Do You Guys Not Care About Bikes Anymore?!

Are they just 'vehicles' to get you over the line?

 

Bikes have become appliances...like toasters. Thus, the rise of shitmaNO. Because burned toast is the new 'It works flawlessly!'.

There is no pride of ownership, no care taken in learning the craft of precision maintenance and certainly no attention to detail in the proper fitting of the machine to the rider.

I know a guy that wears the latest high dollar racer-cut clothing, buys the latest issue aero helmet and zoom-zoom carbon aero wheels and rocks the latest 25 MM trend tires laid out over the hippest new wide aero rims and...

..there's three spacers under his stem.

Oy vey.

 

Bob I am glad you could answer because I do not understand the question.

 

Sometimes they don't do that, and I think I should tell them, but very often I just look the other way...

 

Quote by JH:
"Bob I am glad you could answer because I do not understand the question."

So...wing it!

 

I would guess that many if not most people don't have the technical knowledge of machinery that engineers have - and probably a lot of bike shop employees who sell and service don't have that level of education or expertise either - face it, probably not a very high-paying job.

Also simply the pace of life today. As our horizons and reach have expanded, so have the demands placed, and that we place, on our time. It makes it difficult to find the time to get deeply into one thing - if it's something you are passionate about you make the time. Again though, technical ability and expertise factor in - perhaps as a bottleneck that keeps many amateurs from pursuing deeper knowledge after a few failures.

 

When I was in high school, I used to be a huge cycling geek. There was a small group of us that knew all about the latest Cannondale bicycles and Shimano cycling parts - which to buy, which to import and how to tweak our gear ratios to perfection. Then again, we had a lot of free time during our high school years to indulge in the hobby. These days, it still remains a hobby but with limited time due to work obligations. I prefer to focus on the joys of riding rather than on the latest cycling equipment like I did back in high school.

 

I am not sure what you looked like before so how can I tell if you look the other way or the same.
Often? Is that posted in the same sense as not seldom or more than occasionally? I do actually care about my bike
but it never takes me to fancy places like it use to. Always that same old routes. It's not even worth getting dressed
up for. I can ride my bike for miles without ever having a conversation with it. Maybe the old spark is gone.

 

I've noticed that when you are broke, you don't care as much. I know a lot of low-income people who ride bikes a lot, and if you don't have the money to constantly care, then I understand why you wouldn't wanna care.

 

Maybe you need to trade it in for a new model that will rekindle the flame.

Guy I know did that with his and he is much happier now - oh, wait, that was his shrew of a first wife - same basic idea though.

 

I wasn't always obsessing with how bad Shimano deraileur screws are. There was a time when I was obsessing with how to properly size flange screws...

In the meeting room I was a wizard! Here's me with a bunch of vibration calculations.

But after "my episode" and "the war", it was hard finding a job, nobody could... So I spent about 3 years mastering how to wrap bar tape and squeeze fast km's out of road tires and here I am.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbESKH0t0zs

 

Yes here you are. Some say that size doesn't matter with flange screws but what do they know. I am in the belief that
speed achieved on a bike is in direct relation to the color of your bar tape.
Steel is real and so is carbon, it just doesn't rhyme with steel but that is another matter for another time.

 

Have you thought much about Flange Screws Mr. #JHuskey?

You assemble a Pseudo-Cylindrical structure somewhere, made from pieces sized according to freight and road infastructure limitations.

All you have to rely on is your power torque wrench, and your screws...

Don't think!


Following:

Moscow Aleycat video clip with cool music.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUuID2ijD_A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vou0uNxIxLU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZiu8aUFZPM

 

Man, that was a good laugh.

 

From what I understand with this thread, this is a sentiment of a bike lover. Am I right on this? I am not a bike lover but I love my bike simply because it is mine and I care for anything that is mine. Now, with the proper use of bike, I personally use it for recreation and not for any other riding purposes. I am not a competitive person maybe because my physique is not fit. Right now I have that nagging swelling on my leg muscle that appears once in a while. That's the reason why I cannot ride for the time being.

 

I'm actually glad that bikes have become more mainstream. As more people ride bikes, demand rises and it's easier and cheaper to get hold of bikes and parts. For many people, bikes are just a means to get from A to B and that's perfectly fine. But don't worry, there are plenty of passionate cyclists who will forever obsess over the hobby.

 

I use them as exercise equipment and I also use them as a traveling buddy as you will. Discover new places with her and meet new and interesting things. It has been an adventure none the less with my bike haha!

 

I've been riding for around 11 months and definitely care about my bike. The bikes that I see in shops are just "shiny objects" to me. I am starting to do some upgrades(wheels, crankset, stem height,etc...), but can't see myself parting with this bike anytime soon.