Is the real road bike dead

[Eldron]

Never used GPS on my bike, I've also never been lost.

 

So for me to cough up all that money for a GPS so I don't get lost would be a waste of my money.

 

Some advice - just ask admin to delete this thread and be done with it...

[Dirkitech]

Never used GPS on my bike, I've also never been lost.

 

So for me to cough up all that money for a GPS so I don't get lost would be a waste of my money.

Unlucky you, getting lost in the right place can be amazing. Otherwise this is just you using this pointless thread to complain about your personal preference and how the industry doesn't align with it. Who cares. Find a friend, moan to them, fix your issues and move on. If you don't like road bikes, get some eye shields.

[Grease_Monkey]

Yeah, I haven't read the whole thread. But, what a load of crap. Bikes are faster, lighter, and stiffer than ever before. If you can them comfortable at the same time why not? Or is comfort for softies?

 

Besides, not everyone wants or needs an out and out racing machine. Cycling for most of us is a LEISURE activity, meant to be enjoyed. Why would anyone torture themselves on a bike just to say "ek is 'n harde ou". And let's be honest, speed at all cost is for the pros - most of us won't be faster on an uncomfortable, light, stiff, carbon race bike anyway - so we might as well get a bike on which we can enjoy a 4 or 5 hours.

[Jase619]

kee-RISTE there is a lot of butthurt on the hub today - maybe Wind-Up-Wednesday needs to be replaced with Emo-Monday

 

It's TDF season, every is super hyped up, and all the Froome and Sky haters have an axe to grind, but the UCI/WADA don't frequent this site. . . It's just collateral damage

[Paul Ruinaard]

Reading various topics and discussions on this site, I've come to the conclusion that real road bikes are dead.

 

Road bikes were all about speed. Comfort took the back seat and the riders were tougher for it.

 

Now we are seeing 1x drive trains on road bikes, rediculously large cassettes and compact chainrings to make climbing easier, big tyres to make the ride more comfortable and disc brakes.

 

What I can see is that road bikes are starting to morph into mountain bikes.

 

If you want a bike with fat tyres, dinner plate cassettes and disc brakes, get a hardtail mountain bike.

 

Let road bikes go back to the their roots as stiff, lightweight speed machines where comfort is secondary to speed and strong legs get you up the hill fast.

Yeah and there was a movement in the industrial revolution called luddites that went around breaking machines cause they stole jobs and tech was bad.

 

Why dont you take your internet connection, computer and web site access and send them back to the manufacturers because they are ruining traditional carrier pigeon communications and go back to a runner with cleft stick to deliver your responses to this thread. Thta was when men were men and communications were hard - the real good times.

[GaryvdM]

Never used GPS on my bike, I've also never been lost.

 

So for me to cough up all that money for a GPS so I don't get lost would be a waste of my money.

 

Cool - so you should be good to ride the Freedom Challenge on your real road bike.

[gummibear]

Unlucky you, getting lost in the right place can be amazing. Otherwise this is just you using this pointless thread to complain about your personal preference and how the industry doesn't align with it. Who cares. Find a friend, moan to them, fix your issues and move on. If you don't like road bikes, get some eye shields.

Some things never change.A guy has an option but some people will always make it personal.

[Jase619]

Yeah and there was a movement in the industrial revolution called luddites that went around breaking machines cause they stole jobs and tech was bad.

 

Why dont you take your internet connection, computer and web site access and send them back to the manufacturers because and go back to a runner with cleft stick to deliver your responses to hey are ruining traditional carrier pigeon communications athis thread. Thta was when men were men and communications were hard - the real good times.

 

I already used this comparison on page 1

[Patchelicious]

Some things never change.A guy has an option but some people will always make it personal.

Apparently bicycles do, too much.

[Robbie Stewart]

Where did I refer to your term "real man." I did not at any point give any opinion on what a real man is or what he should ride. Comment all you want on my post, but don't accuse me of saying something I didn't.

 

 

oi mate, shots fired!!!

 

I was not referring to anything you per se said. I am referring to all the people who say stuff like "real men" ride...(fill in the blank to your leisure).

 

Is this passive-aggressive slant working for you today? 

 

As per your comment count, by now you should know that making blanket statements will lead to the hub-masses throwing flack your way. Be prepared to endure, or don't go there. Also, since when is it a requirement to qualify every statement made. Where's the fun in that?

[gummibear]

Apparently bicycles do, too much.

   

 

Some of it is for the good of the sport

[PygaSchmyga]

Apparently bicycles do, too much.

top comment

[PygaSchmyga]

kee-RISTE there is a lot of butthurt on the hub today - maybe Wind-Up-Wednesday needs to be replaced with Emo-Monday

 

 

Where did I refer to your term "real man." I did not at any point give any opinion on what a real man is or what he should ride. Comment all you want on my post, but don't accuse me of saying something I didn't.

Refer comment above!!

[Paul Ruinaard]

apologies....

[Headshot]

Where did I refer to your term "real man." I did not at any point give any opinion on what a real man is or what he should ride. Comment all you want on my post, but don't accuse me of saying something I didn't.

I think you made Robbie feel like less of a man, so he had his buttons pushed and reacted. I believe the term used these days is "triggered" . 

 

Let me paraphrase what your initial post was on about, in part, at least in my mind, namely, the rampant consumerism that we find in every sphere of modern life, from phones to cars to bikes. 

 

Back in the day, things moved far more slowly - we saw the latest trends in a movie or a monthly magazine. These days everything from product cycles to news move in step with the information age. Bikes have model years like cars, phones seem to come out every 6  months or so... etc etc. Fact is we actually don't need any of these things to be the newest and most modern and can make do with far less. However, human nature dictates that a percentage of us will consume whatever is pushed our way just to have the latest thing/impress our friends/have the placebo of believing those new wheels will make us faster etc. Amongst all the marketing nonsense, however, is some genuine innovation and improvement in the equipment...

 

Take the tyre thing. Wider is better in my experience (up to a point) - just add 25 or 28mm tyres to an old road bike and voila. I rode a CTCT on an ancient Cannondale with 19mm tyres. Awful. My 10 year old 9 Speed Raleigh with 25mm tyres is so much more comfortable and I feel far less beaten up after a long ride, even untrained. Then again, my best time in the CTCT was on a very heavy high tensile framed road bike with down tube shifters. It looked old even back in 1999 but I managed to beat tens of thousands of people on fancier bikes. 

 

At the end of the day, within certain limits, its not about the bike at all is it. And should we care that some people want the latest and greatest carbon lay up for more comfort and fatter tyres and, and, and. Just smile as you pass them on your steel/ali 9 speed and enjoy your ride.

[SwissVan]

Not an attempt to create an argument, simply an observation of what I see being discussed on the Hub and wondering what other people think.

 

Seems as if my comments have hit a nerve. I didn't actually expect that. I was expecting some comments but not this aggressive.

 

I realise that there are many options out there, but are people buying them. Are people buying bikes with 23/12 at the back or going for the WiFli option.

 

Invovation vs demand is a different thing. Are people wanting easier ratios because of Invovation or because it's easier to get up a hill.

Don’t worry about anyone’s nerves, there are regulars on (insert cowboy accent) this thar hub.... that patrol the hub and thrive on finding threads like this.

 

You would think they would be more grateful