If you’re like me, cycling is about one thing and one thing only, which is the pursuit of “explosive ride feel:”
This is of course why I ride vintage Spinergys, which could explode at any moment:
Intrigued, I checked out the Cadex Max 40, which starts at only $2,000…
…for one wheel:
So what makes the Cadex Max 40 so explosively awesome? To find out, I checked the review:
Not only does it feature tried-and-true hookless rim technology…
…but it’s also ideal for “unnecessary sprints and putting down power when there’s no point:”
According to Bicycling, the cycling industry is “stagnant:”
Sadly I was unable to read the article as I am not currently a Bicycling member, but they seem to suggest that “affordability and practicality” is the solution to this stagnation. I strongly disagree with this, and clearly what the industry needs is more people who rarely race recommending $4,500 high-performance wheelsets to other non-racers who are interested in unnecessary sprinting:
Oh, and don’t forget the gratuitous noise:
Loud hubs are one of the dumbest trends in cycling, right up there with hookless rims. I’m old enough to remember when road bicycles used to be quiet. Sure, there were some boutique hubs that made a racket, but Dura-Ace hubs were silent, and Record hubs purred. But now when you ride over the George Washington Bridge all you hear is the squeal of disc brakes and the gnyAAAgnyAAAgnyAAAgnyAAA… sound of plastic wheelsets designed for pointless sprinting. Between the brobag who’s modified his BMW so that it backfires and the the roadie with his wailing freehub and screeching rotors I guess the compulsion now is to let the entire world know when you’re decelerating. Somehow people think this is cool, though it’s really no different than the person with the helmet mirror on the charity ride who screams “SLOWING!!!” every five seconds.
Speaking of slowing, Colnago is re-introducing the rim brake “for people with a sophisticated cycling culture:”
But since when do people with a “sophisticated cycling culture” leave gaps in their bar tape?
I mean I certainly do, but I’m not even remotely sophisticated.
Apparently the new rim brake Colnago “transcends time and trends:”
Though as far as I can tell it doesn’t transcend being compatible with electronic drivetrains only:
Colnago’s not the only company offering a limited edition rim brake model either:
Black Heart Bike Co. will see Colnago’s “sophisticated” and raise them a “symphony of flow:”
So basically the rim brake was the performance road bike standard for like, what 100 years? Then in 2018 the UCI legalized disc brakes, and within a mere six years they went from being seen as primitive and sucky to a piece of specialized high-performance equipment for the connoisseur, the use of which confers upon the rider a unique set of bragging rights. It’s like those people who need the world to know they’re driving a car with a manual transmission:
Whether it’s using a bike with a rim brake or shifting a car, Americans love to boast about doing things that are completely normal for grandmothers all over the rest of the world:
In fact, the only thing we’re better at than bragging about doing perfectly ordinary things is demanding change and then complaining about it. Consider e-bikes designed by car companies:
People are complaining that this is not “biking for normals:”
And that these are not “real ebikes:”
Oh really? I’d argue that these are absolutely “real ebikes,” because if the automotive industry has taught us anything it’s that the more powerful the motor the dumber the vehicle gets. If it’s “biking for normals” you’re after then please allow me to introduce you to a normal bicycle without a motor–you know, the thing normal people have been riding since the late 19th century:
But no. Instead smuggies hail e-bikes as the future of transportation and the thing that will finally get people out of cars forever, then they complain when–surprise!–they turn into electric motorcycles that people ride in the bike lane.
Sadly, none of this stuff will age as gracefully as a Y-Foil:
Brakes for people with a sophisticated cycling culture and wheels with an explosive ride feel?
Now that’s what I call a symphony of flow.