Emily said:
> Some things are relatively obvious how they affect riding styles, such as
> handlebars getting lower in relation to the saddle. Older bikes had hig
her
> bars, and the drops were in a position that was more comfortable for spend
ing
> lots of time in, and the brake hoods were not as comfortable to ride on to
p
> of. As handlebars got lower, the drops got usable for a smaller percent
age of
> the time, but the brake hoods got bigger and more designed for holding ont
o
> from above.
>
> I'm curious about other ways that riding styles or techniques have changed
> over the years. Has thinking changed about crank length? Cadence? Seat
tube
> angle? How have bikes changed or changed back to favor one style of rid
ing
> versus another? How have riding styles changed to favor one type of bik
e
> design versus another?
>
I rode a bike tonight that I have only ridden once previously in the past 7 years. I rode this bike a lot in the late 90s and for a month in 2001. T he handlebars and brake levers are the same that were on a bike that I put 30,0 00 miles on from 84-94. Tonight, the bike just didn't feel right. The tires
are narrow for me at 700x23, which could explain part of it as I have gravitated toward larger tires. The drop from saddle to handlebars is lowe r than I typically ride now, but not as dramatic as a couple of other bikes that I frequently ride. I don't really know why it doesn't feel like it once did. I know that I have been riding bicycles with longer seattubes to get the handlebar/saddle position closer, but that in itself doesn't seem to be the difference here. The one big difference is that I now ride with more modern brake levers, although all aren't shifters/brake levers. I ride non-Ergo Cane Cr eek and non-Ergo Campagnolo Record carbon as well as the ergo models. Both offer a
wider platform for my hands than the SR/NR brake levers on this bike that I rode tonight. That is the best explanation I can offer and one that Emily hit on in the original post.
Lou Deeter, Orlando FL
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