Introduction -- 47+ Years in the Saddle

Motivation

Last year, I bought a replacement for a bicycle I have been riding for 40 years. This year, 2020, seems entirely appropriate to indulge in a bit of hindsight regarding the advances (and regressions) in bicycle technology during that time.
As I was gathering the components needed to build by dream bike, I was frustrated in trying to find the part I knew would best serve my needs. Online bike stores appear to offer only the most popular items, and that is even more true for brick-and-mortar stores.
Popularity is a good measure for the health of the store, but it's not ideal for cyclists. If cyclists are buying components because that is all that is offered, then it creates a positive-feedback loop that forces what stores offer and what cyclists need to diverge.

I started this blog as a reaction to this perceived divergence. Informed buyers can influence what is offered by demanding products that meet their needs. It almost goes without saying, that if can persuade many bikers to favor the kinds of components I would buy, then getting the right stuff for my dream bike will be easier next time.

About the Author

If I'm going to hold forth on what makes a bike part good or bad, it's only fair to reveal a bit about myself and my riding style. If you race competitively and have an unlimited budget, this is probably not the place for you.
Mike Magnuson's book, Bike Tribes, was probably started in jest. But it is fairly accurate in characterizing various segments of the cycling population. In that book, I am "the person all cyclists most want to be" -- the cycle commuter. Most of the time I spend in the saddle is going to and from work. Since moving to Seattle 25 years ago, I have logged between 3,000 and 5,000 commute miles per year, easily accounting for 100,000 miles of my total.
But that's not all. My greatest enjoyment comes from taking really long bike rides. I've ridden the STP 9 times, and 3 times each from Seattle to Spokane and from Seattle to Vancouver, B.C. I've ridden around Mount Rainier and around the Cascade Loop, each in one day. My long-distance rides account for a significant portion of my 200,000+ bicycle miles.
I usually ride alone, and thus have the luxury of riding exactly at my own ideal pace. But that also means that I have to be self-sufficient, with tools and spare parts in case of breakdowns.
The bike that I'm retiring after 40 years has been with me for 50,000 of those miles. Over that period, I've done all of my own bike maintenance, so I have become familiar with how parts fail. I appreciate when a part has been designed to be easy to service. I especially like when the designs make the parts that wear out replaceable, so the component as a whole can be kept in operation. On my old bike, the frame, fork and the shift levers are original equipment. Everything else has been replaced at least once.
I'm also a cheapskate. At this point I can afford to buy top-of-the-line parts, but that doesn't always make economic sense.

Evaluation Criteria

As hinted above, my valuation for a bike part goes well beyond buying the lightest possible component, and ignores completely what is trendy. I look at the intrinsic value of a component, and look at price only after I've selected a small set of alternatives that are likely to meet my performance criteria. Which are:

Utility

How well does the part perform the function for which it is intended? The other criteria are of little import if it does not fulfill its intended purpose.

Durability

Durability sits just behind utility in my litany of evaluation criteria. A cheap component that doesn't last is a false economy: two cheap ones can end up costing more than one durable one. On extremely long bike rides, the number of spares you have to carry can nullify the advantages of a cheaper or lighter component.
On the other hand, durability needs to be considered in context -- especially if the part is expected to wear out. Tires, rims, chains, sprockets, chain wheels, hubs, crank bearings, pedals, and even spokes are expected to wear out. In pushing the limits of durability, it's easy to reach the point of diminishing returns.

Safety

"There are old bikers and there are bold bikers, but there are no old, bold bikers." In the contest to make components as light as possible, safety may sometimes be sacrificed. For me, that is not acceptable.
Beyond that, there are certain features that are not integral to the function of a component but can still add to the safety of the rider.

Lightness

A light bicycle is a pleasure to ride. I've listed it last among my evaluation criteria because that's where it comes. I am willing to trade extra grams for utility, durability, safety and economy to a certain extent. But finally, offered the choice between two components that are otherwise equal -- sure, I'll take the lighter one, just like everyone else.

Economy

In evaluating a purchase, I generally look at price last. If there's only one component that meets my specifications, starting with price would be a waste of time. If there are none, even more so.
As suggested above, economy can be tricky. Not only will cheap parts wear out more quickly, they can fail prematurely -- putting a big minus in the Safety column. Economy means more than choosing the item with the lowest price, it means choosing the one that is the best value.

What's Missing

In some areas, bike parts have made significant advances over the past 40 years. In others, not so much. In some cases, I view the evolution as a step backwards. I'll get to details as I explore the offerings in specific categories.
Even if I yearn for the "good old days" in some areas, I can see where advances in materials and manufacturing technology open the way for better bike parts in the future. I'll offer suggestions along those lines where I can.

Overview

In future installments, I'll look at how various bike parts have evolved, spending at least one posting on each. A partial list of those topics include:

• Frame and Fork
• Wheels
• Tires
• Brakes
• Transmission
• Controls
• Seats
• Handlebars
• Fenders
• Lighting
• Electronics
• Auxilliary Power

See you on down the road.