I’ve had a couple of ideas running concurrently in my brain for a week or so. One is the long held truth that nothing is more attractive than something you can’t have. Over the years I’ve had bikes that I could not sell for love nor money. After a series of markdowns, they finally go to homes. What oftentimes happens next is the company discontinues the model. Then the phone rings off the hook with people looking for that bike. It’s happened too many times for me to count.
The second is the fact that we’re getting to the point where no one is going to have a bike in their lineup with rim brakes. Other than Rivendell, of course. Rim brakes have, for me, always been one of the anchors of a make-it-your-own bike build. But is this still true? You can buy good, reasonably priced cable actuated disc brakes. My gut tells me wheels aren’t as easy to come by, but I may be wrong about that. The point is I want to mourn the “death” of the rim brake. But am I pearl clutching for no good reason?
I know there will likely always be bikes with rim brakes. I’m speaking specifically of the bikes I ride, promote and talk about.
What I’m Watching:
Another one of my favorite YouTube channels is “The History Guy”. He posted a video last week titled “Trek of the US 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps”. It was an interesting look into a part of bicycle history that doesn’t get discussed all that much. What surprised me the most was the weight of the loaded bikes. Not as heavy as I would have expected. It’s worth checking out.
Also What I’m Watching:
Somehow I ended up down a rabbit hole on YouTube. You may be able to relate. I ended up watching the Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships. These folks are on another level when it comes to fitness, and their relationship to the water. No links for this. There are a bunch of them, and a quick search should give you more than enough of a taste.
Gary is Free! Kind Of
I’ve met Gary Fisher. A couple of times actually. He’s an…….interesting cat. He was a fixture at Trek dealer events after Trek bought his brand. Apparently Gary is no longer a Trek employee. They’ve been…….decoupled? Trek, however, still owns the Fisher bike brand, and everything that goes with it. So Gary can now make deals with other companies, and design new products. But he can’t design, or sell bikes. The one thing that he was known for. I haven’t stayed current with what Trek has been doing, but I got the feeling they just let Fisher just fade into history (like Klein and to a lesser extent LeMond). It’s got to be strange to be untethered from a company, but not be able to fully take your own name with you.
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