The ranter makes a lot of good points but they are lost on those of us who buy, collect, and ride vintage bikes. The objects we fancy have much more than utilitarian value, and therefore we are willing to pay more for them than they are properly worth by his criteria.
There are too many wandering arguments in his screed to respond to, so I'll note some observations from my recent stay in Toronto, which suggested to me another side of the coin from our concerns here. During two days in the city I saw overwhelming signs of a bicycle renaissance--a great number of well stocked bike shops; lots of people riding lots of different kinds of bikes on the city streets; tons of places to lock up your bikes (most done with two U locks, suggesting a vast market in stolen bikes); bike lanes galore.
The "on-topic" bikes were far too numerous to count, but wonderful to appreciate. Lots of fixed gear conversions, of course, but also lots of vintage geared bikes locked to posts or being happily ridden. Not a lot of lycra, though some, but lots and lots of regular folk happily pedaling to and fro. Felt more like Holland than North America.
Robert Aguirre Windsor, ON (Canada)
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