ATWM

This is where it’s tough for me because it really depends on if you have wider feet or not. Like my feet are 25.5 cm which should translate to 7.5 US, I can never fit those because I am the width of an 8.5. A birk 41 (with inherently wide toe) is generous on me. But the redwing postman’s at 8.5 (narrower) are honestly a little snug still and I’m still trying to stretch them out a touch. tenders siding boots at a uk size 7 (with a wide toe) fit me well. I found a vintage pair of postman chukkas at 8.5E on eBay for a good deal, so I’m curious to see how these fit. I think this sizing down advice is probably pretty good if you do have slightly/wide feet, because in normal d with sneakers that often means 1/2 or even 1 size up from what you would take in a wider model, since so many lasts just aren’t wide enough for normal toe splay since the Danner last is wider. But if you’re length restricted then you might end up with smushed toes that way. Shoes are hard. Worth it to measure width and factor in.

@superfuture things seem smooth today. Thanks! Please keep us posted as you learn more about the upgrade and what it requires.

Okay, so to thicken the plot here - I've got these https://secondsunrise.se/products/tender-sidings-chukka-boots-wattle-tanned-natural-leather Tender Sidings boots, which I think but do not know for sure are made by William Lennon. To be honest, I'm not a r/goodyearwelt guy and so I never really gave the stitching thing a second thought, but it looks as if these are constructed the same way - and I think these were released in like 2019 or something? so I don't know how new this is. I can say for sure there is no sign of adhesive breakdown and I've traipsed about a fair bit in the rain with them. From description "he upper part of the chukka boot is built using four pieces that are stitched together and shaped to later be fastened on a leather midsole using brass screws. " Most of my long miles are done in hiking boots, zero drop minimalist trail shoes or birkenstocks. Never had any heritage shoes/boots that came even close to being as comfortable, though I would put my postmans and docs above the rest in that regard. Resoling is not a huge consideration for me because as I've mentioned before I just don't wear through these things particularly quickly, especially dainite. Even after what must be a thousand miles in my first pair of leather boots, some original OSB Trenches with the dainite sole, I am still far from needing a resole. I'm pleased with my Tender boots...if I had a good shoemaker I could visit and order from near me and they fit well, I wouldn't let this stop me, but I get it also, it's probably some equivalent of me saying that non-selvedge denim is totally fine, ha. I've had my Postman's for maybe 3-4 years now and am only just starting to be a little fond of them, and wearing them more. Can you link the youtube vid?

@Double 0 Soul ever hear back from William Lennon? I also noticed these at Bears, but just as highfalutin as the RDT’s…https://bears-tokyo.myshopify.com/products/jelado-jb94902-u-s-n-41-service-shoes The RDT’s are unexpectedly appealing to me for the completely shallow reason that the series of black shoes they are doing is inspired by one of my all time favorite essays about aesthetics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Shadows That said, sizing a pair of Japanese shoes still feels like a bit of a gamble for me from overseas. Still feels like a nicely broken in pair of Postman 101’s is hard to beat, problem is that until they are broken in they do not look great.

Just a bit more to chew on @mlwdp - my local shop carries Phigvel and while I don’t own any, seeing as I’ve been trying not to buy stuff - I’ve checked it out and it’s nice stuff. I would like to own some at some point. I don’t think it’s notably different in price from Freewheelers, and Freewheelers also is mostly seasonal. They have permanent items and stuff that they repeat in unpredictable cycles, but if there’s a particular item you want in your size and it’s not a staple it can be just as hard to pin down as stuff from other makers. I do like Freewheelers a lot - one of my favorites - but Phigvel is nice too. Only going by fit pics, but Phigvel also seems to be more aligned with the other stuff you wear. Can’t go wrong either way, but thought I’d offer that.

Nothing better for me, crazy lag times if it even works at all. This is the buggiest it's ever been for me - does @superfuture know? I can't actually tag anyone because that feature is just a spinning wheel.

@broark my pair of 136's is Walnut dyed now 😃 Though they came rinsed. Up to you how you list them. damn if this forum isn't dragging at the moment - it times out if I try to tag you.

A Tender purchase definitely is a chunk out of the bank account. I allowed myself a pair for the contest - my only jeans this year. Almost slipped a few times on denims but so far so good. I don’t feel bad about excepting for a Tender comp, I’ve wanted that for years. Non jeans stuff I haven’t done quite as well, but at least I haven’t been as redundant and have cleared out a similar amount of space.

This is what I actually had, but the attack changed with pulling 60 or so lbs on the back. It wasn’t an out of the box ratio, I went into a bike shop years ago and said something like see that freewheel, give me something a good bit harder please. They had to order one to make me happy if I recall, but this was 15? Years ago. Despite that, I only had to walk once or twice on the tow but the grind was so much I said forget it. Since then I got smart and got a bike better for such purposes (that was my only one at that point!), I suppose I could flip it back but I feel old and tired now ha.

Another Michigan option - the only thing I eat at this point if I can help it. Their almond butter is good too. Nothing in either but the nuts.

On my old single speed - a stock Trek soho from 2006 - I had to flip my hub around from the fixed gear I’d been using for 15 years over to the freewheel once I started towing my son to school and around town - this was about 2 years ago - and there was a decent climbs here and there, even though we live in a relatively flat place. I felt like an era had ended doing that but those few hills were just a bitch. I’m just trying to have a nice ride not grind so hard sometimes. The gearing I had for my fixie was a pretty low one - I don’t know a lot about these things but the mechanic at the shop who flipped it over for me when I was having a little tune up done remarked that I was nuts for riding with that one. Despite my love for the above Wilde I do still bop around on my Trek when I don’t need to carry much or I know I can avoid really bad roads. It might be time for a nicer single speed at some point, something about the simplicity I love. Though I don’t think I’ll be going back to fixed.

The grass is always greener I suppose. I really wish that were the case here. The town I live in is much closer to this than most of the US, but it is still almost completely car oriented. I’m not really a “cultural” cyclist I guess in that I don’t own kit, I don’t do group rides, am not part of affinity groups, none of that. I do ride nearly every day though. Because I live in town there really aren’t many places where bikes work but cars don’t, it’s usually a sharing situation. It is better in the residential areas, and you can find better routes if you’re willing to take the winding way, but still. I will sometimes go on 25-50 mile gravel rides with a friend. On 3 sides of town if you get out a few miles there’s a gridded network of gravel roads that go for miles with very little traffic - thing is most of them are essentially in the middle of nowhere, not a lot of good stop points. A few, but not a lot, and the few that are tend to have less pleasant riding to get there. I usually wear jeans too, unless it’s too hot, which is really only 3 months of the year on average. I think if everyone had one here and rode more often maybe the people driving 3-4 ton death machines would not feel so angry and aggressive towards humans on their machine asphalt space - it really is something to behold how some large truck drivers get angry at cyclists (and I’m not talking aggressive ones who run lights and confound drivers, but merely lollygagging commuters). Maybe that’s wishful thinking. But within a 3-4 mile radius in town here, which is a lot of the town, it is often easier and faster to ride (even at a relaxed paced) than to drive and park.

This is my daily get up, a Wilde Supertramp from 2023/2024. We try to do school pick up and drop off via this until it’s too cold, which can be a challenge as my son hates bulky winter gear. School is only a mile away, not even a 10 minute ride. I take off the trailer and throw a bag or two on the rack for errands at the farm stop down the street. MTB tires came on the shop build and while a little overkill Michigan roads can be so bad that in the end I’m glad I’ve got these. I’ve gotten flats on everything else at some point or another. Somehow I’ve ended up w a few bikes over the years but this one is my fave. One day it will go on a proper adventure I hope.

I'm either missing sarcasm (as usual) or methinks you're a little too hard on yourself. Not sure how it is where you are but "dogs off leash" where I am is de facto owner's fault. This is a very contentious topic locally (and probably the world over) but having been charged at just about annually and even one time attacked in the past just for being a guy running in a public park, well, suffice it to say I'm on the side of the local ordinance with this one. Local customs and sense of civic duties differ though, I get it.

Lazy bad light pics of mine pair after the walnut dye, realized I never photographed them. Will try again on day 1 of the comp. I opted for just one trip through the dye bath, and not a super long one either. Still may do another, but probably not? Compared to the t shirts and sweatshirts I’ve dyed this is a medium brown tone, which I think is enough for the jeans. It comes in to be quite similar to the walnut overdyed indigo zoetrope jacket I’ve got (https://www.heddels.com/2019/08/tenders-zoetrope-coat-uses-origami-magic/ - image 2 in this slideshow). My coat has been washed twice, so was initially probably a shade darker than what the jeans are at now. In the first image here the hue registers as pretty light on the cuffs but it’s definitely richer in real life, I’m showing the white stitching in the second image which is a little more accurate (next to some faded Woad).

Yea, fuck. 10 years ago. That shook me when it happened. I never did BMX but obviously the two sports have a sort of kinship. Lots of friends did/do BMX.

I’ve said before, but I’ve got a large extended family - many of whom work in healthcare and a few who work in mental health specifically. Both psychiatrists and psychologists. I’ve also personally know 4 people who took their own lives, 2 of whom are on opposite sides of my extended family. Only 2 of the 4 - all men - 2 of them retired - had a documented history of mental illness/mental struggles. Only one was a veteran. Something I’ve learned is that this is often a matter of technicalities to say something like this - for many there is no “history of mental health struggle” unless they have actually sought help at some point, actually seen a provider who confirmed and documented that it was a struggle. It just means a silent struggle against death for a long time. There are cultures and subcultures where going it alone, staying stoic, internalizing everything, locking it up behind closed doors etc etc leave people thinking the valiant thing to do is to white knuckle it through life. Of course I didn’t know him at all, but I know that given some of the subcultures he seems to have come from, I wouldn’t be surprised if he struggled for a very long time and internalized the above values of hiding it all. Retirement is also a death sentence for a surprising number of people - it is a huge life transition - a person needs to be prepared to find more purpose, something that many struggle with after work is not a core part of their identity. One thing that I’ve personally become more curious about in the world of skateboarding is the role CTE might play. We’ve seen it in other sports, but most skateboarders who grow up not wearing helmets and end up with a few big falls and get concussed, it raises questions. I don’t see why skateboarding should be exempt from the discussion. No, it’s not the impact of football or hockey or rugby, but the head knocks when they happen can be shocking. I don’t know, quite clearly, but in a vacuum of information that’s sort of all we have, is to wonder. At the very least you would hope that someone else struggling who learns about his death learns enough to take action and reshape their own path in light of facing a worst case scenario.

For me, classic twills + corduroy + moleskin > duck. Never owned a duck piece in my life, don’t plan to. Might be heretical for someone who lives where I do but eh. But I like to see it on others!

I love it, personally. I ride a bike a lot but know shamefully little about them, so could stand to be educated. For my part I’m happy to do the same with photography or even visual art more broadly. I’ve been told I have a lot to say on such matter, and some small percentage of it may even be not totally bogus. , (I could also let this be known in a stuff I hate thread, although I love a lot too). I know that some other members here too would be in a good spot to chime in on such a thread. Anything that is interesting and drives it away from being a mostly consumption advice forum is good. I like that too, don’t get me wrong, but I think that’s the strong part of it already.

I’ve got a 2011 or 2012 vintage replica Perfecto (I guess Schott’s LVC?) with mismatched hardware that I love and used to wear on my old Honda bike (long since sold). I haven’t worn it out much in 7-8 years. I love it but I feel like I just don’t really align with it anymore, if I ever even did. That might top the list. But, there are certain (few, but it happens) days where it still comes out and feels right. Similar to above, camo is a no go for me. I have a long no-go list. Western/cowboy gear (as previously mentioned) - it would definitely wear me if I ever tried, but I hope to not make that mistake (aside from denim). Additionally, loafers/moc-toes, Ivy style stuff, golf/polo shirts - can’t do any of that without feeling like I’m in a joker suit. I make an exception for a low profile pair of black moccasin boots I got a few years ago. I’m not sure if it’s the minimal sole or the all black make up, they feel like something aside from the look that I feel allergic to. In a traditional suit though I feel fine. Over the years I’ve collected some certifiably off-beat garments from Kapital, Tender and Blue Blue Japan that may indeed wear me, but for some reason I feel like I can hold them in check more than I’d be able to a pair of Rancourts or Camo cargo pants. I guess I’d rather have something a little weird than something that tends to signal something I feel no part of. Am I overthinking it all? Sure.

So funny. FWIW - my zoomer in laws, who used to give me guff for jeans and be in sweats/athleisurewear 100% of the time - well the older one went off to university. Comes back wearing jeans, baggy, stoned washed denim, but denim nonetheless. I ribbed him a bit and he said he guessed he had to grow up a little (I didn’t have the heart to tell him there’s a whole world of suits who think the denims are childish) and that he preferred them now outside of his training (he’s on athletic scholarship). And his younger sib has followed suit. These zoomers look how I did - roughly speaking at least - when I was about their age, though they do real sports while I was on the skateboard and playing in bands. I’m slightly too old I guess to have taken a full bath in the heritage trends. I like many of the individual items - nice jeans, nice shoes/boots, even a Pendleton button down or two - but the flannel, slim selvedge, red wing thing never hit for me, even at it’s peak. That said, the above young dude looks perfectly suited for his age IMO. Different personalities but if there’s not a bit of sloppiness in the daily dress for most occasions it’s not really for me, esp as a youth when you can afford to do that more. People get less choice as they grow up depending on profession etc. Need a little bit of dishevelment, because life isn’t perfect or put together and nor should we be. It lowers the blood pressure to accept it.

Enough to where it basically evened out with tender msrp in the US. Really I got it from there because of the included hem. My local shops just aren’t my fave for hemming denim, even Tender.

In my experience Bears hems are better than anywhere in the US. Not sure if they’re Hoosiers level - I feel like outside of Simo from Word of Mouth, Hoosiers is the best hem, but I do not hesitate to have Bears do it. Just a random note here too - I had Second Sunrise hem my Tenders for the upcoming comp and they did a surprisingly nice job with the chainstitch. Being it was Tender I wasn’t really sweating it since a nice chainstitch isn’t even part of the deal with them new, but still.

They’re not bad. I’d consider them. I know that for comfort, walkability, foot health etc this is better. I’ve run in barefoot style, zero drop shoes for 15 years now, and I still remember how much better my whole body felt after making the switch (once I got used to it). It’s why I can walk for longer more comfortably (on flat surfaces at least) in Birks than just about anything else out there. 20k steps in those is no issue. 20k in anything else leads to at least a little discomfort in some place. But damn if I can’t get past that they just do not look as good because of that wide toe box.

Curious what suggestions pop up. @Double 0 Soul I have both the red wing postmans (goretex lined version) and some doc 1461’s MIE / Horween cavalier leather (https://downesshoes.com.au/product/1461-black-horween-cavalier-3-eye-shoe/) and I go back and forth on both pairs for different reasons. The Docs are more comfortable to me, though I know not well reputed. The Red Wings I got from TJ Maxx or Sierra Trading Post or something, for like $80 or $90 if I remember - hence the goretex, not something I’d have chosen otherwise - but a cue that they sometimes pop up in strange places, although this was probably the pandemic era when I got them. The stitching isn’t perfect on them, hence the factory seconds price but after a few days of wear it made no difference to me. Still though, I end up searching for another pair of Postman’s I would like better from time to time. Haven’t found it yet, but if I tried again I think I’d favor trying to grab the Royal Mail DMs. For my uses I pretty much never need to get shoes resoled, I just tend to put on pretty even wear and not a lot of stress on the bottoms I guess, so resoling considerations take a back seat for me. The thing that puts me off on the Horseman Joe versions is more the raised heel than the toe profile, although that doesn’t appear to be my favorite either. If I ever get to Japan I will stop by the shop to make sure I don’t want them - other than sandals he requires you in person for a fitting anyways. It’s really a narrow subset of derbies (to me) that don’t suffer from the “trying to wear dress shoes with jeans” look I’d like to avoid. I’ve always liked the looks of @julian-wolf‘s Moto shoes, fwiw.