At 01:09 PM 02/07/2008 -0600, Mitch Harris wrote:
>There were two cyclists there on
>mid-level recent race bikes who were explaining how to choose a
>bicycle to two motocyclists who were apparently curious.
>
>The racer cyclist pointed to our bikes as we rode up, mine that day an
>early 70s English race bike, hers an early 80s Batavus Professional,
>and was saying loudly to the Harley riders:
>
>"Now look at these two bikes, they might be as old as ten years ago
>and they weigh between 35 and 40 pounds which was lightweight back
>then."
Of course, the Harley riders were probably amazed that a bicycle could be made as light as 35 or 40 pounds, since their beasts weigh about half a ton and need a crane to get them upright again, should they topple over. (When I was doing motocross back in the late 1960s, 200 pounds was a good weight for a 250, 20 pounds less for a 250 trials bike. The concept of weight is a whole different thing to the Harley crowd; probably something like, the greater the weight, the smoother the ride.
Oh, and as fot the two cyclists on "mid-level recent race bikes", they were probably not even a twinkle in their parents' eyes when we were riding 20 pound steel bikes.
John Betmanis
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada