Utter bool ox STW article
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Afflicted.John":3kz2kqnv said:
Really?
Come on, you're not that ignorant.
Its been known since the Repack days that dropping your saddle on steep descents helps to increase control, hence the invention of the Hite-Rite...
The dropper seatpost is just an expensive evolution of the hite-rite.
Anthony":11j0z8t5 said:
:?:
You do know that back in the good old 'early 90's' Syncros stems (amongst others) retailed at over a hundred bucks. We would have killed to own one of them back then just as 'modern' riders drool over the latest kit.
bikepro catalogue 1996":11j0z8t5 said:
Afflicted.John":bt36ffhl said:
But what a dropper seatpost enables you to do is lower your C of G, making the whole bike/rider combination more stable while still keeping sufficient weight on the front wheel for adequate braking and control, which just sliding your arse right off the back of the saddle doesn't do.
It's all a big endless cycle of promoting the next latest big thing, combined with the fashion of the sport. Which is often why people are attracted to it in the first place. The cutting edge technology is a big draw.
Singletrack has a targeted demographic, so does MBUK or indeed Privateer. Some of us fit the target market, some don't. Some choose to embrace the lot, or none at all.
Singletrack has a targeted demographic, so does MBUK or indeed Privateer. Some of us fit the target market, some don't. Some choose to embrace the lot, or none at all.
Right, just read this.
To be honest - it just sounds like the bloke is going through that painful "getting to your late 20's / early 30's stage" or just hasn't got a girlfriend yet. 'No one has time to ride bikes any more', 'if you've got time to install decking', blah, blah. Basically he's just a bit narked because all his mates have got jobs that take up a bit more time than his and have a few responsibilities.... tough crap, that's life and yes you do need to find time to ride bikes as well but realistically if you have young kids that keep you up half the night, or are in the process of making them(!), it's hard to find the time and energy (that's my excuse for the past decade anyway).
Anyway - aside from his obvious social problems he seems to be missing the point himself - 'modern bikes do more'... well, it depends what you want to do, doesn't it? If you want to chuck yourself off eight foot rocks at 40mph then no, I wouldn't do that on my Zaskar - but equally I wouldn't do it on a modern bike either. Personally I enjoy pushing the limits of my riding and my bike and that's entirely contextual - the limits of an LTS are different to a Proflex 857, are different to a Saracen Tufftrax and so on and if you're going fast enough to get sketchy on any bike then fun, regardless of age.
And seriously, 'constantly having to adjust rim brakes' through a ride??? I never, ever had to do that. Ever. Never. At any time of year.
So my conclusions are something along the lines of he was crap at setting up bikes, obviously couldn't afford any of the bikes he wanted BITD, has a massive chip on his shoulder and this is all slowly driving everyone he cares for away. Ha. Serves him right.
To be honest - it just sounds like the bloke is going through that painful "getting to your late 20's / early 30's stage" or just hasn't got a girlfriend yet. 'No one has time to ride bikes any more', 'if you've got time to install decking', blah, blah. Basically he's just a bit narked because all his mates have got jobs that take up a bit more time than his and have a few responsibilities.... tough crap, that's life and yes you do need to find time to ride bikes as well but realistically if you have young kids that keep you up half the night, or are in the process of making them(!), it's hard to find the time and energy (that's my excuse for the past decade anyway).
Anyway - aside from his obvious social problems he seems to be missing the point himself - 'modern bikes do more'... well, it depends what you want to do, doesn't it? If you want to chuck yourself off eight foot rocks at 40mph then no, I wouldn't do that on my Zaskar - but equally I wouldn't do it on a modern bike either. Personally I enjoy pushing the limits of my riding and my bike and that's entirely contextual - the limits of an LTS are different to a Proflex 857, are different to a Saracen Tufftrax and so on and if you're going fast enough to get sketchy on any bike then fun, regardless of age.
And seriously, 'constantly having to adjust rim brakes' through a ride??? I never, ever had to do that. Ever. Never. At any time of year.
So my conclusions are something along the lines of he was crap at setting up bikes, obviously couldn't afford any of the bikes he wanted BITD, has a massive chip on his shoulder and this is all slowly driving everyone he cares for away. Ha. Serves him right.
We_are_Stevo
Old School Grand Master
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...ah yes, but how many more copies of the mag. have they sold this month as a result? :roll:
He also has a point; modern bikes are technically better - I'd quite happily have the Nuke Proof full susser advertised therein if someone gave it to me! I wouldn't go out and buy it myself though - I'd rather have one with an engine (and for that money I could probably get two...)!
Which brings me neatly to the point that's been on my mind since I read the article; I do subscribe to the 'technology is a substitute for expertise' school of thought, and here's why:-
A few years ago I happened to be at a small motorcycle dealers in Norwich and the guy had a bit of a 'thing' for my then wife (
) - as an excuse to get me out of the picture he gave me the keys to his tricked-out BMW F800 for a test ride. As I had complete faith in my wife (at the time... :shock: ) I was quite happy to take advantage of his generosity and legged it over to nearby Caister Hall to see my father.
Now the rear access road to the estate was VERY unmade, requiring very careful negotiation on four wheels and a positive minefield on two!
Well I sat there looking at this 200 yard stretch of Somme battlefield-like track and thought 'F**k it!' and squirted it straight down the middle at full throttle - and that bike didn't miss a beat, it just stormed over and through everything! Talk about big grin inducing!
The thing is - I couldn't have done it on another bike; It was the BM that had the cabability not me. I had absolutely NO delusions on that front (they came a couple of years later when the marriage went t*ts up
)!
It's the same with modern technology in mountain bikes, perfectly illustrated by the photo's accompanying the 'rant.' I would probably attempt some of the terrain in said photo's on that Nuke Proof, but not on my Manitou IV sprung hardtail '97 Explosif - not because the bike couldn't do it but because I know I couldn't...
But put Hans Rey, Danny Macaskill or Martyn Ashton on my Explosif and they could ride rings around the author of that rant on his ultra-modern piece of technobike...
For those who haven't seen this yet...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z1fSpZNXhU
But above all else, most of us just don't have the time or opportunity (or the inclination if I'm honest) to get to ride the sort of terrain where one of these bikes comes into its own - and I think retro-bikes are prettier and have more character than modern bikes, which out of necessity all tend to look the same anyway...
Each to his own, it would be a boring old world if we were all the same - and I'm pretty sure the Retrobike crowd had the most fun of anyone at Mayhem recently...
He also has a point; modern bikes are technically better - I'd quite happily have the Nuke Proof full susser advertised therein if someone gave it to me! I wouldn't go out and buy it myself though - I'd rather have one with an engine (and for that money I could probably get two...)!
Which brings me neatly to the point that's been on my mind since I read the article; I do subscribe to the 'technology is a substitute for expertise' school of thought, and here's why:-
A few years ago I happened to be at a small motorcycle dealers in Norwich and the guy had a bit of a 'thing' for my then wife (
) - as an excuse to get me out of the picture he gave me the keys to his tricked-out BMW F800 for a test ride. As I had complete faith in my wife (at the time... :shock: ) I was quite happy to take advantage of his generosity and legged it over to nearby Caister Hall to see my father.Now the rear access road to the estate was VERY unmade, requiring very careful negotiation on four wheels and a positive minefield on two!
Well I sat there looking at this 200 yard stretch of Somme battlefield-like track and thought 'F**k it!' and squirted it straight down the middle at full throttle - and that bike didn't miss a beat, it just stormed over and through everything! Talk about big grin inducing!
The thing is - I couldn't have done it on another bike; It was the BM that had the cabability not me. I had absolutely NO delusions on that front (they came a couple of years later when the marriage went t*ts up
)!It's the same with modern technology in mountain bikes, perfectly illustrated by the photo's accompanying the 'rant.' I would probably attempt some of the terrain in said photo's on that Nuke Proof, but not on my Manitou IV sprung hardtail '97 Explosif - not because the bike couldn't do it but because I know I couldn't...
But put Hans Rey, Danny Macaskill or Martyn Ashton on my Explosif and they could ride rings around the author of that rant on his ultra-modern piece of technobike...
For those who haven't seen this yet...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z1fSpZNXhU
But above all else, most of us just don't have the time or opportunity (or the inclination if I'm honest) to get to ride the sort of terrain where one of these bikes comes into its own - and I think retro-bikes are prettier and have more character than modern bikes, which out of necessity all tend to look the same anyway...
Each to his own, it would be a boring old world if we were all the same - and I'm pretty sure the Retrobike crowd had the most fun of anyone at Mayhem recently...
Eddie King
Retro Guru
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Love it or loathe it the journo who did the article has created an interesting debate which IMHO is a good thing - I have to agree with pretty much everyones comments...
....for myself I really do like some of the modern bikes but quite simply don't get to ride offroad often enough or hard enough to justify the expenditure....the motorcycle comparison was a good one in that a classic BSA or Triumph is a very simple but efficient design when compared with a modern bike that will out perform all but the very best riders - but although they may seem outdated they were designed to be kept running forever....
....no I don't want to go airborne on my Zaskar.....but if I do (by accident )....I'd fancy my chances of using it again much more than a carbon frame
My £0.02 has just run out
....for myself I really do like some of the modern bikes but quite simply don't get to ride offroad often enough or hard enough to justify the expenditure....the motorcycle comparison was a good one in that a classic BSA or Triumph is a very simple but efficient design when compared with a modern bike that will out perform all but the very best riders - but although they may seem outdated they were designed to be kept running forever....
....no I don't want to go airborne on my Zaskar.....but if I do (by accident
)....I'd fancy my chances of using it again much more than a carbon frameMy £0.02 has just run out
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I havent read the article yet but heres a little view from my world:
For the last 4 months I have been immersed in the world of current bikes and the 'technology' after a break of about 5 years.
The most popular bikes from our little store seem to be 700c hybrids and road bikes with full sussers close behind. Decent rigid hardtails hardly seem to get a look in any more, the talk is of driving up to trail centres and what a modern bike will handle.
The failures of carbon and aluminium frames seems to be as bad as ever, from Whytes to Condors. The bearing and bush wear seems a little worse than I would expect with external BB's wearing seemingly quicker than the low end square tapers.
The bikes that see the most hard work and seemingly carry on regardless has been the older gear, stuff that has to do 250 miles a week under a commuter's arse, plugging away in the salt and rain. Its these bikes, from Carerra's to ti Sevens that come in for a service, get a new chain and cassette and a check over and are sent on their way. From 40 year old tandems to £6K road bikes.
The newer £3k £4k+ bikes mostly come in absolutely knackered, flared headtubes, fractures, cracks, worn bushes or blown shocks. The attitude of the customer can be at odds with the state of the bike - 'just riding along when..'' or ''it shouldnt do that for that sort of money''. These bikes are simply shagged.
Off to work now, but I'll mull over it all and add some more later, if you dont mind...
For the last 4 months I have been immersed in the world of current bikes and the 'technology' after a break of about 5 years.
The most popular bikes from our little store seem to be 700c hybrids and road bikes with full sussers close behind. Decent rigid hardtails hardly seem to get a look in any more, the talk is of driving up to trail centres and what a modern bike will handle.
The failures of carbon and aluminium frames seems to be as bad as ever, from Whytes to Condors. The bearing and bush wear seems a little worse than I would expect with external BB's wearing seemingly quicker than the low end square tapers.
The bikes that see the most hard work and seemingly carry on regardless has been the older gear, stuff that has to do 250 miles a week under a commuter's arse, plugging away in the salt and rain. Its these bikes, from Carerra's to ti Sevens that come in for a service, get a new chain and cassette and a check over and are sent on their way. From 40 year old tandems to £6K road bikes.
The newer £3k £4k+ bikes mostly come in absolutely knackered, flared headtubes, fractures, cracks, worn bushes or blown shocks. The attitude of the customer can be at odds with the state of the bike - 'just riding along when..'' or ''it shouldnt do that for that sort of money''. These bikes are simply shagged.
Off to work now, but I'll mull over it all and add some more later, if you dont mind...
Anthony":3aur3fut said:
Sounds like how I felt about MBUK in '93 with all the Zookas, ZeroWelds, Pro-Motos, Ibis etc...
Nothing new really is it?
I stopped buying bike mags when KB began writing for MTBPro. His frank and honest articles really hammered home what utter biased bollocks everything else was.
So i saved up all the money I'd saved from buying magazines and bought a Zooka...15 years later...
If I had known in '93 that I could have bought an old Cunningham or Otis for the same price I was paying for my Avalanche...
(I would have still bought the Avalanche probably as it had RF+ and a Groove Tube).
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