Is cycle sport encouraging uptake of cycling?

Perhaps surprisingly I do have some sympathy for Goldsword’s view, but I don’t accept that cyclesport is responsible for his difficulties. It’s only too easy to find heavy bikes with sluggish rims and tyres: this is true today and probably has always been so. What’s more I don’t foresee a time coming when all cycling will be done on machines suitable for the job in hand, whether it’s sport or shopping.

The problem is more to do with poor communication, which results in the general public failing to realise that some knowledge is necessary before a bike becomes really useful to its owner. The bike trade cannot be said to have done a brilliant job here, but any businessman is likely to encourage his customer to spend, and since lightweights are expensive this may be relevant to Goldsword’s complaint.

‘Now you’re lucky to find a bike that will last two or three years’

How long a machine of any type lasts generally depends on the determination of its owner to keep it going, and on the availability of spare parts. Here I think cyclists are soon going to run into bad problems because of rapid change in bike design. From a period beginning in the first decade of the twentieth century, and continuing maybe even into the nineties we had widespread standardisation of parts, and so it was relatively easy to keep on repairing an old bike. More recently there have been many changes, naturally justified in the name of improvement, but which may be seen as change for the sake of change (aka built in obsolescence). I think there are some people in the trade who believe they have a financial interest in not being able to repair old machines.

 Going back to the thread, close examination of the bikes in my photos will show them to be a great deal older than the two to three years mentioned; I’m pretty sure all four bikes are still in use.

Goldsword, and any other enthusiasts for rod brakes and westwood rims may find the ‘1911 Century Competition’ thread worth a look.