Bicycling had an article on a related topic perhaps a year ago. They assisted a friend of a staffer who was in terrible physical condition, by getting him a bike and showing him the road world. He got the fever and went out and bought himself a very aggressive modern bike, fast but with touchy handling. He developed a lot of power and speed (and love for speed) very quickly, but did not develop a sense of how to be safe or the skills of bike handling. He had a succession of serious crashes with injuries that could have become life-threatening.
Ridden with a sense of responsibility (I assume) the staff decided to be responsible and got him assistance in getting a more suitable bike, training, and world-class fitting (Tom Kellogg, this is the KOF on-topic part!!) assistance. They made a feature story out of it, and an advisory on choosing a bike suitable to your skill level. There hasn't been a follow-up story.
Fallacy is, we are all authorized to buy what we like and can afford. Who will question our qualifications and manage our bike choices? Thankfully, no one!
Ken Freeman Ann Arbor, MI USA
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of wesoishi@aol.com Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 8:10 PM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Maybe too fast
Considering how many of the local riders/racers can't seem to ride without falling (and sometimes hurting themselves, really badly), maybe these new aluminum or carbon fiber bikes are too fast. In the 70's, we might have been slower with our DT shifters and steel bikes, but I can't recall anyone being picked up in an ambulance. This is in group rides at Como Street and later, Simi Valley (early 80's).
Just a thought.
Wes Oishi SoundCycles Los Angeles, CA
PS. Ralph Carnevale and April stopped by the other day, on their way to the Peterson Auto Museum. Have not seen him since he closed Bicycles Pacific. I should have bought that black Colnago he had in my size, but I was already maxed out buying stuff, when he closed.