Memorial Day weekend is upon us and I look forward to a long weekend of riding.
Just kidding.
Oh, well. Guess there will be more solemn remembrance and less outdoor recreation, which is fair enough.
In any case, I am now signing off in observance thereof, and I will see you back here on Tuesday, May 26th, likely still soggy from what is shaping up to be three straight days of rain.
In the meantime, cycling journalists have written muchly (is that even a word?) about the ascendance of Chinese bicycle brands, and it’s no surprise they’re becoming so popular when they allow you to put together a race bike for only–
—£4,000?
Wait, is that supposed to be cheap? Four Thousand British Complacency Units® is over Five Thousand American Fun Tickets™! This is like a story in the real estate section called “We Bought a House in Coxsackie, NY for under $2 Million,” or a restaurant review about how “We Fed a Party of Four at Arby’s for Under $500.”
But can it fit 60mm tires? Because 60 is the new 50…or something:
Yeah, sorry, those are mountain bike tires.
Calling those “gravel tires” is like saying this guy is “practicing self-care:”
Ah yes, not only am I old enough to remember when that was still called a mountain bike tire, but I can even remember when 29 inches was the hot new wheel size and Niner even built an entire bike company around the concept. Now they’re in a financially-induced coma:
And the cycling world has moved on to 32-inch wheels…though Jan Heine is not impressed:
His analysis is well worth reading, and here’s his conclusion:
The real conclusion from all this data is this: At least for the popular wheel sizes between 26″ and 32″, there is no measurable difference in performance.
Basically he debunks the idea that larger wheels “roll over stuff better” when you factor in the pneumatic tires. I’m not sure he’s right when it comes to really rough terrain, like what you might find on a very rocky mountain bike trail where the tire is really deforming a lot, but for most other terrain what he’s saying makes sense to me. Fortunately for me I’m in the happy position of not really caring one way or the other, and fortunately for Jan Heine he’ll happily sell you 32-inch tires if the industry insists on going that way anyway, so I guess everybody wins.
And finally, it’s time to start shopping for a “personal exoskeleton:”
Not only can you hike up mountains in a single bound, but you don’t even need an e-bike!
The cyborg cyclist
On a bike ride, the puppet effect was even more dramatic. At one point I was barely moving my legs myself. On certain climbs, I topped out panting and exhausted, then realized my bike was in its hardest gear.
The Spandex-clad cyclists who tackle San Francisco’s iconic Hawk Hill have a saying: “The climb doesn’t get easier, you just get faster.”
That’s also true of riding with battery-boosted legs. I was out of breath because I was pedaling at my regular cadence, but each stroke had a lot more power.
It would be ironic if this is the invention that ends up saving the non-motorized bicycle.
And with that, I shall now take my leave. Thanks as always for your readership, and for your support. Enjoy the long weekend, and I’ll see you back here on Tuesday.
As always, I remain, Jörs Trüli,
–Tan Tenovo
