I think what you described in your full-sus experience breaks down to "it didn't beat the crap outta me and that was more fun." The conventional wisdom from the "it's too much technology" crowd is it allows one to go too fast on trails, but I contend there's a strong argument for not going too fast but feeling safer and more comfortable. I used to to a lot of singletrack on rigid Bridgestones and getting knocked off the bike from a rock or root was not big fun for me. If I did it now I'd take the technology with me, then ride my Rivendell on pavement and smooth trails.
Joe Bernard On Friday, February 11, 2022 at 9:21:32 AM UTC-8 Jay Lonner wrote: > So upon further reflection I’m starting to realize that the act of riding > my bike can get so bound up with political and aesthetic considerations > that I forget to have fun. Most of my biking is utilitarian commuting and > grocery hauling, and sometimes that can get to be a drag. There are days > when the weather is crummy or I have a late meeting or I slept a little too > long and riding my bike seems more like a chore than anything else. What > was eye-opening for me riding this technological wonder of a machine was > that it was just pure fun, in a way that I haven’t experienced on a bike > for a long time. > > More than anything else I guess this is a wake-up call to myself that I > can get a little too hung up on having a “pure” experience at the expense > of my own enjoyment. I really have no interest in super technical off-road > riding with huge drops or otherwise extreme terrain. It was just really > nice to go on a ride in beautiful surroundings and let the bike soak up the > bumps. I wish there was an easy way to demo other bikes that come at this > problem in different ways (such as a Gus or the Jones and Black Mountain > options mentioned upthread), but for now I’m going to remain open to the > possibilities and try to remind myself that while I have a lot of respect > for Riv/Grant there’s really no right or wrong way to have fun on a bike. > > Jay Lonner > Bellingham, WA > > Sent from my Atari 400 > > On Feb 11, 2022, at 9:04 AM, Brady Smith <bradys...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I regularly ride my Riv-styled BMC monster cross with a Rapha brevet > jersey and Rivendell MUSA pants. I like the look, the jersey is great, and > sometimes the pants are a welcome break from the usual lycra, especially in > moderate temperatures. > > > As for bikes, I too have been tempted by full-suspension mountain bikes, > but in the end I decided that the BMC La Cabra was probably my best bet, > and it's been great for the relatively mild singletrack available in the > greater SLC area. Not having suspension forces me to ride more slowly and > pick good lines, and the TRP Hylex disk brakes I have on it make speedy > descents viable in a way they wouldn't be on a Gus. I have thought about > adding a hardtail to the stable, but as I explained the idea to my wife, > she said, "So you're proposing to spend $4k on a bike to avoid the 3 > minutes you spend walking out of a 3 hour mountain bike ride?" It sounds > kind of silly when you put it that way. > > On Friday, February 11, 2022 at 8:28:01 AM UTC-7 George Schick wrote: > >> This is an interesting subject and there have been some good replies. >> Golf was mentioned. I recall when clubs with fiberglass then later carbon >> fiber shafts were introduced. They made a big difference in the game for >> someone with a slow, mild swing. Later, oversized drivers came along. >> They gave the skilled golfer a distinct advantage. Sobeit >> >> In the mid-70's "standard" wooden tennis rackets were supplanted with >> oversized net surfaces and aluminum shanks. That advancement clearly >> improved the game for many tennis buffs. >> >> But over the years there have been attempts to push things a bit too far. >> I remember when someone designed a tennis racket with soft, spaghetti-like >> material in the netting. This allowed the player to put "english" on the >> ball that made return volleys nearly impossible and it was hastily outlawed >> by various amateur and professional tennis associations. >> >> I used to do .22 rimfire silhouette shooting back in the 70's. Then some >> yahoo came along and invented a rifle with an electronic trigger wired to a >> laser sight that wouldn't allow the shooter to pull the trigger unless the >> rifle was absolutely dead-on the target. That device, too, was outlawed. >> It took the fun out of the sport and took competition down the drain. >> >> I could go on, but the point is...where does one cross the line between >> something that requires work and skill to develop an expertise versus just >> throwing money at an innovation that runs ragged over everyone else? So... >> back to the subject of bikes, especially off-road MTB. I've had people >> riding $7K CF fat tired 1x11 bikes blow past me on the trails like I was >> standing still. They wanted to pay that much for the extra edge and it's >> their prerogative to do so. But I'm afraid that I have to draw the line >> with these e-bikes. Posters on some blogs insist on referring to them as >> "mopeds" and for all intents and purposes, that is exactly what they are. >> Back when MTBing first became popular I remember reading lots of rants and >> complaints from hikers who felt endangered by riders barreling down a path >> at full tilt. But gradually private, pay-as-you-go MTB courses were >> developed and that pretty much separated the fully competitive riders from >> the hikers. Not so with e-bikes. During the past several years I've >> noticed a steady increase in those mechanized two-wheeled contraptions on >> trails...and it's gradually becoming a dangerous threat to regular cyclists. >> >> So, in the final analysis, advancement in technology is not necessarily a >> bad thing as long as it doesn't go to far, is kept in a proper environment, >> and doesn't interfere with others. >> >> >> On Thursday, February 10, 2022 at 7:49:11 PM UTC-6 Jay Lonner wrote: >> >>> My wife and I are spending a week in northern AZ, which included a day >>> of mountain biking in Sedona. We rented fancy dual-suspension, carbon fiber >>> wonderbikes which are about as anti-Riv as you can get — and it was a >>> fantastic experience! I’ve never ridden such a beast before, and was amazed >>> at the terrain it could handle in the hands of a newcomer to this style of >>> riding. It’s the most fun I’ve had on a bike in years. >>> >>> I had a Gus in my shopping cart when they were last on sale, but >>> ultimately didn’t go through with the purchase because I want to be free to >>> experiment with builds that depart from the Riv way of doing things, such >>> as IGHs and disc brakes. And now I’m doubly glad I held off, because I am >>> giving serious consideration to buying a fully modern mountain bike. >>> >>> In retrospect I think I gave too much credence to the idea of >>> underbiking. There’s no way I could have handled this sort of terrain on a >>> Riv-style bike — I would have been walking it the entire time. And while >>> that may be the lowest common gear, as a former commenter here liked to >>> say, it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun. >>> >>> So I guess this is part confession and part query — who else mixes and >>> matches their Rivendells with the sort of modern ironmongery that would >>> give Grant & Co. conniptions? >>> >>> Jay Lonner >>> Bellingham, WA (but temporarily in Sedona, AZ) >>> >> -- > > 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-bun...@googlegroups.com. > > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b751e0ab-663c-46be-a22f-fce6e4c14c43n%40googlegroups.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b751e0ab-663c-46be-a22f-fce6e4c14c43n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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