For the Hate of Eroica!!!!!!

[R3awak3n]

why complain about the rules? There are so many rides out there that there is 0 reasons to bitch about any ride

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by pbarry

That's a wild metaphor, especially since the cutoff for bikes is the 1980's. Penny farthings and period dress = civil war reinactment.

Extreme, maybe, but it easily fits into the category of a complete anachronism. Folks trying to reach some kind of connection with a period that's long-since gone.

That cutoff is nigh-on 40 years ago now. Which might as well be as distant as the Civil War when it comes to where bikes are these days.

I'm glad folks enjoy it and have fun, but it ain't my cuppa.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Seramount

meh, the whiny guy should just start his own vintage event and set it up with the rules he likes...

Or an event for only 2015+ bikes, or electronic shifting only or power meters only....he's whining, if he doesn't like it, fine but it's a 'vintage bike ride', with vintage bikes...

[paredown]

I'm kinda with him on this--the cut-off for equipment is artificial, and I know from the chatter on the CR list, us old-timers (who I think are a large segment of the participants) are really stretching "period correct" to get gearing low enough to go up hills we would have sailed up when we were young and strong. I mean, how many Campy triples did I see in my racing days?---not a single one, ever...

So now you have a lot of bikes kitted out with mtb clusters, modified rear mechs and aftermarket triples--but, hey, at least the brake cables are non-aero and they are using toe straps.

(At least with vintage car racing the motors haven't degraded--they were just never that fast to begin with.)

I kind of like the idea of two periods--pre and post 80-something.

[unterhausen]

Is it really a race though? Of course, if you really want to recreate the '70s cycling scene, wool shorts and jerseys should also be supplanted by sansabelt shorts and tube socks.

Campy triples went down to 36 tooth. My granny gear on my tandem was 36-24. I was a lot stronger and lighter those days, it really was a granny gear for me then.

I know a lot of people that did extensive touring on a 42-28 low gear, but if you were sane about it, the TA crank was fine. Lots of people had a TA with a very low granny gear and a decent amount of teeth in the back. There was a Suntour drivetrain with 34 teeth before mountain bikes had been invented. I guess that's not sexy enough for a lot of people, but it's not like you really need to go to MTB derailleurs.

[bobswire]

I think it's pretty cool as I do Fondo's but they are not for me. I ride during the week to avoid weekend jocks or crowds, I have no interest in riding with a crowd but I understand the appeal.

[54ny77]

do you get to use banned subtances that were prevalent before such rules put in place?

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by 54ny77

do you get to use banned subtances that were prevalent before such rules put in place?

Well, for people who don't like carbs or sugar. Judging from Instagram there is a bit of the good stuff at the stops, like potatoes fried in olive oil and red wine.

[numbskull]

The long routes on these eroica rides can be a serious test of one's ability as a cyclist.

What is there to denigrate about that?

[velomonkey]

Originally Posted by numbskull

The long routes on these eroica rides can be a serious test of one's ability as a cyclist.

What is there to denigrate about that?

It hurt the author's knees . . . . . and he had to source parts for an event that's requirement is specific parts.

It's about as logical as complaining you can't do a critical mass ride in your car.

[RonW87]

So the weekend warrior who buys his Rapha pro team Jersey isn't a "re-enactor"? How about the guy who hasn't had time to train much but pins on a number in a gran fondo and finishes an hour back? How about the guy who's super proud of the Pinarello Dogma he's just bought because he saw Froome win the Tour on one? For that matter, how about the vast majority of us on this forum who don't make a living riding a bike? Calling someone a "re-enactor" because the particular strain of cycling fetishism doesn't accord with some commercially driven vision of what bike a "real" cyclist should be riding? Gimme a break!

[velomonkey]

Originally Posted by RonW87

So the weekend warrior who buys his Rapha pro team Jersey isn't a "re-enactor"? How about the guy who hasn't had time to train much but pins on a number in a gran fondo and finishes an hour back? How about the guy who's super proud of the Pinarello Dogma he's just bought because he saw Froome win the Tour on one? For that matter, how about the vast majority of us on this forum who don't make a living riding a bike? You say "re-enactor" because the particular strain of cycling fetishism doesn't accord with some commercially driven vision of what bike a "real" cyclist should be riding? Gimme a break!

Real question . . . . Who is the "you" in this question?

[ripvanrando]

Originally Posted by RonW87

So the weekend warrior who buys his Rapha pro team Jersey isn't a "re-enactor"? How about the guy who hasn't had time to train much but pins on a number in a gran fondo and finishes an hour back? How about the guy who's super proud of the Pinarello Dogma he's just bought because he saw Froome win the Tour on one? For that matter, how about the vast majority of us on this forum who don't make a living riding a bike? You say "re-enactor" because the particular strain of cycling fetishism doesn't accord with some commercially driven vision of what bike a "real" cyclist should be riding? Gimme a break!

It would seem that none of your riders should be welcome.

Showing up with an M1 Garand and some night vision goggles to a Civil War sleepover wouldn't fly with the boys either.

I'm impressed that these aficionados travel so far to squeeze their feet into old, narrow vintage cycling shoes to grind a 42x26 up a 12% gravel graded climb where modest food and wine await them. I suppose the real draw is being around people of your kind and the new rider who just Amexed his Pinnarello Dogma most certainly would not fit in and why would they want to.

I guess I am just accustomed to rules about manner of dress and either you follow them or you are out.

[pbarry]

Originally Posted by ripvanrando

It would seem that none of your riders should be welcome.

Showing up with an M1 Garand and some night vision goggles to a Civil War sleepover wouldn't fly with the boys either.

I'm impressed that these aficionados travel so far to squeeze their feet into old, narrow vintage cycling shoes to grind a 42x26 up a 12% gravel graded climb where modest food and wine await them. I suppose the real draw is being around people of your kind and the new rider who just Amexed his Pinnarello Dogma most certainly would not fit in and why would they want to.

I guess I am just accustomed to rules about manner of dress and either you follow them or you are out.

Like a coat and maybe even a tie requirement at some restaurants? Well said above.

[RonW87]

Originally Posted by velomonkey

Real question . . . . Who is the "you" in this question?

RKP. Or the generic counterpart in the discussion. Now changed to delete "you".