Team 50p

[palinurus]

Now the main wonder isn't why he chose to spend his money on that bike but why he chose to commute quite slowly on it when he would have been much more comfortable on a different style of bike.

I used to do this- not on a 6K bike! (more like £600)- but a TT bike nonetheless.

I'd ride to work really easy and go train after work some days (I'd hide my courier bag with my work stuff in a bush by the side of road I trained on).

 

[palinurus]

And once a week I'd do the local 10, or sometimes ride out to a less-local one.

 

[steveindenmark]

By buying my £1000 bike it makes me feel like I have £10 legs. If you ride a £200 bike you will feel as though you have 50p legs.

although I have 3 £1000 bikes I'm never going to have anything over £10 legs. But that's ok, I like nice things.

 

[I like Skol]

I have 6 million dollar legs...... We can rebuild him. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was. Better, stronger, faster.

 

[winjim]

Back in the mists of time when MTBs were the only bikes you saw, v-brakes had just come out, full suspension was rare hell front suspension was unusual. There was a team set up on the internet known as Team 50p. Their motto was "What's the point in a £1000 bike when you have 50p legs".

It's an open club, anyone can join.

It's not to have a go at anyone. Everyone is welcome to spend their hard earned cash on what they want it's just that sometimes I see an obvious mismatch between kit and ability and it makes me wonder.

True racers will race whatever they can get their hands on and make the best of it. I think it's a real shame that some people feel they need to dive straight in with the latest superbike. If you've no experience riding, then how can you appreciate the advantages of the latest tech? We recently had a flurry of threads where someone was asking which >£3k superbike they should buy. When asked about their riding, it turned out they were doing very little, so how can they possibly notice or appreciate the subtle differences between bikes at that level? I think in some ways it's counterproductive because they may never develop a good feel for the bike, or be able to seperate their own performance improvement from the very slight advantage the better bike gives them. Then there's the danger of thinking things like the next model has a bottom bracket that's 25% stiffer or a seat tube that's 32% more aero so it must be that which is holding them back so they get into a cycle of just looking at the bike and not the rider. The marginal gains philosophy only applies if every aspect of your training and riding is consistently as high as it can be.

Same sort of thing applies outside racing of course. Cheapo touring etc, bodging fixes out of whatever is lying around. So yeah, I've more respect for a member of Team 50p who is riding their heart out and trying their best, than for an all the gear no idea FPKW who expects the bike to do all the work.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I don't think I have anything that matches. I wear trainers, cycling shorts, T shirts, fleece.jackets, hoodies, and I ride a folder. And I don't wear all of those things all at the same time either. then again, I'm a crap cyclist as well. Slow and not far.

a woman after my own heart

Re the thrust of the thread: as far as I'm concerned more people on bikes is a good thing whether they're perfectly suited or a hideous mismatch. ride and be happy.

 

[screenman]

Does there have to be a "What" to wondering?

The most recent wondering was when I passed a guy this morning on around £6k of time trial bike that he was using to commute. Now the main wonder isn't why he chose to spend his money on that bike but why he chose to commute quite slowly on it when he would have been much more comfortable on a different style of bike.

Recovery ride in a position that he uses when racing, may have even done a 24hour at the weekend..

 

[Dogtrousers]

My right leg is a 25p leg, and not a very good one at that. My left, however, is a multi-thousand pound job due to all of the surgery and amazing science that has gone into ensuring that it still works. It doesn't work terribly well mind, but it works, which is a minor miracle.

I also ride an £80 Brooks B17. I'm not sure what value I'd put on my backside.

 

[mythste]

True racers will race whatever they can get their hands on and make the best of it. I think it's a real shame that some people feel they need to dive straight in with the latest superbike. If you've no experience riding, then how can you appreciate the advantages of the latest tech? We recently had a flurry of threads where someone was asking which >£3k superbike they should buy. When asked about their riding, it turned out they were doing very little, so how can they possibly notice or appreciate the subtle differences between bikes at that level? I think in some ways it's counterproductive because they may never develop a good feel for the bike, or be able to seperate their own performance improvement from the very slight advantage the better bike gives them. Then there's the danger of thinking things like the next model has a bottom bracket that's 25% stiffer or a seat tube that's 32% more aero so it must be that which is holding them back so they get into a cycle of just looking at the bike and not the rider. The marginal gains philosophy only applies if every aspect of your training and riding is consistently as high as it can be.

Same sort of thing applies outside racing of course. Cheapo touring etc, bodging fixes out of whatever is lying around. So yeah, I've more respect for a member of Team 50p who is riding their heart out and trying their best, than for an all the gear no idea FPKW who expects the bike to do all the work.

You can go up a climb on your £100 BSO. Heck, you can do it faster than me on my £2k carbon! I'll bet we'll each have the same massive grin on our faces!

 

[Flying Dodo]

Everyone is welcome to spend their hard earned cash on what they want it's just that sometimes I see an obvious mismatch between kit and ability and it makes me wonder.

Although a lot of it is down to society in general. Partly due to the cycling industry pushing every change, as an improvement you "have" to have, and partly people thinking by buying the blingiest bike they can get, they'll be just like Chris Froome.

 

[HLaB]

Does there have to be a "What" to wondering?

The most recent wondering was when I passed a guy this morning on ainound £6k of time trial bike that he was using to commute. Now the main wonder isn't why he chose to spend his money on that bike but why he chose to commute quite slowly on it when he would have been much more comfortable on a different style of bike.

I sometimes commute on my TT bike very slowly as I'm following a coaching plan, perhaps he was too. A commute can be a convenient time to slot a training session in, especially a recovery session and get your body used to the position for a flat out effort another day :-)

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I sometimes commute on my TT bike very slowly as I'm following a coaching plan, perhaps he was too. A commute can be a convenient time to slot a training session in, especially a recovery session and get your body used to the position for a flat out effort another day :-)

Your "very slow" is probably my "help, brakes failed downhill" speed

 

[Justinslow]

I've got a 50p bike but million dollar legs..........
Should I spend big?

 

[screenman]

Although a lot of it is down to society in general. Partly due to the cycling industry pushing every change, as an improvement you "have" to have, and partly people thinking by buying the blingiest bike they can get, they'll be just like Chris Froome.

After 45 years in cycling I have never come across the sort of people you seem to.

 

[Dogtrousers]

If you think hard about what is the ideal balance between ability and kit, factoring in available budget and a perfectly natural desire for nice stuff, you will probably come up with ... Yourself.

It's always someone else - the FPKW all gear no idea brigade, or the holier than thou hair shirt brigade who has got it all wrong while we, ourselves, have hit just the right balance.

Or is it just me?