I think I love bicycles more than I love riding them. My (apparently sad in this respect) mind is often consumed in an endless effort to define the perfect bicycle. The problem is of course that there is no such thing as the perfect bike, just as there is no perfect car. Whilst our horrible van may be undesirable in the extreme, if a bloke who owns a Porsche 911 needs to transport anything larger than his brief case, then he'll be happy to borrow it, although there is no guarantee that he'd let me use the Porsche. I digress.
What I am really yearning for is a bike that is good for a lot of slightly different purposes and the problem is that I of course have a slightly different list of requirements than most bike manufacturers take into account.
Single speed is nice, but inconvenient with strange dropouts and complexity with disc brakes and mudguards, it may also end up being too much like hard work if I ever end up living near some hills. I think I want some gears, but only a single chain ring at the front. I want big road wheels with disc breaks because they work better, last longer and make less mess in the wet. I would like to be able to fit mudguards as well and finally I don't want it to weigh a ton and look ass ugly. To be honest, this last part is the hardest to fulfil, but assuming that custom titanium is out of the question, I suspect the result will end up looking something like this but with flat bars.
Ultimately that is a disc only cyclocross bike. These should be more common, but the UCI banned disc brakes in cyclocross races so the market is a little more limited than it already would be.
In other news, the sun is shining again after 24 hours of rain, good for the garden apparently, but getting soaked twice in a day is not good for the soul.
Can't you just buy yellow bike & dissect it, horizontally?
ReplyDeleteWe had foul, non-cycling weather yesterday which caused bits to fall off the factory.
m
The perfect bike -The black Whyte-E-120 XT dripping with titanium and the latest in smart suspension.
ReplyDeleteHydraulic Shimano XT discs for total control on alpine descents. the Team E-120 model is fitted with Hope carbon-fibre-levered,titanium-bolted brakes-with union Jacks etched on the brake lever bodies.
Continental Mountain King 2.2in tyres are fast rolling yet grip in dryish conditions.
Fox front forks have 120mm of suspension travel.Weighing in at just under 4lbs, compression and rebound give superb control.
MonkeyLite's XC handlebars feature carbon nanotubing within a resin matrix,light,strong cool but wide.
Whyte's Lock-on handlebar grips don't move a mm.Caps lock them.
The contoured padding of the Fi'zi:Gobi saddle for endurance comfort.
The Getta Grip seat clamps uses a clamp design that leaves no gaps for the water to enter, or mud.
Shimano's new 27-gear Shadow rear derailleur features an extra-thin profile and tucks in close to the wheel, less likely to be damaged. light carbon-fibre cage in black to match frame.
The Big Gripper dropouts combine strength of trendy new bolt-through axles and quick release dropouts- better for changing.
Rear suspension handled by air-pressurised shock absorber, surrounded by Marin's Quad link system for flexibility + protection.
Weight 25 lbs. Boring N-ever !