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OPINION

Equipment checklist for patriotic cyclists

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Here's an interesting piece from that interweb thingy – a tongue in cheeck (I presume) call for US cyclists to help kickstart the US economy… by buying stuff.

To help the process a handy equipment checklist is provided so that you buy the right sort of equipment to fit in with what your image of your cycling self.

The categories are broken down into Newbie (don't know why, but for some irrational reason I hate that word), Intermediate, Expert, Old School, Racer, Long distance, Commute, and Touring. Sorry fixed and singlespeed riders – there's no category for you, but then this piece was written by a guy in Denver… so maybe there aren't so many fixed and singlespeeders about, or maybe there's no point in you guys and girls trying to help kickstart the economy cos your bike are so unpatriotically simple.

The checklist is well worth a look and sure to promote some debate: steel frames aren't for experts apparently; flat bars are for newbies only; and carbon bars are for intermediate, distance, touring and commuting riders.

 

road.cc's founder and first editor, nowadays to be found riding a spreadsheet. Tony's journey in cycling media started in 1997 as production editor and then deputy editor of Total Bike, acting editor of Total Mountain Bike and then seven years as editor of Cycling Plus. He launched his first cycling website - the Cycling Plus Forum at the turn of the century. In 2006 he left C+ to head up the launch team for Bike Radar which he edited until 2008, when he co-launched the multi-award winning road.cc - finally handing on the reins in 2021 to Jack Sexty. His favourite ride is his ‘commute’ - which he does most days inc weekends and he’s been cycle-commuting since 1994. His favourite bikes are titanium and have disc brakes, though he'd like to own a carbon bike one day.

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DaSy | 14 years ago
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I tuned out of this article when I got to this line "Bicycling can be an incredibly simple and relatively inexpensive sport".

My wife would be inclined to disagree with this statement, also I don't want her reading those kind of lies, it will only raise questions to which I have no answer!

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