Hello Craig -
I agree it is a fun site.
However, I am not sure which part of Carsten Rehbein's web site is bunk,
can you help? Do you mean the text on the home page?
http://www.cyclo-24.de/
Mr. Rehbein writes: "The professional massed start racing bicycle has always been the motive power behind technological innovation in the cycle industry." ... Typical examples of this are the hub quick release, light alloy cranks or variable gears."
My thoughts - I believe variable gears (derailleurs) were specifically outlawed by the European racing community for some time, so it is hard to credit them with early variable gear innovation. However, was there another racing community (in England?) that did "power the technical innovation" of early variable gears? Once they were accepted by European racing, did professional racing power the further development of variable gears? Yes.
MR. Rehbein writes further: "The racer explores new technological frontiers without being charged with the development costs which can be set off against the gain in popularity and the ensuing sales of cheaper models."
My thoughts - I am not sure what this means. We seem to have three parties here: 1. the "racer" who (presumably) tests the new development (but does not "pay" for the development); 2. Someone who pays the development costs, (even if the cost is in terms of lost evenings and weekends spent tinkering in a garage) and 3. someone who reaps the benefits in sales. Ideally #2 would also like to be #3, if all of this is economically driven. In the case of a team sponsored by a bike or component manufacturer, this model works. In the case of an innovative team sponsored by a vacuum cleaner company, the company clearly loses out on bike sales. It would hope to recover its costs in increased sales of vacuum cleaners. No off-setting of costs.
Is this close to what you were thinking?
Cheers,
Skip Echert Renton, WA vintage-trek.com
At 03:34 AM 7/11/02 -0400, you wrote:
>Now that's a fun site to gaze upon. His diatribe on racing bikes and
>technological innovation is bunk, but what the hey, the pics are great.
>
>Craig Montgomery in Tucson (where it finally rained after 120 days)