Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Retrogrouch and the Roadie

Sometimes a picture just says all that needs to be said.


I'll just leave it at that today.

If you live somewhere that isn't suffering single-digit temperatures (or negative temps like we are here in NE Ohio), I hope you can get out for a ride.

11 comments:

  1. The Retrogrouch is sporting a Bell Biker helmet -- now THAT'S old school! :) Someone ought to come up with a lightweight, modern helmet styled like a Bell Biker -- woo hoo!

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  2. I agree -- similar shape/styling, slightly larger vents, and modern construction - would get the weight down, improve the ventilation, but just be a simple, decent-looking helmet that doesn't look like it's trying to go fast standing still. Are you guys at Giro or Bell reading?

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  3. Those two depictions could be me. The lefthand me is circa 1978 when I started racing. The righthand me is the present. I much prefer the present me with a helmet that weighs half of what my old Bell Biker did and a bike that weighs 25% less, handles better, has more than twice as many gear ratios that shift better and more safely/convenietly, has pedals that are easier to enter and release and have never released inadvertantly.

    Plus frame material (carbon fiber) that for me has been far more reliable. Anectdote: I had the following steel frames fail over a cumulative ~60,000 miles of riding: Basso Gap, Peugeot PX10LE, Peugeot SLX, Merckx Corsa, Mondia,and Merckx Corsa. Since the early nineties I've had three carbon bikes, a Trek 2300, a Trek 5200, and a 5-WORK5 Tarmac, that I've riden a total of ~35,000 miles with no failure.

    IMHO opinion the new stuff is way better.

    In fairness to steel I still own a Merckx Corsa that was a warranty replacement for the second Merckx that broke and I've riden it maybe 20,000 miles.

    YMMV



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  4. Retrogrouch, Are you a blood relation of Yehuda Moon or an alias incarnation??

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    Replies
    1. As far as I know we are not related. With the right clothing, I could possibly do a fair impression.

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  5. Now, if you really wanted to be retro, you'd wear a "leather hairnet"--and, of course, nail-on cleats.

    The latter, I could understand. But not the leather hairnet. It's one of the few old-school things I would never use. For that matter, I wouldn't bother with a Skid-Lid. It looked like a leather hairnet rendered in plastic, with its crown cut off.

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  6. It's me on the left.
    I still wear my Bell helmet when riding. It is the only helmet I own.
    And, the clothing is wool.

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  7. I had a great ride today: though it was 10 degrees, it was the wind, and cycling canted 15 degrees that was the real trick. Luckily, it was on a steel bike.

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  8. You can get steel frames today that are way better than anything mass produced back in the day, and they're still cheaper than a factory-made carbon frame, being hand-crafted with everyone involved making a good living.

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  9. Says the Rivendell/Grant Petersen fanboy...

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  10. Funny - to me they're both roadies. I switch between the two looks depending on the purpose of my ride and the bike I choose to ride.

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