You know the way your picture apps do this creepy factor the place they put collectively little themed albums for you?
Positive you do.
Properly, just about all of my themed picture albums characteristic bicycles, as a result of I’m an enormous dork who consistently takes photos of them. (Sure bike web sites loftily seek advice from this as “documenting.”) Worse, I get all emotional when have a look at these albums, though they characteristic inanimate objects and are created utilizing synthetic intelligence. For instance, I simply opened a preferred picture app and it took me on just a little tour by means of today in historical past.
“4 Years In the past“
“5 Years In the past“
“Three Years In the past“
Such documenting! So many reminiscences! And all bicycles with which I’ve since parted methods. Specifically I fashioned a powerful attachment to the RockCombo, which was a really enjoyable and versatile bike:
Nonetheless, because the proprietor of a number of Rivendae, I in the end determined go it alongside, although I be ok with having carried out so as a result of it’s with Luca of Jersey Cycles now and he’s realized its potential in a approach I by no means may have:
[Photo stolen from here.]
And the Engin…oh, the Engin. To this point that is still the one customized bicycle I’ve ever owned that was fabricated particularly for me. Properly, that’s not completely true, I suppose technically the Ritte Rust Bucket was additionally made for me:
[The Ritte Rust Bucket, when it was new and not yet rusty.]
However the Engin was actually made for me–like, I went all the way down to Philly and consulted with Drew and every part. My weblog had develop into common and I had a ebook deal, and the Engin was form of a present to myself, like when a rookie athlete indicators his first contract, or like that scene in “The Jerk” when he will get his first Opti-Seize royalty and comes dwelling in a Trans-Am with a nude oil portray within the again:
Oddly that scene is nowhere to be present in GIF type (although perhaps not so odd given how dated my popular culture references are), however principally that was me coming dwelling from Philly.
Anyway, I needed the Singlespeed Mountain Bike Of My Desires, and I obtained it; furthermore, I discovered it no much less dreamy because the years went on, though every part about mountain bikes modified utterly within the ensuing years to the purpose that the Singlespeed Mountain Bike Of My Desires would now be thought-about a gravel bike. (Sorry, broccoli bike.) The truth is, if I have been constructing the Singlespeed Mountain Bike Of My Desires Right this moment it will be precisely the identical., present developments be darned.
Properly, not precisely the identical, as a result of looking back it’s form of foolish to get a customized bicycle and have it painted black:
And but, a yr or two in the past I in the end relinquished the Engin after coming to phrases with the truth that an growing older dork I can not afford the additional time it takes to twiddle-twaddle a tiny offroad gear to and from the paths. So it too went within the Nice Culling of 2023, which turned out to be for naught, since I believe I’ll have extra bicycles now than I did after going by means of all the difficulty of paring down:
As for the American M-16, I notice I haven’t stated something about that, however actually there’s not a lot to say about it moreover that it was a very cool bike, and I generally daydream about re-acquiring it from Traditional Cycle (it’s on the market) and giving it the Jersey Cycles remedy.
Luckily, I’m solely nostalgic till I begin driving certainly one of my present bikes and overlook all about them once more:
Talking of plump-ish tires, I occurred upon this:
After all they’re 100% right that wider tires are higher:
For the previous few years, tire width, air strain, and how that air is held inside our tires have been on the middle of a number of the hottest bike-tech discussions amongst street cyclists. That is for good motive—these components all instantly contribute to hurry, consolation, and management whereas driving. And in contrast to different generally hot-button applied sciences—reminiscent of body materials, digital shifting, or aerodynamics—riders can simply pattern totally different tires or air pressures with out a lot mechanical data or a giant monetary funding in new gear.
However being right doesn’t make one thing proper. Sure, there are nearly no downsides to extra tire quantity. Smoother journey, extra traction, higher versatility, fewer energy, greater curiosity yield, higher blood movement, a extra lush and delightful entrance garden… Definitely all however essentially the most ornery and contrarian cyclists would advise somebody on the lookout for a brand new bicycle to go for tires wider than 25mm–even me!
And but the headline nonetheless makes me indignant. Why is every part in biking absolute? 25mm tires are OVER. 26-inch wheels are OVER. Rim brakes are OVER. Positive, we all know these items served you nicely for many years and a long time, we all know we instructed you all to purchase it, we all know loads of you might be nonetheless utilizing it and having fun with it simply as a lot as you probably did when it was new, however now it’s OVER. Oh, by the best way, right here’s a evaluate of the brand new Kona Snoozefest gravel bike. We prefer it okay, and it’s similar to each different goddamn gravel bike, however our crew of weenies nonetheless assume it’s best to maintain purchasing as a result of it doesn’t have clearance for 3,000mm tires and that’s actually the place gravel is headed. Till it isn’t. At which level we’ll let you know that your new gravel bike really has an excessive amount of clearance someway and we’re going again to narrower tires now.
So sure, fatter tires and extra clearance–these items are good! The Roadini is a dreamboat. And a few individuals won’t ever get pleasure from driving 25mm tires inflated to 90+ Freedom Kilos Per Liberty Inch™, neither is there any motive for them to attempt to adapt themselves to such a setup in the event that they don’t. However a few of us preferred them then, and we like them now, and consarn it we’re going to proceed to love them. To today I’ve by no means gotten again on a street bike with 25mm tires and thought to myself, “Ow, this hurts!,” or “Boy, this sucks!,” or, “Yikes, I ought to flip again round and change bikes.” If something I believe to myself, “WHEEEEE!!!!” and really feel like I’m going one million miles an hour. Sure, I notice that’s principally an phantasm, and sure, after I get again on a motorbike with fatter tires will admit I do really feel like I’m taking a shower in Calgon:
However saying 25mm tires are over and also you shouldn’t journey them is over is like saying cigars are over, or that you just shouldn’t drink scotch. They will not be good for you, however a sure kind of particular person is all the time going to need them anyway. And whereas that particular person could also be form of a douchebag, that doesn’t imply they need to be denied their vices.
There was by no means a second I didn’t get pleasure from this bike, though it cleared 25s with concerning the width of a chilly minimize slice to spare:
Then once more that’s one more bike I don’t have anymore, so make of that what you’ll.
