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Old 10-17-04, 06:37 AM
  #19  
alanbikehouston
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Originally Posted by shokhead
I thought is was the other way around,the market will make what we buy or want. They wouldnt make bikes look like racing bike if most didnt want them and now that more want a more relaxed type racing bike they are doing those now. Do you think they say,oh we'll makle this and they will just buy it. If we dont,do they keep making it,nope. If we stop buying carbon,they dont keep making it but we are buying it and they are making more.
The "high end" bike industry, bikes that sell in the USA for $400 and up, is centered around the images of racing. When you look at an American bike magazine, whether a "general" magazine, a mountain bike magazine, or a BMX magazine, the photos, the articles, and the ads feature people and equipment from racing. Most of the riders featured are in their twenties and appear to weigh about 140 pounds. In REAL life, most Americans are over forty, and most American men weigh more than 200 pounds.

American bike riding in the 1950's and 1960's was about recreation, relaxation, and touring. Bike ads and catalogs often featured people who were too young or too old for racing. Bike reviews often centered on comfort, reliability, and quality. Articles were written about people who took 3000 mile summer tours, and did so slowly, but comfortably.

The "racing" image of bike riding turns off people who are NOT interested in speed. MOST American adults do not own a good bike. And MOST adult Americans who own a bike ride it less than two hours a month. "My neck hurts...my hands hurt...my wrist hurts...my privates hurt..." All evidence of people riding with their hands lower than their saddle, or being stretched too far forward in the saddle".

One of the few companies that understands that most people want to RIDE a bike, not RACE a bike, is Rivendell. Their bikes are designed to use 28mm and 32mm tires that provide comfort and stability, in contrast to 20mm tires used to promote a "racy" image. Most of their bikes are designed so that fenders and racks can easily be added. Ride in the rain? Ride in our "go to work" clothes? Yes, on a Rivendell.

Comfort? Every Rivendell model is designed so that the stem (and your hands) can be higher than the saddle. A Rivendell owner can ride 365 days a year, and feel better, not worse, after completing a ride.

Some excellent articles about bike fitting and bike comfort are archived on the Rivendell web site. They also sell CD's containing collections of articles about bike design, bike riding, and bike history. Rivendell is all about bike riding, not bike racing.

www.rivendellbicycles.com
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