Originally Posted by
ThermionicScott
I like steel as much as the next guy (or gal), but you know that if carbon fiber had been available in the 1930s, Rene Herse, Alex Singer, Nichola Barra, and all those guys would have been using it.
Our bikes would be a lot heavier and poorer-performing today if it weren't for the "weight weenies" of the past.
Can you imagine racing in the Alps on a single-speed steel bike, like the early TdF riders? It was definitely about the engine back then!
There were AL bikes available before 1900, so there was access to lighter weight frames in the past. Not embraced by the public at that time, even though high tech.
I’m not surprised people buy cheap stuff and replace it when it breaks. We’ve been conditioned to see that as normal. The economy would crumble if people only bought high-quality, long-lasting products.