snipped: On Thu, 9 May 2002 10:37:34 EDT CYCLESTORE@aol.com writes> <Hello, I must take exception to Sir Richard's weighty comments (I suppose they are his comments as I have skimmed the thread) that "and the Masi bicycles that race-ready in the 70s are useless in today's racing environment."> and <I think with proper training ( what you see before you son is a friction downtube shifter that operates like this; back and forth) and education an early Masi would be extremely competitive in actual competition against modern equipment.> and <I seem to remember a Team riding old fogey steel bikes painted red doing better than just average at the cyclo cross nationals this past winter.> Regards, Gilbert Anderson ///////////////////////////////////////////////
gilbert, et al,
1) "sir richard's..." HUH?!
2) the next race you're in that has an attack on a climb,
or a hilltop group finish, i home hope you're on some
good juice. there is NO WAY to be competitive on
an ascent when all around you are standing and shifting
as you decide to shift gears and realize that you must sit
first to activate the gear levers. ergopower and sti rule.
and as long as everyone around you uses it during the race,
the playing field must be even. i speak from first hand
experience and 7 killington stage races, among other things.
3) i'm not aware of any Team riding 'old fogey' steel bikes
painted red...
the cyclocross team i sponsor rides frames that weigh 3.5 lbs,
approx. and are made from modern oversize steel tubes.
that they are held together during the brazing process with lugs
doesn't make them 'old fogey', it simply means that i have
chosen to employ a joining process that is no longer in
vogue within the bicycle industry.
e-RICHIE