Well, I use the 3-speed style handlebars myself. Of course I only started riding when I was 9-10. I used to believe all the bull put out by the hardcore enthusiasts, but now I go by what my old fat body tells me.
Adam Maas wrote: > John Sessoms wrote: >>> From: >>> "Bob W" >>> The costume certainly has; spandex & aerodynamic helmets, and >>> >>> bicycle >>> >>> >>>>> engineering has made incredible improvements. >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>> I'm not so sure about that. I don't wear spandex or a helmet. My >>> bicycle is a steel one and wouldn't look particularly out of place in >>> that film (except for the 21 indexed gears perhaps). I have a Brooks >>> saddle and a Carradice saddle bag, same as them. >>> >>> British cycle touring is a bit of a time warp. >>> >>> When I was in my 20s I used to sneer at the sort of middle-aged man >>> who was a member of the CTC, carried an old camera and was in the RPS. >>> >>> >>> Now I'm almost 50 and a member of the CTC and the RPS and have a Leica >>> of my own I switch between sneering at my younger self, and horror at >>> what I've become! >>> >> Spandex is the greatest thing since sliced bread as you get older. Helps >> keep certain parts of the anatomy from rubbing and producing friction >> burns. >> >> And I do use the helmet. I was a teenager in the 60s and I'm trying to >> hang on to what little bit of my brain survived that experience. >> >> Your bike may be similar in many respects to those, but I expect the >> engineering that went into producing it is greatly improved, even if the >> appearance hasn't changed all that much. Most modern "touring" bikes are >> a "hybrid" design with straight handlebars that allow you to ride in a >> more upright than the curved under handlebars used in racing bikes (even >> if it is called the Tour de France it's a race, not a pleasant day's >> ride in the country). >> >> The materials and methods of fabrication create a much more durable >> bike, generally a lighter weight, and lower cost than those old touring >> bikes. It may look the same, but it's a whole lot better piece of machinery. >> > > Actually Hybrid bikes don't give you any more (and often less) of an > upright position than drop bars, as the bars are no higher than the tops > of a drop bar with a good touring-suitable fit. Most real Touring bikes > use drop bars or some older style (Moustache, bullhorns, priest or > similar) as riser bars or flat bars are unsuited for long-distance > cycling due to the single hand position. A set of drops has 4-5 > different hand positions allowing you to move around on the bike and > prevent numb/sore hands, arms or shoulders. Hybrid bikes are intended > for short to medium distance riding on pavement or trails. Lots of > people tour on them, but mostly due to not being aware of superior > options or due to the one real weakness of road-diameter bars (lack of > brake options due to there only being one set of linear-pull compatible > levers for road bars and no hydraulic disc/rim brake options to fit road > diameter bars. Road and MTB bars are different diameters so brake levers > can't be swapped between the two). > > Personally I ride Bullhorns, which can be seen here on my bike: > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/mawz/498672032/ > > That gives me 3 different hand positions (flats, sides and stretched out > to the tips. I switched from Drops because I'm currently too fat to ride > in the drops and bullhorns are more comfortable than riding on the brake > hoods. You'll notice my bars are only a couple centimeters below my > saddle, I could easily bump them up to match saddle height and have the > same position as a Hybrid with risers, but I like the lower position better. > > -Adam > > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
