Re: Wal-Mart Italian Road Bike for $1198

ZBicyclist wrote:
> Stephen Harding wrote:
> 
>>However, I am of the opinion a three frame size range would
>>get most people properly adjusted on their bikes using the
>>seatposts/stems/risers/saddle positions the bike came with.
> 
> The key word is "most" people.

As I've said, there are always "outliers" in the person-to-bike
fit distribution.

Nonetheless, I find it difficult to believe that 2cm frame size
increments can't be mostly folded into the normal up/down
seatpost adjustment and forward/back saddle adjustment ranges
that come on any bike size.

Recently in my local paper, there was a story about some guy in
CA who builds custom bikes for high end buyers (mentioned several
prominent Silicon Valley types with big bucks).  A basic one
speed bike might set you back $15K.

He only builds for people "he likes" and might change his mind
in selling you the bike if you visit his shop to see how progress
is going too many times!  You get interviewed before becoming a
customer.

He of course gets custom fit measurements from his clients in
building the frame and made the claim that a mis-match of even
ONE MILLIMETER can cause physical damage to the rider.  That's
how im****tant proper fit was!

BS!

I'd bet there are fewer than a handful of people on the bike
riding planet (I'll throw in the bike riders of Alpha Gamma 5
as well) who have suffered physical damage to themselves due to
a 1 mm bike fit mismatch!

This guy is selling smug snootiness disguised as bicycle building
elegance and performance to make his money IMHO.

I think Mark Hickey got his bike sales model wrong.  Instead of
selling a good Ti frame for reasonable price, he should have been
trying to sell outrageously priced frames along with as much aires
of arrogance and superiority as he could muster.


SMH