Judge not, lest ye be passed by a paceline of uniformed cyclists pedaling at 30 miles per hour on the Burke-Gilman Trail. It’s easy to be critical of those weekend riders squeezed into Lycra astride carbon-fiber mounts costing upward of $3,000, but more challenging to render judgments from within the peloton. That’s the task served, tongue somewhat in cheek, by Frank Strack and his fellow website editors, collectively known as The Velominati. (There’s also an amusing new book: The Rules, Norton, $19.95.) Everything about The Velominati and their rules is strict and unyielding. Dogma is the point, to carry things just a little beyond the serious and into the absurd. Their readers—disciples, if you will—are encouraged to submit to ever more severe edicts, which actually can be useful in distracting yourself from the hurt of a really big climb on a hot day. Thus Rule #40: Tires to be mounted with the label centered over the valve stem. You think it’s silly. Then you look down at your bike and say “My God, he’s actually right.”

velominati.com

Read all of our picks for Sports & Adventure, and explore the rest of this year’s edition of Best of Seattle.