Originally Posted by
I-Like-To-Bike
In your dreams maybe. Certainly not in the U.S. where except for when an American is winning the race, there is almost no interest by the the public, whether they ride a bicycle or not.
I would guess that at least 95% of U.S. bicyclists could not name any winner of any Tour de France other than Lance, nor could most tell the difference between any bicycle used in the Tour de France from the last 50 years.
You have been reading too much blogging from an enthusiast clique.
Or having nightmares.
I often get the sense in threads like this that a lot of people who post here never actually look around to see what most people are riding. If you ride in cities, it's really obvious that flat bars dominate. Racing's effects on what people want is limited to a sub-segment of a segment of the market, and it's one that's drastically over-represented in forums, blogs, publications, etc. No question that it's the segment of the market with the highest profit margin, but it's a tiny segment compared to flat bars and more utilitarian drop bars.