Dyno powered di2.
2 Likes
Upon reflection my main issue is the premise is flawed from the start. The people in the RSF were just as likely to seek out bikes designed specifically and custom built for what they were doing as they were to ride off-the-shelf bikes.
“I don’t know about trends, but I guess what bums me out is that people seem to want to be told what to do with their bikes. ‘This one is for gravel, this one is for road, this one is for mountain.’ I think it’s all a little limiting,” he said. “Just go out and ride the damn thing.”
I couldn’t help but feel similar. I’d always disliked the idea of having a bike for hyper-specific scenarios.
Those aren’t hyper-specific scenarios, and the examples in the article later are related entirely to mountain biking. This is an article specific to mountain bikes, which from the outside really does have an issue with hyper-specialization and marketing, presented with imagery from something 70 years ago that’s completely different.
All the RSF references in the article could be tweaked to early Mountain Bikes days, use photos from Wende Cragg, and it would go from reaching for a undefined point divorced from the subject photos to entirely relevant and topical.
3 Likes
For whatever reason the Rough Stuff Fellowship is a magnet for generating bad takes about off-road riding. Jobst Brandt now has the same issue.
Which I think is the other side of this article that isn’t directly addressed - mass appeal brings mass audience that can’t/won’t or don’t know how to use the products correctly. From inside the industry the marketing can be exhausting but if the bikes are actually better, both generally and specific to their intended purpose; what is the argument?
5 Likes
I just checked and it has 165 comments, pretty solid to have a piece strike that much of a cord when there are usually maybe <20 on their posts.
I liked it, felt some similar inward misgivings before I left the bike industry. I went on a spiral from passionate about bikes to realizing I was just shipping boxes to fill someone else’s wallet as they devalued the workers I had developed into a great team, and that really left a poor taste in my mouth that took years to shake.
9 Likes
3 Likes
I’ve always thought this was a cool idea and then I always come back to “what if you used a used a spring to store the energy for shifting the derailer, and you combined the shift button with a lever that could ‘charge’ the spring so you could always shift when you need to by moving the lever…”
11 Likes
I still chuckle about the Project Icarus guy spending all that time and money on doping, only to forget to charge his Di2 battery.
I do love Di2, though.
2 Likes
Can confirm, they suck!
2 Likes
We always got the best photos shooting out of the side/back of a moving rental mini van. Why doesn’t everyone do that? Are they stupid?
8 Likes
Willing to be the author has several pair of shoes, for different scenarios.
5 Likes
Several pairs of pants for different scenarios
2 Likes
nah, just one pair of pants, sometimes your pants aren’t optimised for the scenario but that’s underpanting for ya.
18 Likes
Pants are just crosschecks with different geometry.
4 Likes
this photo activated my tendonitis
Do u know this guy
I do! He is a friends good friend and once gifted me a wald basket.
I know him too. Genuinely loves riding bikes in his local be it the brewery or the alpine.
1 Like
He is the type of bike nerd I appreciate
1 Like
As someone who’s lately been in the forum & review trenches trying to figure out what mountain bike tires to get next since mine are getting a bit worn, it’s so exhausting.
2 Likes