No one uses velcro on shoes past the age of 12. The vast majority of my contemporaries, all of which are in their early 20s or late teens, read regularly. They still teach math in school the way they've taught it forever; you're not allowed the use of a calculator for the vast majority of exams.

You and your ridiculous prejudices can kindly take a long walk off a short pier.

OK, as a well past 40 guy, I'll apologize to you, and also try and explain : we guys, like all throughout history, have seen things change. The temptation is there to see the shortcomings of those changes. For example, what use is a gameboy when the lights go out ? Will a gameboy grow cabbage for you ? Will the gameboy fix your carbon bicycle ? There is a generailzed (not total, a general tendancy) loss of survival skills which we are noticing. And no doubt our elders noted that in us. As to education, there is no arguing that the level required to achieve any given diploma has dropped incredibly : I know a load (the overwhelming majority) of "kids" who are all but functionally illiterate but still get schooled to 20. If you tell me that you personally are not among the "upper tier" in terms of litteracy and "IQ" , I'll believe you. Is this what you are saying ? Anyway, how many of you kids know how to repair a bicycle with a cabbage ?

As an old fart who has always found technology overwhelming-- I draw for a living, and I ink my drawings in with a sable hair brush, talk about ancient tech-- I don't think this movement is quite as overwhelming as one might think. What's happened is that skillsets have become consistently more specialized in the last forty years or so. Part of this is technology, and the design of modern appliances (ie cars). I can fix a PC for example, but it's very much a lego type of knowledge (hard drive out? slap in another one. I can't fix the old one, just replace it). With a bicycle, especially an older one, I can repair the constituent parts to a much higher degree. I believe new mercedes don't even have a dipstick now, the oil has to be checked at the dealer. sheesh. Some of this Lego build and repair philosophy has certainly filtered into bikes in the last ten years or so-- brifter out? change the whole thing (Yeah, I know the campy ones are supposedly repairable. Just try finding the shop that'll do it).

However, the vast majority of old farts can't even fix a bike. And there are plenty of kids working with their hands on bikes, out curiousity or necessity. I don't think it's that much of an age divide. More like a philosophical one.

There's a local motorcycle mechanic here in RVA, who wrote a pretty good book on just this. It's called "Shop Class as Soul Craft", by Matthew Crawford. An interesting read, I recommend it, even though it's not about our kind of bike.

BTW, a computer cannot replicate the feel and the line of a sable hair brush. It just can't. Maybe it will someday. But I doubt it.

No, seriously..... what is that?

For the stereo pic => Where do you plug in the ipod?

New mechanic is looking at my bike and says... "your chain rings aren't round".

I said, they were round but I warped them because of how much power I can lay down... and he was in awe.

Another mechanic said that I was a monster. :lol:











And then I explained what a Biopace chain ring was.

Maybe it fails because you don't have an extra helmet to hold out and say slyly, "hop on..." ;)

Decency and fear of being banned from the forum prhibits me from suggesting where ipods should be plugged:rolleyes:

I recognize all that stuff. Same with me, a mix of old and new(ish). Heathkit, Eico
modified/updated tube electronics. A pair of monster 6550 Allen Organ amps. All this
mid-50s. Modern speakers, GMA Europa/Tyler subwoofer. Onkyo tuner, etc.
You get the picture.

I bought and traded for 30 years looking for "the best", then settled down to just listen and enjoy.
As you say, it's a similar little addiction to bicycles.

Thanks,

J

Touche'

I'll need a banana seat as well. :thumb:

I think what you fail to realize is that while the younger generation may fail to learn what you term "survival skills," they also have a vastly different idea of what skills of survival might be. It's not as though teenagers are out there dying in herds because of a power outage.

In any case, I'm proud to be a 20-something with a healthy vintage knowledge. Old stuff is just way cooler.
Bikes- My Ironman... Don't think I'll ever get rid of it. I love my IRO, but I'm in the process of building it myself from a frame, so it's more a sentimental thing than being proud of vintage craftsmanship.
Music- Up until a year or two ago, all my stereo equipment was vintage. My mom :rolleyes: bought me a brand new stereo outfit because she's more of the opinion that "if it isn't new, it probably doesn't work right" than me. I'm pretty sure I have more LPs than CDs (ok, ok, the vast majority of my music is fully digital, but when it comes to physical media, the LP is king!)
Instruments- My two favorite instruments are vintage. First is a 1972ish Fender MusicMaster bass. Very weird instrument (really short scale, the pickup is an old strat pickup, so under the cover, there are six poles instead of four), but it plays SO NICE. The other one is this old Baldwin home organ I picked up for $35—I can only guess at the year of manufacture. Works mostly right most of the time, but there's usually at least one thing acting weird on it, which is a large part of its charm.

If that doesn't give you some idea of my inclinations, I also spent the last four years working at a research library, where the main part of my job was sorting through the files and possessions of dead people. Everyone I told about this job was like "That sounds kinda cool... I guess," to which I always responded, "Hell yes it's cool! Getting paid to look through old stuff?!" Unfortunately this was a student job and I lost it when I graduated.

I've played with brifters for a 40 meter ride on a borrowed bike... that's the extent of my use. Not hard... but also nothing special to write home about :p (maybe if crit racing or CXing)

x2
Maybe bolts to the water bottle bosses? I really have no idea.... and I ride an '83 roadie.

I'm not sure he was hinting at the banana seat:innocent:

I just noticed that as a 20-something guy... I've skipped over most of the long posts here. Does that help prove one of the points in them :D

A woman that I work with was driving her daughter and some friends when one of the girls asked if she could roll down the window. After the mom said yes, the girl asked where the button was. She didn't recognize the crank handle on the door.

My daughter is an engineering student. Last semester, she was in a group project with 3-4 guys and she was the only one who knew how to build with Legos. She can't wait to get a project that requires welding.

Once, on The Amazing Race, they had the task of assembling a pair of bikes which they then had to ride to the next destination. It was only simple things, like what you would get when you first take it out of the box, but the majority really struggled with it.

tl;dr

:lol::lol:

I almost never hear people tell time like that. My dad does so I learned from him but I never hear anybody else his age, 60, say "quarter till" or "quarter after". I think it's fair to say that you threw her off. It is funny to think she didn't realize 15 is 1/4 of 60 though. :)

It is humorous, but no different than what our parents said about us.

The kids today are no different now then we were then. They know everything about the relevant stuff, and not much about the older, irrelevant stuff.

If it becomes relevant again, as in "retro-cool" they will know about it before we do, and come ask us about it.

Since the caption is "CO2 Hold" I have to assume it's a little bracket that attaches to water bottle lugs to hold CO2 cartridges? But if I got one of those brackets, where would I mount my pump?

.....?

You're not the only one. The file name suggests it has to do with holding a CO2 cartridge ... onto the bottle bosses ? I wouldn't expect everyone to know that either ... since I use a pump, and most people probably carry their CO2 on a pocket or bag.

WTF would you want CO2 for on a bike? Are you making a fizzy drinks? Do you have enough to share with everyone?

Let's not blame the kids or the times for the youth not knowing about older technologies/methods.

I am a 23 old recent architecture school graduate who grew up on a farm and works in various craft and art fields. i've used technologies from more eras spanning more time than most people should ever touch.

the reason i know how to manually draw, render, make physical models for architecture... someone older than me who knew these processes taught me. I taught myself how to use the computer technology to do so. I help out in a guitar shop fairly regularly. again, an older person who knew the methods has taught me. I don't care to learn how to use a cnc mill to make guitar parts, but the option is there and i'd probably be taught by someone who only knows how to build via that method. In farming, i was taught all the manual methods of work. very few automated processes happened on our farm. again i was taught by older people who knew the methods.

just food for thought, but is it not somewhat the fault of those who hold knowledge about existing processes, parts, methods, etc. for not imparting that knowledge to a newer generation.

not saying that older people don't know newer technologies and younger people don't know older ones as i know that's a total fallacy.

pogue, i'd love to see some of your drawings btw.

At least I'm a pro at googling. :D


Did the young woman not realize the origin of the statement "Roll up/down the window". Not like the glass rolls up inside the door :roflmao2:

Oh, and Legos > welding :D

Bear in mind. You are an anomaly, a Renaissance man if you like. Any of us who are under, say, 35 in this forum are anomalies. We're "too young" to know and appreciate many of the things we appreciate.

You know, just like I know about myself, that you're not like most people your age. An older friend once said to me, and I took it as the highest compliment, "You've got an old soul".

Nice setup! The good older stuff is so well made, golden age of Hi Fi and all that! Just as with bikes, people are really starting to catch on to this, especially given the wide appeal and easy access of Ebay. The market is sizzling, and I know there are some younger folks that "get it", they are not all carving up classic frames to make fixed gear bikes...

Oh that's priceless... Mind you, those things are a bit of an oddity - I've never seen one..

The world changes, people adapt to new technology, and where I live at least, have more "disposable income". That means less impetus to fix/make things one's self, but that is not everyone's choice. By our nature (a collection of twits that tinker with old bikes) we have perhaps a skewed view on practicality compared to "average society". Perhaps not by so much though, and those of us that have children have a chance to share our knowledge and enthusiasm.

Ed