When I started cycling in 1990 the landscape in Northern California was roadies in lycra, mountain bikers in lycra, and po' folks like me in street clothes on Goodwill beater bikes. There was no in between. Now there's a whole world of city bikes and country bikes and fixies and cargo bikes and Dutch bikes being ridden in all manner of gear. Not to mention tweed rides. All of this can be traced directly back to Grant's insistence that there was a better way for a large portion of adult cyclists to approach cycling, and this didn't happen by being "nice" about it. GP pushed this alternative loudly and often, and I don't think we would be where we are today if he hadn't. So I'm sorry if some folks feel like he's telling them they can't ride carbon bikes in team gear..that's not what he's saying. He's saying that it's not required to be considered a serious cyclist, and this was not the conventional wisdom when Rivendell started. Grant Petersen changed cycling.
Joe Bernard Vallejo, CA. On Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 1:08:44 PM UTC-8, Jon in the foothills of Central Colorado wrote: > In the new Adventure Cyclist Mag > > PETERSEN RESPONDS TO READER > > LETTER ‘UNRACING? UNCOOL’ > > Racing attitudes, bikes, clothing, > > and diets have become the norm and > > normal, and are so pervasive that many > > adult cyclists, maybe even some you > > know, accept the racing standards as > > the only legitimate way to be a serious > > adult cyclist. What I tried to do in the > > book *Just Ride *— and what we do here > > at Rivendell Bicycle Works — is offer > > an alternative, a model to other adult > > cyclists that there is another way. This > > letter is not an ad for either. I’m simply > > saying where I come from and what I > > do. > > We are the mice trying to squeak > > above the roar at the base of the > > waterfall. It is no time to be wishywashy, > > but I try hard to not offend. > > Inevitably, a declarative position on > > any matter is bound to raise a few > > hackles with those who have a different > > position, but it still hurts to be judged > > by a stranger who would probably like > > me, and whom I’d surely like, in person. > > A good number of our customers are > > middle-aged and older folks trying to > > fit in some activity as they age. They > > often have the means, and they’re > > influenced by what they read and see > > that promotes racers as a good model — > > and that’s something I don’t agree with. > > They shop as innocents and come > > out of it dressed like racers and riding > > bikes that are not only inappropriate > > for the kind of riding they do, but are, > > on top of that and more egregiously, not > > comfortable. We undo that. You may > > see ego or evil behind it, but I don’t > > feel either of those. I see racing and > > racers as fringe and am simply trying > > to legitimize an alternative point of > > view, one that I feel strongly about. I’m > > trying — certainly not singlehandedly — > > to make people feel good about riding > > without dressing in pro-team gear and > > copying so many other affectations of > > the racer, and that is what Unracing and > > *Just Ride *and Rivendell Bicycle Works is > > all about. We’re nobody’s enemy. Some > > of my best friends pedal cliplessly and > > in spandex. It’s cool. > > Grant Petersen > > Walnut Creek, California > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
