: Never have I heard any of my fellow cyclists say that before . . . Do you
: wear bike shorts? What about a modern helmet? Do you ride a bike with
: gears? What's your fork made out of - heck, what's your frame made out of?
: How about your brakes - any good? Or your seat or your pedals or your
: shoes or your wheels or even your tires? All of those advances in bicycle
: technology - the advances that every day, normal, non-racing cyclists use
: and love - all these came from racing development, and they are what
: racers use.
: Maybe you just roll around on a fat tire cruiser? But even many of them have
: been updated from the 19th century . . . .
: Racing tech, whether it's kayaking, cycling, sailing, skiing, automobiles,
: etc, etc, etc, has a trickle-down effect that often hugely benefits the
: average enthusiast.

: We can learn a lot from racers themselves, too - like how to improve our
: stroke, or even what kind of paddle to use, and when.

: I'm a cyclist, and almost everything I do on a bike is very, very similar to
: a racer - just slower! I wish I could paddle like a racer, too.

Hi Dave,
A problem with following in the steps of racers, bike or kayak. The focus of the designer is to get from point A to point B in the least possible time. Functionality outside this parameter is very secondary.
Ergonomics is applied to go fast but comfort and ease of use is way down the list.
Racing forks are straight. Good for control but also good for transmitting road shock to the wrists. Bad for commuting.
The frames of my three machines are steel, very old school, yes? Steel actually lasts longer than alu or carbon with vibration/shock. It's easily repairable with old tech.
I use the largest tyre possible for the rim width, not racing tyres, even when going for it. The road surface determines what can be used. I have, on occassion, passed other cyclists on their racers because I didn't have to contend with road-shock as much. I use a 700C hybrid.

There is another point about following the ideas from racing. Which type of race do you take your lead from?
Velodrome? Single speed, no brakes. Not great on the road.
Olympic K1? Excellent flat-water kayak, very quick. At sea? No thanks.

Yep, there's a trickle-down from race tech to general tech, but not every race tech is directly applicable to general use. You have to know which bit of tech will actually benefit your usage. Adopt what does, drop what doesn't. Pragmatic, not dogmatic.

Mike Savage
South West Cork