Thread: Technology jump
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Old 06-07-09, 12:35 AM
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TrekJapan
Each Drop of Sweat Counts
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: New Bern NC
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Bikes: Trek FX2, Trek Verve 3, Dahon Launch D8, Dahon Jetstream XP, Dahon Speed P8, Dahon Speed TR, Dahon Speed TT

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It's going to be interesting to see how our space age bikes hold up in the long run.

I always compare music reproduction to other areas of technology.

I personally think sound reproduction was at it's zenith in the 60's and 70's with tubes and tape machines.

Along comes the transistor and sure it's cheap and reliable, and runs cooler, etc. but the name of the game is sound reproduction and it sounded better then than now.

If you look at his bikes I personally don't see a lot of difference. Bikes really haven't evolved much but certainly parts are lighter, stronger, closer tolerance, etc. BUT WILL THEY HOLD UP FOR 50 YEARS? Or does it matter? How many people buy a bike and ride it for 50 years (and yes I know I'm inviting trouble asking that as I'm sure Bike Forums is full of guys who've had a particular bike for lifetime). But I'm talking most people.

I think most folks buy a bike, don't use it and then it ends up on Craigslist when it's time to clean the garage. We of course here are the exception to that.

Maybe we had it right when we made bikes almost exclusively out of steel and 40 years later you knock the dust off them and they work just fine.

Okinawa is living proof of that I think. I see people here all the time with some old steel bike that is 20 -30 years old if not more riding around their field or to the corner store and back. Old bikes look rough but they're still going. And these were probably the bikes comparable to present day Wal Mart bikes in terms of price and technology. And yet here they still all are.

John
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