Do you ever get up delighted by the sheer fantastic thing about the world and brimming with gratitude on your place in it?
Me neither–no less than not till after I’ve gone to the toilet.
However, it’s nothing in need of inspirational to see aged performing individual Harrison Ford stalking the California coast in full Fred mode:
And right here he’s, using what I assume from the huge girth of its downtube to be an e-bike:
To be completely clear, I begrudge no octeganerian octaganarien eighty year-old his mechanical tailwind. At his age and along with his cash he doesn’t have to be on the market using a motorbike on the open street–and but there he’s anyway, presumably giving motorists who go too intently the finger and yelling, “Fuck you, I’m Harrison Ford!” So I’m guessing he should actually like to journey.
Even so, the sight of him on that factor does make him a robust contender for the 2025 Simply Purchase A Rivendell Already Award, particularly as a result of these earthy hues and leather-and-cotton equipment would go so nicely along with his Indiana Jones costume:
In actual fact if Indiana Jones had given up journey archeology after the primary film, moved to northern California, and spent most of his time using bikes, he’d look just about precisely like Grant Petersen.
All of that is to say that I feel we’re all on the identical web page right here. So can we do it? Can we get Harrison Ford on a Rivendell? To make a dedication, we should first choose his Rivendell-worthiness. And he does fly (and sometimes crash) classic airplanes, which is an excellent signal:
If he’s nonetheless not afraid of old-timey plane then what’s stopping him from using lugged metal bikes with friction shifters?
Now, along with the Cannondale e-bike, Ford additionally rides a Colnago:
This may occasionally or will not be a superb signal. On one hand, that bike is as un-Rivendellian because it will get. However however, it’s a Colnago, and perhaps the truth that he opted for a storied Italian model signifies that subconsciously he’s pining for one thing extra.
Much more encouragingly, he has no less than tried to journey a Specialised S-Works in regular garments:
Although very like his crash touchdown on a golf course, it seems to have resulted in frustration:
However wait–is that the battery for the rear derailleur by his proper shoe?!?
The look says all of it:
[“Oh for chrissakes.”]
Exasperation with battery-powered shifting?!? Okay, perhaps he’s prepared for a Rivendell. And most significantly, he’s step-through curious:
Although that picture seems to have been taken awhile in the past, so maybe the window has closed.
Talking of batteries and footwear, on a sure stage you at all times knew it was coming. That’s proper, it’s an electrical bike on your ft:
Right here’s extra from Nike:
Nike’s Mission Amplify is the world’s first powered footwear system for operating and strolling, designed to assist on a regular basis athletes* go a bit bit quicker and farther — all with much less effort.
Engineered to reinforce pure decrease leg and ankle motion, the Mission Amplify system breaks the notion of risk by offering an unparalleled enhance to anybody who needs to maneuver, creating a brand new future for operating, jogging and strolling.
Nonetheless early in testing, Nike is mixing artwork and science to achieve efficiency readiness, working alongside robotics companion Dephy to carry the footwear system to a broad client launch within the coming years.
So that they went from “Simply Do It” to “We’ll Do It For You.”
At first I assumed this was for individuals with disabilities or accidents, which might in fact be a welcome innovation. However no, it’s simply to make strolling and operating simpler for lazy individuals. See, it’s all about enjoyable!
“Our job is to dream large whereas retaining athletes on the middle,” says Michael Donaghu, VP of Create The Future, Rising Sport and Innovation. “Mission Amplify began with a single query: What if we might discover a approach to assist athletes transfer quicker and farther with much less vitality and much more enjoyable? At its core, Mission Amplify is about seamlessly including a bit extra energy to your stride. The enjoyable comes from realizing you are able to do greater than you thought you would — no matter ‘extra’ means to you.”
Akin to how electrical bikes have made it simpler to journey farther and extra steadily, revolutionizing city commuting, Nike is creating Mission Amplify to make slower operating, jogging and strolling simpler and extra enjoyable, with a deal with athletes operating between a 10- and 12-minute mile tempo.
By the best way, for those who scroll up a bit, you’ll be aware Nike locations an asterisk* subsequent to the phrase “athlete” in these bullet factors, and right here’s what that denotes:
Wow, they’ve actually lowered the bar. This confirms my deepest worry. At this level it received’t be lengthy earlier than having a bodily physique is merely a way of life alternative, and most of us will merely have uploaded ourselves to some gazillion-terabyte knowledge cloud for all eternity…if we will afford it.
“You’ve reached the restrict of your present storage plan. Improve now or be deleted.”
Although I suppose you would no less than get by for awhile longer by deleting the frivolous recollections about snack meals and film quotes and stuff…
