Is cycle sport encouraging uptake of cycling?

In my opinion cycle sport has ruined the leasurely persuit of cycling. The reasons being sport has placed pressures on cycle manufacture which have totally ruined the bicycle. For example: Ultra thin tyres reduce rolling resistance and increase speed, but mean no end of punctures and terrible road holding in the rain and frost. Ultra light wheels and frames may make a bike go faster but also make it more fragile. Go back just a few decades and most bicycles were heavy but very durable and were built to last for years. Now you are luckly to find a bike that will last two or three years due to them being so light and flimsy and full of complicated easy to break parts. Give me an old fashioned workhorse bike anyday like this one:

I'm going to have to strenuously disagree with this post. It's absolute mince.

I've got this road bike that I bought almost ten years ago. It still works fine. Admittedly there have been some replaced components, but these are the ones that you would expect to replace, particularly given that my maintenance of the bike leaves a lot to be desired. A better maintenance schedule would have ensured less frequent replacement. I also tend to replace with some of the cheaper components. The bike is nothing special, it's a cheap aluminium framed OTP, designed as an entry level to racing bike so is clearly driven by the sport side of the industry. How then has the bike lasted three times what Goldsword predicts and still goes strong? Maybe I don't ride it much? Hardly. I use this bike for Audax riding, getting out for far longer distances than typical racing riders all through the year, even in snow and ice, on gritted roads. This bike might be an exception, but as there are hundreds of others like me I'm inclined to think not.

Of course if you wanted an even more robust bike then it really isn't that difficult to get one at all. The OTP audax and touring bikes are arguably even better in quality and by no means are the driven by the sporting industry. Perhaps not every shop sells them, but I think it's safe to say it's fairly easy to lay your hands on one, even at short notice. You could safely expect a Thorn or a Ribble or a Dawes or any other brand to last you well over a decade and possibly the rest of your cycling life. However, if you aren't convinced about an OTP, then any of the many customer frame builders across the country will build you a frame of the highest quality and you can still load it with carefully handcrafted components of your choice. Time things right and you could probably be in the saddle within two week of ordering.

As for tyres, my road bike will happily take a 28 and probably a 30, although I've never tried and as for punctures, I'm cursing my commute but I haven't had one since February and I'm still riding the same tyres. These were some cheap skinny, lightweight replacements for some others that had worn out. I know for a fact that you can buy better and in a variety of sizes, even from places like Halfords.

It requires absolutely no luck at all to buy a decent, durable bike with some reliable tyres. You might have to look a little further than the window of your LBS, but you don't need to be lucky.