On May 10, 2:36 am, Chalo <
[email protected]> wrote:
> Ride it? [break, destroy, hurt self] Mmm... no. Some other time and
> some other bike maybe.
Not meant in that manner, whatsoever. "You'd have to ride one suitable
for you, compare to similar others".
> I just wrote off a coaster brake hub last night. I was climbing a
> little hill-- the thing went "pop" and decided it was a two-way
> freewheel. This after doing the same to a SRAM 7-speed gearhub a
> couple of weeks ago and crunching up a tandem cassette hub a couple of
> months ago. I have better ways to risk my hide and depreciate
> equipment than to reduce somebody's precious toy to the world's most
> expensive and toxic kindling.
I've never actually met you, intros and all, but I do remember a brief
encounter at the old South Austin Bikes, actually not too long past
the time when I swapped out some plumber labor (venting for bathroom
fixtures IMS) for a tubular tire or two with Jim Keene and (I think)
Al, or maybe Joe. Anyhow, even my paltry 182 lb. racing weight of old
pushed the envelope of equipment made for a population where 165lbs.
is "big".
> The folks who cough up phenomenal sums for bikes like Crumpton's and
> treat them like prizewinning Shih-tzus can take a chance on them. I
> know such folly would only end in sorrow if I were to try it. Nick
> probably doesn't even have access to the ingredients to make a plastic
> bike I would consider safe to ride. By the time I set it up with
> trustworthy components, it wouldn't even be particularly lightweight
> anyway.
Some of the Crumptons are being raced. Large pack crits (over 100
riders at one Driveway crit recently) and RR's. *I* would probably go
the pampered route but then that's why I ride a secondhand Catalyst
with the decals already removed. Which actually, I bought cheap to
race and not have a ton invested, in case it got Crumpled. No worries
IRT stone chips, rust, clear coat dings, etc., and it doesn't show
dirt too bad, either.
> But the same things that make such bikes unusable for me, make them
> marginal for practically everyone. Isn't that the point-- to sport a
> bike with bird bones and stiletto heels that isn't really cut out for
> life on the mean streets? It proclaims that you ride bike only for
> leisure, not practical matters.
In talking to Nick (and reported conversations, etc.) he's done the
"push it to the edge" thing IRT weight, with "experimental
prototypes" (my words). His SL (lightest offering) isn't nearly as
light as it could be, in the interest of a long lifespan at intended
use. And, while they might not want to take their beautiful (opinion)
new Crumptons on one of the 140-mile dirt road rides of yore, at least
a couple of the local Crumpton owners are members of the old
Freewheeling gang of go-for-the-dirts-on-Sunday riders. One is a
'crosser (8th and 10th at ancient Nats), the other is a fairly recent
Texas age-degraded Crit champ. Meaning: besides the eye candy aspect,
their bikes are used for racer stuff-- group rides, racing. Point
being, farbon works well for that-- a recent road race, Cold Spring I
think, was held on a nasty chip-n-seal road (did I already mention?),
where one Crumpton owner reported being surprised at the lack of hand
trauma during (and after!) the event-- compared to what would be
expected on his old steel bike. IOW, this is avocation (or lifestyle
<g>) not lawnchair kkleisure, or posing.
It comes down to tools for the job IMHO. If I had the discretionary
bux (not with young kids still in the house), easy choice. For now, I
scrounge <g> and that's OK, too.
At the risk of re-repeating, the object was to win the comparison. So,
congrats to the little guy, for once <g> in this modern corporate
world, and he's a local, too. --D-y
