The Freaks topic

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

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TimmS
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Joined: Mon Mar 28, 2011 6:46 pm
Location: Amsterdam

by TimmS

Routier wrote:
Freakish but great to look at


That is not freakish, that is a piece of art!

by Weenie


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Kasparz
Posts: 566
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 10:17 am
Location: Latvia

by Kasparz

prendrefeu wrote:A friend of mine does "Maverick" category racing. That's 400+ miles unsupported.
I would imagine the build above is ideal for that type of racing.
As for RAAM? Those racers are supported by their own team, often with a van or caravan.

Anyway, it isn't a freak, let's move on. :D

Type of racing what? That Ultegra mech refinitely is going to the holy grail if you would try to shfit to the highest gear. Bars are too high, no human being in their right mind would be able to ride like this.
Lightweight non aero wheelset for long rides? Light wheels and bags full of lead? SPD pedals for long rides? Does long rides include dismounting every 100 metres? Saddle that has been designed to eliminate any possibility to have a grandchildren?
What part of that isn't a freak?

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prendrefeu
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by prendrefeu

Yes, Kasparz. It may be completely shocking to you, I know, but not everyone who rides thinks of themselves on the Pro Tour.

But let's go over your complaints, one by one, shall we?

"Bars are too high, no human being in their right mind would be able to ride like this."
Are you this person? No, you are not. Maybe they have a back problem? Maybe they prefer comfort? Maybe they aren't you. Shocking, I know, but there are about 7 Billion people in the world that are not you, and each person - yourself included - is unique.

Lightweight non aero wheelset for long rides?
You've never done a Maverick level ride, have you? Have you even done a ride longer than 200miles in one go? Aero is nice, but 200+ miles leaves a lot of variable in terrain, and more importantly weather. The Hoodoo 500 race in Utah, for example, can start off perfectly calm. 12 hours later you'll be battling 30mph sidewinds... they may stop, they may come back, either way you're out there on your own unsupported for 500 miles. Do you really want to fighting sidewinds all day or would you rather have reliable, consistent performance variables under your control?

SPD pedals for long rides?
Yes. Walkable, durable, cheap. Get over it.

Does long rides include dismounting every 100 metres?
No, but you may find yourself stopping to change a flat on the side of the route which can be mud, lava rock, stone, sand, who knows. Again, go out and do one of these rides before you start bitching about them.

Saddle that has been designed to eliminate any possibility to have a grandchildren?
Wow, you really are thinking only about yourself, huh? Each person has their own saddle interests and comfort levels, have you not learned that already?
I personally hate Brooks saddles. Some people love them, especially people who use their bikes for touring... like touring the PanAmerica road from Alaska down to Cape Horn. Guess what? They have kids.

What part of that isn't a freak?
I suppose if you were to ride it we can then point at your face of disgust, then call it a freak. But otherwise it's fine. It may not be YOUR personal "wanna be Pro Tour" cup of tea, but it's someone else's very capable ride and it's very purpose built. Unfortunately you can't see the purpose and have no experience in those types of purposes so....? :noidea:

I don't ride downhill bikes, the ones with massive front and rear shocks, incredibly small gearing and needing heavy body armor for safety. But do I call them freaks? No. They're purpose built and I respect them for what they are. Do I desire riding one? Nope. Do I salut the riders I see riding them? You bet. Do I salut the companies that make them? Yes, definitely.

Freaks? Those are mish-mashes of stuff, non-purpose built. Using a TT frame for mountain biking, for example, would be a freak bike.

Finally, just for context since you're in Latvia and we're a backwards country that still uses an Imperial measurement system:
500 miles is ~804km. That's a race, Kasparz, unsupported. Good luck out there.
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thisisatest
Shop Owner
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Joined: Sat Jun 13, 2009 4:02 am
Location: NoVA/DC

by thisisatest

I mostly like the green bike. It's z nice riding road bike set up for what I call super-touring. And he set it up with no rack. No fenders, either, I hope he's from Cali. I personally would run the bars a little lower, but this guy is probably retired and old enough that he has time to ride his bike all day, every day, without needing to turn around.

Kasparz
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Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 10:17 am
Location: Latvia

by Kasparz

prendrefeu wrote:500 miles is ~804km. That's a race, Kasparz, unsupported. Good luck out there.

Thanks, I'll need some luck ;)

Privateer
Posts: 360
Joined: Thu Feb 03, 2011 2:28 pm

by Privateer

Does anyone know the story behind that bike?

It looks like the kind of set-up used by the round the world racers* last year, but Di2 doesn't seem appropriate for that.

*Winner Mike Hall - 92 days to ride around the world, at an average of 322km per day. Impressive as all hell.
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ave
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Location: Hungary

by ave

That green one is a freak. Not the worst I've seen, but a freak nevertheless.

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LouisN
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Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2007 3:44 am
Location: Canada

by LouisN

I'll think about it twice before putting a picture of my bike in the gallery section, to share, next time...

There seems to be a long list of "don'ts" when time to assemble a bicycle these days... :roll:

Reminds me of some other type of freak we used to have on WW...

Louis :)

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stella-azzurra
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by stella-azzurra

Velorbis Leikier Limited Edition

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I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

billysan
Posts: 58
Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 2:42 pm
Location: Wiltshire, UK

by billysan

Stretch Armstrongs bike?

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stella-azzurra
Posts: 5066
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 6:35 am
Location: New York

by stella-azzurra

Is that position legal?
I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

nathanong87
Resident master of GIF
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by nathanong87

has to be photoshopped.

CarlosFerreiro
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Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 1:41 pm
Location: Shetland, Scotland

by CarlosFerreiro

The Pinarello is another one where you need to judge bike and rider together I think.
http://twgphotos.zenfolio.com/p20168255 ... c5#h3c7299

UK TT rider, so not under UCI rules. Quite a fast guy too.... :wink:

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eurperg
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Joined: Mon May 14, 2007 10:32 am
Location: Finland

by eurperg

I don't know what to think about this... :roll:

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prendrefeu
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by prendrefeu

Yeah, what is that damn Time pedal doing on a LOOK bike??!?!

But seriously folks: is that handlebar real? If so - I want to score one for a commuter build. I'm hardly ever in the drops on my commuter.
Exp001 || Other projects in the works.

by Weenie


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