What's your discipline?

[alecstilleyedye]

bonj-baiting may yet make the 2012 olympics. who gets to be in the team?

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Does someone want to explain to bonj, the relationship between different types of bicycle and different types of cycling, and why it is possible to have one before the other...? I really don't know if I have the energy or patience at the moment...

I will try. There now follows a simplified and incomplete description of the sociotechnology of bicycles and cycling disciplines...

Sometimes, an existing type of bike is merely used for something new. This can create a new 'discipline.' Sometimes a bike is invented to be a better version of a type that already exists, for example recumbents. Sometimes a bike is invented to fill a niche activity that someone has discovered - often this is an adaption of an exisiting type of bike, which then becomes commercialised and gradually diverges more and more from its origin. The invention of special downhill mountain bikes is an example. As time goes on the tendency is for for an more types of bicycles to emerge both to fill existing diciplinary niches (for which there is a market) and bikes designed to create new niches... some of these do not survive (or become less popular, for example trikes).

 

[Kirstie]

Does someone want to explain to bonj, the relationship between different types of bicycle and different types of cycling, and why it is possible to have one before the other...? I really don't know if I have the energy or patience at the moment...

...or you could just ignore him...

 

[wafflycat]

...or you could just ignore him...

That is the most sensible thing to do.

 

[bonj2]

Does someone want to explain to bonj, the relationship between different types of bicycle and different types of cycling, and why it is possible to have one before the other...? I really don't know if I have the energy or patience at the moment...

I will try. There now follows a simplified and incomplete description of the sociotechnology of bicycles and cycling disciplines...

sociotechnology, eh! and then I get accused of inventing words...

Sometimes, an existing type of bike is merely used for something new. This can create a new 'discipline.' Sometimes a bike is invented to be a better version of a type that already exists, for example recumbents. Sometimes a bike is invented to fill a niche activity that someone has discovered - often this is an adaption of an exisiting type of bike, which then becomes commercialised and gradually diverges more and more from its origin. The invention of special downhill mountain bikes is an example. As time goes on the tendency is for for an more types of bicycles to emerge both to fill existing diciplinary niches (for which there is a market) and bikes designed to create new niches... some of these do not survive (or become less popular, for example trikes).

hmmm... i see what you mean, but i would say what mostly happens is the activity precedes the technology. i.e. someone thinks it would be a good idea to have a bike that could do/would be good at X, invents the bike, and uses it for X. It's quite rare that people discover a new activity that an existing type of bike just happens to be quite good at.

 

[Chuffy]

yeah but the host nation have the most ... clout, as it were.
original olympic sports? running, long jump, high jump, pole vault, swimming, discus, javelin, etc. even chris boardman style cycling hasn't been in for that long as it's only been going as long as bikes have been invented.

Cycling has been part of the modern Olympic games since they were revived in 1896.

Cycling
Main article: Cycling at the 1896 Summer Olympics

Between them, Frenchmen Léon Flameng (left) and Paul Masson won four cycling events.

The track cycling events were held at the newly built Neo Phaliron Velodrome. Only one road event was held, a race from Athens to Marathon and back (87 kilometres).

Frenchman Paul Masson was the best cyclist on the track, winning the one lap time trial, the sprint event, and the 10,000 metres. In the 100 kilometres event, Masson entered as a pacemaker for his compatriot Léon Flameng. Flameng won the event, after a fall, and after stopping to wait for his Greek opponent Kolettis to fix a mechanical problem. The Austrian fencer Adolf Schmal won the 12 hours race, which was completed by only two cyclists, while the road race event was won by Aristidis Konstantinidis.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

...or you could just ignore him...

I could, but being at home and recovering, I have to idle my hours away doing something (actually I've written a paper today too... but don't worry nothing strenuous).

 

[Kirstie]

I could, but being at home and recovering, I have to idle my hours away doing something (actually I've written a paper today too... but don't worry nothing strenuous).

Yes yes ok, but it's about time you learnt how to be a slacker!!
[slacker mode]
The paper...it wasn't the one that I'm co-authoring with you was it? If so you've saved me a job!...dr smut and I have been busy working on our hebrides tour schedule today and neither of us have had any time to think about anything else...
[/slacker mode]

 

[bonj2]

Cycling has been part of the modern Olympic games since they were revived in 1896.

yeah but the olympics has been going on since greek times!
All the sports in it are originally derived from warfare, and not just any warfare - largely invading an opponent's castle. Running etc., obvious need for speed on foot before tanks were invented.
Pole vault - easy, that would be to get over the castle wall. Triple jump? That derives from the need to clear the moat. Discuss, Shot put, hammer - they were all used as forms of attack on the castle in ancient times.
All these modern arty ones like gymnastics, synchronised swimming etc that are judged rather than longest/furthest/quickest have basically just been put in within the last 50 years or so in order to make it more appealing to women.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Yes yes ok, but it's about time you learnt how to be a slacker!!
[slacker mode]
The paper...it wasn't the one that I'm co-authoring with you was it? If so you've saved me a job!...dr smut and I have been busy working on our hebrides tour schedule today and neither of us have had any time to think about anything else...
[/slacker mode]

Good job... no, it's a different paper. I'll get to ours in late March on my current schedule...

 

[bonj2]

I could, but being at home and recovering, I have to idle my hours away doing something (actually I've written a paper today too... but don't worry nothing strenuous).

oooh, a paper, eh? i'm guessing it's more broadsheet style than tabloid?
care to enlighten us as to what it's about?

Yes yes ok, but it's about time you learnt how to be a slacker!!
[slacker mode]
The paper...it wasn't the one that I 'm co-authoring with you was supposed to write but was hoping you would instead was it? If so you've saved me a job!...dr smut and I have been busy working on our hebrides tour schedule today and neither of us have had any time to think about anything else...
[/slacker mode]

 

[Dave5N]

So is it just Walker and Aintskeered and me racing? I mean proper racing, not testing.

 

[gbb]

Leisure and commuting.
Which makes me think whats 'leisurely' about hammering yourself for 2 to 3 hours in all weathers
Commuting...i hate that word. I onlly live two and a half miles from work. I often go the lonnnnnng way round and make it a whole 5 miles

 

[Andy in Sig]

As time goes on the tendency is for for an more types of bicycles to emerge both to fill existing diciplinary niches (for which there is a market) and bikes designed to create new niches... some of these do not survive (or become less popular, for example trikes).

Are trikes falling in popularity then? I would have thought that they would be slowly on the increase like two wheeled recumbents.

Just out of interest, has anybody got any figures for this sort of thing?

 

[wafflycat]

I see the odd upright trike in timetrials.

I see a lot more recumbent trikes out and about than I used too. Still a niche market, but one that, in my non-scientific observation, seems to be increasing in popularity.