Why Don't I like the 'good' bikes?

[Charlieboy28]

BSO's exist the term isnt snobbery, its fact, they are dangerous and should be illegal, never seen one on this site anyway,

I have seen some comments about treks and hahannahs and marins however

 

[legrandefromage]

If you think Retrobike is elitist and snobbish, that is a shame as it is no where near as up its own backside as:

http://CHiPs.com/people.php?PageAction= ... CHiPs.com/

You have to be invited to join. That says it all.

Those a$$holes.

"... the instant ELITISM became a dirty word among Americans, any potential for a high culture to develop in their country was tomahawked in its cradle."-TR

insert whatever country you happen to be in.

its become a crime to enjoy the high end in some places

A poor choice of wording on my part - I apologise, theres no need to cite IVMT B in that way, just making a point that this site is a broad church as Dr. S says but low end is low end and no matter how shiny, old BSOs are still rubbish.

 

[Tazio]

I think Dr S's use of the term "broad church" sums this site up nicely.

There are bikes posted on here that look like they have never been ridden in anger, indeed some that look like they have never been ridden.

There are bikes that are clearly ridden hard and given the occasional hose down.

Some users are clearly enthusiastic riders who are out every weekend and own moderns due to the advantage in their technology.

Some users who I'm not sure even ride the bikes they own, builders more than riders.

Some lucky sods who have the means to build dream bikes regardless of cost.

Some lucky sods who can get equally enthused about restoring a bike that was originally a very affordable day back in the day (I don't like the term bottom end)

However everyone likes bikes for their own reasons. If you don't want to read a thread about a Raleigh getting restored don't open it, rest assured there will be a few people who are interested in it.

 

[cornholio's RC200]

Peace brothers, if we were all the same it would be boring

(There would still be unfortunate kids out there dragging BSOs around though)

 

[shogun700]

As with most arguments, I find myself standing off to the side and wondering why people need to see such divisions amongst themselves. My love for bicycles has no end, but I've grown weary of the people who own them. It used to be just roadies, but now.....

If your love is for build quality, rarity, or exclusiveness, great. If you get a massive joyrush from a midgrade skip find, also great. Where is it stated that this hobby has to be one thing or the other?

It's been +/- 30 years since these bikes came about. If you were there at the beginning, and sampled the originals before mass production began, your perspective is fundamentally different than those who came to it later, and for good reason. How many were there then? Not many. If I had been a part of this at that time, it would have been hard to watch the marketing machine ramp up, and find your trails crowded with casual riders to the point where they eventually close. It's not elitism or snobbery, it's just... fundamentally disappointing, in a way, watching things get watered down-but remember, some of those casual riders were grinning from ear to ear, and ignorance truly is bliss!

If you were not there at the start, or your interest lies in more common bikes, then 'watered down' becomes 'finally available here!' or 'finally, I can afford to try this!', and your passion is just as strong. That being said, you need to recognize that not everyone sees your Rockhopper in the same light-and they don't need to. The kicker here is that Specialized sold a bazillion Rockhoppers, and there is a really strong chance that there are quite a few others out there who feel exactly the same way, and love to sit and chat about it.

I thought Retrobike was for both groups of enthusiasts-plus me, who didn't know a Ritchey from a Ross until a fine example of the former fell in my lap several years ago. I still have my Cannondale F700, and love it for what it is-my first MTB, but from the first ride I knew it was no Ritchey. I'll continue to unashamedly post about my horribly cheesy dirt dropped Stumpjumper Comp because I built it from my parts box and it goes like snot in the snow. I'll read all the threads about Fats and Kleins and everything else because more information is better than less.

Don't destroy what you have, folks. Get on your bikes and ride!

 

[Ycawsfach]

no one has ever singled out an individual person and said they are less valid. You seem to be inventing your own incorrect assumption of peoples beliefs

“There shouldn't be any interest in it on here as this is supposed to be a bike enthusiasts/connoisseur site”

“This is just a pressed steel retro BSO, it wasn't any good then and certainly shouldn't be here now”

These are just two recent comments about lower end bikes, and while the words "less valid" are not actually used, there's certainly an implication that they don't deserve to be on this site.

There's absolutely no doubt that a good top end bike is better in virtually every way than a low end model, and I don't think anyone disagrees with that, but it certainly does not invalidate the interest that anyone has in those lower end bikes. I recently read about someone's completed rebuild of a top bike and thought the end result looked terrible, but there is no way I would have gone on that thread with my negative views as I welcome the fact that we are all allowed to have different tastes.

I loved shogun700's contribution to this thread.

 

[Dr S]

If I remember correctly those comments were aimed at a particular type of bike rather than an individual person.

 

[legrandefromage]

As long as it's old skool and you enjoy riding it the that's all that matters. It is at the entry end so you know it has limitations but it is a bike....2 wheels, pedals and it goes and if it works for you and puts a smile on ya mush then why not

Don't worry about the elitist snobbery that happens a lot in here.... Even the most up themselves label snobs can be very helpfull

Its the bike we're criticising here not the members.

These are the sort of bikes that give cycling a bad name as a whole, cheap nasty BSOs that can still be found today in supermarkets, cheap, plain bad facsimiles of better models.

Its only just now that the tide is slowly, and I mean slowly turning against these sort of bikes - people are finally realising that you have to spend money to get a decent bike.

Even in the Retrobike world, a bad bike is still a bad bike even if it is still shiny - that bike is made using the bare minimum to pass any safety standard of the day and to generate as much profit as possible. It probably only survives because, as with many bikes like this, it was ridden a few times and the owner though 'gawd, this is awful' and left it in the garage.

Its not elitism or snobbery, there are many halfway decent bikes to be had, even for the 30 quid you spent on this.

Its a shame these bikes ever existed as they give such a bad reputation to cycling as a whole.

 

[legrandefromage]

no one has ever singled out an individual person and said they are less valid. You seem to be inventing your own incorrect assumption of peoples beliefs

“There shouldn't be any interest in it on here as this is supposed to be a bike enthusiasts/connoisseur site”

“This is just a pressed steel retro BSO, it wasn't any good then and certainly shouldn't be here now”

These are just two recent comments about lower end bikes, and while the words "less valid" are not actually used, there's certainly an implication that they don't deserve to be on this site.

There's absolutely no doubt that a good top end bike is better in virtually every way than a low end model, and I don't think anyone disagrees with that, but it certainly does not invalidate the interest that anyone has in those lower end bikes. I recently read about someone's completed rebuild of a top bike and thought the end result looked terrible, but there is no way I would have gone on that thread with my negative views as I welcome the fact that we are all allowed to have different tastes.

I loved shogun700's contribution to this thread.

If I'm gonna be quoted, please do it nicely:

Now, look, theres retro and theres retro

This is just a pressed steel retro BSO, it wasnt any good then and certainly shouldnt be here now.

Call it snoberry, elitism, call it what you want but that is just a poor facsimile of what was available at the time, chrome plated steel rims? In anything but tinder dry conditions, those brakes will be shat, even the gear changing is awful. It doesnt even make for a good pub bike as even when sober, the ride will be frightening over 5mph.

Please, sell it quick and invest in something that will give you more smiles per mile, anything in the FS section will do.

*EDIT* I appreciate that you are new here and this is not the best of welcomes to the site but, please check back through the readers wives section , see what we do and have a laugh at how anal we are.

 

[Charlieboy28]

do we have a readers wives section then
will go and look now