Truth is a big word . The main problem seems to be that we just aren’t as smart as we think we are. Truth is mostly out of reach.
Seems like we can know some things for sure about cycling though.
1. Simple facts , how much things weigh, dimensions, rigidity, material attributes , who won the race, etc. These things are interesting to know but don’t always mean much about the actual activity of cycling.
2. Our own experience- we can know how we feel about cycling , this is probably the most important thing we can know about cycling.
Everything else seems to get a bit too complicated though. When we ask more complex questions about cycling we run into a lot of snags. Examples.
What is a riders ideal crank length?
How stiff should a bicycle be?
What is the best material for a fork?
Are 1x drivetrains better than 2x ?
What causes bicycle shimmy?
Best place to put load on a bicycle?
Are recumbents better than uprights?
Wool or synthetic?
Ideal width of tire for riding on smooth roads?
Ideal pedaling RPM?
Absolute answers to these seem out of reach for a whole variety of reasons. Certainly we can know some things about all this stuff, even come up with some pretty useful conclusions. 50 years from now our answers may all seem kinda stupid though.
For me the lesson is just that we should all take it easy, especially the experts. None of us know as much as we would like to think we do.
[QUOTE=dcama5;3368594]
Quote:
Originally Posted by AngryScientist
I rely on experience more than anything else.
I know what tires work best for me, I know how to fit myself on a bike, and i know how much more i like low gears getting up a hill rather than grinding a big gear.
The good news for me is nobody is paying me to ride a bike, or to be fast or win races (that would be wasted money!), so I don't feel compelled to listen to experts, I just do what I like.
Bicycletricycle,
You make some very good points. What was true 20 years ago, is no longer. But, how do we know that what we accept now as being true will be in 20 more years? Maybe it will be back to the old truths, or something else completely - If so, what does that say about truth? Is truth fluid?
About cycling, I like what Nick said here, and I pretty much go with that also.
Dave
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