Over the previous few days the climate has gone from delightfully springlike proper again to frigid and snowy:
Taking a look at this bike, of which I’ve develop into fairly fond, I noticed that it’s at the moment the one bike I personal from one of many large mainstream bicycle corporations. Nevertheless, it’s over 30 years previous, and even when it was new it was one thing of a freak bike–although mockingly there are a variety of smaller corporations at the moment producing bikes with a similiar ethos, very usually talking. (Metal, conventional elements, bizarre handlebars…) In the meantime, for a few years I rode bikes from the mainstream corporations–in truth for many of my life I solely owned bikes from the mainstream corporations. This led me to surprise: Have I modified, or is it the bikes which are completely different?
In an try and reply this query, I visited the web sites of the Massive Three bike corporations, and requested myself: “When you might have any one in all their choices, which would it not be?”
Specialised
I can’t say any of the classes or pictures on the Specialised web site actually spoke to me or sparked my creativeness. For instance, whereas this type of factor clearly requires appreciable expertise and follow, I don’t discover it remotely inspiring:
To me it simply seems like somebody attempting to fold a folding bike in mid-air earlier than realizing it’s not a folder. So clearly I might write off all of the bikes in no matter class that was, I can’t bear in mind.
I additionally discover style gravel bikes boring irrespective of who’s making them, and I have already got a number of bikes which are well-suited to that type of all-around driving (together with the RockCombo):
Appears to me when you’re off the pavement you may free your self from the plastic highway bike paradigm and let your self reside a bit of. Gravel bikes are type of like going to a different nation however nonetheless consuming at Subway.
I used to be genuinely impressed with the Specialised e-bikes when I had a chance to attempt them. In contrast to the contortionist above, I’d even go as far as to say I used to be impressed, in that they made driving a motorcycle so darn simple, and there are in all probability lots of people who like that. I additionally would have actually needed one myself once I was nonetheless schlepping little children up the steep hills in my neighborhood. Now nevertheless I’ve much less of a necessity for an e-assist and I personally discover all of the tech off-putting. I really like that it’s accessible and I really like that individuals like it; I’m simply not one in all it
So I believed possibly the Aethos, since in a manner it’s their most easy bike:
However I object to it on the grounds it’s a really costly trendy bike attempting to behave like a traditional bike, and I’d a lot slightly simply have a traditional bike.
So finally, if compelled to decide on a motorcycle from the Specialised web site, I’d proably get one thing like a Stumpjumper–not even a flowery one, simply one thing like the “low cost” one:
It is because I’ve nothing prefer it and I’m certain I’d have plenty of enjoyable with it, although I nonetheless discover the thought of full-suspension bikes anxiety-producing, probably as a result of they appear extra like sporting items than bicycles to me.
Cannondale
Do you know they nonetheless promote the Dangerous Boy? I didn’t:
That is completely a type of bikes I’d by no means need however I might completely perceive why another person would. This bike appears purpose-built for driving across the metropolis to completely different parks so as to play sports activities with folks, and that’s under no circumstances a criticism. It’s simply not one thing I do.
As for the remainder of Cannondale’s choices, I can emphatically say the CAAD Optimo 1 is the most effective bike they provide, and due to this fact it’s the one I’d select:
I don’t see how one can not like a workmanlike aluminum highway bicycle, and in contrast to their different bikes it really looks as if it could have an everyday threaded backside bracket, although I could also be unsuitable about that. I simply don’t see how a motorcycle like this might probably disappoint you: it’s a highway bike so you understand what you’re signing up for, it’s one coloration and doesn’t have a number of silly decals on it, and and except the tires suck or one thing I can’t think about what might allow you to down.
Trek
So Trek nonetheless have the 520, which seems good, although once I take a look at a touring bike all I see is the bike excursions I’ll by no means take:
The Trek web site additionally had extra contortionists–right here’s one inspecting his stem bolts:
I assume I might type of see a Farley, however solely as a result of it’s snowy out proper now:
But it surely doesn’t snow that a lot right here, you may often journey on the roads even when it does, and I’ve greater than sufficient tire quantity on my Jones. Talking of which, what’s up with Trek stealing the identify of these tires from Jones’s well-known bolt-on protuberance?
Lame.
The District seems sensible and deserves smugness factors:
However my Rivendells have the identical quantity of practicality, whereas being a lot sportier as well.
Anyway, I quickly acquired misplaced in all the alternatives on the Trek web site:
So I surrendered and used the bike finder. Nevertheless, I acquired stumped on the very first query:
Actually I needed to journey in all these conditions, so I settled on the “gravel” one, because it appeared probably the most ecumenical:
This query additionally bothered me:
What about all of the shapes in between?
So I selected drop bars, answered a couple of extra questions, and guess what they gave me:
Truthful sufficient, although it looks as if they may have saved a bunch of time on the bike finder by merely asking “Do you could have a beard?,” and in the event you reply “Sure” then they ship you proper to the 520.
The apparent conclusion to attract from all that is that I’m previous and unwilling to depart my consolation zone, which is supported by the truth that I usually gravitate in direction of probably the most out of date bike on these websites (other than the Specialised, although be aware I went for his or her oldest mannequin identify)–although that is type of confounded by the truth that the hip, boutiquey manufacturers usually supply stuff that’s nicely inside my consolation zone, so possibly I’m not a lot a retrogrouch as I’m an getting old hipster.
One other chance is that we’re residing by means of a wierd inversion by which previous folks with cash need youthful, cutting-edge sports activities bikes and youthful folks need folksy steel bikes they will festoon with canvas baggage. Or possibly it’s at all times labored that manner. To wit: middle-aged d-bags in Porsches. However even that doesn’t make sense, as a result of the rationale most Porsche drivers are older is that’s who can afford them, whereas the value distinction between a folksy steel bike and a sporty plastic one is commonly slight to nonexistent.
Aw, fuck it, I’m leasing a Hyundai and taking on dirt-jumping.
