It’s been a number of years now since I’ve paid shut consideration to the skilled bicycle racing, largely as a result of I don’t have the time. Nonetheless, I used to be vaguely conscious that the Strade Bianche race was developing this weekend, and so at one level throughout some sofa time I punched up the outcomes on my cell phone and noticed that Tadej Pogačar simply rode away from everyone with like 80 Euro-Miles to go:
Furthermore, he completed with a smile on his face and sufficient time to hoist is bicycle heavenward in celebration:
Plus, earlier than the race, he principally instructed everybody this was precisely what he was going to do, they usually nonetheless couldn’t cease him.
And to suppose I rode behind him for like three minutes:
I actually am wonderful.
Talking of professional racing, element firms are nonetheless pretending hookless rims aren’t fully silly:
Previous to final Thursday’s publish I knew little to nothing about hookless rims; since then I’ve discovered sufficient to conclude that this can be the dumbest development in bike tech to date this century. Simply contemplate the follow-up to that video I posted on the finish of final Friday’s publish:
When you don’t have time to look at, principally this man’s tire was blowing off the rim in a burst of white jizz like a porn star with untimely ejaculation, and the upshot is that the edges are out of spec by some tiny quantity that’s nonetheless enough to permit this to occur. Because the video notes, the bicycle business pushing hookless rims is identical bicycle business that can’t make an built-in backside bracket work since they’ll’t hit the exact tolerances essential for it to not creak–however certain, go forward and belief them to depart off the factor that holds the fucking tire on, as a result of theoretically it really works simply so long as every thing is completely excellent. And it’s doubly ironic when you think about that, no less than earlier than thru-axles took over, you couldn’t even purchase a bicycle with out fork security tabs–and but no one’s stopping Zipp and no matter brobag firm offered this man his wheels and all the remainder of them from promoting folks hookless rims, go determine.
All that however, I noticed some hypothesis within the feedback final week as to this man’s marital standing, and I’m fairly certain it’s secure to conclude that anybody utilizing a crabon crank as a door deal with is unquestionably not married:
So sure, hookless rims are ridiculous, however no less than the professional biking pundits are centered on what issues:
Yeah, sorry, the time to talk up was like three many years in the past:
Practically a century of insouciantly-worn caps ruined by Massive Helmet. You reap what you sow.
Effectively, they are saying it takes a giant man to confess when he’s been improper, and along with being an ideal bicycle owner able to holding Tadej Pogačar’s wheel for nearly the complete length of a gaggle journey rollout, I’m additionally totally able to proudly owning as much as my very own errors. For instance, I used to be studying a transcript of this podcast:
In it, they’re discussing the heavy days of the ‘Rona freakout when everyone was hoarding bikes and bathroom paper, and it made me keep in mind how on the time I wrote this:
Effectively, right here we’re 4 years later and the bike business is outwardly a large number. Clearly we must always have instructed simply instructed the transient Pando Cyclists to fuck off, that there are solely sufficient bikes and components left for us actual riders, and that they need to go take up jogging or one thing. Certain, it sounds harsh, however maybe had we carried out that the bike business could be in a greater place at this time, and firms wouldn’t be making an attempt to save cash by producing hookless rims.
I additionally marvel if I used to be improper about e-bikes. In 2018 I mentioned the town ought to cease cracking down on them. Effectively, I’m not saying the cackdown wasn’t misguided essentially, however I’m saying it’s 2024, e-bikes are now burning down the town, and someway the answer to that’s publicly-funded charging hubs:
I’m undecided how this addresses of substandard e-bike batteries immolating folks within the night time, however I do marvel if it’s prolonging an issue which may in any other case simply type itself out:
I hate motor scooters once they’re within the bike lane and on the sidewalk, however I feel they’re incredible when ridden on the street the place they belong. So if supply individuals are shifting to them then possibly that fixes every thing. Give it some thought:
- They purchase gas-powered scooters, that are sensible for deliveries in addition to for private use
- They register them with the DMV*
- They journey them on the street the place they belong**
- The elevated variety of motor scooters has an general safety-in-numbers impact since New York Metropolis motorcar visitors will not be dominated by vehicles
- The top
*[Yes, that requires effective enforcement.]
**[Yes, that also requires effective enforcement.]
Downside solved.***
***[Assuming there’s effective enforcement, so…okay, fine problem not solved.]
Sadly, within the meantime, they’ll hold propping up e-bikes for business use on the premise that they’re going to avoid wasting the planet and we’ll all must sidestep battery storage lockers:
I do know, I do know, “What about gasoline stations?”
Effectively, no less than I can wash my bike at a gasoline station:
