I was first introduced to Grant's writings (and Rivendell) last Fall and really delved into some of his ideas. I retired my fairly new aluminum bike and bought another version of the cro-moly bike I had ridden for the previous 12 years. I discovered that really wide tires and pull back handlebars don't work well for my riding style but friction shifting with thumbies is awesome! Steel, wider tires, higher handlebars....these all go without saying. Even though I found a lot of really good stuff in Grant's philosophies, I began to realize my own riding needs were substantially different. That's when I discovered Jan's writings. I see Grant as being on the Utilitarian side of things and Jan on the Performance side, with some overlap between the two. I've been thrilled by Jan's research on tires and frames. I'm a super clydesdale and likely won't have a bike that performs in a way that Jan advocates (short of going full custom) but his work on tires in particular has been very helpful. I'll never ride a brevet, go bike camping or commute on my bicycle. My bike has flat handlebars, a mountain crankset and a tightly spaced road cassette and it's a perfect match for me. Grant's and Jan's influences have been tremendous in getting me there and I see no conflict in their viewpoints. Different strokes for different folks....and all that.
On Thursday, August 9, 2012 11:35:03 AM UTC-5, Michael_S wrote: > After reading all of these comments and digesting them, I have to say that > Jan and Grant are the two biggest influences in my cycling life. I > certainly don't agree with the many of the recommendation or conclusions > offered but overall they represent the driving forces in how and what I > ride. And I believe they are the impetus behind the steel bike's > semi-return to popularity. > I've owned 3 Bridgestone's and two Rivs so far and love Grant's designs > and bikes (please return to a more level top tube though) and currently > have two customs heavily influenced by Jan's ideas (no more > 29er extrapolations please). > > Just want to say thanks for all of their energy and commitment to making > my cycling experience a true passion in my life. > > ~mike > Carlsbad Ca. > > >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/YEIUyyvwd3kJ. 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.
