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The Tao of Singlespeeding
By Corvus Corvax
The Tao of Singlespeeding
Adapted from the Tao Te
Ching, the following verses are meant to inspire
and enlighten. As there are a total of 13
verses, we will continue to release a new verse
with each successive eNewsletter.
ride. enjoy. live.
1
The ride that can be
finished is not the perfect ride.
The frame
that can be broken is not the perfect frame.
The ride is the beginning of sky and dirt.
The singlespeed is the mother of the ten
thousand gears.
Ever desireless, one can see
the trail.
Ever desiring, one can see the
bike.
The two spring from the same source,
but differ in name;
this appears as riding.
The gate to all mystery.
2
Sky and dirt are ruthless;
They see the ten thousand gears as useless.
The wise are ruthless;
They see the riders
as fools.
The space between sky and dirt is
like a tire.
The shape changes but not the
form;
The more it moves, the more it yields.
More gears count less.
Hold fast to the trail.
3
Sky and dirt last forever.
Why do sky and dirt last forever?
They are
unborn,
So ever living.
The
singlespeeder is behind on the downhill, and
ahead on the climb.
He is unencumbered, thus
at one with all.
Through flow, he attains
fulfillment.
4
Better stop short than fill
to the brim.
Make the bike too light, and
the handling will suffer.
Adorn your frame
with XTR, and no lock can protect it.
Claim
medals and podiums, and drug tests will follow.
Drink beer when the ride is done.
This is
the way of singlespeeding.
5
Thirty-two spokes share the
wheel's hub;
It is the center hole that
makes it useful.
Shape latex into a tube;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Drill eyelets in a rim;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore profit comes from what is there;
Usefulness comes from what is not there.
6
Accept difficulty willingly.
Accept pain as the human condition.
What do you mean by "Accept
difficulty willingly"?
Accept being
unimportant.
Do not be concerned with your heart rate.
This is called "accepting difficulty
willingly."
What do you mean by "Accept
pain as the human condition"?
Pain
comes from having a body.
Without a body, how could there be pain?
Surrender yourself humbly; then
you can be trusted to ride any trail.
Love your bike as your own self; then you
can truly ride anywhere.
7
The masters are subtle,
mysterious, profound, responsive.
The skill of their riding is unfathomable.
Because it is unfathomable,
All we can do is describe their appearance.
Delicate, like riders crossing a winter
stream.
Alert, as if on tight singletrack.
Balanced, as if negotiating a switchback.
Focused, as if on a long climb.
Yielding, like fine steel.
Simple, like track hubs.
Smooth, like machined bearings.
Who can wait quietly for the ride
to begin?
Who can remain still until the moment of
action?
Followers of singlespeeding do not seek
advantage.
Not seeking advantage, they are not swayed
by a desire for change.
8
Do you think you can take
my bike and improve it?
I do not believe it can be done.
My singlespeed is sacred.
You cannot improve it.
If you try to change it, you will lose it.
If you add a suspension fork, you will ruin
it.
So sometimes I am ahead and
sometimes I am behind;
Sometimes breathing is hard, sometimes it
comes easily;
Sometimes there is strength and sometimes
weakness;
Sometimes the trail goes up and sometimes
down.
Therefore the singlespeeder
avoids extremes, complacency, and heavy traffic
on climbs.
9
Give up gears, and put an
end to your troubles.
Is there a difference between the
granny and the big ring?
Is there a difference between uphill and
downhill?
Must I ride what others ride? What nonsense!
Other people are contented, enjoying their
full suspension.
In spring some go to the trails and descend
the mountain.
But I alone am riding, not knowing where I
am.
Like a newborn babe before it learns to
smile,
I am alone, without a place to go.
Everyone else is busy,
But I alone am aimless and wandering.
I am different.
I am nourished by the trail.
10
To ride one gear is
natural.
Sprints do not last all morning,
Descents do not last all day.
The follower of singlespeeding
is at one with his bike.
He who rides smoothly
Experiences flow.
He who loses the trail
Becomes confused.
When you are at one with your bike,
The trail welcomes you.
When you conserve your momentum,
The flow is always there.
When you are at one with pain,
The pain is experienced willingly.
He who does not get out of the
saddle
Will not make it to the top of the
hill.
11
He who has his weight
forward is not steady.
He who sprints cannot maintain the pace.
He who makes a show is not enlightened.
He who is self-righteous is not respected.
He who boasts achieves nothing.
He who brags will not endure.
According to the followers of
singlespeeding,
"These are extra gears and unnecessary
weight,"
They do not bring happiness.
Therefore followers of singlespeeding avoid
them.
12
Spinning is the motion of
the singlespeed.
Flow is the way of the singlespeed.
The ten thousand gears are born of
singlespeeding.
Singlespeeding is born of not riding.
13
The wise rider hears of
singlespeeding and practices it diligently.
The average rider hears of singlespeeding
and thinks of it now and again.
The foolish rider hears of singlespeeding
and laughs aloud.
If there were no laughter, singlespeeding
would not be what it is.
Hence it is said:
The smooth trail seems rough.
Going forward seems like retreat.
The easy climb seems hard.
Singlespeeding is quiet and without
artifice.
One gear alone nourishes and brings the
ride to completion.
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Adapted by Corvus Corvax from The
Tao Te Ching, translation by Gia-Fu Feng and
Jane English, Random House, Inc., New York
(1972), with apologies to Lao Tsu.
© 2002 Dirt Rag Magazine
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