10 years ago, a top end bike was significantly cheaper, with fewer proprietary parts, and could be more easily maintained at home. Today, when marginal gains make so much of a difference, a competitive bike will cost far more in real terms and, due to sophisticated planned obsolescence, is less likely to last very long, and it's far more difficult to upgrade individual components. In essence, the industry (at least at the top end) has disappeared up its own bottom bracket.
Cycling is too dangerous due to drivers, too expensive due to the cycling industry, too elitist due to the riders and too old because the cycling industry has prized money over youth.
Worse? Better? Bike is a bike, it hardly changes. My fleet of 5 in its current state is 30 to 11 years old. Except one steel clunker (not the 30 y.o. btw) all hydraulic brakes, some with semi-integrated routing. No electronics though, so don't quote me on the whole entirety
The point about cycling infrastructure is super important. It's not always trailored towards sporting cyclists, and as a result some ignorant drivers have a fit, but overall it's been a huge improvement in accessibility in just a decade. Encouraging the expansion of cycling infrastructure should be a key talking point in our niche community. Helps make it less of a niche.
@KenSmith-bv4si yh but wage levels were for sure in line with inflation right? We can for sure trust companies to treat employees as humans in return for all that surplus value they get without them being controlled by a higher authoritative power right???
I hear that, the swift passage of time happens to all of us. 54 a decade ago, older and slower now, still confident, however, of winning a trophy in the over-60 class in a gravel race. Or a participation ribbon, all the same when you do your best and cheer for everyone and enjoy the scene. 😀
My dad keeps saying, "If only I had the body of a 60 year old". Not far away for me now, but that's always been a reminder for me to cherish the abilities I have now, no matter what my age.
Arent we all under 40 basically on that train? Unless you are 50 and you are wasting 11k on a bike because you hoarded money all your life i dont think bwe have the funds for this bs, not with rents and the prices of everything else begin so high
Lol, I wish I could afford a bike a mere ten years old! all three of my bikes I built from bits salvaged from machines I've found free at the side of the road.
I started in racing 1982. We had "lightweight" steel bikes, a 6 speed block (13-21 for flat races, 13-23 for hilly ones, 23mm tyres and a 52-42 chainset. You knew where the riders you were racing against were from by the frame they were riding, pretty much everyone used a local frame-builder for their bike. The thought of spending over a years salary, for a bike that someone else had spec'd, would have seen you taken away in a white jacket that did up from the rear.
@@br5380 I still have the 80's steed and still ride it. The 80's track iron also has a front brake and is an great fixie. But yes I also have a carbon frame as well as modern steel.
@@oldanslo obviously, but for $15000 I'd like to spec my own components rather than someone else do it, cutting corners on parts that are not visible. I picked my own parts and was able to build it myself. That's not an easy proposition these days.
Carbs: I've been cycling for over 40 years and never lost the faith over carbs. I rolled my eyes many times when they went out of favour. Protein for power, carbs for long days and endurance in the saddle. STANDS TO BLOODY REASON! Now it's OK again. It was always OK with me 🙄. There's that eye-roll again.
Internal cable routing is extremely easy as long as it has full length cable housing. If you need a new inner cable just pull the old one out and slide the new one in. If you need an outer cable just connect the new cable to the old cable with a screw with the head cut off. Then just pull the old cable housing out and it pulls the new cable housing directly through where it needs to be. It takes 5 minutes.
I'm 56 and have rides in Strava for 14 years now and according to their fitness/freshness I'm fitter now than I was then. I'm down from 2020 but still up from 2010 through 2016 despite my memories to the contrary
10and especially 20 years ago, there were more standardization of seat posts, bottom brackets, and steering tubes allowing for finding parts for easy upgrades and maintenance. Way more drivetrain compatibility 30 years ago.
There was a vid by Matt years ago showing how he prepared his clothing for his ride to work as a cop. Worth digging out of the archives - no wrinkles there! I'm sure he never clipped in though.
10 years ago I could go into a bike shop and not be faced with nothing but carbon aero bikes with 1x12 gearing, electronic shifting, and a 2k + pricetag.
I think that cycling has mostly improved over the past 10 years: bikes are better, there are more riders, there is a lot more infrastructure, etc. And TPU inner tubes; those things are awesome. There are a few developments, though, that I wish had not occurred: 1. Hookless rims: most idiotic and dangerous idea ever to disgrace the bicycle industry. 2. Internal cable routing and integrated handlebars: It looks nice, but I doubt the aero benefits are even measurable, and they're a total PITA. Internal routing through the handlebars is a particularly irritating development. 3. Waze and other traffic navigation apps for motorists. Thanks to these apps, it's virtually impossible to find quiet, untraveled routes to ride one's bicycle, because every route on Earth has also been found by a whole bunch of car drivers desperately trying to avoid all the traffic that they've created by driving all those cars in the first place.
the shammy cream and hanks laughter is truly the moment of the day. thank you for that ( also dan looking momentarily at the camera, asking , are we still recording this?)
There was a time, in the 1990s of “peak mechanical”. I believe there is a ready made market for exceptional steel frame bikes - because of the ride quality of steel, its durability and fixability and recyclability- combined with beautifully engineered group sets, in silver of course, that employ the best mechanical technology out there. This includes rim brakes as an option. Many people want a “do it all” type bike they can ride anywhere. Bigger tires, higher stacks and shorter reach, vibration dampening and flawless shifting. There is a market for a bike you can fall in love with and many carbon frame bikes with proprietary elements that are difficult to service and maintain just don’t fit that bill. Sure they can be exceptional and fast and reasonably comfortable but most riders aren’t racers and maybe that’s one reason gravel bikes came about.
Ten years ago? How about 50 years ago? I still have my own late 70's steel frame bike with dura ace groupset and down tube shifters. I still ride it once or twice a month and think at the end of the ride, "have we really fixed anything?" Is it really the majic of marketing? Flawless experience every time!
Downtube shifters are awful though. Not just more cumbersome, but taking a hand off the bar and your eye off the road is also dangerous (and for many people, also a skill issue).
I used to ride a lovely Raleigh record ace in the 90’s as a student. It lasted a good few years but got worn out or badly treated(?) and it was impossible to replace things like the lovely aero brakes sadly so I had to retire it
@@andrasszabo1570 You can shift without looking, it's a basic skill anyone riding with DTs can do. Taking your hand off the bar isn't dangerous unless you're an incompetent rider or perhaps on an extreme descent. As always, skill issue, learn to ride.
I own a 2023 Giant TCR Advanced Pro. It's an incredible bike. Full mechanical Ultegra build (yes, I prefer the mechanical group!), carbon tubeless/hookless wheelset, disc brakes, and even a factory installed dual-sided power meter. The bike is very comfortable, very fast and relatively easy to work on with the exception of the brakes and tires. Compared to rim brakes, discs are quite a bit more fiddly. And compared to tubes/clinchers, tubules tires are messy, require more maintenance, and cost more. I also own a 2009 Cervelo RS. It's a full carbon SRAM Force build, with rim brakes and an Easton aluminium wheel set. I rode well over 35,000km on this bike over the years I have owned it, and put it away when I got the TCR over a year ago. I fully rebuilt it this summer with a new BB, new bearings all around, brake pads, bar tape, and so on. I rode it for first time in over a year and allI can say is 'wow, what a bike!'. It's arguably more plush than the TCR, and performs very well. Of course there are differences between the two bikes, the most obvious being the rim brakes. They bite like crazy compared to the discs. Stopping power is very good, but the initial bite inspires much more confidence than the discs. The RS does feel slightly less efficient than the TCR; like I'm doing a little more work on the RS to maintain the same speeds as the TCR. This may be down to the relatively heavier rotating mass of the wheel set, aero improvements, and perhaps a less efficient drivetrain on the RS. However, it does not feel like ~15 years of progress between the two bikes! My take? Disc brakes are good, but aren't worth it. Tubeless wheels are a messy, expensive PITA. I'd happily have my TCR with rim brakes, and a decent carbon wheelset for clinchers+tubes any day. Easier to work on, less expensive to maintain, probably a little lighter too!
Exactly, I have a 2019 Canyon Aeroad (7,3Kg), with rim brakes (and clinchers). In fact, I chose rim brakes due to the lower weight, price and personal taste. Moreover, it does not rain in Lisbon, Portugal. And when it does, I Gravel or Mtb (with disk brakes, obviously).
I think it's fairer to say that although there's a wider selection of expensive bikes than 10 years ago, there are just as many adequate bikes that are modestly priced... If you need a race bike then your race team will pay for it.
GCN'+ used to be great and for £6.99 a month (I think it was well worth it). I'm sorry but to pay a subscription of £13 a month to now watch the same documentaries is criminal. You've done what every bike manufacturer has done and takes the p*ss out of loyal consumers with quickly rising and extravagant prices. Over a year that would be £156 a year....shocking.
10 years ago it was alot easier to get a KOM on Strava, also my riding buddies were not as quick then as they are now so I was still in the mix, now they are mountain goats 30 metres ahead of me on every climb. They saw how much training I did on Strava so started doing the same amount but were naturally alot quicker.
Great as usual boys. Having lived on Long Island for over 30 something years I can tell you that New York City to Montauk is quite a ride, but with really bad bikes it must’ve been rough.
When I was cycling with mates in the 80s, we used to sabotage each other's gears by reaching over and pulling the downtube lever to put others in the big ring before a particularly hard climb, or the small ring before the 30mph sign sprint. Plus ça change!
Great video! Mixed bag for me - 10 years ago I could ride solo without getting killed by a texting driver. But after buying a new bike this year I can definitively say that bikes are waaaaayyyy better now !
Whenever I ride my Yeti SB5, with disc brakes, lockouts, dropper post, and 1X12 drive train, I can't help but to think about how much it sucked riding hardtails with 3X8 drivetrains and rim brakes back in the early 90's. And when I'm riding my brilliant all carbon Willier GTR with carbon Reynolds wheels and how beautifully it rides compared to my old Aluminum Cannondales. Trails are more plentiful, but they're also more crowded, and don't get me started on e-bikers on the trail. And for sure, the amount of distracted drivers certainly makes me more wary of riding on a lot of roads. To echo your conclusions, bikes are better, but actually riding them isn't necessarily.
I actually have an old 90s mountain bike with rim brakes and an elastomer fork with 50mm of travel and a 3×8 drivetrain it's a raleigh max chromo 3 which I found in a Bush believe it or not
wasn't riding 10 years ago (4 year 'newbie'), but was shocked how much better bikes are today (2021 SL7 Sworks), vs. what I rode a long time ago in the 80s in college. Old bike did its job and nobody bothered to steal the bike on campus or anywhere else. Now with all the high end stuff and cost, one dares not leave it unattended at the coffee stop
Cycling was much better 42 years ago when I started as Sunday mornings, you had the whole road to yourself on a bike! No Sunday shopping and less than a 5th of the cars on the road! Heaven!
27:05 I totally agree I’m less confident with bike maintenance than I was when younger but I have been able to replace hydraulic disk brakes with practice after some trepidation. Always better to learn DIY but I think it has got harder
I'd go way back to the days of friction shifting when 13/24 rear end with a 42/53 and pounding the pavement on tubular tires, this was the norm for us back then, doing a 100 plus mile ride with roughly about 7,500 feet of climbing going over the Santa Cruz Mountains was a good days outing for myself and this was done on a Modified STEEL DALE SASSO TRACK bike that was converted to road, it was tight and fast, it climbed like a bat out of hell and it carved up the down hill runs! Back then several other cyclist looked at it and said out loud, WHAT KIND OF A BEAST IS THIS, and it was a BEAST, what I was able to do with this bike was kind of scary but on the other hand it pulled me out of a few tough situations, one day I was on solo Sunday ride, when getting close to home I wanted to make a green light on a left hand turn so I started hammering to make that green light, ok I made as I was about to enter the intersection a city bus ran the red light in front of me coming from my right side, since I was in blast mode I figured no big deal I'll have about 10 to 12 feet to clear the bus on the out-side as I was coming around the the outer side of the bus then SUPRISE! SUPRISE! SUPRISE! I was looking at another city bus that was parked at the bus stop, so my thoughts of having 10 to 12 feet of room just evaporated to to about 5 to 6 feet, no time to think, if I braked then I'll wash out going under the parked city bus and probably get runed over as it was about to be leave as soon as the other buss was clear, I just steered for the slot, ok I'm in, then all of a sudden the bus at the buss stop started to move outwards towards me! HOLY SHIT! I then was out of the saddle peddling for dear life, I kept my cool, I was torquing so hard my rear wheel was lifting and fish tailing and slamming into the bus that ran the red light, some how I stayed up-right and shot through the busses like a rocket, I then heard the 2 busses locking up their brakes, I was so jazzed up I then ended up in Santa Cruz once once again, this made 2 Santa Cruz runs in 2 days time on this same bike the next day I went to Dales frame building shop, and when seeing Dale he asked, WHY! We're you playing chess with the city busses, I then asked how do you know that, he replied I was on the bus that was on your left side so to say I saw everything then another frame builder JEFF LYON of LYON SPORT came out and said, Dale told me about you and the confrontation you had with the 2 city busses, if true then we need to get you on the TRACK, he then came out to look at my bike and commented, what kind of a BEAST is this, a modifide track road bike, now it all makes sense to me. Yeah! It wasn't a normal off the shelf bike, it was a miss-mash of parts that suited my potential needs MODOLO Master Pro brake CALIPERS with SHIMANO DURA-ACE AERO brake levers, OMAS BIG SLIDING hubs lacer to MAVIC SSC tubular rims with a BOMB proof MAILLARD FREEWHEEL and Vittoria CX/CG tubulars / STRONGLINGT 105 cranks with a TI STRONGLIGHT BB, GALLI KL rear Derailleur a $ 2.00 JPR micro-adjustable seat post which is the most adjustable seat post that was ever made then and probably still is today / CONCOR saddle, the only CAMPAGNOLO parts used on this bicycle was the TRACK pedals, front derailleur and SUPER REDORD headset. I'm currently in the process of building another, maybe not with the same components but trust worthy they will be, you can't do this with modern day componentry! Later!
This is a story about cows: In 2019 my wife and I were on gravel bikes riding the George S. Michelson Trail in South Dakota from Rockford to Deadwood and back again. It was late afternoon on the way back when we came to a bridge. There were several very large cows on the bridge and I told my wife no problem we could get by, but she stopped and refused to budge. We decided to backtrack and find a way around, but realized after a few miles there was no outlet. As it was getting late, she agreed to put away her fear and try again to cross the bridge. Unfortunately, by the time we returned, a significantly larger number of cows had come up from the valley below now clogging the bridge we needed to cross and even wandering freely around the trail. I looked around and my wife was no where to be found. I finally saw her crouched in the woods behind some trees. I thought to myself “Oh this is just great”. As the cows milled around, I thought of my late father who grew up on a Dairy Farm. What would he do? Inspired by a memory of him herding cows, I rode toward the bridge cowboy like waving my jacket in circles above my head and yelling a few yippee kay yays. Some of the cows looked startled and I noticed some movement. As I got closer sheer panic broke out and the cows started running off the bridge and down the trail. I called to my wife who by now had peaked her head out of the woods, and told her let’s go. We rode behind the stampede with me still waving my jacket and yelling. Finally after about half a mile, the cows veered off the trail into a field and we rode on our way fist pumping and celebrating. I even think my wife had a few tears in her eyes.
I saw a charity cyclathon across Japan recently. A youtuber guest who barely knows how to ride was put on the "deluxe" bike, which was a typical aero bike with those deep rims. While it was hilarious watching him try to clip in and out, that bike was not the right type for the rider, no matter how fancy it was. He kept getting blown by crosswind into traffic by those deep rims, downright dangerous. And he nowhere neared the speeds necessary to benefit from the aero. And of course when the seatpost broke, none of the bike shops had the proprietary non-round aero posts. This is why top-of-the-line is a very relative thing. Most casual riders would have a safer and more enjoyable ride on something more old school and 10x cheaper.
I'm with Si and all! I have a deep distrust of cows. A few of the region all parks where I used to hike "featured" open range cattle grazing. Most of the time they ignored me, but one morning as I passed by a group, one of them.started.lowing, then coming down a hill towards me. The message got around to the rest of the herd, and they all started lowing and coming towards me. I got to the other side of the cattle.gate and closed it, and haven't trusted them ever since!
Well done Dan on handling the work experience placement! Very happily moved along with cycling - no issues with disc brakes, electronic shifting, more aero frames. I’m not a fan of the move from quick release to thru axles. And as for aero bottles - that’s where I’m going to stop!
Not at all, ive got an absolute rocket ship of a bike that's comfortable and eliminates much of the hassle and wear. Disc brakes mean I have a set of amazing wheels that are still like new after 4 years. Electronic gears and hydraulic brakes go for years without adjustment and thanks to tubeless, no more punctures. It's a dream for a guy that loves things that just work.
I started cycling a year ago (GCN hooked me in), so the only bikes I have ever known have been disc brake bikes. Few weeks ago I built myself a very cheap commuter bike which 10 years ago would've been a TdF bike with rim brakes, Alu racing frame and lots of used or Chinese carbon. I am more confident working on the disc brakes than rim brakes, mostly because it's what I learnt first and spent more time being comfortable with.
I have only getting really really into cycling just before I turned 30 and I am in the best health of my life. My cardiologist doesn't need to see me as often, I don't need my leg splints, and I have lost 40lbs.
Thanks for featuring my valve nut "washer" hack to mount my new water bottle cage! Appreciate you guys, Dan and Hank, for featuring it on the show! -gzrbang (a.k.a. dialeleven)
Dan: Riping out your garden and let it go to weeds is a serious bodge. I know you were too busy cycling! Hank: Now that I know you are from a dairy farm I totally understand why always thought you were my favorite commentator. You would fit in well with all my farm raised friends here in America’s Dairyland. We are a different breed! 🤣Cheers!
Just today I completed building my lightest steel racing bike with rim brakes, exposed cables, downtube friction shifters, 7 speed gears, and 23mm tyres. I can throw on any wheel I lave lying around whether it's 5, 6, 7, or 8 speeds. It's very comfortable, cheap, easy to work on flies like the wind. I wouldn't touch a modern bike with a barge pole.
(Thanks to being time crunched with a young family) I can barely ride my best bike for 100 miles, let alone my worst! And I really don't fancy riding a 75 year old machine that hasn't been ridden in over 30 years. Despite being lovingly cleaned and restored, it still has some kinks to iron out.
Despite what people might say, modern bikes are far more advanced than those of 10 years ago. Yes, they are expensive, but if you can afford one - get it 😊
I've been cycling for over forty years and my enjoyment of it has never been about the bike itself but more about the riding. It's about being outdoors and discovering the world around you. Back then there was no bike infrastructure or very little if it existed. There was way less cars which made drivers less stressed and cohabitation was good. You'd get the occasional a**hole but that has not changed. Bikes were cheap, parts were cheap and they were very easy to maintain. Now I wouldn't exchange my current bike which is well suited to me at 58 for the friction gear change system bikes I used to ride in my youth but I still see some young people using these old 40 year old bikes for commuting here in Montreal. As for cycling infrastructure it's awesome for commuters, families and people not used to cycling but when you're a cyclist you don't care.
I think is a really interesting question that might be better served by a proper long-form discussion that goes into some of the nuance of this genuinely interesting, multi-faceted topic. Instead we get a short list of bullet point pros and cons that probably took 2 mins to come up with. I feel like this happens a lot when I click on GCN videos - An interesting topic/question that I want to know more about is distilled into (often 5) basic, surface level observations that don't really add anything to what I already knew. I am not trying to criticise, just hoping to provide some feedback.
While it is likely that if I knew then what I know now, I would have been faster, I know so much more in training and nutrition (yay carbs!) that at 57, I am still getting PRs! I do miss GCN+ but I am very happy you got your independence back.
I came back to cycling almost exactly 10 years ago. I am way fitter and faster than I was then, and I'm 63! Better still, I am fitter than I was a year ago. I do ride a bike with a short head tube and a slammed stem too!
10 years ago we didn't have so many e-bike fires all over the dang place. GCN, stop being silent on the matter! ruclips.net/video/_kCtoWQySms/видео.html
Caption Contest: The Bäckstedt Girls prepare their next big hit, "I'll never break your heart." They then proceed to test the limits of their promise. #captionContest
The increase in cars is certainly noticeable where I live. But, as mentioned, the cycling infrastructure has also improved. As for equipment costs, economists have tried to account for the improvement in technology as being an increase in consumer value. In terms of functionality, I would agree that this years Shimano 105 is likely as good or better technologically than ten year old Dura Ace.
I didn't see the photo for last week's caption contest, but it reminded me of something that happened to me a couple of years ago: I was on a solo training ride on the Wabash Trace (Iowa, USA)--a rails-to-trail route--when I had a pretty nasty crash about 37 miles in. I go up, determined that I was fine enough (just a bit bloody) and--more importantly--the bike was fine. I decided to turn around and head back, and within the first mile of my return trip there were two cows on the trail (somehow I had not seen them ~10 minutes before). One scampered off the trail right away, but the other started running in my same direction. My first thought was to just hold my line and ride by him...but I thought better (since I had crashed once already, so I didn't need a 2000 lbs beast sideswiping me); I rode behind it until it got off the trail. It was quite the adventure.
10 yrs ago, the tubeless tires were less reliable, periodically I had to reindexed the gear. Nowadays, I spent nearly the same amount of money to get more down-to-earth brands with better reliability, albeit with slightly more weight penalty, larger selection of cycling attire and more comfy helmets, shoes, & more protected glasses
Been riding mtb since the early 90s and everything for about 20 years. Rose tinted glasses are a normal human spec point, but if I take them off, bikes are better, more good content and coverage, better metrics and metering even for the a average rider, yea more cars suck, but there’s also more riders and that’s cool as! Feel like we’re in a golden age for riding bikes. I do agree that getting older isn’t that great on the face of it, but some maturity and realism about my abilities does often allow me to just enjoy it more than I did when I was younger and more serious about my riding. Plus, unless you are stuck in the old days it’s now ok to like and ride all kinds of bikes. And I’ve never met a bike I don’t like.
That's a good point. Definitely more cars, driving faster and more recklessly. Some supposed "bike share" roads are real sketchy thanks to that. I remember when 5-10mph over the speed limit was spicy. Now if you aren't doing that, everyone is getting mad at you. Meanwhile the real speedsters are going +30 mph now. Cause why would it trend in the other direction? 😮💨
You can buy a pristine aluminum 10 year old Giant Defy with 105 components for $300.... It's incredibly capable, and WAY easier to maintain than today's crap.
I have a 2005 specialized allez elite with modern mechanical 105. The whole build cost me $500. It's a sub 18lbs xxl steel bike with high-end columbus tubing. I can't even get a sub 18lb carbon bike in that size, and if I could, it would be $3k+ lol
Yup, those aluminum frames don't rust so they keep well. The hydromolded ones with non-round tubing can also shave some weight off without compromising on strength.
Ten years ago I could afford 2012 equipment. Now I can afford 2017 equipment. It's getting better! In ten years I'll be able to afford 2024 equipment - I love progress!
Yes, for me, which is the only way I can relate to it, because I wasn't the aged, slow, stiff old crock that I am now. What a silly question: pick a year anywhere from 1860 to today, and ask it again. I'm sure people in the 1900s were nostalgic for 'ordinary' bicycles, what, with those complicated and oily chains on 'safety' bicycles!
Imagine a TDF sprint stage, all the teams are busy hacking each other's electronic shifters,... but you know there's one cyclist in the peloton, that couldn't be bothered to use Di2, he sweeps in and takes the win - while Phillipsen and co are busy spinning their legs at 200 rpm😂
6:51 look how blue the Netherlands is compared to the rest of Europe. I hope one day that it will be equally blue around it. ( its not perfect but lightyears ahead if it comes to cycling infra structure and efficiency )
Problem: shifting hacking Solution: more firmware updates. Come to a time, your groupset won’t receive future firmware updates Tell me this isn’t planned obsolescence. It’s the same way anti-virus businesses survive.
Years ago, while hiking, I encountered a field where the path cut diagonally from stile to stile. Around twenty cows were grazing there, and as soon as I entered, they began to follow me. None came closer than five or six meters the entire way across. Though it was a bit unnerving initially, they weren't aggressive-just curious.
Do you think cycling has become worse? Or has it become better? Let us know! 👇
Everything changes. Not always to the better .🤷🏼♂️
10 years ago, a top end bike was significantly cheaper, with fewer proprietary parts, and could be more easily maintained at home.
Today, when marginal gains make so much of a difference, a competitive bike will cost far more in real terms and, due to sophisticated planned obsolescence, is less likely to last very long, and it's far more difficult to upgrade individual components.
In essence, the industry (at least at the top end) has disappeared up its own bottom bracket.
Cycling is too dangerous due to drivers, too expensive due to the cycling industry, too elitist due to the riders and too old because the cycling industry has prized money over youth.
Worse? Better? Bike is a bike, it hardly changes. My fleet of 5 in its current state is 30 to 11 years old. Except one steel clunker (not the 30 y.o. btw) all hydraulic brakes, some with semi-integrated routing. No electronics though, so don't quote me on the whole entirety
The point about cycling infrastructure is super important. It's not always trailored towards sporting cyclists, and as a result some ignorant drivers have a fit, but overall it's been a huge improvement in accessibility in just a decade. Encouraging the expansion of cycling infrastructure should be a key talking point in our niche community. Helps make it less of a niche.
It was cheaper.
We also made less money 10 yrs ago.
The coffee stop was cheaper
@@gcn So were ice creams! Mr Whippy with a Cadbury flake now £3.50 at it's cheapest in my area.
@KenSmith-bv4si yh but wage levels were for sure in line with inflation right? We can for sure trust companies to treat employees as humans in return for all that surplus value they get without them being controlled by a higher authoritative power right???
I remember I could afford to get a brand new aluminum shimano 105 specced bike for under 2k usd after working part time in the summer
It was a hell of a lot better 10 years ago: I was only 67.
damn bro
U look great for 87😂 i mean 77
I felt this
I hear that, the swift passage of time happens to all of us. 54 a decade ago, older and slower now, still confident, however, of winning a trophy in the over-60 class in a gravel race. Or a participation ribbon, all the same when you do your best and cheer for everyone and enjoy the scene. 😀
My dad keeps saying, "If only I had the body of a 60 year old". Not far away for me now, but that's always been a reminder for me to cherish the abilities I have now, no matter what my age.
Joke's on y'all. I can only afford 10-year-old equipment, so I'm just hanging out in 2014 by necessity
Arent we all under 40 basically on that train? Unless you are 50 and you are wasting 11k on a bike because you hoarded money all your life i dont think bwe have the funds for this bs, not with rents and the prices of everything else begin so high
Did you type this on your Blackberry?
@@JonCannings Worse... a desktop computer!
Lol, I wish I could afford a bike a mere ten years old! all three of my bikes I built from bits salvaged from machines I've found free at the side of the road.
Not only do I have Blackberry I also have 1986 Merlin that gets plenty of miles. Plus my 1990s era Bike-E (not e-bike!)
I started in racing 1982. We had "lightweight" steel bikes, a 6 speed block (13-21 for flat races, 13-23 for hilly ones, 23mm tyres and a 52-42 chainset. You knew where the riders you were racing against were from by the frame they were riding, pretty much everyone used a local frame-builder for their bike. The thought of spending over a years salary, for a bike that someone else had spec'd, would have seen you taken away in a white jacket that did up from the rear.
And you now ride a modern bike presumably?
...And you could ride past your mates on a club run and flick their friction down tube gear lever, for a giggle! :-D
You now make less than $6000/yr?
@@br5380 I still have the 80's steed and still ride it. The 80's track iron also has a front brake and is an great fixie. But yes I also have a carbon frame as well as modern steel.
@@oldanslo obviously, but for $15000 I'd like to spec my own components rather than someone else do it, cutting corners on parts that are not visible.
I picked my own parts and was able to build it myself. That's not an easy proposition these days.
10 yrs ago my kids were little and we would ride together, I miss those rides terribly. For me, yes cycling was better.
It's way harder in Canada now to watch cycling, it used to be on basic cable channels now I have to search every year to find a paid for feed
Toronto here. It is easy if you use Google search. I get cycling from a dozen countries in many languages, live and archived footage from 5 years ago,
Carbs: I've been cycling for over 40 years and never lost the faith over carbs. I rolled my eyes many times when they went out of favour. Protein for power, carbs for long days and endurance in the saddle. STANDS TO BLOODY REASON! Now it's OK again. It was always OK with me 🙄. There's that eye-roll again.
I stand with marathon Olympic champion Frank Shorter who said "Low-carb is for those who do not want to contract a muscle again."
Internal cable routing is extremely easy as long as it has full length cable housing. If you need a new inner cable just pull the old one out and slide the new one in. If you need an outer cable just connect the new cable to the old cable with a screw with the head cut off. Then just pull the old cable housing out and it pulls the new cable housing directly through where it needs to be. It takes 5 minutes.
I'm 56 and have rides in Strava for 14 years now and according to their fitness/freshness I'm fitter now than I was then. I'm down from 2020 but still up from 2010 through 2016 despite my memories to the contrary
10and especially 20 years ago, there were more standardization of seat posts, bottom brackets, and steering tubes allowing for finding parts for easy upgrades and maintenance. Way more drivetrain compatibility 30 years ago.
There was a vid by Matt years ago showing how he prepared his clothing for his ride to work as a cop. Worth digging out of the archives - no wrinkles there! I'm sure he never clipped in though.
Dan’s haircut has improved dramatically in ten years, that’s certain.
I wasn't ready for that footage of Si from the archives. 🤓🤣
10 years ago I could go into a bike shop and not be faced with nothing but carbon aero bikes with 1x12 gearing, electronic shifting, and a 2k + pricetag.
I think that cycling has mostly improved over the past 10 years: bikes are better, there are more riders, there is a lot more infrastructure, etc. And TPU inner tubes; those things are awesome. There are a few developments, though, that I wish had not occurred:
1. Hookless rims: most idiotic and dangerous idea ever to disgrace the bicycle industry.
2. Internal cable routing and integrated handlebars: It looks nice, but I doubt the aero benefits are even measurable, and they're a total PITA. Internal routing through the handlebars is a particularly irritating development.
3. Waze and other traffic navigation apps for motorists. Thanks to these apps, it's virtually impossible to find quiet, untraveled routes to ride one's bicycle, because every route on Earth has also been found by a whole bunch of car drivers desperately trying to avoid all the traffic that they've created by driving all those cars in the first place.
RIP GCN+. And we miss Manon, Ema Pooley, and many of the old presenters.
What happened to Manon? It thought she was still with the channel.
@@morlamwebNo,she announced a few weeks ago she leaving GCN and wanting to do something different.
@@morlamweb She works with Eurosport now.
Nooooooo. Please God, take Ollie and give us back Manon 😭
@@rderouckHarsh on Ollie!
I think it was. People were a little less obsessed with Strava and gear. And no electronic BS on bikes.
Caption: Best thing that's changed in cycling over the last ten years? That women's world tour racing has become so dang awesome!
the shammy cream and hanks laughter is truly the moment of the day. thank you for that ( also dan looking momentarily at the camera, asking , are we still recording this?)
Well, of course. If you want to Go Fast, rim breaks don't slow you down as much as disc ; -)
Funniest hack / bodge section in ages, love that you basically lost the plot but kept going 😂
Better ten years ago, we still had the GCN app, And the early members plan that was the best 35$ per year that I could ever spend. 😭😭
It's better in that there are more rails to trails and paths off road. Gravel bikes are good. But, you are right, bikes are more expensive.
Growing up now, the only upside to $$$ is that it has incentivized myself to learn how do all the bike repair and maintenance myself. 😅
It was better 10 years ago. Loved those rides of50 to 75 miles with my family. Maybe next year will change my mind as we prepare for RAGBRAI.
There was a time, in the 1990s of “peak mechanical”. I believe there is a ready made market for exceptional steel frame bikes - because of the ride quality of steel, its durability and fixability and recyclability- combined with beautifully engineered group sets, in silver of course, that employ the best mechanical technology out there. This includes rim brakes as an option. Many people want a “do it all” type bike they can ride anywhere. Bigger tires, higher stacks and shorter reach, vibration dampening and flawless shifting. There is a market for a bike you can fall in love with and many carbon frame bikes with proprietary elements that are difficult to service and maintain just don’t fit that bill. Sure they can be exceptional and fast and reasonably comfortable but most riders aren’t racers and maybe that’s one reason gravel bikes came about.
Ten years ago? How about 50 years ago? I still have my own late 70's steel frame bike with dura ace groupset and down tube shifters. I still ride it once or twice a month and think at the end of the ride, "have we really fixed anything?" Is it really the majic of marketing? Flawless experience every time!
Downtube shifters are awful though. Not just more cumbersome, but taking a hand off the bar and your eye off the road is also dangerous (and for many people, also a skill issue).
@@andrasszabo1570 All true but at the end of a ride, I still feel the thrill!
I used to ride a lovely Raleigh record ace in the 90’s as a student. It lasted a good few years but got worn out or badly treated(?) and it was impossible to replace things like the lovely aero brakes sadly so I had to retire it
@@andrasszabo1570 You can shift without looking, it's a basic skill anyone riding with DTs can do. Taking your hand off the bar isn't dangerous unless you're an incompetent rider or perhaps on an extreme descent. As always, skill issue, learn to ride.
I own a 2023 Giant TCR Advanced Pro. It's an incredible bike. Full mechanical Ultegra build (yes, I prefer the mechanical group!), carbon tubeless/hookless wheelset, disc brakes, and even a factory installed dual-sided power meter. The bike is very comfortable, very fast and relatively easy to work on with the exception of the brakes and tires. Compared to rim brakes, discs are quite a bit more fiddly. And compared to tubes/clinchers, tubules tires are messy, require more maintenance, and cost more.
I also own a 2009 Cervelo RS. It's a full carbon SRAM Force build, with rim brakes and an Easton aluminium wheel set. I rode well over 35,000km on this bike over the years I have owned it, and put it away when I got the TCR over a year ago. I fully rebuilt it this summer with a new BB, new bearings all around, brake pads, bar tape, and so on. I rode it for first time in over a year and allI can say is 'wow, what a bike!'. It's arguably more plush than the TCR, and performs very well. Of course there are differences between the two bikes, the most obvious being the rim brakes. They bite like crazy compared to the discs. Stopping power is very good, but the initial bite inspires much more confidence than the discs. The RS does feel slightly less efficient than the TCR; like I'm doing a little more work on the RS to maintain the same speeds as the TCR. This may be down to the relatively heavier rotating mass of the wheel set, aero improvements, and perhaps a less efficient drivetrain on the RS. However, it does not feel like ~15 years of progress between the two bikes!
My take? Disc brakes are good, but aren't worth it. Tubeless wheels are a messy, expensive PITA. I'd happily have my TCR with rim brakes, and a decent carbon wheelset for clinchers+tubes any day. Easier to work on, less expensive to maintain, probably a little lighter too!
Exactly, I have a 2019 Canyon Aeroad (7,3Kg), with rim brakes (and clinchers). In fact, I chose rim brakes due to the lower weight, price and personal taste. Moreover, it does not rain in Lisbon, Portugal. And when it does, I Gravel or Mtb (with disk brakes, obviously).
I think it's fairer to say that although there's a wider selection of expensive bikes than 10 years ago, there are just as many adequate bikes that are modestly priced... If you need a race bike then your race team will pay for it.
I miss Manon.
Definitely send Hank to Japan please. As a long time closet weeaboo, would be really great to see, especially since GCN Japan got scrapped too.
Great cycling here. Tour of Kyushu 12 - 14 October!
I had an amazing time when I visited Japan for GCN
@@JonCannings I did not want to ramble too much, but yes yes Jon, I especially loved your Keirin Racing video from back then. Thanks a ton!
@@Acguy55 no worries!
I love lugged steel, rim brakes and friction shifting (because everything works with everything else!) but I also like wide tyres and thru axles.
Internal cables -worse, disk brakes - safer in wet weather, cartridge bearings - less messy, bike brand only parts - worse.
Love Hank’s continual childlike enthusiasm just like Conor obviously why they get on so well
GCN+ was the best cycling coverage ever. On demand, short and medium highlights as well as full races - brilliant!
I agree. I build in the last days a new bike with old new components. I love the the time now, to have the oportunity to enjoy it.
GCN'+ used to be great and for £6.99 a month (I think it was well worth it). I'm sorry but to pay a subscription of £13 a month to now watch the same documentaries is criminal. You've done what every bike manufacturer has done and takes the p*ss out of loyal consumers with quickly rising and extravagant prices. Over a year that would be £156 a year....shocking.
10 years ago it was alot easier to get a KOM on Strava, also my riding buddies were not as quick then as they are now so I was still in the mix, now they are mountain goats 30 metres ahead of me on every climb. They saw how much training I did on Strava so started doing the same amount but were naturally alot quicker.
Caption: "To all SD Worx riders, Demi Vollering has crashed, why are you not helping her?"
Really sad,it cost her the TDF avec Swift 2024 the title.
@@ChuckWind-Sawapart from, it was one of her team that took her out in the corner!
@@richardtaylor1687 🙈
Great as usual boys. Having lived on Long Island for over 30 something years I can tell you that New York City to Montauk is quite a ride, but with really bad bikes it must’ve been rough.
When I was cycling with mates in the 80s, we used to sabotage each other's gears by reaching over and pulling the downtube lever to put others in the big ring before a particularly hard climb, or the small ring before the 30mph sign sprint. Plus ça change!
Great video! Mixed bag for me - 10 years ago I could ride solo without getting killed by a texting driver. But after buying a new bike this year I can definitively say that bikes are waaaaayyyy better now !
Whenever I ride my Yeti SB5, with disc brakes, lockouts, dropper post, and 1X12 drive train, I can't help but to think about how much it sucked riding hardtails with 3X8 drivetrains and rim brakes back in the early 90's. And when I'm riding my brilliant all carbon Willier GTR with carbon Reynolds wheels and how beautifully it rides compared to my old Aluminum Cannondales. Trails are more plentiful, but they're also more crowded, and don't get me started on e-bikers on the trail. And for sure, the amount of distracted drivers certainly makes me more wary of riding on a lot of roads. To echo your conclusions, bikes are better, but actually riding them isn't necessarily.
I actually have an old 90s mountain bike with rim brakes and an elastomer fork with 50mm of travel and a 3×8 drivetrain it's a raleigh max chromo 3 which I found in a Bush believe it or not
@@kobidwyer7464 I had the old Manitou elastomer forks on one of my hardtails. IT was better than a rigid fork and that's the best I can say.
@shannonchurchill4556 definitely better than rigid
3:47 - Si and his outfit from 10 years ago looks like one of those "my dad will sue you" college kids.
wasn't riding 10 years ago (4 year 'newbie'), but was shocked how much better bikes are today (2021 SL7 Sworks), vs. what I rode a long time ago in the 80s in college. Old bike did its job and nobody bothered to steal the bike on campus or anywhere else. Now with all the high end stuff and cost, one dares not leave it unattended at the coffee stop
GCN is definitely the best source of cycling info. available. Keep up the great work. Love your channel!
Cycling was much better 42 years ago when I started as Sunday mornings, you had the whole road to yourself on a bike! No Sunday shopping and less than a 5th of the cars on the road! Heaven!
Still have my 80's Benotto 3000 with Super Record on 42-53 with a 13-18 or 13-21 block. lovely bike to ride, even on 23mm tyres at 110psi!
What a great pairing! Great to see Dan bring his kid to work.
27:05 I totally agree I’m less confident with bike maintenance than I was when younger but I have been able to replace hydraulic disk brakes with practice after some trepidation. Always better to learn DIY but I think it has got harder
I'd go way back to the days of friction shifting when 13/24 rear end with a 42/53 and pounding the pavement on tubular tires, this was the norm for us back then, doing a 100 plus mile ride with roughly about 7,500 feet of climbing going over the Santa Cruz Mountains was a good days outing for myself and this was done on a Modified STEEL DALE SASSO TRACK bike that was converted to road, it was tight and fast, it climbed like a bat out of hell and it carved up the down hill runs! Back then several other cyclist looked at it and said out loud, WHAT KIND OF A BEAST IS THIS, and it was a BEAST, what I was able to do with this bike was kind of scary but on the other hand it pulled me out of a few tough situations, one day I was on solo Sunday ride, when getting close to home I wanted to make a green light on a left hand turn so I started hammering to make that green light, ok I made as I was about to enter the intersection a city bus ran the red light in front of me coming from my right side, since I was in blast mode I figured no big deal I'll have about 10 to 12 feet to clear the bus on the out-side as I was coming around the the outer side of the bus then SUPRISE! SUPRISE! SUPRISE! I was looking at another city bus that was parked at the bus stop, so my thoughts of having 10 to 12 feet of room just evaporated to to about 5 to 6 feet, no time to think, if I braked then I'll wash out going under the parked city bus and probably get runed over as it was about to be leave as soon as the other buss was clear, I just steered for the slot, ok I'm in, then all of a sudden the bus at the buss stop started to move outwards towards me! HOLY SHIT! I then was out of the saddle peddling for dear life, I kept my cool, I was torquing so hard my rear wheel was lifting and fish tailing and slamming into the bus that ran the red light, some how I stayed up-right and shot through the busses like a rocket, I then heard the 2 busses locking up their brakes, I was so jazzed up I then ended up in Santa Cruz once once again, this made 2 Santa Cruz runs in 2 days time on this same bike the next day I went to Dales frame building shop, and when seeing Dale he asked, WHY! We're you playing chess with the city busses, I then asked how do you know that, he replied I was on the bus that was on your left side so to say I saw everything then another frame builder JEFF LYON of LYON SPORT came out and said, Dale told me about you and the confrontation you had with the 2 city busses, if true then we need to get you on the TRACK, he then came out to look at my bike and commented, what kind of a BEAST is this, a modifide track road bike, now it all makes sense to me. Yeah! It wasn't a normal off the shelf bike, it was a miss-mash of parts that suited my potential needs MODOLO Master Pro brake CALIPERS with SHIMANO DURA-ACE AERO brake levers, OMAS BIG SLIDING hubs lacer to MAVIC SSC tubular rims with a BOMB proof MAILLARD FREEWHEEL and Vittoria CX/CG tubulars / STRONGLINGT 105 cranks with a TI STRONGLIGHT BB, GALLI KL rear Derailleur a $ 2.00 JPR micro-adjustable seat post which is the most adjustable seat post that was ever made then and probably still is today / CONCOR saddle, the only CAMPAGNOLO parts used on this bicycle was the TRACK pedals, front derailleur and SUPER REDORD headset. I'm currently in the process of building another, maybe not with the same components but trust worthy they will be, you can't do this with modern day componentry! Later!
This is a story about cows:
In 2019 my wife and I were on gravel bikes riding the George S. Michelson Trail in South Dakota from Rockford to Deadwood and back again. It was late afternoon on the way back when we came to a bridge. There were several very large cows on the bridge and I told my wife no problem we could get by, but she stopped and refused to budge. We decided to backtrack and find a way around, but realized after a few miles there was no outlet. As it was getting late, she agreed to put away her fear and try again to cross the bridge. Unfortunately, by the time we returned, a significantly larger number of cows had come up from the valley below now clogging the bridge we needed to cross and even wandering freely around the trail. I looked around and my wife was no where to be found. I finally saw her crouched in the woods behind some trees. I thought to myself “Oh this is just great”. As the cows milled around, I thought of my late father who grew up on a Dairy Farm. What would he do? Inspired by a memory of him herding cows, I rode toward the bridge cowboy like waving my jacket in circles above my head and yelling a few yippee kay yays. Some of the cows looked startled and I noticed some movement. As I got closer sheer panic broke out and the cows started running off the bridge and down the trail. I called to my wife who by now had peaked her head out of the woods, and told her let’s go. We rode behind the stampede with me still waving my jacket and yelling. Finally after about half a mile, the cows veered off the trail into a field and we rode on our way fist pumping and celebrating. I even think my wife had a few tears in her eyes.
No risk of hacking into my shifters. I have 8 speed friction on my mountain bike commuter and 1983 sport touring bike.
I saw a charity cyclathon across Japan recently. A youtuber guest who barely knows how to ride was put on the "deluxe" bike, which was a typical aero bike with those deep rims.
While it was hilarious watching him try to clip in and out, that bike was not the right type for the rider, no matter how fancy it was.
He kept getting blown by crosswind into traffic by those deep rims, downright dangerous. And he nowhere neared the speeds necessary to benefit from the aero. And of course when the seatpost broke, none of the bike shops had the proprietary non-round aero posts.
This is why top-of-the-line is a very relative thing. Most casual riders would have a safer and more enjoyable ride on something more old school and 10x cheaper.
I just imagine how entertaining a long bike ride with Hank would be!
Ok, I definitely want to see Dan riding the Nufenenpass - Gotthardpass (via Tremola) - Furkapass loop on a BMX... ^^
I'm with Si and all! I have a deep distrust of cows. A few of the region all parks where I used to hike "featured" open range cattle grazing. Most of the time they ignored me, but one morning as I passed by a group, one of them.started.lowing, then coming down a hill towards me. The message got around to the rest of the herd, and they all started lowing and coming towards me. I got to the other side of the cattle.gate and closed it, and haven't trusted them ever since!
Another great, informative and entertaining sow.. guys !! awesome! I look for yours and gmbn's every week without fail !!
Caption: How Kasia won the TDF "To all SD Worx riders, Demi Vollering has crashed, but don't worry about her, do your own things" 😄🤫
Ditto last year’s Vuelta!
By the way, it’s “Mon tawk” and it’s the far eastern end of Long Island (the western most part being Brooklyn, in NYC).
With the stress put on the MON part…. MON tawk. They kinda butchered it
Well done Dan on handling the work experience placement! Very happily moved along with cycling - no issues with disc brakes, electronic shifting, more aero frames. I’m not a fan of the move from quick release to thru axles. And as for aero bottles - that’s where I’m going to stop!
Not at all, ive got an absolute rocket ship of a bike that's comfortable and eliminates much of the hassle and wear. Disc brakes mean I have a set of amazing wheels that are still like new after 4 years. Electronic gears and hydraulic brakes go for years without adjustment and thanks to tubeless, no more punctures.
It's a dream for a guy that loves things that just work.
I started cycling a year ago (GCN hooked me in), so the only bikes I have ever known have been disc brake bikes. Few weeks ago I built myself a very cheap commuter bike which 10 years ago would've been a TdF bike with rim brakes, Alu racing frame and lots of used or Chinese carbon. I am more confident working on the disc brakes than rim brakes, mostly because it's what I learnt first and spent more time being comfortable with.
If you have a newer Wahoo, you can set intervals to remind you to eat and drink. I do like the stickers, but it’s also possible without those.
I have only getting really really into cycling just before I turned 30 and I am in the best health of my life. My cardiologist doesn't need to see me as often, I don't need my leg splints, and I have lost 40lbs.
Thanks for featuring my valve nut "washer" hack to mount my new water bottle cage! Appreciate you guys, Dan and Hank, for featuring it on the show! -gzrbang (a.k.a. dialeleven)
It's definitely better, I can buy 10 year old high-end bikes in top condition sometimes with cool upgrades for bargain prices.
Dan: Riping out your garden and let it go to weeds is a serious bodge. I know you were too busy cycling!
Hank: Now that I know you are from a dairy farm I totally understand why always thought you were my favorite commentator. You would fit in well with all my farm raised friends here in America’s Dairyland. We are a different breed! 🤣Cheers!
Bodge?? Not for wildlife and the world it’s not
48 yrs ago I was Phixin Phantoms, so bicycles are kinda easy to phix even bleeding the brakes, side note Phantoms roll on "tubeless"tyres.
Just today I completed building my lightest steel racing bike with rim brakes, exposed cables, downtube friction shifters, 7 speed gears, and 23mm tyres. I can throw on any wheel I lave lying around whether it's 5, 6, 7, or 8 speeds. It's very comfortable, cheap, easy to work on flies like the wind. I wouldn't touch a modern bike with a barge pole.
(Thanks to being time crunched with a young family) I can barely ride my best bike for 100 miles, let alone my worst! And I really don't fancy riding a 75 year old machine that hasn't been ridden in over 30 years. Despite being lovingly cleaned and restored, it still has some kinks to iron out.
Lloydy and Hank losing it at the chamois cream syringe…….had to smile all day every time I thought about it.
Despite what people might say, modern bikes are far more advanced than those of 10 years ago. Yes, they are expensive, but if you can afford one - get it 😊
Definitely miss the old day's,there's just to much aero this and aero that.💯🚴♂️✌🏻
... the old days* (plural, no apostrophe), there is too* much aero ...
I've been cycling for over forty years and my enjoyment of it has never been about the bike itself but more about the riding. It's about being outdoors and discovering the world around you. Back then there was no bike infrastructure or very little if it existed. There was way less cars which made drivers less stressed and cohabitation was good. You'd get the occasional a**hole but that has not changed. Bikes were cheap, parts were cheap and they were very easy to maintain. Now I wouldn't exchange my current bike which is well suited to me at 58 for the friction gear change system bikes I used to ride in my youth but I still see some young people using these old 40 year old bikes for commuting here in Montreal. As for cycling infrastructure it's awesome for commuters, families and people not used to cycling but when you're a cyclist you don't care.
I love hydraulic discs and have since an MTB in 2005. It took way too long for them to come to drop bars, and I'm not going back.
I think is a really interesting question that might be better served by a proper long-form discussion that goes into some of the nuance of this genuinely interesting, multi-faceted topic. Instead we get a short list of bullet point pros and cons that probably took 2 mins to come up with. I feel like this happens a lot when I click on GCN videos - An interesting topic/question that I want to know more about is distilled into (often 5) basic, surface level observations that don't really add anything to what I already knew. I am not trying to criticise, just hoping to provide some feedback.
While it is likely that if I knew then what I know now, I would have been faster, I know so much more in training and nutrition (yay carbs!) that at 57, I am still getting PRs! I do miss GCN+ but I am very happy you got your independence back.
I came back to cycling almost exactly 10 years ago. I am way fitter and faster than I was then, and I'm 63! Better still, I am fitter than I was a year ago. I do ride a bike with a short head tube and a slammed stem too!
10 years ago we didn't have so many e-bike fires all over the dang place. GCN, stop being silent on the matter!
ruclips.net/video/_kCtoWQySms/видео.html
Caption Contest: The Bäckstedt Girls prepare their next big hit, "I'll never break your heart." They then proceed to test the limits of their promise. #captionContest
The increase in cars is certainly noticeable where I live. But, as mentioned, the cycling infrastructure has also improved.
As for equipment costs, economists have tried to account for the improvement in technology as being an increase in consumer value. In terms of functionality, I would agree that this years Shimano 105 is likely as good or better technologically than ten year old Dura Ace.
How amazing is it that Andrew Feather is named so appropriately. I don't think Andrew Boat-Anchor would be as good a climber, all things being equal.
I didn't see the photo for last week's caption contest, but it reminded me of something that happened to me a couple of years ago: I was on a solo training ride on the Wabash Trace (Iowa, USA)--a rails-to-trail route--when I had a pretty nasty crash about 37 miles in. I go up, determined that I was fine enough (just a bit bloody) and--more importantly--the bike was fine. I decided to turn around and head back, and within the first mile of my return trip there were two cows on the trail (somehow I had not seen them ~10 minutes before). One scampered off the trail right away, but the other started running in my same direction. My first thought was to just hold my line and ride by him...but I thought better (since I had crashed once already, so I didn't need a 2000 lbs beast sideswiping me); I rode behind it until it got off the trail. It was quite the adventure.
Re: strategy stickers: I set alerts on my head unit - “drink” every 15 min and “eat” every 45. It’s made a huge difference to my rides and recovery.
10 yrs ago, the tubeless tires were less reliable, periodically I had to reindexed the gear. Nowadays, I spent nearly the same amount of money to get more down-to-earth brands with better reliability, albeit with slightly more weight penalty, larger selection of cycling attire and more comfy helmets, shoes, & more protected glasses
Been riding mtb since the early 90s and everything for about 20 years.
Rose tinted glasses are a normal human spec point, but if I take them off, bikes are better, more good content and coverage, better metrics and metering even for the a average rider, yea more cars suck, but there’s also more riders and that’s cool as!
Feel like we’re in a golden age for riding bikes.
I do agree that getting older isn’t that great on the face of it, but some maturity and realism about my abilities does often allow me to just enjoy it more than I did when I was younger and more serious about my riding.
Plus, unless you are stuck in the old days it’s now ok to like and ride all kinds of bikes. And I’ve never met a bike I don’t like.
Actually hacking others shifting could make racing even more exciting, like a James Bond chase, lol!
I remember my father telling me ten years ago about how many more cars are on the road then vs ten/twenty years before then…
That's a good point. Definitely more cars, driving faster and more recklessly. Some supposed "bike share" roads are real sketchy thanks to that. I remember when 5-10mph over the speed limit was spicy. Now if you aren't doing that, everyone is getting mad at you. Meanwhile the real speedsters are going +30 mph now. Cause why would it trend in the other direction? 😮💨
@@flufflebut8781 absolutely! marginal gains? :)
3:46
Me, 10 years ago: rides maybe once a week, on a bike too small, knows nothing about training or nutrition
Me, today: still slower
You can buy a pristine aluminum 10 year old Giant Defy with 105 components for $300.... It's incredibly capable, and WAY easier to maintain than today's crap.
I have a 2005 specialized allez elite with modern mechanical 105. The whole build cost me $500. It's a sub 18lbs xxl steel bike with high-end columbus tubing. I can't even get a sub 18lb carbon bike in that size, and if I could, it would be $3k+ lol
Yup, those aluminum frames don't rust so they keep well. The hydromolded ones with non-round tubing can also shave some weight off without compromising on strength.
Ten years ago I could afford 2012 equipment. Now I can afford 2017 equipment. It's getting better! In ten years I'll be able to afford 2024 equipment - I love progress!
Cable disc brakes and hydraulic rim brakes have been around for 30 years on mountain bikes.
Yes, for me, which is the only way I can relate to it, because I wasn't the aged, slow, stiff old crock that I am now. What a silly question: pick a year anywhere from 1860 to today, and ask it again. I'm sure people in the 1900s were nostalgic for 'ordinary' bicycles, what, with those complicated and oily chains on 'safety' bicycles!
I miss the typical ATB geometry from the beginning of the 1990's versatile, relatively comfy robust and practical.
Imagine a TDF sprint stage, all the teams are busy hacking each other's electronic shifters,... but you know there's one cyclist in the peloton, that couldn't be bothered to use Di2, he sweeps in and takes the win - while Phillipsen and co are busy spinning their legs at 200 rpm😂
6:51 look how blue the Netherlands is compared to the rest of Europe. I hope one day that it will be equally blue around it. ( its not perfect but lightyears ahead if it comes to cycling infra structure and efficiency )
Hank and Dan together is just the best!! 😎👊
Problem: shifting hacking
Solution: more firmware updates.
Come to a time, your groupset won’t receive future firmware updates
Tell me this isn’t planned obsolescence. It’s the same way anti-virus businesses survive.
Years ago, while hiking, I encountered a field where the path cut diagonally from stile to stile. Around twenty cows were grazing there, and as soon as I entered, they began to follow me. None came closer than five or six meters the entire way across. Though it was a bit unnerving initially, they weren't aggressive-just curious.