Friction pervades the life of a cyclist.
Photo from Julian Kowalewski's collection on Flickr
Ivan Illich wrote in Toward a History of Needs:
A century ago, the ball-bearing was invented. It reduced the coefficient of friction by a factor of a thousand. By applying a well-calibrated ball-bearing between two Neolithic millstones, a man could now grind in a day what took his ancestors a week. The ball-bearing also made possible the bicycle, allowing the wheel -- probably the last of the great Neolithic inventions -- finally to become useful for self-powered mobility.
But friction is also the primary force which makes cycling possible. Without it, acceleration would be impossible. If somehow, motion was achieved, braking would be impossible, turning the wheel would have no effect and leaning to turn would bring us crashing down. To visualise the role of friction in bicycling, imagine trying to cycle on a lake of polished ice.
Matt Seaton in yesterday's Guardian talks about another type of friction - that between a cyclist and his significant other.
A common one is: "What was in that large box I had to sign for this morning?" Which is a mini-version of the dialogue that runs: "And why do you need a new bike?" This is actually a conversation that can be circumvented, but only at risk of the uncomfortable interrogation that begins: "So, how long have you had this new bike, and when were you proposing to tell me about it?" This naturally segues into a "And how are you paying for this?" inquisition.
My wife frequently declares "you can only cycle on one bike at a time".
One Moultoneer helpfully suggested the best tactic for decieving one's significant other is to purchase bikes that are the same colour as an existing bike. Then, when quizzed, you can declare "but that's the same red bike I have had for ages".
An eBay seller seems to have made some compromises in this department. The listing contains the following nugget:
It is only being sold now because my wife has stamped her little foot, and declared that 17 Moultons is 16 too many.
Though, perhaps the price being requested indicates that he's not really trying to sell at all!
