In article
<d9647968-b5cb-4930-a170-474ca03ced6b@x35g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
datakoll <
[email protected]> wrote:
> http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?a=b&minisite=10029&spid=22242&lan
> guage=US
>
> $7000
>
> ASO GOES NASCAR plus one
>
> rule ALL bikes ridden legal cost no more than $1500.
> every bike comes off the LBS floor.
>
> hey, if you're going there do it right?
>
> root solid for the home team no fantasy Tour BS.
I think you're solving a problem that doesn't exist.
Two basic facts:
-Amateur riders are usually riding way more bike than is likely to
matter. I remember a supremely talented guy in our club who won climbing
races about two years ago while riding a 6-speed Pinarello that had to
weigh more than 20 pounds. All the guys with 17-pound bikes had no
excuse.
-In most road races, the pound or three on the bike doesn't matter. It
is just possible the costly front aero wheels matter enough to care
about. But probably only at the 1/2/pro level.
-Even at the amateur level, riders fast and skinny enough to justify
16-18 pound bikes virtually never have to pay list, and often don't pay
at all for their bikes. The local riding scene runs about 200 riders in
all fields on a big race day, and of those, there are about 25-40 Cat
1/2 riders who simply aren't paying anything for their bikes, and
virtually any of the other riders (including pathetic me) could easily
get a substantial discount off of MSRP through their team's bike sponsor.
-for better or for worse, technological trickle-down happens fast. This
year's 105 looks a lot like 2006 Dura-Ace plus 100 grams. Either way, it
means that ordinary $1500 bikes these days look a lot like not-very-old
doctor/lawyer bikes that cost $7000 new.
--
Ryan Cousineau
[email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."
