Aside from going ever-further off-topic here, cycling is a pedaling/breathing endurance sport, very unlike F1, and most of us here HAVE ridden the latest 20-speed wonders. I ride regularly on old (and sometimes new) bikes, and have little trouble keeping up despite the 8-10 extra pounds my bikes carry. Even in the hills, six cogs is just enough, either a 13-24 or 13-26. Simplex still works wonderful imo. The advantage of the new bikes is still slight.
At the pro level, small differences matter, period. Yet, this in no way caontradicts what Jerry actually said, imo.
As for your remark on Ligget's bull-riding, rodeo promotion, I'm still trying to figure out what that has to do with, again, what Jerry actually said about that. Did Jerry claim to be an expert, or enthusiast even, of rodeo?
David Snyder Auburn, CA usa
Tom Dalton wrote:
>
> Frankly, I think a truly good F-1 driver could win the next event with a
> 5 speed crashbox, don't you? Are we to believe that those guys are too
> uncoordinated to shift without electropneumatic clutches and
> paddle-controlled gear changing?
>
>
> For starters, I think you need to try riding a modern bike, just once,
> while trying to keep an open mind. Once you've actually ridden, say, a
> properly tuned Dura Ace 10- quipped bike, say for a week or so, then you
> can tell us all how crappy the shifting is, and how it was of no benefit
> relative to....oh, how about a Simplex 5 speed setup?
>
> Who ever said pros are too uncoordinated to use downtube SIS... or
> friction... of Cambio Corsa for that matter? These systems were all used
> at one time. But, to use an outmoded system when everyine else has a
> comparitvely better system would just be a stupid choice, in competition.
> Pros don't need STI to shift, they just need it to shift as frequently,
> quickly and accurately as the other 200 guys in the pack.
>
> ...
... Nice! You sound just like an NFL fan talking about professional cycling...
or a NASCAR fan talking about WRC rallying....
or a pro bass fishing fan talking about Olympic sweep rowing.
Maybe, being from texas, you know a LOT more about bull riding than the rest of us, but I just assume there must be some merit there that I haven't had the chance to learn about.
> Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
> I mean are we supposed to believe that top pros are too uncoordinated to
> take their hands off the bars to shift gears? Particularly since DT
> indexed shifting was available some years before integrated levers, so one
> could still get a positive gear selection before the integrated levers. I
> doubt the integrated levers make much difference at all, except maybe in
> the sprint, where one might loose speed when shifting one's weight a bit
> to reach a DT lever. Even there, it's not clear that the modern levers
> actually changed the outcome, as they may just increase the sprint speeds
> of all the sprinters more or less equally.
>
> Most of these have indeed changed the race, though whether for better
> or worse is highly debatable. But in my view integrated brake/shift
> levers aren't even in the top 20.
>
>
> I note that SRAM is one of the Versus advertisers with ads for their
> latest drive train, including of course integrated levers. I suspect
> inclusion of integrated levers at #2 is just flagrant sucking up to the
> sponsors. Obviously, even Phil Liggett is not above such grovelling,
> since he dutifully reads the promos for Professional Bull Riding, as if he
> actually gave a damn about that so-called sport. ...
... Phil Liggett is not above such grovelling, since he dutifully reads the promos for Professional Bull Riding, as if he actually gave a damn about that so-called sport.
>
> Regards,
> Jerry Moos