The bike doesn't matter... it's the motor - Page 2

Sory,

But why do you wear a gold ring?
An iron one shoulkd be OK.
A house? why? A tent could be as good.
Why a 32" TV? Get a 13" B/W.
The same goes for bikes.

A few years ago, a world class tennis pro turned up at Wimbledon with a wooden racquet. He was beaten off the court by unheardofs with graphite; the world had move on.
The best will always outperform pretenders who rely too much on technical fixes to shave grams and seconds, but when they are in serious contention, the advantage of a better racquet, or bike, is significant.
Your friend rode a cannondale. When my bike was built, cannondale hadn't yet been born. As far as I am concerned, he had a high-tech bike.
But generally I agree with you, it is the rider, not the bike, that wins the race.

as for a tennis raquet, yeah i could use my wifes graphite and get spanked by her if she used wood. same for running shoes, skeet gun, archery equipment, pool cue, baseball mitt, canoe paddle , you name it. but then dura ace and alu is the favored by those in the know as prerequisite for serious aspiration. or rising to the level of one's own incompetence just tryin' to hang.

it has been pointed out most group rides display "an absurd collection of technological overkill"

and some riders are on a budget, gotta run what they brung yet still hang. or, even dominate. flash back to the '90s, one guy was winning crits on a bridgestone 2000 steel, super heavy. another guy was consistent winner yet had to ride an rsx equiped low end bike as it was all he could swing at the time.

i think it is cool to see how little one can spend yet still be racy. this does not mean cheap, just equivalent.

however, a new bike can transform a rider. eddie b talks about putting out enough to surprise everyone, by not riding like yourself. a lot of riding is mental, just look at how the leader's jersey transforms the europros.

a new bike may be the best look in we get.

now if you will excuse me, i must roll around on my beloved steel wilier nemo with ultegra/da 9 mix kit while my unbuilt sucker bike awaits final expenditures.

iron, don't be jealous, it is just that you know it is proven even with a girl rider ti is gonna break at the welds long before my carbo bike has seen a fraction of its' fatigue lifespan.

Was there a hidden message there?
I am trying to visualise these things.

My bike cost me 20 bucks second hand five years ago - it's an old Claude Butler Courer. I love it to bits, it's as light as a feather and every time I look at bikes for 500 bucks or more they all seem soooo heavy and more likely to get stolen.

So fine if you you like the gear but there is something to be said for having a great week of touring on a 20 bucks like I do . . .

The bike does matter. The title to this post would be more correct if it said, "The motor is much more important than the bike".

If you believe that the bike doesn't matter, try taking a mountain bike to your next road race and see what happens. (I think Bob Roll did this once and won! But he was a tour rider)

__________________
I love women. They're the best thing ever created. If they want to be like men and come down to our level, that's fine.
Mel Gibson

Yeah a mountain bike vs road bike is kindof like a jeep vs a corvette. Each is better in it's respective realm.

However just about any decent road bike is the equal of any other decent road bike. You get equal or over about $1400 on a road bike and more cash will buy you bling but it won't buy you speed.

Not exactly true with mountain bikes. You have to spend a lot to get a great suspension bike.