Bend in the Road: The end of the road bike (Bike Radar Article)

[Drago]

I wouldn't use Bike Radar to wipe the dangleberries around my arriss.

Road oreiented bikes are simply undergoing a similar process to.MTBs of 15 years ago with divergence into various sub types and niches. Some good and useful, some the results of the fevered brow of marketing types trying to extract folding from the gullible.

 

[youngoldbloke]

End of the road bike? Good!
It all started going wrong when they renamed the 'racer' as a 'road bike' even although some of these were barely suitable for cycling on the general road network.

I don't recall anyone who knew anything about cycling ever calling their bike a 'racer' - when did this happen? It was always 'race bike'.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

touring goes downhill

You start off with a road bike
Then you buy an Audax bike so you can ride further
Then you get a full on fast tourer
Then a full on touring bike
Then you think "Why not?" start taking it off road
Then you buy an HT MTB to go adventure touring
Then you buy an FS MTB to revisit, sans luggage, some of the places you went on the loaded HT
Then you buy a downhill bike so you can just ride downhill.

It's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Downhill is good.

Tourdax is the future.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

In my book anything for use on the road is a road bike, so that includes shoppers and tourers.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

In my book anything for use on the road is a road bike, so that includes shoppers and tourers.

Designed for use on tarmac you mean? Yep I'd agree.

But if I walked into an LBS with £1000 and asked for a road bike and they showed me a shopper or a tourer I'd walk out again.

 

[Flick of the Elbow]

The sort of bike that nowadays gets referred to as a road bike I'd call a racing bike

 

[Levo-Lon]

I like choice..selling them after you find you dont like em is the problem.

 

[tyred]

There have been new cycling developments after 1950 crikey, I hadn't noticed!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

The sort of bike that nowadays gets referred to as a road bike I'd call a racing bike

So would I. I think it means we know nothing about cycling.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Bah! Ever since the so-called "safety bicycle" started competing with the penny-farthing in the late 1880s, it's just become too bloody confusing...

 

[S.Giles]

I don't recall anyone who knew anything about cycling ever calling their bike a 'racer' - when did this happen? It was always 'race bike'.

Everyone had a 'racer' back in the seventies!

 

[snorri]

I don't recall anyone who knew anything about cycling ever calling their bike a 'racer' - when did this happen? It was always 'race bike'.

I should have put a smiley smiley at the end of my post, I wasn't wanting to be taken too seriously.
Perhaps it's a regional thing, but a bike with drop bars was referred to as a racer in my early days, in the 50s.

 

[S.Giles]

Perhaps it's a regional thing, but a bike with drop bars was referred to as a racer in my early days, in the 50s.

I grew up in South Wales in the 60's and 70's, and you weren't cool unless you were the proud owner of a 'racer', so probably not that regional.

 

[John the Monkey]

We're only just back to the 32mm width of the old 27x1¼" racing bikes, aren't we?

The wheels of marketing just keep on spinning round and round...

Eh, when they spin back to big tyres on "quick-ish" frames, I'm not grumbling. I just hope they don't go back to 23mm tyres (if you're lucky) and no mudguards again too soon

 

[snorri]

I grew up in South Wales in the 60's and 70's, and you weren't cool unless you were the proud owner of a 'racer', so probably not that regional.

Ah thanks, so I'm not going doolally after all.