The Pros Closet is going out of business

[Canuk]

I can't stand anyone who uses the word 'Fenders' for mudguards. I was a student in Paris in '98 for three quarters of a year, there was an American kid there going round all the bike shops hoovering up anything with any vintage to it. Could've been Pro Closet related, I know they had a tremendous stock of European vintage parts. He wasn't well liked.

Fenders are guitars mate, Stratocasters and Telecasters, and that's it!

 

[bikeworkshop]

My bug bear with Radavist (so perhaps I should not put this on TPC shoulders ) is not related to MTB.

It's related to glancing over history and former technological leadership in the Randonneur movement when clearly it's a significant contributor to the bike packing and adventure cycling. A few aesthetics from the 50s have been copied by some and apparently this is all new. While I get everyone does have opinions, I find a disparity of plugging the new cash cow rather than presenting the real deal.

https://theradavist.com/gemini-world-randonneur/

So much of that stuff is copies of TA, Stronglight, Mafac, Simplex, but hey ..... who's interested in that, especially if not mentioned. I see it fairly regular and it grates me.

Unfortunately History isn't sending them freebies from the past to endorse.

I asked a friend/ mtb magazine editor about the correlation between test bikes (they got to keep or give to their mates) and full page advertising, versus subject matter and editorial opinion...
There was a stony silence.

The smell of money taints opinion - but then that's how it works, right? You're just not meant to mention it.

 

[BOBU]

@Canuk

Fenders are guitars mate, Stratocasters and Telecasters, and that's it!

As the owner of an Esprit, I would have to point to an error in your assertion.... 3 Strat's too.

 

[dirttorpedo]

I can't stand anyone who uses the word 'Fenders' for mudguards. I was a student in Paris in '98 for three quarters of a year, there was an American kid there going round all the bike shops hoovering up anything with any vintage to it. Could've been Pro Closet related, I know they had a tremendous stock of European vintage parts. He wasn't well liked.

Fenders are guitars mate, Stratocasters and Telecasters, and that's it!

I never heard the term mudguard until I started hanging out here. Definitely a British (possibly european?) term.

 

[dirttorpedo]

My bug bear with Radavist (so perhaps I should not put this on TPC shoulders ) is not related to MTB.

It's related to glancing over history and former technological leadership in the Randonneur movement when clearly it's a significant contributor to the bike packing and adventure cycling. A few aesthetics from the 50s have been copied by some and apparently this is all new. While I get everyone does have opinions, I find a disparity of plugging the new cash cow rather than presenting the real deal.

https://theradavist.com/gemini-world-randonneur/

So much of that stuff is copies of TA, Stronglight, Mafac, Simplex, but hey ..... who's interested in that, especially if not mentioned. I see it fairly regular and it grates me.

Woz, its my understanding that TPC or whatever their parent company was bought the Radavist from John Prolly at one point and then he bought it back again when TPC figured out they had over reached / misjudged the pandemic cycling bump. Not sure when the articles in question were written, but it could be that at the time Radavist/TPC were the same thing.

FWIW I struggle with the Radavist writing in general and some of the opinions shared by the authors, but I love the photography and keep going back for the readers bikes.

 

[Canuk]

I never heard the term mudguard until I started hanging out here. Definitely a British (possibly european?) term.

It's from the French 'Garde-boue', which literally means guard against mud

 

[dirttorpedo]

It's from the French 'Garde-boue', which literally means guard against mud

Interesting. Apparently a bicycle fender is an American adaptation from the use of fender during the development of the automobile and was adapted for that use from fireplaces (17th C) and nautical use (13thC) and was a contraction of the word defender.

 

[Woz]

It's from the French 'Garde-boue', which literally means guard against mud

Can you nominate yourself / force yourself into the Radavist editorial team please.

Mud flap is pare-boue. Pare meaning a barrier / sheet of some sort.

Fender flaps we don't talk about.

 

[dirttorpedo]

Can you nominate yourself / force yourself into the Radavist editorial team please.

Mud flap is pare-boue. Pare meaning a barrier / sheet of some sort.

Fender flaps we don't talk about.

Even we "Americans" call them mud flaps and the best ones have nude women on them and are paired with hitch nuts.