Modern cycling - a gear fest?
02-22-10, 03:53 PM
#26
Peloton Shelter Dog
02-22-10, 03:54 PM
#27
Peloton Shelter Dog
You keep BF entertained for weeks on end with a stupid, lively, informative, contentious, sophomoric gear thread, and this is the thanks you get.
02-22-10, 04:08 PM
#28
Blast from the Past
Oh, believe me, it hasn't changed a bit.
02-22-10, 04:09 PM
#29
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I think that the answer lies in a combination of these two statements -
You can find boards like BF for just about ANY hobby. I've participated in boards on: high-end audio, espresso/coffee, photography, computers, etc, etc. ENTHUSIAST sites attract the biggest (and worst) gearheads, and that's not a bad thing - you just have to take things with a grain of salt.
Oh, and if you think that there weren't gearheads in the ol' days, you're kidding yourself. They were there, they just didn't have a wonderfully efficient way of comparing notes. Thank All Gore for the internets.
Oh, and if you think that there weren't gearheads in the ol' days, you're kidding yourself. They were there, they just didn't have a wonderfully efficient way of comparing notes. Thank All Gore for the internets.
02-22-10, 04:09 PM
#30
You gonna eat that?
You got that right. I have six bikes; paid less than $600 total, maybe about that much again in maintenance and accessories. And I've saved more than that riding to work. I'm a bit of a laughing stock in my bike club but I have no trouble keeping up with all but the fastest riders, even though I'm riding a Raleigh 3-speed and wearing jeans.
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I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi 
"However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
02-22-10, 04:20 PM
#31
It is fantastic.
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I ride old road bikes with mostly Campy NR parts. I do the group rides on Sunday(in season). To me I really dont care what I am riding as long as it works well and everythings adjusted properly. I enjoy the ride, the bike isnt really a consideration when it comes to my performance. What I ate, how hard I worked the previous week, how well I slept, etc. is what I pay attention to, and effects the quality of my riding.
On the Road Forum everyone talks about their gear. Getting new wheels, tires, reducing bike weight to make them go faster. Is the modern roadie a pure gearhead? The bike maufacturers must be loving the modern road riders obsession with equipment. And then theres the equipment that monitors the riders watt output?
Just my observation as to the evolution of the sport.
Back in the day the gearheads were an offshoot of the sport of cycling. Now the gearhead mentality is the prevailing force of cycling.
Any thoughts? - Popcorn in the microwave as I type.
On the Road Forum everyone talks about their gear. Getting new wheels, tires, reducing bike weight to make them go faster. Is the modern roadie a pure gearhead? The bike maufacturers must be loving the modern road riders obsession with equipment. And then theres the equipment that monitors the riders watt output?
Just my observation as to the evolution of the sport.
Back in the day the gearheads were an offshoot of the sport of cycling. Now the gearhead mentality is the prevailing force of cycling.
Any thoughts? - Popcorn in the microwave as I type.
02-22-10, 04:27 PM
#32
Passista
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Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex... It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
02-22-10, 04:34 PM
#33
Senior Member
Sorry, couldn't resist.
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --the tiniest sprinter
02-22-10, 05:32 PM
#34
Pointy Helmet Tribe
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You can find boards like BF for just about ANY hobby. I've participated in boards on: high-end audio, espresso/coffee, photography, computers, etc, etc. ENTHUSIAST sites attract the biggest (and worst) gearheads, and that's not a bad thing - you just have to take things with a grain of salt.
V.
02-22-10, 05:46 PM
#35
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Oh yeah -Coffeegeek.com. Talks include grouphead design, temp regulation, which grinder to buy, etc, etc, etc.
Here's a cuppa and my E61 (Quickmill Anita) - pic taken with Canon 30D and EF 50 f/1.8 II, since replaced by 5D and Sigma 50 f/1.4...
Here's a cuppa and my E61 (Quickmill Anita) - pic taken with Canon 30D and EF 50 f/1.8 II, since replaced by 5D and Sigma 50 f/1.4...
02-22-10, 06:00 PM
#36
Go, Dog. Go!
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To me, cycling is similar to architecture in that it's a perfect melding of art and science. An exquisite blend of the aesthetic and the technical. I mean name a more integrative instance of man and machine in sport. Hence, geek appeal is there and always has been for those interested. I dig the geek aspect since I am a geek, but not nearly as much as I love the ride.
02-22-10, 06:17 PM
#37
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I like gear.
I think it looks cool, I love the marketing BS, I love the way people like to talk about it, I really like the idea of ownership in general, and most importantly, it gets me to do whatever it is I do.
I have had several hobbies throughout my life so far, including photography, headphones, computers, and now bikes, to name a few of the more conventional ones. With every hobby, the internet forum is where the majority of my learning comes from, and I have become pretty convinced that a forum is one of the most efficient, free sources of education. But of course, the level of enthusiasm within any forum is going to lead to an obsession with gear, and I have come to both accept and embrace that. For me, the gear is a huge part of what makes a hobby fun because it just gives me an extra thing to learn and think about. And if I'm going to spend several hundreds or even thousands of dollars on something, there will always be an inherent need for its justification, and ultimately I've found that investment is one of the best forms of mental conditioning. That shiny new $200 saddle is going to get me on my damn bike, damnit. In the end, it won't necessarily make me a better cyclist, but I know that it'll make me become a better cyclist.
We're in the age of conspicuous consumption and there's nothing we can do about it, why not enjoy the hell out of it?
I think it looks cool, I love the marketing BS, I love the way people like to talk about it, I really like the idea of ownership in general, and most importantly, it gets me to do whatever it is I do.
I have had several hobbies throughout my life so far, including photography, headphones, computers, and now bikes, to name a few of the more conventional ones. With every hobby, the internet forum is where the majority of my learning comes from, and I have become pretty convinced that a forum is one of the most efficient, free sources of education. But of course, the level of enthusiasm within any forum is going to lead to an obsession with gear, and I have come to both accept and embrace that. For me, the gear is a huge part of what makes a hobby fun because it just gives me an extra thing to learn and think about. And if I'm going to spend several hundreds or even thousands of dollars on something, there will always be an inherent need for its justification, and ultimately I've found that investment is one of the best forms of mental conditioning. That shiny new $200 saddle is going to get me on my damn bike, damnit. In the end, it won't necessarily make me a better cyclist, but I know that it'll make me become a better cyclist.
We're in the age of conspicuous consumption and there's nothing we can do about it, why not enjoy the hell out of it?
02-22-10, 08:19 PM
#38
Uber Goober
Bicycling involves moving your legs up and down to turn the cranks and make the thing go. That hasn't changed in a 100 years, and there's not much point in talking about it. What does change is the gear, so that gets talked about. If they hadn't developed any new cycling gear in the last 100 years, you wouldn't find this emphasis on it.
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"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
"be careful this rando stuff is addictive and dan's the 'pusher'."
02-22-10, 08:22 PM
#39
Peloton Shelter Dog
02-22-10, 08:34 PM
#40
My grammar sucks.
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I'm not old enough to really talk about back in the day but I starting cycling over 15 years ago and I find nothing has changed. Exact same mentalities in the same ratios. I still think I'm young, but that's a generation of cycling. No way is it just 'these kids these days' or something like that, although every generation ever has claimed as much.
That being said, you also realize that internet forums are not an accurate cross-section of the cycling population. Guy with a beard and white cotton socks on a steel bike with toe clips is a real cyclist, but probably couldn't imagine talking about it with strangers on the internet. In other words, while we have all types here on average 'it's all about the ride' guy is riding, not posting.
That being said, you also realize that internet forums are not an accurate cross-section of the cycling population. Guy with a beard and white cotton socks on a steel bike with toe clips is a real cyclist, but probably couldn't imagine talking about it with strangers on the internet. In other words, while we have all types here on average 'it's all about the ride' guy is riding, not posting.
02-22-10, 08:47 PM
#41
You gonna eat that?
Oh, by the way, I was searching for something and found a thread from a few years back that featured you, before your reputation was established. It was pretty damned funny. You used to be quite the card when people didn't know what to make of you.
__________________
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
02-22-10, 09:15 PM
#42
The bus, Gus
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Point is, we place a huge amount of importance in an object as the object itself, no matter if it's a 14lb carbon fiber vehicle of the future or a classic bit of machinery. It's the mere fact that we value the bike as a bike, not just as a means to get from A to B. As you said, the "reward" you gain from "resurrecting a classic bit of machinery" (and I can tell you right now that it's not so you can get from A to B) is the flagship model of the materialistic mindset we all live in. And I love it!
02-22-10, 09:39 PM
#43
Making a kilometer blurry
02-24-10, 12:52 AM
#44
You gonna eat that?
Point is, we place a huge amount of importance in an object as the object itself, no matter if it's a 14lb carbon fiber vehicle of the future or a classic bit of machinery. It's the mere fact that we value the bike as a bike, not just as a means to get from A to B. As you said, the "reward" you gain from "resurrecting a classic bit of machinery" (and I can tell you right now that it's not so you can get from A to B) is the flagship model of the materialistic mindset we all live in. And I love it!
__________________
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
I stop for people / whose right of way I honor / but not for no one.
Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
02-24-10, 12:57 AM
#45
cowboy, steel horse, etc
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Nothing these days lasts very long, compared to a 7-speed freewheel, but they sure get way lighter.
02-24-10, 01:45 AM
#46
Sua Ku
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One thing that we can't do on the internet very well is discuss the excitement of cycling or the great feeling you get after giving it your all on a long hard ride. A lot of people would not even want to try. It'd be like trying to explain what makes sex pleasurable.
Something that IS easy to do on the internet however, is count grams, gears, miles, watts etc.
Something that IS easy to do on the internet however, is count grams, gears, miles, watts etc.
Yea, back in the day you would have shown up with your NR crank and scoffed at my Sugino. Perhaps gotten a magnet out to show off the TI spindles in your Record pedals. We would have disected who had thinner hand filed luggs holding their "531" tube set togther (before 753), and laughed at the rider with straight gauge spokes. You may have been grumpy after the sunday ride because we pulled thru too many pot holes, and you were on "GEL 280's with Silk tires".
Oh, believe me, it hasn't changed a bit.
Oh, believe me, it hasn't changed a bit.
The answer lies in the middle of these.
By the way when I see fat blokes on a carbon uber bikes with a powertap lightweights, cycling at 15mph on the MUP making race faces I always think "Good for you."
02-24-10, 03:01 AM
#47
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I am sure if there was more gear and more access to it, it would have been more important and more part of the culture as it is now.
02-24-10, 06:16 AM
#50
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