Second: I've found that gratitude for what you already have is a fantastic antidote to the never ending call to upgrade. As much as I love geeking out on the latest and greatest bikes and gear, what I have works pretty damn well, and the most important thing is that it puts a smile on my face every time I ride. That's worth more than any new frame, groupset or whatever it may be.
James, I've always enjoyed your personal thoughts at the top of your posts, but this week's in particular hit home for me. It's a reminder that in these uncertain times, bikes can be a constant source of joy, even though they are not untouched by the economics of our world. There's still good value out there, and good people who provide it; it's just getting harder to find.
Another great post, James. I agree about road tubeless to a point. When I lived in areas that had a lot of Goat’s Head Thorns in the fall tubeless road was a life saver. A few years earlier a friend and I did a ride and had 5 flats between us due to thorns. Then, a couple of years later, I flatted on consecutive laps of a circuit race due to flats. When we moved to an area without thorns I was back to tubes.
The prices of a cycling industry have gotten ridiculous. I always wonder what the profit margins of products are? I can’t imagine that an XPLR cassette costs anywhere close to the $600 price. I bet it’s well under half of that. When I started riding in 1978 my bike was a Peugeot U08 that was about $150 new. I had a job in college so when I started racing I could afford to buy a Tommasini frame made of Columbus SL tubing for $300. I swapped parts onto it and then over the next year upgraded to Campagnolo Record. Total investment was well under $1000 which I could afford on my student job. Now, after 40 years of working in tech, I am lucky to be able to afford what I want. However, I still bargain hunt and I still feel like I am being screwed half the time. I think that it is a barrier to entry to kids and new people to the sport. Fortunately, Tucson has El Groupo Youth Cycling which supplies coaching, ride leaders, and equipment for free for junior high and high school kids. As the kids grow they get their bikes replaced for free also. I donate all my spare parts, clothing, bikes, trainers, and anything else bike related. They are supporting about 80 kids these days.
Oh man, that's so good to hear that El Grupo is still around! I used to regularly ship boxes of leftover review gear to them and they were always super appreciative. Maybe I should start doing that again since the Boulder Junior Cycling kids seem pretty well outfitted these days.
My first ‘road’ bike was a Traveler, too. This was during the fixie-craze days, so I converted it and rode/raced it for years. To this day it is one of the nicest ride-quality bikes I’ve owned.
Still liking the new format. I hope the trend in tubed tires continues, including getting a bit wider. Nothing in the mega gravel range, but 700x35 would be nice.
Given how long road tubeless has been around (almost 20 years!), the fact we've only gotten to a roughly 50/50 adoption rate is telling, and I think brands would be foolish to continue pushing it if it's clear not everyone wants (or needs) it. I suspect we'll continue to see more stuff like this in the near future, but only on the road. Inner tubes just don't make as much sense for gravel or MTB.
Another great read. One of the photos shows what I think may be a top tube mounted Wahoo computer? Would like to hear about that. Maybe in a future newsletter.
I've been using them on a few different bikes for a while now and been really happy with them. They hold the computer head very securely, they're nicely tucked out of harm's way, they're made well, and there's a spot to store a master link, too (and despite the fact they're attached with 3M VHB tape, they're not all that hard to move on occasion). Big fan.
Great on costing, pricing, affordability. Sometimes the real hero products are everyday, affordable. Need just as much time, effort to develop, as high end.
One thing re cycling in London: I started working in the UK in 1999, and was there for at least a few weeks every year for just about 10 years. While I was based in Oxford, where during school term there was an estimated 20k bike trips made per day, I spent a good amount of time in London over the years. By my observation, biking there as a means of transport – i.e., not club cycling that went out of the city – didn't really happen much until the congestion charging began. It's been expensive for a long time for a London resident to own a car, but that clearly pushed many Londoners to either ride or buy a scooter of one sort or another.
I'm not anti-car, far from it, but urban cycling and humanity both profit from charging cars for the toll they take, on city life especially.
Well what do you know, 2 of my 4 spare tpu tubes had holes worn through! Thanks for the heads up to check.
Firstly: that Yeti is bloody gorgeous!
Second: I've found that gratitude for what you already have is a fantastic antidote to the never ending call to upgrade. As much as I love geeking out on the latest and greatest bikes and gear, what I have works pretty damn well, and the most important thing is that it puts a smile on my face every time I ride. That's worth more than any new frame, groupset or whatever it may be.
James, I've always enjoyed your personal thoughts at the top of your posts, but this week's in particular hit home for me. It's a reminder that in these uncertain times, bikes can be a constant source of joy, even though they are not untouched by the economics of our world. There's still good value out there, and good people who provide it; it's just getting harder to find.
Read this on a 13 mini as well….small phone fan club!
Me too! The satellite connectivity is the only feature I feel I'm missing out on...surprising number of dead spots where I ride
Kudos to James May! Captain Slow was always my favourite car presenter and the 3 together with all the shenanigans always entertained
Another great post, James. I agree about road tubeless to a point. When I lived in areas that had a lot of Goat’s Head Thorns in the fall tubeless road was a life saver. A few years earlier a friend and I did a ride and had 5 flats between us due to thorns. Then, a couple of years later, I flatted on consecutive laps of a circuit race due to flats. When we moved to an area without thorns I was back to tubes.
The prices of a cycling industry have gotten ridiculous. I always wonder what the profit margins of products are? I can’t imagine that an XPLR cassette costs anywhere close to the $600 price. I bet it’s well under half of that. When I started riding in 1978 my bike was a Peugeot U08 that was about $150 new. I had a job in college so when I started racing I could afford to buy a Tommasini frame made of Columbus SL tubing for $300. I swapped parts onto it and then over the next year upgraded to Campagnolo Record. Total investment was well under $1000 which I could afford on my student job. Now, after 40 years of working in tech, I am lucky to be able to afford what I want. However, I still bargain hunt and I still feel like I am being screwed half the time. I think that it is a barrier to entry to kids and new people to the sport. Fortunately, Tucson has El Groupo Youth Cycling which supplies coaching, ride leaders, and equipment for free for junior high and high school kids. As the kids grow they get their bikes replaced for free also. I donate all my spare parts, clothing, bikes, trainers, and anything else bike related. They are supporting about 80 kids these days.
Oh man, that's so good to hear that El Grupo is still around! I used to regularly ship boxes of leftover review gear to them and they were always super appreciative. Maybe I should start doing that again since the Boulder Junior Cycling kids seem pretty well outfitted these days.
I am sure they would appreciate anything they could get. Also, if you are ever in the Tucson area they have a Fondo in the fall with the kids.
My first ‘road’ bike was a Traveler, too. This was during the fixie-craze days, so I converted it and rode/raced it for years. To this day it is one of the nicest ride-quality bikes I’ve owned.
Still liking the new format. I hope the trend in tubed tires continues, including getting a bit wider. Nothing in the mega gravel range, but 700x35 would be nice.
Re the PSA and pre-testing a tube - I also snug up the valve core.
Oh, that's a good one, too, particularly for anyone running an old Lezyne mini-pump with the thread-on head. Thanks!
Given how long road tubeless has been around (almost 20 years!), the fact we've only gotten to a roughly 50/50 adoption rate is telling, and I think brands would be foolish to continue pushing it if it's clear not everyone wants (or needs) it. I suspect we'll continue to see more stuff like this in the near future, but only on the road. Inner tubes just don't make as much sense for gravel or MTB.
Another great read. One of the photos shows what I think may be a top tube mounted Wahoo computer? Would like to hear about that. Maybe in a future newsletter.
No need to wait that long! It's a stick-on top tube mount from Leap Components: https://leapcomponents.com/product/wahoo-elemnt-bolt-v2-enduro-mount/
Thanks so much. What a great product idea.
I've been using them on a few different bikes for a while now and been really happy with them. They hold the computer head very securely, they're nicely tucked out of harm's way, they're made well, and there's a spot to store a master link, too (and despite the fact they're attached with 3M VHB tape, they're not all that hard to move on occasion). Big fan.
Great on costing, pricing, affordability. Sometimes the real hero products are everyday, affordable. Need just as much time, effort to develop, as high end.
Such a great read James. You really are unparalleled in your quality! Thanks.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks. Really enjoy your posts.
One thing re cycling in London: I started working in the UK in 1999, and was there for at least a few weeks every year for just about 10 years. While I was based in Oxford, where during school term there was an estimated 20k bike trips made per day, I spent a good amount of time in London over the years. By my observation, biking there as a means of transport – i.e., not club cycling that went out of the city – didn't really happen much until the congestion charging began. It's been expensive for a long time for a London resident to own a car, but that clearly pushed many Londoners to either ride or buy a scooter of one sort or another.
I'm not anti-car, far from it, but urban cycling and humanity both profit from charging cars for the toll they take, on city life especially.