I’ve seen the way forward for street bikes and it’s ugly as shit:
That’s clearly a huge chainring, and it’s used together with a two-speed rear hub hub as a substitute of a entrance derailleur:
Then after all there’s the more and more in style teeny-weeny-handlebars-with-turned-in-shifter thingy he’s additionally doing:
That used to meant you have been a noob who dropped his bike too many occasions and didn’t know easy methods to readjust your shifters. Now it means you’re a professional.
To be clear, I acknowledge that there’s an enormous distinction between what skilled racers do and most different riders do. Moreover, on the subject of going quick for cash, the methods through which riders try to achieve an edge right here and there is among the extra entertaining features of the game from a gear perspective. Roadie bike setup traditions could be enjoyable to bask in if you’re using for pleasure and immersing your self within the historical past of biking, however they’re completely meaningless if you’re making an attempt to win a motorcycle race. Actually, adhering to custom could be like dragging a ship anchor. Simply ask this man, he’ll inform you:
Possibly:
So sure, it’s foolish to critique knowledgeable’s bike setup within the context {of professional} bike racing.
HOWEVER.
What’s troubling about that is what it portends for these of us who don’t have any use for any of that stuff, and who do favor the perform and silhouette of a conventional street bike, even when we could also be squandering small quantities of vitality or velocity because of this. The bike business has needed to get rid of the entrance derailleur for years, and so they’ve already succeeded with the mountain bike. Up to now the street derailleur has simply barely managed to hold on, however this two-speed hub factor could possibly be the demise blow:
If entrance derailleurs have been sentient, they’d really feel a way of existential dread and impending doom, just like the passenger on the life raft who is aware of he’s gonna be eaten subsequent.
Shimano additionally seems to have gotten rid of the entrance derailleur on the low finish too with this complete “Cues” factor:
Although I admit I didn’t have the endurance to truly learn it so perhaps they do nonetheless supply the entrance derailleur in order for you one, I dunno. If I’m fallacious, properly, ex-CUES me:
I’d additionally sincerely request that you simply excuse the earlier pun, however how might I assist it with a reputation like “Cues?” I suppose it’s supposed to face for “Create Distinctive ExperienceS” in some way, which is bizarre, however they need to actually lean into the entire “excuse” factor, since irrespective of how good they make it riders will discover some ex-CUES for why they should “improve” to Dura Ace.
The purpose is that the tail wags the canine, and the tail is the professional peloton, which implies that not solely are we the mangy canine, but in addition that it gained’t be lengthy till all street bikes have two-speed hubs, serving platter chainrings, turned-in brake levers, and naturally dropper posts:
He’s pointing to his dropper put up, not his genitals.
I feel.
In the meantime, as street bike cockpits fold in on themselves in disgrace:
Gravel bike cockpits hold proper on manspreading like a subway passenger with a swollen nutsack:
[Pic from here.]
All I’m saying is, like, why can’t folks simply do stuff regular and experience bikes which are regular, you realize?
In different information, right here’s a video that captures the transcendent pleasure of bicycling in New York Metropolis:
My first impression was that this response was a bit…excessive, and that this was one more excitable bike lane warrior throwing a hissy match, although studying additional into the thread it seems he ended up breaking his arm so the collision should have been extra severe than it appeared, and I want him a speedy restoration.
Regardless, as the one who coined the time period salmon all these years in the past…
…even I’ve come to understand that theirs is just not a wanton selfishness and even cluelessness, however extra the inevitable results of a stupid-ass bike community. There’s a motive that most of the metropolis’s streets are one-way, and it’s that they’re merely not large sufficient to accommodate two-way automotive site visitors. However bikes are slender–even these gravel bikes with their swollen nutsack bars–and should not have any such restriction. There’s merely no motive for any bike lanes within the metropolis to be one-way. It’s ridiculous! Let’s say you’re going to…I dunno, the Museum of Intercourse–one in every of your dumber vacationer sights, to make sure, and the sort of place some doofus would in all probability go to by way of Citi Bike:
Now say you’re heading east on W. twenty sixth Road. Is there any motive it is best to must go all the way in which over to Madison, after which up and round?
Nicely, yeah, as a result of perhaps you’d come to your senses and go to the Nationwide Museum of Arithmetic as a substitute. However setting that apart, in the event you’re on a motorcycle, it is best to simply be capable of hold a left on fifth:
That’s assuming there are bike lanes on all these streets, which I don’t assume there are. However if there have been, they need to be designed so as to experience experience them in whichever rattling course you need, is the purpose I’m making an attempt to make.
By the way in which, there’s even a man on a Citi Bike on the street view:
Attractive bastard.
After all, pending town really coming to its senses, which isn’t occurring, folks ought to experience the best manner in bike lanes–however the easy truth is that they gained’t, and so that you’ve obtained to anticipate it always. I actually don’t need to say the man who busted his arm within the video was asking for it or something like that, however I’m saying that if you’re within the bike lanes of New York Metropolis it is best to all the time experience like a salmon is about to look across the nook at any second.
Generally anticipating folks to do the best factor is probably the most harmful strategy of all.
