In 2012, after a year of scrimping and saving, I bought a 2008 Orbea Orca racing bike. I loved that bike the way all men love machines which give them a sense of space and freedom. I loved its curvy lines and the way its black and gold paint gleamed in the sun.
In June of 2014, a young man stole my bike out of my garage. I grieved it's loss for a short while, yet once the possibility of it being recovered dried up, I set my mind to replacing it. The dear people of my congregation took up a secret collection, and I found myself armed with the funds to really shop for a bike. I rode many bikes, and in the end I bought the one I liked the best, a Franco Balcom S. But that isn't the point of this post. I wanted to share what I learned.
First of all, I learn that you shouldn't believe everything you read when it comes to bikes. Each one of us is different: we are shaped differently, have different body compositions and different degrees of flexibility. Each of us looks for something different in a bike based on our levels of fitness, coordination, and yes, our sense of style. So, when a magazine gushes about a particular bicycle...well, that bike may not be the bike you want or need. My case in point: If I had gone by what the magazines were saying, I would have ended up on a Cannondale EVO, Synapse, or a Specialized Tarmac. These were the bikes the magazines all raved about. However, of all the bikes I rode, these three were my least favorite. The Cannondale bikes felt awkward and clumsy beneath me. The Specialized rattled and bucked across any imperfection in the road. Having said this, the 2014 Orbea felt right and familiar, even though it had scored poorly in magazine tests. Similarly, a magazine had deemed the Franco Balcom S to be stiff and unforgiving, yet I found its ride far more comfortable than the EVO or the Tarmac. The magazines aren't necessarily wrong; they simply have their own biases based on their experiences, expectations, and physical traits which are different from yours.
Secondly, I learned that the Conejo Valley is a great place to shop for a bicycle. I had great experiences at each shop, with Franco, Serious Cycling, and Newbury Bike Shop giving me great input, service, and respect without being overly pushy. I had a great experience at US Bike Company in Camarillo too. The folks at Michael's Bike Shop are some of the nicest people you will ever come across, but you will want to talk to Michael himself. My salesperson wouldn't let me test ride anywhere outside the parking lot. I have also experienced going in to replace something only to have a salesperson say that kind of thing isn't made.
Thirdly, be prepared to spend time riding bikes. Many times you will find that the latest or trickest features and designs simply don't add to the enjoyment factor. I thought I wanted all internal cabling...but I bought a bike that has eternal shifter cables. I thought about electronic shifting, but the mechanical shifting is so good anymore, why would you want to be required to plug you bike in or be worried about having a battery run flat while you are riding?
It took me a month and I ended up with a bike that wasn't really on my mind when I started...I ended up with a bike that probably has the lowest resale value of all I considered...but I bought the bike I liked the best, which in the end, should be the only reason for buying a bike.
Friday, March 27, 2015
Paying Athletes and the NCAA
On my way into work today, I heard that the conversations regarding paying NCAA athletes is heating up again. Proponents like Ed O'Bannon and Shane Battier point to the billions of dollars flowing into the NCAA and its member schools as reason to pay athletes. According to their arguments, it is an unfair labor situation when the institution allows other people to become wealthy and denies the athlete any payment on the use of his or her image and name.
As a former NCAA division 2 athlete, I completely agree with their assessment that something is stinky in the way the NCAA continues to operate. However, I disagree with their assertion that athletes should get paid a stipend by the NCAA or by their schools. I still believe that scholarship athletes are getting paid already. When someone is attending a school that can run 50-70K a year free of charge, how is that not payment?
I think that the NCAA needs to allow student athletes to profit on their name and image: if the school or the NCAA wants to print a jersey or marketing material which use the name or visage of a student-athlete, they should be required to negotiate with that athlete over remuneration.
Every student athlete should retain the rights associated with their name ad visage. These are the rights that the NCAA and the schools strip away from the young men and women that they profit from. I believe that allowing student athletes to retain these rights will also allow the NCAA to control costs and allow for the "trickle down" benefit of Football and Basketball to continue helping with the lower-profile sports operate.
Such a decision wouldn't have helped me: I was a middle-of-the-road athlete competing in a non-scholarship division. I ran Track & Field, a sport which brought in little or no income to Humboldt State University. But I understand how a kid from the inner city would feel being at University, surrounded by kids who either have time to work a part-time job or by kids that come from money...sometimes you want to go to the movies or a concert with your friends. Sometimes you want to take your girl to get a pizza or to a play...and if such a player can market their name and image to make some money, they should be able to. But let's not go down the slippery-slope of paying athletes. Let's not begin the never ending discussions about stipend schedules and what constitutes who is getting paid and who should simply be grateful their on the team or happy with their scholarship...If these discussions become the conversation, then all that makes collegiate athletics great begins to fade, and slowly, the smaller sports and good but not great athletes will get pushed out and denied the opportunity to learn more about teamwork, hard work, and perseverance.
Let's have a holistic conversation people, and come up with a fair solution where everyone wins.
As a former NCAA division 2 athlete, I completely agree with their assessment that something is stinky in the way the NCAA continues to operate. However, I disagree with their assertion that athletes should get paid a stipend by the NCAA or by their schools. I still believe that scholarship athletes are getting paid already. When someone is attending a school that can run 50-70K a year free of charge, how is that not payment?
I think that the NCAA needs to allow student athletes to profit on their name and image: if the school or the NCAA wants to print a jersey or marketing material which use the name or visage of a student-athlete, they should be required to negotiate with that athlete over remuneration.
Every student athlete should retain the rights associated with their name ad visage. These are the rights that the NCAA and the schools strip away from the young men and women that they profit from. I believe that allowing student athletes to retain these rights will also allow the NCAA to control costs and allow for the "trickle down" benefit of Football and Basketball to continue helping with the lower-profile sports operate.
Such a decision wouldn't have helped me: I was a middle-of-the-road athlete competing in a non-scholarship division. I ran Track & Field, a sport which brought in little or no income to Humboldt State University. But I understand how a kid from the inner city would feel being at University, surrounded by kids who either have time to work a part-time job or by kids that come from money...sometimes you want to go to the movies or a concert with your friends. Sometimes you want to take your girl to get a pizza or to a play...and if such a player can market their name and image to make some money, they should be able to. But let's not go down the slippery-slope of paying athletes. Let's not begin the never ending discussions about stipend schedules and what constitutes who is getting paid and who should simply be grateful their on the team or happy with their scholarship...If these discussions become the conversation, then all that makes collegiate athletics great begins to fade, and slowly, the smaller sports and good but not great athletes will get pushed out and denied the opportunity to learn more about teamwork, hard work, and perseverance.
Let's have a holistic conversation people, and come up with a fair solution where everyone wins.
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