If what I say does, in fact, result in a defensive or hostile response it troubles me and I wind up replaying the thing over and over in my head to see how I could have done it differently.
These, then, are my personal opinions. They are as objective as I can make them. If persons disagree with them I respect that. Though my opinions may not shed new light on these issues I do hope that they don't generate `heat.'
If you, the reader, wish to offer a comment to this blog post I will publish it only if it is not `anonymous.' That is, be accountable.
Superman bars v. tiller: if I were a fighter jet the issue of frontal area might matter. But I just want to see what is in front of me better without a big riser pipe or handlebars obstructing my view. Besides ... I wonder if, in a wind tunnel, handlebars and a riser pipe offer more or less frontal area than the tiller position. `Angels on the head of a needle' thinking.
Rear wheel v. front wheel drive:
- FWD is a novelty and unnecessary.
- In the terrain in which I live it is, in fact, more than unnecessary. It is dangerous. The FWD/MBB bikes I've owned (3 of them) were twitchy in steering and handling. And very, very dangerous at fast (30 mph) speeds ... worse on descending switchbacks.
- The marketing pitch about how FWD exercises the upper body is not accurate. If a person wants to exercise their upper body ... do some pushups and don't swallow the marketing pitch. I sold two of them back to the manufacturer and gave one to an old peoples home as a stationary exercise bike.
Aero: If a bike is aero ... it is aero. And that has nothing to do with whether or not it is a FWD or RWD bike.
Setting Records: Put a class A athlete on a class C bike and you're likely to get a class A performance. Especially if the course is dead flat. Especially if the class A athlete is supported by the class C bike manufacturer crew. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the bike rode itself.
Bikes: Ride what you like and like what you ride.
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