@tk@cycling@mastobikes@biketooter Urban Arrow find’ ich auch cool. Aber am schönsten sind die Dinger von Eliancycles, weil die Lenkung in die Nabe integriert ist.
The pro racers who do need carbon fiber bikes get them for free. Only the people who don’t need them actually pay for them.
Carbon fiber is light. It’s strong. It can be used to build everything from frames to seat posts to handlebars to cranks. And it’s one of the worst things that’s happened to bikes.
Now, to be clear, carbon fiber makes perfect sense for professional racing. Because it’s basically a fabric, builders can mold it into all sorts of aerodynamic shapes. Moreover, they can tune ride quality and maintain strength while simultaneously keeping the weight to a minimum in a way that’s not really possible with metal tubing. It used to be that racers had to choose between a light bike and an aero bike; now they can have both, all thanks to the miraculous properties of carbon fiber. At this point, there’s no reason for elite competitors to use anything else. Gift Yourself More Adventure
But here’s the thing: you’re not them. I’m sorry to be the one to break it to you, but you’re almost certainly incapable of milking the handful of seconds a wind tunnel-sculpted pro-level carbon fiber race machine might theoretically net you in certain situations. Moreover, the pro racers who do need carbon fiber bikes get them for free; only the people who don’t need them actually pay for them. This means that, ipso facto, if you’ve purchased a carbon fiber bicycle, you’ve made a mistake.
“Okay, fine, I may not be Jonas Vingegaard,” you may be thinking. “Maybe I didn’t need a carbon bike. But how does that mean I’ve made a mistake?”
Simple: while you’re not able to extract carbon fiber’s small performance benefits, you are in an ideal position to experience its many drawbacks—and for normal people, carbon fiber bicycles have only drawbacks.
This is Bike Snob NYC writing for Outside Online, by the way.
@tk@biketooter@cycling@mastobikes I respect Eben and enjoy his articles but I got a CF bike cheap and I can lift it onto its rack without hurting my back.
@keraba@tk@biketooter@cycling@mastobikes Eben kinda lost the plot a few years back. He's still right sometimes, but so is a stopped watch. FWIW I ride mostly steel bikes but, like you, got a CF bike for cheap recently and it's fine....
#GoodMorning#Urban#Gravel! What a shit of a weather!💀 1°C and it’s automatically #rain and #wind… My hands are painfully numb, as my “winter” gloves were like a soaking wet sponge…😳 British gloves reviews should be a part of #MontyPython’s…🥹
#GoodMorning#Gravel! I guess I’m finally getting used to the bad weather. The transition is always painful, but it was surprisingly ok in 2°C and strong wind… #KidsOnBikes - pure love!❤️
@thorcik It’s complicated! Usually, when it’s cold in Poznan it’s also dry and I can live with that. The worst thing is temperatures slightly above 0°C because then it very often gets windy and wet, a combination I truly hate…
Surprisingly, I’ve been recently cycling in rain and it was ok. The clothes really can make the difference…
@ssamulczyk yeah, rain and headwind, my favourite combo.
My only mistake today was leaving my gloves outside when I made a short stop to pop into a shop for a few minutes. @cycling@rower
Today in tk's #seabikes adventures: descending from Phinney Ridge without a function front brake. :blobfoxscared:
(The bike has TRP Hylex hydraulic disc brakes. I took it to my LBS after and they said that it looks like the caliper might've sprung a leak and has been contaminating the rotor. I've had the brakes for several years now, so I'm not too bothered.)
Yes, cantis. I like them. :blobfoxgooglytrash: They work well when set up correctly: straddle as low as you can get them to start, then raise little by little if you prefer. Having a lower cable hanger will additionally reduce system flex and improve stopping.
Even those dreaded Tektro “Oryx” 992A calipers. You need the straddle super low, but they work great that way. (That does also mean that they have limited tire clearance!)
(Oh, and this isn’t a “rim versus disk” debate starter. If anything, it would be a “cantis suck” debate. :blobfoxgoogly: )
#GoodMorning#NewKitDay! Yesterday I’ve got a new #winter long bibs, jacket and merino balaclava from #Decathlon. I was sceptical about the jacket but I was wrong! It’s toasty as hell, I’m very happy with it!😂
#GoodMorning#Gravel! What a beautiful set of colours in the #Cybina valley #forest! Also, that’s the 3rd day in a row I set out into the rain forecast and I get nothing…😂
@ssamulczyk thanks, decathlon sportswear is like lidl sportwear, sometimes you find really good and lasting basic pieces, you only have to look and wait for them.
@Jay23Jay I have a few pieces from them and I was always happy. I really don’t like their cycling shoes.
Never owned a thing from Lidl, though. I’ve seen some nice things sold in there in the UK, but cycling is only mildly popular in Poland, so they rarely bother.
@elieuw Mine are still young (8, 5, 1) and unspoiled by modern "technology". They don't know what a shithole internet is and they actually prefer and enjoy outdoors.
We will try to avoid screens as long as possible, while building awareness how useful but also dangerous it might be.
For the time being they enjoy climbing, ice skating, cycling, Lego and playgrounds. In a few years the oldest one will destroy me on a bicycle (he can already maintain ~20km/h), the middle on is building up!😅
Yesterday was a surprising #RoadBike day… I was ready to go out with little Frank, but only then I’ve noticed a flat tire on my #gravel#bicycle. It simply was faster to change shoes than fix the flat… I didn’t even have time to dust the bike off…🤡😂
I've also fixed the flat, so the bike is ready for the evening ride we've planned with my trusted night cycling friend/companion. It's gonna be fabulous, as always!😍