I love the spring classics. Flanders this Sunday and then Roubaix, can't wait!
I agree with you Bill that today's bikes in the pro peloton are so similar. I stopped at a cafe last year and a big cycling group had arrived same time (one of the big cycling clubs in and around the Toronto area). "Their" bikes all looked the same! Deep / aero CF wheels, most of the bikes were black or dark grey, stem slammed. Good for them though, I'm sure they enjoy that type of riding, and the camaraderie.. On Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 1:11:00 PM UTC-4 Bill Lindsay wrote: > "I think it is largely irrelevant in technology development in a bike I > wish to use on a daily basis" > > Incredible take, because I think this is the best part: I find that when I > watched bike racing in the 1980s I was always looking over the bikes to > figure out what they were running. Now, the bikes are all so similar and > vanilla that I actually watch the RACING, and I find it a lot more > exciting. The equipment fades into the background, and that's a good > thing. IMO. > > Bill Lindsay > El Cerrito, CA > > On Wednesday, April 2, 2025 at 9:54:32 AM UTC-7 Mackenzy Albright wrote: > >> Honestly, Jan is the king of april fools day. Every year he makes me >> chuckle. >> >> That being said - i do think that racing has hit a precipice in which I >> think it is largely irrelevant in technology development in a bike I wish >> to use on a daily basis. I don't need newer or lighter materials (steel is >> great). I don't need more gears (7-9 speed with a compact double does me >> fine). I don't need proprietary components or electrical anything. I want >> full serviceability, rebuildable components, and un-obsolete-able bikes >> that will last a lifetime. Not many companies are doing research or pushing >> industry to adopt quality long term and sustainable solutions. Rivendell >> does this fine. I guess the problem is I don't need to replace my Rivendell >> with another newer and better Rivendell even though they're fun to ogle. >> And all my parts are old and working great. Now with tariffs I will order >> from Rivendell or any USA side companies even less as the CBSA has been >> relentless. I will still try to make purchases from them when possible. But >> not sure when I'll need to make any necessary purchases from them in the >> near or moderately distant future. >> >> On Tuesday, April 1, 2025 at 8:55:33 AM UTC-7 Doug Williams wrote: >> >>> >>> This is why bicycle racing is completely irrelevant to people who >>> actually use their bike for transportation. For a long time, I have been >>> saying that race bicycle design is so divorced from real world useful >>> bicycling as to be completely irrelevant. Why on earth would anyone buy a >>> race bike and use it for their commute or for..well, anything except a >>> professional race while being followed by a motorized maintenance crew >>> carrying several backup race bikes? A carbon fiber race bike is fragile, >>> dangerous, and completely unsuitable for any real world purpose. For quite >>> some time, the scientific consensus has been that wider tires are safer, >>> more reliable, and more comfortable. Now that science is equally clear that >>> wide tires are FASTER on real world roads, the reaction has been to...ban >>> tires wider than 31mm? >>> >>> https://www.renehersecycles.com/uci-limits-road-bike-tires-to-31-mm/ >>> >>> Seriously, the bicycling community needs to wake up and stop idolizing >>> racers, race bikes, and the companies that promote them. These people are >>> working to promote bikes that are terrible for any useful transportation >>> purpose. >>> >>> Doug >>> >> -- 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 [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9d05ec76-b35d-42ca-84b1-4df4ca25ba12n%40googlegroups.com.
