I find Michael Barry's comments quite remarkable for a pro rider on a major team. Somehow I doubt the typical pro today likes to ride steel bikes with moderate angle, mudguards, and mudflaps in the off season. But I suppose growing up with a father who was one of the world's best framebuilders must have given him a different perspective than most in the peleton.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA
> From: James Doolittle <JDoolittle@bentwaterclub.com>
\r?\n> Subject: Re: [CR] Mike(s) Barry on fenders
\r?\n> To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
\r?\n> Date: Friday, January 30, 2009, 5:43 PM
\r?\n> Interesting. I love riding in the rain, especially here in
\r?\n> hot, south
\r?\n> east Texas during the summer. I find it quite odd that
\r?\n> everyone does
\r?\n> not have a rain bike. Back in the day we all had trainers
\r?\n> with heavy
\r?\n> wheels that you could throw fenders on. After training all
\r?\n> week on a
\r?\n> heavier trainer, (at one point I used a "space
\r?\n> age" Viscount), it was
\r?\n> always a thrill to race on my light Italian, sew up, silk
\r?\n> tires steed.
\r?\n> You might have ridden her once during the week, but she was
\r?\n> kept
\r?\n> pristine for race day, new tape in a light color to show
\r?\n> off how well
\r?\n> you kept her.
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> The local group I ride with have always commented on my
\r?\n> "classic" bikes
\r?\n> but recently on a particularly cold and wet ride they were
\r?\n> all
\r?\n> attempting to be on my wheel since I didn't throw up
\r?\n> any spray.
\r?\n> Afterwards they all pounded me on the back for riding my
\r?\n> old rain bike!
\r?\n> It seems they worked out taking turns behind me to get
\r?\n> breaks from the
\r?\n> spray and I didn't even know it! There's another
\r?\n> advantage mentioned in
\r?\n> the article regarding gravel. On my big wheel bike I have
\r?\n> not a worry
\r?\n> in the world taking off down clay, caliche or gravel roads
\r?\n> through the
\r?\n> National Forest I ride through. Taking into account the
\r?\n> occasional gun
\r?\n> shots give me some minor concern (it is Texas after all),
\r?\n> it's usually
\r?\n> quite pleasant off through the woods by myself and very
\r?\n> rare that
\r?\n> there's any traffic, just me and the hawks. I wear
\r?\n> bright jersey's and
\r?\n> have been known to sing quite loud, "Please don't
\r?\n> shoot me, I'm not a
\r?\n> deer riding a bicycle through the woods!"
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> I have an early 80's Nishiki Olympic 12 with big tires,
\r?\n> fenders and mud
\r?\n> flaps that I use as my rain bike. It was my last trainer
\r?\n> & I've kept it
\r?\n> all these years. I have a fond spot in my heart for this
\r?\n> bike as it is
\r?\n> the one I had a child carrier on the back that I took my
\r?\n> children on
\r?\n> rides with. Does anybody remember the little Bell helmets?
\r?\n> Next up the
\r?\n> grandchildren.
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Happy riding!
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> James Doolittle
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Spring, Texas, in glorious sunshine & 60 degrees!, USA