Enjoying Bunnyman's tongue in cheek posts about the equipment police, but let's be totally honest about - the latest most expensive equipment is no more faster than cheaper stuff that you can get secondhand.
Take CH Aero disc wheel covers. Wind tunnel proven to be just as fast as any thing else. $59.95 new, but I even did better and bought mine second hand off ebay for thirty bucks. Of course I could have bought a new Zipp but why stop there, for another grand more I could get a Campagnolo disc. But for the huge investment of thirty bucks my rear wheel is just as aero.
Nobody will oogle over my CH Aero covered rear wheel in the transition area but will go completely nuts over the guy's bike with the Campagnolo disc on the back, but IT'S DEFINATELY NOT because his rear wheel is any faster than mine. It's all about looking cool. ie FASHION.
Look at the Kona bike times. Not a post 1996 top ten despite all these new fangled aero improvements. With the women, Paula's 1993 time still holds.
Do you need any more proof that all these latest high tech gizmos won't make you any faster? How pray tell, can the latest gollygeewhiz carbon one piece bar be any faster than that old aluminium quill Vision Tech. Simple - it's not.
There's nothing wrong with spending $$$$$$ for all the latest keeno stuff. But realize that this is a fashion statement more than it is for performance. If a guy/gal wants to spend the money to look cool then that's great, but if they are spending it thinking that they're getting improved performance than they've been suckered big time and should have done more research.
My bikes aren't cheap, buy when I see a guy with the $$$$$$ bike I tend to think either he's got more money than I do to waste or his priorities are different but if he's faster on the bike than I am it's only because his engine is better. Not because he's got a Campagnolo disc and I've only got CH Aero covers.
That's my $.02.
Take CH Aero disc wheel covers. Wind tunnel proven to be just as fast as any thing else. $59.95 new, but I even did better and bought mine second hand off ebay for thirty bucks. Of course I could have bought a new Zipp but why stop there, for another grand more I could get a Campagnolo disc. But for the huge investment of thirty bucks my rear wheel is just as aero.
Nobody will oogle over my CH Aero covered rear wheel in the transition area but will go completely nuts over the guy's bike with the Campagnolo disc on the back, but IT'S DEFINATELY NOT because his rear wheel is any faster than mine. It's all about looking cool. ie FASHION.
Look at the Kona bike times. Not a post 1996 top ten despite all these new fangled aero improvements. With the women, Paula's 1993 time still holds.
Do you need any more proof that all these latest high tech gizmos won't make you any faster? How pray tell, can the latest gollygeewhiz carbon one piece bar be any faster than that old aluminium quill Vision Tech. Simple - it's not.
There's nothing wrong with spending $$$$$$ for all the latest keeno stuff. But realize that this is a fashion statement more than it is for performance. If a guy/gal wants to spend the money to look cool then that's great, but if they are spending it thinking that they're getting improved performance than they've been suckered big time and should have done more research.
My bikes aren't cheap, buy when I see a guy with the $$$$$$ bike I tend to think either he's got more money than I do to waste or his priorities are different but if he's faster on the bike than I am it's only because his engine is better. Not because he's got a Campagnolo disc and I've only got CH Aero covers.
That's my $.02.