For the Hate of Eroica!!!!!!

[Buzz]

These are fun and challenging events. I had the good fortune of riding L'Eroica a few years ago. We really enjoyed the passion people put into their bikes / kit or the actual ride they were doing that day. That and the routes/setting and food are what makes these events so memorable.

Wouldn't be the same event at all if you were to allow "modern" bikes. In fact, there wouldn't be an event or a reason to hold it. It would just be another day on the road. By the way, anyone can ride the routes every other day of the year and they're FREE.

Don't understand the author's point other than his knees hurt. Maybe he should get one of those e bikes. You don't have to be a bike collector or show up on some super premium vintage bike. A friend purchased an eroica compliant bike on Craigslist for $150. Piece of junk but it got the job done.

Why are we so hung up on total inclusion (as the author requests) on everything in life these days? I thought variety and diversity were the spice of life. No?

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by bfd

127 miles

9500 ft elev gain

9 hours

That is a 14mph average without stops by a guy apparently old enough to need reading glasses. Figure in dirt, a mechanical, a fall, and multiple stops and I am duly impressed.

Interesting he describes only 25 riders starting the long route. Perhaps that was just his friends? In Italy there were several hundred. You also finished in a different chute and were handed a special mug for completing the long course which was indeed a nice touch.

I also like his description of passing the "fun quotient" hours before the end of the ride. At some point these rides become about you and the course, not the bike or the outfit, like most of the best rides do..............and something much different than a lame re-enactment entails.

[ripvanrando]

Originally Posted by numbskull

That is a 14mph average without stops by a guy apparently old enough to need reading glasses. Figure in dirt, a mechanical, a fall, and multiple stops and I am duly impressed.

Interesting he describes only 25 riders starting the long route. Perhaps that was just his friends? In Italy there were several hundred. You also finished in a different chute and were handed a special mug for completing the long course which was indeed a nice touch.

I also like his description of passing the "fun quotient" hours before the end of the ride. At some point these rides become about you and the course, not the bike or the outfit, like most of the best rides do..............and something much different than a lame re-enactment entails.

I was also impressed. 127 mi with 9,500 feet of climbing is a typical 200km Brevet in my area and only very strong riders can do 9 hours including control stops. Throw dirt climbing into the mix and kudos!! If I understand correctly, the young lad who did 8 hours only stopped to get his card stamped.....and, he is a Cat 1 on the road.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Buzz

These are fun and challenging events. I had the good fortune of riding L'Eroica a few years ago. We really enjoyed the passion people put into their bikes / kit or the actual ride they were doing that day. That and the routes/setting and food are what makes these events so memorable.

Wouldn't be the same event at all if you were to allow "modern" bikes. In fact, there wouldn't be an event or a reason to hold it. It would just be another day on the road. By the way, anyone can ride the routes every other day of the year and they're FREE.

Don't understand the author's point other than his knees hurt. Maybe he should get one of those e bikes. You don't have to be a bike collector or show up on some super premium vintage bike. A friend purchased an eroica compliant bike on Craigslist for $150. Piece of junk but it got the job done.

Why are we so hung up on total inclusion (as the author requests) on everything in life these days? I thought variety and diversity were the spice of life. No?

Yes..well said.

[El Chaba]

I still don't understand why anybody gets wrung up about what somebody else does to have a good time...

[joeb-z]

I saw three college age women cheerfully climbing the "unmaintained" part of Kiler Canyon Rd. on about $800 combined value of bikes including something like a Peugeot UO-8. The rules are just not a problem. Truthfully I should have started with "I was passed by ...

[joeb-z]

Originally Posted by numbskull

I will say that as the event has grown and expanded it seems to be increasingly a commercial venture for the organizers.

The rides in Italy are still cheap (60-80 bucks) and a real bargain for what you get. The California event, however, I think ran $150-200 which seems inexplicably high in comparison.

As part of their advertising the "riding old bikes makes you holier" bit gets oversold and certainly justifies some push back. I think their is also something of a personality cult thing going on with the guys who invented the ride. It wouldn't surprise me if all this eventually kills the goose that laid the golden egg.

Still, it is pretty rare to find a negative review by some one who has participated. It is hard to get too serious about yourself when you're wearing a vintage jersey, fumbling with DT shifters, and tackling big nasty hills with inadequate gearing.

I think that may be the secret to its success. In a sport where getting too serious about yourself is the accepted norm, L'Eroica makes use of antiquated equipment and stupid outfits to kill that instinct and let people just have fun as a group on bikes. Not easy to do but they do it pretty well.

This post has some misinformation. Wes is an unbelievable promoter and did not make money last year. He made many improvements and once again will be likely to only break even. Also, any profits go to an extremely worthy charity. In CA, Wes has to pay for the park, pay for the police, and pay CA prices for all the other services. No wonder it costs more. In Italy, the mayor is essentially the promoter. Eroica is what it is and the framework is determined by the Italian event, if it's not for you, ride elsewhere.

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by joeb-z

I saw three college age women cheerfully climbing the "unmaintained" part of Kiler Canyon Rd. on about $800 combined value of bikes including something like a Peugeot UO-8. The rules are just not a problem. Truthfully I should have started with "I was passed by ...

I have a Schwinn Le Tour Luxe touring bike that I bought for $200, which would make a perfectly suitable bike for the event. You don't need a collector's bike to do L'Eroica.

Then again, I don't understand some of the rules, e.g., "a) more recent bikes with gears and derailleurs, such as Simplex, Huret, Campagnolo, Zeus, Shimano, Suntour, etc. must have shift levers on the down tube of the frame; exceptions include pre-1980 non indexed bar-end gear shifters and rod/hand manual operated front derailleurs." Why not pre-1987 non-indexed bar-end shifters?

Another rule: "Participants must be dressed in period cycling clothing, in particular they should wear wool jerseys and shorts. Reissued wool or non-wool vintage-looking jerseys and shorts are allowed as long as they look proper." I saw quite a few cyclists in photos wearing modern lycra shorts, that did not look vintage.

[joeb-z]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

Then again, I don't understand some of the rules, e.g., "a) more recent bikes with gears and derailleurs, such as Simplex, Huret, Campagnolo, Zeus, Shimano, Suntour, etc. must have shift levers on the down tube of the frame; exceptions include pre-1980 non indexed bar-end gear shifters and rod/hand manual operated front derailleurs." Why not pre-1987 non-indexed bar-end shifters?

Another rule: "Participants must be dressed in period cycling clothing, in particular they should wear wool jerseys and shorts. Reissued wool or non-wool vintage-looking jerseys and shorts are allowed as long as they look proper." I saw quite a few cyclists in photos wearing modern lycra shorts, that did not look vintage.

Firstly, there was no enforcement or even criticism of stuff outside the rules that I saw. Ok, electric shifters on a carbon bike got a raised eyebrow but the guy was clearly having a ball. This is not the same in Italy where there is some sort of inspection. I suspect "pre-1980 non indexed bar-end gear shifters" is a mistake. Wool shorts? Fuggedaboutit. Last year I did wear Lycra ones with a "Condor" logo though. This year my comfy modern bib shorts. Lycra shorts go back pretty far actually. Something like 1976.

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by joeb-z

Firstly, there was no enforcement or even criticism of stuff outside the rules that I saw. Ok, electric shifters on a carbon bike got a raised eyebrow but the guy was clearly having a ball. This is not the same in Italy where there is some sort of inspection. I suspect "pre-1980 non indexed bar-end gear shifters" is a mistake. Wool shorts? Fuggedaboutit. Last year I did wear Lycra ones with a "Condor" logo though. This year my comfy modern bib shorts. Lycra shorts go back pretty far actually. Something like 1976.

Well, aero brake levers go back to at least 1981 (Shimano AX), but according to the rather poorly-worded rules ("the brake cables must pass outside and over the handlebars"), they aren't allowed.

If I were flying 3,000 miles to do the ride, I'd want to be sure that I'm not going to be disqualified for breaking some rule. I'd bring my old Kucharik wool shorts just in case.

[Fuzzy2964]

RKP’s problem seems to be that he couldn’t afford the type of bike he “wanted" to ride. As many others have said. Almost anyone who cycles can find a bike that meets the regulations at a pretty cheap price by going on Craigslist, garage sales, etc. Yeah - it may not be the bike you would “want” to ride, but it would be one that meets the regs. You do not need an expensive bike to ride Eroica. The bike you might “want” to ride could be something that you can’t afford. That is your problem - not the event’s.

[beeatnik]

I hate Eroica only because I couldn't make it. My budget Eroica bika turned into a money pit. Ya, you can just pick up on old POS on Craigslist but if you're the type of cat who is willing to spend $150 on a ride, you prolly don't roll that way. You end up thinking, "what's another $50 for this part when I'm spending $250 for a room and will drop $75 on a bottle of wine after the ride."

Anyway, now I've got a heavy pink steel bike with 7s DT shifters which I'll probably ride to Trader Joe's for Charles Shaw and Habanero Sculpin. Conspicuous consumption isn't always conspicuous.

Where can I find a blog on living with only 50 possessions?

[rccardr]

Unh-unh. You got it all wrong.
NOW you have a bike all ready for next year's Eroica!

ps: kept looking for you during the ride.

[Ronsonic]

Originally Posted by Fuzzy2964

RKP’s problem seems to be that he couldn’t afford the type of bike he “wanted" to ride. As many others have said. Almost anyone who cycles can find a bike that meets the regulations at a pretty cheap price by going on Craigslist, garage sales, etc. Yeah - it may not be the bike you would “want” to ride, but it would be one that meets the regs. You do not need an expensive bike to ride Eroica. The bike you might “want” to ride could be something that you can’t afford. That is your problem - not the event’s.

Exactly. This victimist twaddle about it being "exclusionary" or whatever is the give-away that it's his problem. For what it would cost me to do that ride, the bike is the cheap part. I'd guess that for most of us we'd lose more income from work than the bike might cost.

Otherwise, this is like me complaining that I want to exhibit at a custom car show, but I don't own one and they aren't interested in my Honda Accord.

[beeatnik]

Originally Posted by rccardr

NOW you have a bike all ready for next year's Eroica!

ps: kept looking for you during the ride.

That's the plan. I'm building it up w/ NOS Suntour Cyclone Aero Levers but I'll swap them out for the Suntour Suberbe non aero levers Upon3 sent me. Also, I'll have enough time to build up a proper wheelset with the Cyclone hubs I picked up with the NOS group.