Where the AR type bike also breaks down is if you use a bike for a specialized type activity. A ddownhill bicycle and one for triathlon specific frame come to mind. My tri-specific frame is beyond even the MCFB bikes that you see everywhere and it is a steel frame. It was just hugely faster in a triathlon on that frame, even without a clip-on TT bar because it was made for a specific purpose. I tried to convert it into a commuteer and it didn't work very well. I doubt I could have even riden it on any kind of trail and have it remain in usable condition. Tour on it? You must be joking. But to go 110 miles at 30 mph while staring at the front tire; you bet!
On Tue, Sep 8, 2009 at 9:56 AM, Bill Connell <bconn...@gmail.com> wrote: > > On Sun, Sep 6, 2009 at 10:27 PM, JL<subfas...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > > I have always had a difficult time owning just one bicycle. It seems > > that no matter how many times I imagine the most ideal bicycle model > > and setup I change my mind after a few weeks or months and alter the > > setup. My solution to this is to have more than one bike, set up and > > designed for different purposes or types of riding. There is a > > correlation with how much I enjoy bicycling and how many bikes I own - > > they seem to feed off each other and both increase because of each > > other. This trend changed a little when I found Rivendell. The > > versatility of their bike gives the potential for one frame to take on > > many different lives and for one bike setup to have enough crossover > > into other areas that a near all rounder status can be reached. Has > > anyone been able to achieve a one-bike-for-everything-I-need goal? I > > think part of the situation is that with enthusiasts of anything the > > line between need and want gets blurry. > > I've come to think that the all-rounder situation is only possible if > your riding is fairly limited. I consistently put over half my annual > miles on one bike; my Surly Cross-Check. That's my main commuter and > cyclocross racer and i'll take it on road rides that have light trail > or gravel riding. Of course, i also ride my Redwood on roads and easy > trails and gravel too, and it's my most comfortable bike for all-day > rides (like today's 70-mile lunch run w/Timmac and 3 others). But > there are lots of trails that are way more fun to ride on my mountain > bike. I rode that mountain bike as my only bike in dirt and road > setups for many years, but it wasn't a good road commuter. I also like > riding singlespeed/fixed in my daily rides, but for mountain or long > road rides i want gears. No single bike can possibly do it all, so i > basically use four (those plus my 3-speed). > > So yeah, if you don't like to mountain bike, and want the same gearing > options on all rides, the all-rounder is certainly feasible, but > otherwise not. > > -- > Bill Connell > St. Paul, MN > > > > -- Fai Mao The Blogger who sometimes responds to comments --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
