Originally Posted by
banjo_mole
If not everywhere, than certainly here. This is my theory:
Cycling today is dead because people think,
"Oh, I'd like a bicycle to ride to work/school/etc."
They go to dept. store X and buy some *** welded 40lb steel monster that's out of adjustment for $100. It's a mountain bike, by the way, because road bikes are usually not there, or look "too unconfortable and twitchy."
It is slow, hard as hell to pedal, and out of adjustment. Saddle's too low. Miserable. It gets lost, thrown away, or never ridden.
Road bikes were the standard bicycle until the MTB boom. People could cycle transportively.
The development of the MTB killed any remaining transportational cycling in america.
The lack of affordable road bikes for the youth keeps youth interest in cycling minimal.
And no one rides bikes. Kids drive everywhere at 16.
This is my theory, it makes me sad.
I wish a company could start making affordable lugged steel bikes again, a la Scwhinn or Univega.
What do you think?
-Banjoi
There have always been junkers. People, especially young people never go outside anymore. The 70s and 80s saw an outside boom, fitness, health, back packing, jogging and all but now people just sit on their ever larger rears drinking and smoking and playing video games and whining.
I go out for a ride and I am struck by the lack of diversity in the bike gene pool. Not only do I only see MTBs 9:1 but every bike is either a Trek or a Cannodale or a Specialized or a Wally World Special probably all coming from the same giant box factory in China.