> Have we reached a point in bike technology where nothing is an =
> improvement only a difference?
> Garth Libre in Miami Florida
> =20
> How about some of you other experienced guy/gals chiming in with some=20
> additional insights. Ted Ernst Palos Verdes Estates, CA
>
> I and persons of my age group will always make comparisons between the =
> old and new innovations made by the bicycle manufacturing industry over =
> the recent years. My own views on the subject and the progress of the =
> bicycle frame and components over the last two decades it has destroyed =
> much of the craftsmanship that was once the pride of our lives. The =
> demise of the traditional bicycle seemed to disappear in the mid 1980's =
> when the introduction of new frame building materials and technology , =
> concealed brake cables, clipless pedals ,index gear shifting , seven =
> speed gears and freehubs. This left behind many of the old methods =
> that had stood the test of time for over the previous sixty years which =
> always gave the cyclist a satisfactory well built reliable machine =
> always easy to maintain and deviod of any complicated gimmickry.=20
>
> Modern bike technology one must concede has some advantages but many new =
> ideas are based or copied from previous designed components which =
> leaves one to believe perhaps no improvement or progress has been made =
> at all ! I am appalled at the finishing of modern frame designs and =
> acessories and I'm sure all the changes are not for progression of the =
> bicycle but to convince people to purchase these machines in the name of =
> making money .
>
> I would,nt want to be part of the competitive side or club rider of the =
> sport today but I can count myself very lucky as I still enjoy my =
> cycling on the classics of yesteryear . They are admired by people where =
> ever I go and their interest is something to be believed which is more =
> than one can say about the modern machine!=20
>
> Doug Smith
> North Dorset
> UK
Doug's post raises the question of whether he isn't putting the cart before the horse? Leaving aside what is advancement or otherwise (an incomplete argument without e-richie participating), is it the bike industry that is responsible for the changes welcomed by many and unappreciated by the few, or the public desirous for new products that compels the business to constantly move into "new" territory? Deciding who is the instigator and who is the victim can get confusing, especially with physical fitness and transportation products that advertise that the goals will be easier to achieve. Initially it was the consumer need for less painful fingers that led to the "galletti automatici" and the beginning of Tullio's little operation. It is probably a safe bet to say that at this point, the yearning consumer and the obliging industry are much in bed with each other. Especially with the coming of the high tech age and predictable advancements, where people can say to themselves that they don't know what's coming, but they can be sure that it's on the way and they will be better off for it, if only they can swing the cost, it has gotten to be a much encompassing trend. "Good old ordinary" (not that many of the bikes appreciated at the list are all that ordinary), gets to be forgotten like an old favorite pair of shoes lost in the back of the closet. I can think of a few (stove pipe dampeners and Northfield woodworking machines are a couple), but it seems like there aren't many products that can resist the public's eagerness for the latest temptation, and not have to try and market themselves as "new and improved" at some juncture, even if what was available before silenced the need for better until the so called advancements appeared. What I find sadder than much of the current design of gear as opposed to the past, is that in the old days it was very common for companies to seek the security of future business based on a reputation for quality and longevity of use, and less so for trendiness, now to the point where transitoryness of parts is actually built into new designs. This goes back quite a ways though, when machine manufacturers often had their own foundries, electric motors were wound by hand, and American made bicycles were know for their durability, before the age of foreign imports.
Denis Young
Hotaka, Japan