if you are into bikes, into tinkering with bikes, into old bikes, into bike tech or bike fitting - the newsletter from these guys is worth a read. their general perspective is - well - crusty/curmudgenly/old-skool.
however, there is a lot to be said for fighting against the "keeping-up-with-lance" consumerist bike culture that permeates the bike industry today. i have never owned a bike with dura-ace or record - having always thought that it was a little excessive for this guy - and have always enjoyed trying to make old bike shit work with various other old bike shit - there is something about the creativity needed to make unlike things work together that i have always enjoyed. hell, all you have to do is look at the current state of the world economy (meaning, uncontrolled consumerism and greed) to see in 20/20 technicolour that the last 50 years of consumer culture has proven itself to be unsustainable and destined to the trash heap of history. i think you can also look at the way the youth/art/hipster culture has embraced fixedgear bikes as a sign that simple is indeed cool again. no need to spend $7000 on the latest carbon-whizbang-speedmachine - just find any old bike in the garbage, strip it down, and ride like a banshee. uncomplicated fun.
these guys have it figured out i think. sure, some of the new bike technology is cool and some of it will live on for years to come - but by and large - i beleive that most of it will disappear into the "great-catalog-of-cool-bike-junk-that-didnt-stand-up".
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