My problem with Jobst Brandt is that I think he is too much a theoretician. As an engineer myself, I believe the difference between a scientist and an engineer is that a scientist has a deep understanding of what ought to work in a perfect world, while an engineer has a grasp of what actually works and what does not in the real world. There is certainly a need for scientists in the world, but like many of my colleagues, I am quite content to be on the engineering side of the divide, and have no desire to be a "scientist". Brandt seems to me to talk more like a scientist than an engineer. Most of what he says is undoubted correct in theory, but a lot of it, in my opinion, turns out to be irrelevant in actual practice. Sometimes it is even wrong in practice. What theoreticans often overlook is that even a perfectly expounded and correct theory can be so overshadowed as to be rendered moot in actual practice by other factors that the theoretican hadn't thought of. That is the role of technical experience, which teaches one that sometimes, "It shouldn't work, but it does." or "It ought to work, but it doesn't." or "In practice it doesn't make a damn bit of difference."
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, Texas, USA
dean 53x13 <dpcowboy54@yahoo.com> wrote: For those who don't yet drink the KoolAid...and I, for one, was a reasonable skeptic...Jobst Brandt 'gets it'. He is a logical thinker and backs up most of what he thinks with good math and logic. Strong mind, stout heart. Dean Patterson Alpine, CA USA
Earle Young wrote: Car tires = 35 psi or so, large contact patch bike road tires = 75 psi minimum, closer to 100 usually, small contact patch
You are comparing apples and orangutangs.
Something to remember: When Jobst and conventional wisdom disagree, Jobst will be the one with solid research to back up his position.
Earle Young Madison, Wisconsin, USA Offering expert wheelbuilding services for classic and modern bikes
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Dean Patterson Alpine, CA, USA DPCowboy
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