[SIZE= medium]Hi. [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]You’ve certainly done much better on a bike than I have – racing in Europe etc. Guys I raced with in the 80s were concerned re bike weight but as you say it was nothing like the issue it is now (and I only knew that my light tubs went faster than my clincher training wheels). [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]Good on for you work now with young puppies. Even here there are young people who’s parents will buy them the latest and greatest (15year old with the latest Cevelo TT bike etc) and who want (demand) the lightest and supposedly fastest. Most though have secondhand cobbled together bikes that they just love racing and riding. [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]Most weekends I train with some 30/40 something guys who’re into the most $/lightest/fastest stuff too. I often ride my singlespeed to give me a really good workout and it’s of immense satisfaction to me to beat guys up hills who are riding mega $ bikes. [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]One guy who I can beat (most of us can beat him) bought a new Wilier Cento Uno Di2 ($16 000 NZ). Another guy (who’s a pretty good rider) bought Dura ace brake calipers thinking the weight difference over his Ultegra would make a speed difference![/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]These guys are really into the technology and name brands etc and that’s cool I guess but it won’t get them faster like losing some pounds and training more (both of which most of them need). [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]I too like bikes for bike sake but I’d much rather search around for a bargain and something more interesting than that which comes straight off a shop floor. [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]Bikes I currently have; Felt F80 frame with full carbon fork and American classic 350s (race bike), Merida 904 with Token C30 wheels (fast training), NZ made steel Bauer with carbon fork I converted to SingleSpeed (training), old Scwhinn MTB (riding with my wife and sons on bike paths), and early 90s Saronni with tubs and full Suntour I’m restoring and an early 80 TEAM Raleigh I’m restoring. [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]BBB/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif[/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]You’ve certainly done much better on a bike than I have – racing in Europe etc. Guys I raced with in the 80s were concerned re bike weight but as you say it was nothing like the issue it is now (and I only knew that my light tubs went faster than my clincher training wheels). [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]Good on for you work now with young puppies. Even here there are young people who’s parents will buy them the latest and greatest (15year old with the latest Cevelo TT bike etc) and who want (demand) the lightest and supposedly fastest. Most though have secondhand cobbled together bikes that they just love racing and riding. [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]Most weekends I train with some 30/40 something guys who’re into the most $/lightest/fastest stuff too. I often ride my singlespeed to give me a really good workout and it’s of immense satisfaction to me to beat guys up hills who are riding mega $ bikes. [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]One guy who I can beat (most of us can beat him) bought a new Wilier Cento Uno Di2 ($16 000 NZ). Another guy (who’s a pretty good rider) bought Dura ace brake calipers thinking the weight difference over his Ultegra would make a speed difference![/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]These guys are really into the technology and name brands etc and that’s cool I guess but it won’t get them faster like losing some pounds and training more (both of which most of them need). [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]I too like bikes for bike sake but I’d much rather search around for a bargain and something more interesting than that which comes straight off a shop floor. [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]Bikes I currently have; Felt F80 frame with full carbon fork and American classic 350s (race bike), Merida 904 with Token C30 wheels (fast training), NZ made steel Bauer with carbon fork I converted to SingleSpeed (training), old Scwhinn MTB (riding with my wife and sons on bike paths), and early 90s Saronni with tubs and full Suntour I’m restoring and an early 80 TEAM Raleigh I’m restoring. [/SIZE]
[SIZE= medium]BBB/img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif[/SIZE]
Originally Posted by Simmske .
Well I have sounded arrogant before..... Even then I wasn't trying to... I have raced quite seriously until about 3 years ago. I moved to Belgium when I was 18 to go and race important races. I did that for another 10 years racing for a couple of 'serious' continental teams and never did I or anyone at that level actually talk about the weight of their bikes. It might be different in Spain or Italy where a mountain top finish could be decided by who puts out the most power and carries the least weight but here it was just talking about racing and sometimes dope.
It does concearn me now because I volunteer as team director at the biggest junior club in Belgium and this next generation of cyclists who have ambition to take it to the next level' or at least want to look like the pros and not work a regular job, but I digress....... It concearns me that they are more interested in the colour of their Oakley Radars and their sock height-weight of bike etc than the races or training they are doing. These guys know how much every frame or part weighs and chose to ride light chinese carbon bikes and deep rims over cobblestones and dont listen to experienced people that tell them not to. These same kids dont even care if they break a frame or two every year because Daddy will buy them a new one. So thats where I stand on the new rage of weighing stuff.
Its funny because the kids who are most into it and **** on and on about the weight of their AX lightness saddles are not what you would call 'lean' and sad to say wouldnt stand a chance in a hilly race.
I do however appreciate that it has become a separate hobby for some of these guys. It is what they talk about and to an extent, it is amusing to hear people talk about but I wouldn't take the ****. I would prefer to see the whole junior team train harder and race with more charachter but thats probably asking too much. I wasnt implying that you shouldnt weigh your bike but you have to admit, it has become a standard piece of information when someone is telling you about their bike. I couldnt give out that information because I still haven't done it. But I think I will if anyone asks me. I didn't join this forum to argue with anyone or to sound arrogant but sometimes reading text, you can easily misinterprit the tone that the writer is explaining. Man, talking is a bit old school but we wouldn't have had this disagreement. So lets blame technology.
Ofcorse guys like Grey Ghost (where did he get that name?) ride their bikes. They love it, so do we.