Archive for March, 2010

Bikes are the new microwaves?

Posted on 29. Mar, 2010 by in Bike industry | 10 Comments

Bikes are the new microwaves?

Mark Sanders – the man who brought you the no-spill cutting board as well as some nifty folding bikes – gave this presentation at the Taipei show and it’s worth a look. Although he compares bicycles to everything from iPods to electric shavers, Sanders himself wrote in a comment on BikeRadar that one of his preferred yardsticks is the humble microwave. That, he claims, is what the bicycle should be like: functionally simple, readily available, and designed for everyone.

Throwback saddles

Posted on 20. Mar, 2010 by in Personal | 1 Comment

Throwback saddles

Hard. Skinny. Lightweight. Minimalist. These terms describe neither my butt nor anything on which I’d prefer to sit. So the recent trend towards saddles that look like miniature Star Wars ships has left me shaking my head. Fortunately, both Selle Italia and Selle San Marco have heeded the call of cycling’s collective consciousness that harkens back to the days before power meters, when doping was called “preparation” and saddles were built like furniture.

Rock is, in fact, dead

Posted on 11. Mar, 2010 by in Bike Racing, Sponsors | 4 Comments

Rock is, in fact, dead

After months of uncertainty over what kind of license Rock Racing would hold for 2010 and in what country, the UCI finally announced last week that the team would not be granted a license at any international level. Team owner Michael Ball seems to think that he’s been marginalized because of his aggressive personality and willingness to give second chances to past dopers. There’s likely some truth to his assertion, but I draw a couple additional conclusions.