Peer pressure might be a big part of it but the same can also be said for the "fixie" or "29er" crazes. I know a few years ago my LBS was full of muscle heads who were interested in going down a hill really fast who how now gone back to the gym or tanning booths where they came from. For me it isnt the gear or the marketing that annoys me about "racing bikes" but the riders, sad to say. Here in NYC they ride around in their team kit weaving in and out of slower riders and shouting at people who are in their way, its really annoying and dangerous too. They are just truly aggravating and therefore build an animosity in most of us "unracers." Had a nice talk with two girls on their LHTs who were expressing the same concerns the other day, we have all just had it with their pretend racing dreams and acting like arrogant jerks out there. For the record I don't have anything against actual racing cyclists, my uncle was a competitive rider for 10 years and still does 20 miles before work at 5am at age 50, the only shame is he is 6'6" so I cant borrow any of his fancy racing rigs or I definitely would take them out for a spin. I cant deny that the speed of a sub 20 bike is fun but certainly not comfy or practical for me to actually own. Long story short, if you have racing dreams, please feel free to pursue them but dont shout at the delivery guys who are in your way because you are "training" and dont tell me my bike is slow, I am the one who is slow, haha. On Mon, May 21, 2012 at 1:41 PM, Patrick in VT <swing4...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On May 21, 12:03 pm, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery > <thill....@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Anyway, I agree that some people who own race bikes and related kit are > > probably stimulated by that aspect of cycling. BUT, how many of them went > > that direction because of peer pressure or because they didn't know of > > other options? > > I don't think there are any shortcuts to finding the stuff that > "works" for us, as individuals. It takes a lot of trial and error and > a willingness to try new things and think outside of the box before we > find the stuff that really sings. Lack of options is certainly a > problem - I suspect that for some of us, most bike shops are mostly > irrelevant. But for others just getting into cycling, it's a > perfectly adequate place to start. Peer pressure is an issue too, no > doubt. But "knowing" that there are other options and learning that > what works for Joe may not work for Jim only comes with experience and > at some point we take control of our decisions about what to ride. > > it's not a coincidence that many older, experienced riders (racers > included) have some of the smarter (IMO), more personalized bikes > around. same with bike mechanics, who tend to have lots of experience > with different bikes/components. there's no real substitute for > experience, passion and critical thinking - but how many people are > willing to go that far in their decision making process, especially > with something that only amounts to a peripheral hobby? a lot of > people simply don't care that much and are happy (or content, at > least) with that big brand hybrid or whatever. they're certainly not > debating low-trail, frame flex, tire clearance, etc. > > the fact that you "discovered" an Atlantis says more about you and > your approach to exploring something you enjoy doing than anything > else. most folks on this list probably don't just "scratch the > surface" of things they really like doing. that's a unique trait and > the mass-market is never going favor it - it much prefers hobbyist > contentment. > > Anyway, this subject is interesting to me because i'm going through > the "learning" process now with running - i look at running shoes in > an entirely different way now that i'm developing some clear > preferences from my running experience and I'm finding options that i > simply never knew about or even considered before. There are many > parallels to cycling. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
