Becoming fashionable…..

[Smokin Joe]

Without going off on some ranty 5k word manifesto, capitalism's not working so well either, is it?

It's the same story as everything else in human history; we harness the power of our "intelligence" and opposable thumbs to exploit the natural resources around us, yet instead of using these finite assets respectfully and sparingly we mercillessly, unrelentingly rape the planet to pursue this ridiculous and clearly unsustainable model of perpetual economic growth..



A question of mis-placed values though; surely - if there was demand for longevity and quality manufacturers would work to satisfy that. Instead there's an enormous marketing conspiracy to up-sell products on the basis of anything but these values; shortening product lifespan and driving up sales / profit.



Obsolete by what metrics though, and at what costs? Sure, if you're a keen racing snake and losing half a kilo of bike mass will shave 1% off your time on the local strava-wang-waving segment matters to you;"upgrading" is arguably worth the cost.

On the other, if you're casual weekend cyclist / commuter, is paying a considerable sum to "upgrade" to something that will make zero perceptable difference to you journey; along with potentially being far more fragile / short-lived an astute decision?

Marketing appears all about defining irrelvant parameters and values as relevant; when really they're not. People naturally assume that "what's good for the TdF rider must be good for me" when really there's very little common ground between the requirements of each party and buying into the values that make a good TdF bike will probably work to the detriment of many leisure riders.. despite what the marketing says.



Obsolete by what metrics though, and at what costs? Sure, if you're a keen racing snake and losing half a kilo of bike mass will shave 1% off your time on the local strava-wang-waving segment matters to you;"upgrading" is arguably worth the cost.

On the other if you're casual weekend cyclist / commuter, is paying a considerable sum to "upgrade" to something that will make zero perceptable difference to you journey; along with potentially being far more fragile / short-lived an astute decision?

Marketing appears all about defining irrelvant parameters and values as relevant. People naturally assume that "what's good for the TdF rider must be good for me" when really there's very little common ground between the requirements of each party and buying into the values that make a good TdF bike will probably work to the detriment of many leisure riders.. despite what the marketing says.

Obsolete because the quest for lighter bikes has always been the goal among cyclists who ride either for sport or as a serious hobby, and had I been able to ride a machine that is six or seven pounds lighter than those i rode back when I raced I'd have shaved far more than 1% off my times, Check out what people do on fish & chip 25 mile TTs now where the fastest guys are inside 50 minutes and most of the riders often beat the hour, then go back 30 or forty years when only the top handful got inside sixty minutes. It isn't all aero dynamics, the law of physics dictates that shedding weight means the same speeds can be achieved with a lot less effort. Try strapping three bags of sugar to your bike and riding up a hill if you don't believe that.

 

[Mrs M]

Those of us of a certain age; know that fashions disappear. And then often re-appear years later in a slightly different guise. Clothing, fashion, watches, glasses frames. I’m sure it happens ‘everywhere’. And I’m guessing cycling to some degree is no different 🤷‍♂️

My Boss is a WW2 / Military collector / historian. Amongst his vast collection is a number of WW2 bikes. Inc folding Paratrooper bikes (?) :


View attachment 668166

And these:

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Which if I’m not mistaken look to have the seemingly Uber fashionable ‘Gravel’ wheels / tyres on: 80 years ahead of their time:


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Just saying “Fashionista’s” 😛

Pashley make the para bike based on the paratrooper bike.
My Pashley tube rider is similar 😀

 

[Dogtrousers]

Pashley make the para bike based on the paratrooper bike.
My Pashley tube rider is similar 😀

Lovely bike

Still absolutely nothing like a gravel bike tho'.

 

[wafter]

Obsolete because the quest for lighter bikes has always been the goal among cyclists who ride either for sport or as a serious hobby, and had I been able to ride a machine that is six or seven pounds lighter than those i rode back when I raced I'd have shaved far more than 1% off my times, Check out what people do on fish & chip 25 mile TTs now where the fastest guys are inside 50 minutes and most of the riders often beat the hour, then go back 30 or forty years when only the top handful got inside sixty minutes. It isn't all aero dynamics, the law of physics dictates that shedding weight means the same speeds can be achieved with a lot less effort. Try strapping three bags of sugar to your bike and riding up a hill if you don't believe that.

Legit points to a point. However, of all those who buy road bikes, what proportion do you think fall into the category of "sport or serious hobby" (who rightfully benefit from market-ordained "progress", to some extent)? Further, what percentage of other cyclists do you think are sucked in by the marketing (arguably) aimed at the above minority, and end up buying products that are less than ideal for their needs as a result?

There's also the argument that buying your way to faster times through some marketing-sponsored arms race is entirely fruitless, but granted that's a subjective point.

I've done the calcs on bike mass and tbh in the real world found it makes very little difference; verging on the ridiculous when viewed as a function of cost. Complete with portly rider my all-up bike's mass is probably about 90kg. Having recently bought pannier bags and started dragging shopping around, I don't really notice the addition of another 10% total mass - granted a little up the hills but not at all on the flat. For most riders I find the suggestion that it's worth spending another 50, 100, 200%+ on the cost of a bike to save - best case - a quarter of that added mass absurd tbh.

While I'm not one to discourage the use of technological advancements for those who'll really benefit from them, I think these are used far too much as a marketing tool to sell gear to people for whom such products bring little benefit and potentially many drawbacks.

 

[wafter]

Pashley make the para bike based on the paratrooper bike.
My Pashley tube rider is similar 😀
View attachment 668299

Nice geometry; less keen on the paint however. IMO not terrible in its own right but having seen the original it is a bit like seeing Chuck Norris in a pink mankini

 

[Dogtrousers]

Sigh. Here we are again.

People who paid more than (insert cost of your own bike here) for their bikes are all credulous fools seduced by marketing.
People who paid less than (insert cost here) have clearly never heard the dictum "buy cheap, buy twice", and are embarrassing us all with their BSOs.
Only the sagest and wisest paid (precisely the cost of your own bike)

 

[wafter]

Sigh. Here we are again.

People who paid more than (insert cost of your own bike here) for their bikes are all credulous fools seduced by marketing.
People who paid less than (insert cost here) have clearly never heard the dictum "buy cheap, buy twice", and are embarrassing us all with their BSOs.
Only the sagest and wisest paid (precisely the cost of your own bike)

Nowt to do with absolute cost and everything to do with motivation, value and fitness for purpose, IMO