on 5/11/04 4:55 PM, OROBOYZ@aol.com at OROBOYZ@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 5/11/2004 5:20:55 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> themaaslands@comcast.net writes:
>
> << Effectively, no component sponsorship deal is ever good enough to overcome
> the penalty imposed by inadequate components. >>
>
> I will have to agree.
> That reminds me of the refusal of Lance & his boys to use the Trek made Rolf
> & Bontrager wheels. They instead chose Mavic until the Trek wheel's
> reliability factor improved to an acceptable level.
That wasn't a reliability issue but a safety issue after a Rolf wheel virtually exploded and injured a team rider during the Tour. Additionally, professional racers evaluate "reliability" of a component within the context of riding with team and neutral support vehicles close behind. If on-road equipment exchanges were prohibited, you would see entirely different equipment being used.
Catch up to a pro (if you can!) during winter training when no team car is nearby. They are much more likely to be riding 32-spoke wheels than the 16-spoke wonder wheels they ride in races.
Todd Kuzma
Heron Bicycles
Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery
LaSalle, IL 815-223-1776
http://www.heronbicycles.com
http://www.tullios.com