So, out of curiosity- who made you the authority on what equipment a given level rider should ride? Heck, my first bike was a '02 LeMond Tourmalet- it was definitely more bike than I needed at the time.. and since then, I have *gasp* upgraded the components to ultegra/dura ace, and the wheels to a set of Shimano 7701's. Do I use the equipment to its fullest? Heck no.. I could probably bike the same speeds (a modest 17-19mph depending on the ride) on the stock equipment. Do I enjoy my new equipment? The DA/Ultegra stuff sure shifts a heck of a lot easier than that old Tiagra stuff, and the wheels, well, they have a bit more zip than the stock ones, and I enjoy them more. Am I trying to impress anyone with my equipment? No.. I am just a bit of a bike geek, and love new equipment.
If I had the money (which I dont), I probably would go ahead and get that LeMond Tete De Course I have been drooling over at the bike shop, and would probably get something along the lines of these Zipp wheels.. not to race, but to go out and cycle on. In your eyes, I am probably not worthy, but it is my pocket book, my azz in the saddle, and my legs turning the pedals on MY bike upwards of 175 miles per week, so I'll get whatever the heck I want.
Originally Posted by Buddy_Lee
Actually, I had the chance to purchase a set of these wheels at cost and passed. Thats one of the benifits of actually racing and doing well on occasion
Like I said before (if you bothered to read the rest of my post), I wasn't impressed by the durability (or lack there-of) of the Zipp rims.
I am not a bike snob. I wave and smile to people on any bike including Huffys that I pass while out training. I think its great that they are out getting some exercise. I have happily shown more than one newbie and/or junior racer the ropes of riding in a group, fixing a flat, etc. I hate bike snobs just as much as the rest of you out there; they make our sport look bad while discouraging people from getting into cycling in the first place.
But, I just really can not stand posers that would rather look fast than actually go fast. To me, they are the other side of the same coin as the bike snobs. They buy all this expensive gear and then get dropped on the first hard climb of a group ride. Like Lance's book says "Its Not About The Bike". You also must be able to apply some power to the pedals. Maybe that's why some recreational cyclists think racers are snobs; because we aren't impressed with their expensive equipment. In order to get the respect of a racer, you must
earn it by pedalling your bike. Its like class... you can't buy it. If you think you can go fast, great... prove it - pin that number on, enter a race.
Speaking of Lance, IMHO what TiCarbo should do (since he is soooo passionate about the cause) is buy a nice, light set of alloy clinchers and donate the remaining $600 of his wheel budget to the LAF.
- Buddy Lee
does not just want to "look fast"
ps. Calling someone a "Fred" makes you look a bike snob.