On 02/20/2014 07:10 AM, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery wrote:
At the moment, the skinnier tube, low-trail bikes are mostly the domain of custom framebuilders. For most people, a custom frame is not a realistic option. From that perspective, the formerly standard diameter tubing doesn't really exist. So I have a customer come in bursting with ideas out of the latest BQ, and I have to be the bad guy and say, "sorry, that stuff isn't real." But now their current bike, which was great last week, is unsatisfactory on account of the "oversized tubing". As if the formerly standard diameter tubing, by itself, determines whether a bike is any good or not. We all know it's not that simple.
I don't know about "most people" but looking around me at bike club rides, it seems to me most of the carbon road bikes I see go for somewhere in the $3000 - $6000 range. The stock geometry Boulder frames -- Allroad 650B, Brevet 700C and Road Sport 700C -- all of which are available with thin wall "non-oversize" tubing run roughly $1300-1500, and it wouldn't be very difficult to source a decent $1500 build kit. That says to me a nice standard diameter tubing framed bike is available for those who wish it for the same money as they'd spend for a carbon road bike at their LBS. So how is that "not real"?
I can understand how someone might come to the conclusion that a bike that was perfectly satisfactory last week is now less than optimal: they might have experienced something better since last week. One dimension of "better" might be a more appropriate amount of stiffness.
This is not to say stiffness is the only dimension; but it is to say the old adage that you can never have too much stiffness is just not so.
-- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
