there was likely to be a lack of demand from the public.

rightly or wrongly, cycling apparel purveyors across the globe spend inordinate amounts of dollars, pounds and euros to create garments that will aid the professional milieu in reaching the finish line before their peers. combined with the similar r&d budgets of the bicycle manufacturers, that provides at least part of the answer to why cycle racing gets quicker and quicker every year. allied to improved nutrition and training methods, it's sometimes hard to see how the current upwards trajectory can be sustained without something breaking in the near future.

whether there is any actual benefit to be gained from faster and faster, is a moot point; i'm sure we'd all likely agree that cycle racing in the 1960s and 70s was every bit as compulsive as it is now, despite lower average speeds.

this quest for speed is as much at the behest of marketing as it is from the sport itself. though none of us on sunday bike rides across the world have any real need to complete the parcours in a few seconds less than was the case the previous week, from the point of view of the manufacturers who supply every aspect of kit, the perceived and persistent demand for something new, has led them to spend, spend, spend in order to achieve increased, or, at worst, consistent sales.

but aside from throwing money at a non-existent problem, there is a great deal of expertise and knowledge that goes into each minimal improvement in garment technology. endless, yet expensive wind-tunnel testing to alter the surface texture of a fabric, learning where best to place garment seams, and assessing the potential aero benefits of welding those seams, as opposed to sewing. the departments responsible for these constant improvements have grown in number, as each manufacturer seeks to outdo every one of its peers, determining how close to the skin endlessly thinner fabrics can be to reduce unnecessary flappage while encouraging smooth airflow in winds from every direction.

and having done so, at least until the next set of improvements, there has to be more than just lip-service paid to not only the ergonomics of the garment, but how easy it is for the rider to wear on race day. i own a retro cycle jersey that has completely eschewed zips in favour of a series of buttons along one shoulder and up the collar. the only practical way to fasten myself into such apparel, is to look in a mirror, but that only creates a second set of problems when it comes to dexterity. therefore, though it's a delightful jersey, it is very rarely worn because first-thing on a sunday morning is most definitely not the best time to attempt fastening those buttons.

of course, every now and again there arises a gap between actuality and desirability. witness yesterday's rssc sports review, where a budget manufacturer has seen fit to retain ankle zips on their bibtights, while the crême de la crême dispensed with such practicality many years ago.

but, and perhaps most of you can back me up on this one, what no-one seems to be paying any attention to, is what i have termed reverse ergonomics; in other words, getting out of your kit in anticipation of a hot shower. while everything from baselayer, to bibs, to jersey to armwarmers is designed to be as close-fitting as humanly possible, that very factor often makes it a major effort to divest oneself of one's garmentage without a lengthy and vocal series of grunts and heavy sighs. though purely anecdotal, it often seems a greater effort to get out of cycle clothing at the end of a bike ride than engendered by the bike ride itself.

and with winter only a matter of a few months away, a combination of perspiration and precipitation is only going to make matters worse. perhaps reverse ergonomics might just be the next big thing.

remember where you read it first.

monday 21 september 2026

rssc sports l/s retro campus jersey & bibtights

the law according to sod has many variations, not least when it comes to reviewing cycling apparel. i can think of several occasions when i have been moved to contact a manufacturer to advise that, though the review kit arrived over a month previously, the weather has refused to play ball in assisting with a pertinent review. of course, at times, the clothing purveyor has been remiss in assisting, having sent a short-sleeve jersey made from material several orders of magnitude thinner than the toilet paper purchased by mrs washingmachinepost, but doing so in the early weeks of january. this is the scottish hebrides, and there are never going to be periods of weather that would allow just such a garment to be comprehensively reviewed in the manner required.

in the current case, rssc sports were kind enough, in july of this year, to send a short-sleeve jersey and bibshorts for review, timing which coincided with delectably warm weather on our one day of summer. however, the above apparel was accompanied by a green, retro american college style, long-sleeve jersey, matched with a pair of unlined, but padded bibtights. though the hebrides never quite reached the scorching, weather warning temperatures suffered in the deep south, we did enjoy more than just a handful of warm, sunny days that thankfully stopped well short of encouraging wildfires, drought and removing green from the grass.

i would scarce admit that that scottish islanders are a particularly hardy bunch, though in some cases that might be a true description, but up until yesterday morning, those of us in the velo club still plying our trade along the highways and byeways have continued to sport bare legs courtesy of our lycra bibshorts. and if i'm particularly honest, the conditions that had me turn to the long sleeves and bibtights provided by rssc sports were verging on surplus to requirements in weather that turned from somewhat wet and chilly on friday, to a tad milder on saturday with the wind having veered from east to west. however, the opportunity to review this particularly visible apparel was most welcome; had that not been the case, the nice people at rssc would have been in receipt of an apology come monday, since circumstances over the next few weekends would have prevented the undertaking of a review of any kind.

to place this in perspective before we get down to brass tacks, the jersey, reminiscent of the syle of jacket worn by the inmates of rydell high in the movie grease was medium size, while the bibtights were one size down (small). the plus point was the existence of ankle zips on the unlined tights, a feature that seems to have been completely ignored of late by the more prominent and decidedly more expensive brands clamouring for your hard-earned cash. i have become accustomed to wearing my socks outside of all my other bibtights, simply because it's too darned awkward to wear them under. ankle zips provide both opportunities.

i sure hope everyone else is reading this.

that said, i'm slightly confused by the decision to offer bibtights without a fleece-lining. there can only be a very short period in which bibtights such as these can be worn, when it's just too cold for shorts, but not yet cold enough for thermal tights. though the circumstances under which these were worn made them the perfect choice, in a matter of weeks, the lack of a lining will have them confined to the cycling apparel wardrobe. the existence of a chamois pad prevents them being worn over a pair of thermal bibshorts. there is, however, a fleece-lined option, which, if you live in the uk, might be the better choice.

however, though i have not attempted to compare the two, the chamois pad in the tights, as opposed to that in the previously reviewed bibshorts, seems to have been perfectly judged; remarkably comfortable without being too thick. i'm sure someone will tell me it's exactly the same pad as featured in the shorts, where i felt as if i was sitting on a thickly padded saddle, but in this case, you simply wouldn't have known it was there, probably the best recommendation that can be applied to a chamois pad.

the white mesh bib section was simply a treat. sturdy enough to hold up the tights without undue pressure on my shoulders, and light enough to be comfortable throughout the review period.

assuming a jersey fits well enough, there's probably not a great deal that can be said about any cycle jersey other than describing its decor, which, in this case, has been dealt with above. the jersey offers a remarkably close fit, but has a generous degree of stretch built-in, that makes it easy to fasten the full-length zip, even if carrying a few extra grams (i'm being as generous as the jersey here). if i have any complaints it would be the length of the sleeves and the tightness of the cuffs. i'm willing to agree that i have slightly longer arms than is common, but an extra couple of centimetres would have been most welcome. however, even with narrow, bony wrists, it was slightly harder than it needed to be to get my hands in and out of the jersey sleeves. if you happen to have large hands, that might be a bit of a problem.

on the bike, the rssc apparel performed well above its price point, perhaps bringing into question the cost of similar kit from more prominent marques. granted, there's no zipped security pocket on the jersey, a feature that we've mostly taken for granted over the past couple of decades, but the three pockets provided a more than capable (in my case), of carrying an electronic pump, a tyre jack, a spare pair of gloves, a digital camera and a pocket toolset, a combination which failed to pull down the hem of the jersey and remained stable even during my brief impersonation of a cyclocross rider. i had no complaints whatsoever regarding the comfort of the bibtights.

though you could be forgiven for considering it to be a typo on the website, the current combined price of the jersey and bibtights is a mere £46. should you opt for fleece-lined tights, you'll have to add another £6. that, in my experience, is the very definition of a bargain. the jersey and tights are available in sizes ranging from small to 4xl.

form an orderly queue and don't all rush at once.

rssc sports l/s jersey and bibtights

sunday 20 september 2026

a losing battle?

just shy of the junction between school street and main street in bowmore, sits a white, long-wheelbase van which has occupied the same roadside space since the beginning of summer. the logo and lettering on the side panel advises passers by that it is home to noah's bark, a purveyor of pet products, and is owned by a family recently moved to the island. almost within viewing distance, on shore street, sits the local veterinary surgery which, not surprisingly, offers its own range of pet products. that particular retail and veterinary service has been in place since well before mrs washingmachinepost and i moved to the hebrides, and i find myself a tad surprised that they have not lodged a complaint with the council over the semi-permanent siting of noah's bark, given that the latter can easily undercut the former due to a lack of similar overheads.

a recent issue of the comic highlighted a couple of prominent uk cycle shops which had unfortunately called in the receivers and closed down. one cited the well-recognised economic headwinds faced by many retailers, compounded by the lower pricing to be found on the interwebs. that competitive edge is akin to that of noah's bark described above. we all know that it's unfair, but as has become a common mantra, 'life's unfair', so one more instance probably makes little difference. and anyway, we're all suffering at the behest of those economic headwinds, and fair or not, we'd all prefer to pay as little as possible for our velocipedinal bits and pieces.

almost diametrically opposite the parked white van, lies the celtic house, a longstanding (in every sense of that description) emporium and bookshop with a particularly fine upstairs café. many of the books i read cost me nothing, since the majority are sent for review, either in these black and yellow pixels, or for the black and white pages of our local newspaper. but every now and again, i find myself with a desire to read a particular book, and though i can easily order it at a discount from amazon, i mostly opt to purchase or order from the celtic house and pay the designated cover price. because if everyone opted to swell the coffers of jeff bezos, shops like the celtic house would cease to exist. and i'd prefer that this didn't happen.

i like to think that, were the island to feature a bricks and mortar bike shop, i would support it in similar fashion. one advantage would surely be almost immediate gratification; i currently have a pair of pedals on order from an online retailer which, so far, have taken two weeks not to arrive.

but are bike shops fulfilling the purpose for that which they originated? in my previous home in scotland, there were three bicycle shops within easy travelling distance, all of which provided servicing, a wide range of componentry and bicycles to suit every type of cyclist you can think of, from kids to members of the local competitive cycle club. however, larger conurbations might, at one time, have found themselves with a demographic that would support several cycle shops, some of which would be more specialist in the bikes to be found on the shop floor. those who catered more for the offroader or aspiring pelotonese for example.

my own theory is that the latter was bolstered by the bradley bubble of last decade, when a multitude of gears, a carbon frameset and drop handlebars was the velocipedinal persona demanded by many (mostly because marketing encouraged them to see themselves in that particular light).

there's little doubt that covid altered the paradigm very much in the favour of bricks and mortar, where many sold everything they had because it was all that they had. the mistake, as we have all learned, was in expecting that state of affairs to persist indefinitely. quite why that was the case is still something of a mystery; as many, self-included, were wont to point out, the first draughts and rain of autumn would undoubtedly have seen the majority leave the bikes in the shed and scurry back to their cars, particularly when lockdown ended. and so it came to pass, apparently to the surprise of manufacturers and retailers alike. but even had the archetypal new adherent opted to defy the weather and continue to ride, why was it supposed that, having bought during covid, they would decide to replace or upgrade only a matter of a few years later?

that might be an unremarkable option for you or me, but as i'm sure you've been told on many occasions, we're not like normal people.

as i believe i pointed out many, many years ago, for cycling to grow, and by implication, maintain at least one tangible outlet in each community, there has to be more folks buying proper bikes; upright riding position, flat bars, hub gears, comfy saddles, mudguards. probably not gravel bikes. those acquiring top-end bikes of all flavours, despite frequently dominating the conversation, are a tiny percentage of the actual and potential market. it's a sector that hasn't really grown to any appreciable degree over recent decades, yet it's the one to which the majority of manufactuers aim their marketing, bikes, components and apparel. can you honestly see the purchaser of a shimano hub-geared commuter bike opting to accessorise with a pair of rapha £250 pro-team bibshorts?

despite recent closures, the bicycle association assures its members that things are looking up; that the industry is in good health. little comfort to those who have pulled down the shutters for the last time, but i fervently hope that the association is right, and not just trying to convince itself.

saturday 19 september 2026

always intriguing

though it was a period in time that will hardly be remembered by thousands, if not millions, as one of the finest they've experienced in their lifetimes, the lockdown years of 2020 and 2021 were times of relative peace and quiet on the islands. in order to keep the spread of covid to a pragmatic minimum, calmac imposed strict regulations on their ferry services to create essential lifeline conditions. it became necessary to prove residence on the islands before travel was allowed alongside a ban on motorhome travel to the islands. several owners of second homes on islay managed to slide under the barrier to escape mainland conditions, but by and large, the ferry restrictions kept us safe.

confined to one return sailing per day and none at all on sundays, the interpretation of advice to exercise locally, as being constrained to the island, meant that there was almost no change to the velo club's weekend activities, other than a tacit agreement to ride individually, and miraculously contrive to meet up at debbie's 'accidentally'. those regular bike rides were the saving of some of us (ie, me).

the occupation of journalists and those involved in the production of newspapers were excepted from the regulations enforcing furlough. ironically those times were probably the hardest in many publications; advertising had all but evaporated, and news, particularly in a small community such as ours, was hard to come by, if only because no-one was doing anything. in my specific case, there were only two of us in the building for weeks on end, though thankfully, we both got on particularly well. however, notably fine weather, and a sizeable reduction in traffic, made those weekend bike rides an absolute joy. they are what i believe kept me relatively sane by offering an escape valve. sadly, that's possibly still true to this day, though the surrounding conditions are considerably less life-threatening.

i do understand that velocipedinal life on the mainland was far less enticing, but nonetheless, many said at the time that even the minimal kilometres they were allowed to ride made all the difference. and though i'm aware that many a carbon fibre machine is replete with electronics, hydraulics and the ability to precisely pinpoint one's position via satellite, bicycles are still considered a relatively innocuous means of achieving regular exercise; transportation that has the ability to remove us from our immediate environment and allow a troubled mind to divest itself of any accumulated encumbrance(s). for that we must be truly thankful.

but will it remain that way for much longer?

from interactions with friends on the island, i have become aware that what began life as a means to an end, has indeed, become an end in and of itself. i am, of course, discussing zwift and its peers, originally designed to allow the time-poor and/or the unfortunately located, to use their bicycles as stationary training devices, augmented by virtual reality displayed upon anything from an ipad to a large format wide-screen television. unfortunately there are those who now eschew the great outdoors in favour of the above, even on days when the hebrides achieved the nearest we'll ever get to a heatwave round these here parts.

if it's going to inveigle its way into the velocipedinal realm, zwift et al strikes me as the most likely target for artificial intelligence, a blight on humanity that could undoubtedly result in tangible benefits, but currently seems only to make the lazy portion of humanity even lazier. you do have to wonder at the wisdom of creating what some analysts have contended could wipe out humanity within the next decade, while warning that very humanity that it needs to bolster its network defences against the very technology reputedly born to act on its behalf. like sitting on a runaway train, wondering if it should perhaps have been outfitted with brakes at the manufacturing stage.

but aside from indoor cycling, it's currently hard to see how artificial intelligence could transform cycling from the highly pleasurable activity we all know and love. i have no doubt that a.i. will be used in the factories churning out bicycles for us all, and quite probably in the design process that precedes the carbon layup. perhaps it might be possible to have a.i. choose in which gear you ought to be pedalling, and effect the necessary changes while you admire the view or chat within the peloton. but i don't see (or hope for) that happening. it's almost impossible to open a newspaper or news website at present without being faced with at least one article on artificial intelligence, though it will soon become ubiquitous and scarcely worthy of comment (like donald trump).

as cyclists who can head out into the wide grey yonder, away from claude and chatgpt, we ought to count our blessings.

friday 18 september 2026

but is it really?

i'm pretty sure i have broached this subject on at least one previous occasion, but since i've no real idea when that might have been, and nothing seems to have changed in the interim, i don't suppose there's too much to be lost in mentioning it once again.

commencing this coming weekend, in montreal, canada, will be the world road racing championships, comprising every category the uci could think of. and, you would like to hope, the world's finest cyclists capable of providing an excellent show and even if not thought likely to achieve a medal of one colour or another, at least in a strategic position to help one of their countrymen or countrywomen to garner the spoils of victory.

i would be fibbing if i said i knew of or understood how the blazers at aigle decide the number of riders allowed to compete for each country, but there is a long table available showing the end result. this ranges from eight riders for the world's top countries (britain, usa, belgium, italy, et al), all the way down to a solo effort from ukraine, sweden, mongolia etc. though i dare say there's always an outside chance that the fellow from uzbekistan might find himself in the right place at the right time, i wouldn't bet the bike shed on it.

the women, for one reason or another, are limited to teams of seven; that may be due to there being arguably fewer competitors from which to choose, but i'm not entirely sure. strangely, in the list for the fairer sex, sweden are allowed only five in their team, while tadej's home country, slovenia, is also restricted to five riders, yet their male counterparts are allowed the full company of eight. so no matter which category you choose to follow, the world championships are not what might be referred to as a 'level playing field'. there are no doubt perfectly explicable reasons for all of this, but when i become king, every country will be allowed to enter teams of exactly the same number. considering that the union cycliste internationale have long stated their wish for mondialisation of the sport of cycling, they have a very strange (and regressive) means of doing so.

can you imagine if a similar process had been applied to this year's world cup? imagine if scotland, for example, had been granted leave only to field a team of eight players, while the sport's top countries had been apportioned the full eleven.

however, these are observations that will no doubt have been made by others, and perhaps a tad more forcibly. i would be very surprised to learn if anyone in aigle has even heard of thewashingmachinepost, let alone paid attention to its daily monologues. but, of course, the inequity does not end there. following his unfortunate accident in la vuelta, tadej pogacar is ruled out of this year's event, as is his nemesis, jonas vingegaard; both as a result of injury. but there will be others who have deliberately opted not to participate, either because "it's been a long season", or "the course doesn't suit me."

i have long railed at britain's teaching profession for the fourteen weeks holiday they receive each year, compared to the more usual eight weeks that most folks own, often for working every bit as hard, and possibly for less money. but statistically, a top professional road cyclist will race between 50 and 70 days per year, while even the lowliest of domestiques will be required to top that up by an additional 20 days. it's possibly worth my pointing out that, not only are there 365 days in a year, but, it seems, the greater your earnings, the less demands there are upon your race time.

and at the risk of cutting myself off from velocipedinal society entirely, i would tentatively suggest that those in the top echelons who find themselves free from injury, ought to be required to participate in the road world championships, if only to have it fulfil the promise of the title. otherwise it's just a series of races in a single location. how can any winning rider wear the rainbow stripes as the recognised best rider in the world, if several of the top riders opt not to take part? given the potential vacuity of the honour, do we even need a world champion in the first place, if decided in this manner?

though formula one motor racing is hardly a valid comparison, at least their world champion has earned the title by participating in every round of the series, emerging victorious on the basis of accumulated placings. would not a variation on that theme, perhaps involving a minimum selection of races currently in the world tour calendar, be a reasonable possibility?

does anyone have david lappartient's phone number?

wednesday 16 september 2026

the write to reply

i have what i believe may be regarded as an annoying habit involving apostrophes. well do i know that this is not one that is solely the preserve of yours truly, but given the nature of the day job, it's probably not entirely unheralded. granted, the iniquities of the english language don't necessarily make comprehending the rules the simplest thing on anyone's daily list of potential accomplishments. in contemporary, computer-laden society, it's very unlikely this situation would have been allowed through the front door, subjected as grammatical and punctuation rules would surely have been to widespread dissemination by focus groups and lingusitic experts before beeing foisted on an unsuspecting public.

however, you will be relieved to learn that i have no intention of pursuing the intricacies of diacritical marks, but i fear that my apostrophe obsession may be the basis of explanation. that i feel such has become a necessitous undertaking is in response to a question aimed in my direction only a matter of days past. this was the result of a discussion involving various strains of social media, artificial intelligence and blogging

while attending a concert at the annual caol ila distillery sponsored, islay jazz festival, during interval conversation, i was asked why i had persisted with the written word, instead of opting for a more contemporary approach, such as instagram, tik-tok, podcasting, or youtube? i cannot deny that i have flirted with at least two of those modes in past decades, prior to rejecting them out of hand and continuing with my dyed-in-the-wool daily task of typing the very words that you are currently consuming. podcasting, in my case, could only be achieved by way of a script, meaning twice the time to accomplish the same result; filming reviews was even more extensive, once requiring two weekends to complete a single bicycle review.

however, before you accuse me of being flaky, bordering on negligent, i have long-term faith in the written word, not only to achieve a singular aim, but perhaps to provide a modest level of (subliminal) education in the process. the english language is bursting at the seams with wordage that receives very little regular use, despite adding a welcome level of colour to both conversation and dissertation. not long into the era of thewashingmachinepost, i adopted a self-imposed mission to make use of as many of those words as it was practical to employ. whether i have actually achieved any meaningful results in this pursuit, is a debatable point, but immoveable objects frequently have a mind all of their own.

and then there's the act of reading itself.

i was reminded that 2026 is the national year of reading by way of a press release from calmac, who apparently demonstrated their support for the initiative by inviting a group of school children aboard one of their ferries to spend time with their teachers, reading suitable books in the comfort of the child-play area aboard the mv isle-of-islay. (that the school involved was not one from the - actual - isle of islay could be viewed as somewhat of a marketing faux-pas). a national incentive to encourage children to indulge in the joys of reading can, of course, be tacitly undermined by those who point out that, if reading is as enjoyable as it is claimed to be, why does it find itself in need of government persuasion masquerading as support? after all, soccer is unbelievably popular, an achievement reached entirely at its own behest.

according to a recent guardian article by john harris, the natural literacy trust reported that the number of young people who say their enjoyment of reading in spare time has fallen by 36%, while the reading agency charity provided further evidence demonstrating that 35% of adults claimed to be 'lapsed' readers. much closer to home, the mobile library that once plied the highways and byways of islay and jura, has been off the road for 15 months due to the council having been unable to recruit a driver/librarian. and during that time, there has been not one letter or adverse comment published in the local newspaper (though our local councillor advised that he had received one or two complaints). such evidence would tend to confirm the contents of the guardian's contentions.

i am, of course, more than well aware of the irony of placing this in the public domain in such a manner. were i more astute, surely the very locales in which it should be highlighted would be a podcast, youtube video, instagram or tik-tok? i have been told, however, that the latter has, unintuitively and unexpectedly, fostered an entire widespread book club. writing about reading is, at the risk of stating the glaringly obvious, preaching to the converted.

cycling's almost mythical rich heritage, while depicted by an extensive litany of photographs, is also recorded for posterity in vast tracts of the written and printed word. it would disturb me greatly to think that the velocipedinal world is at risk from a world-wide decrease in literacy. of course, that has unfortunately been assisted by the current dearth of print media dedicated to the bicycle. but just as vinyl has experienced a welcome resurgence in the world of music, i live in hope that print is on the cusp of doing likewise.

come the revolution...

tuesday 15 september 2026