Created On: 8/09/2021
What is bicycle hype? Well, it's where people try to sell you on all of the latest greatest tech, improvements, or old style ideas that never quite made it to mainstream, like "Tubeless Tires", and when I say "Hype", I'm referring to anything that is gimmicky, has no real added value, or is just the "Latest Fad" (Craze).
Yes, I'm going to talk about Carbon Belt Drive systems here, as you might have guessed, it's a great "Idea", but if you look at the disadvantages, it makes little financial sense!
- No side flexibility in belt drives
- A belt drive cannot be split up
- Belt drive relies on internal gearing systems
- A Belt drive system is Far More Expensive!
Because a belt drive can't be split up, a section of the frame has to be opened up in order to change the belt, which means the frame will be more expensive, and all it takes is someone cutting your belt drive and you will have to replace it (Not cheap in many instances), moreover, the internal gearing systems are much more expensive than a traditional rear bike rim and hub w/ a cassette.
Sure, there are some huge advantages, being the bicycle will be a little lighter in weight, maybe a few pounds / or / a Kilogram or two, but unless you are building a racing bike, none of that matters! A carbon belt drive fixie (No gears) would be only a little lighter than a chain drive system, so no real added value AT ALL other than slight weight loss.
Many parts or inventions are all hype, but fail to deliver real value for your money, the perfect example of this is "Titanium" bicycles or "Carbon Fiber" parts / bicycles, the cost far outweighs the value! All financial sense aside, for those who have money to burn, sure, go ahead and spend $5,000+ on a bicycle, but that's NOT going to make you a better rider or make you faster AT ALL.
What makes a bike faster is the tires and air pressure of those tires, the small the tire, the faster the bike goes, REGARDLESS OF TOTAL WEIGHT, gearing and bearing can cause drag, but these are NOMINAL at best, and any decent bearing set on the market is manufactured to be low resistance by basic manufacturing standards. Otherwise nobody would buy your bike if it automatically slowed down due to large drag on your bearings....
There are of course a lot of people out there who look at full suspension mountain bikes and instantly want one of those, but to be honest, unless you are a professional mountain bike rider, or at the very least an inspiring one in training, FORGET IT! It's just too costly, is purely for sport, and is not really made for "Daily Riding", though it could be converted to be (Costly).
Indeed, everything that is "New" or "Improved" almost always invariably comes with higher cost, largely because of "Licensing" (They say), but the truth is, investors just want to recoup their money faster, so they charge a lot for the new stuff, and that's why you should avoid "New" tech. Any intelligent bicyclist can find high quality used bicycles if they know where to look, those bicycles may have obsolete tech, but it is still a functioning & MUCH CHEAPER bicycle.
Cheap however can be bad, in the case that you buy a busted used bicycle, so do inspect the bicycle very well before you purchase it, which most definitely includes, braking, shifting, parts for damage, and RIMS & TIRES! The cost to replace parts on a bicycle has gotten OBSCENELY EXPENSIVE as of late, due to supply side shock, most bicycles and parts have doubled in prices or more!
Shopping online is the worst idea you can have, rather visit a local bicycle shop or Walmart FIRST, if it's a specialty part, then I'd recommend shopping Walmart online, they are much cheaper than Amazon by miles in MOST INSTANCES! However, QUALITY IS CRITICAL, and that's because nobody wants cheap junk that is of poor quality!
Tubeless tires are NOT great, they were designed for mountain biking, and the tubeless tires that literally need no air at all are NOT recommended AT ALL, indeed they are largely a gimmick! Electric bicycles are indeed nothing more than a bicycle with a battery / electric drive system, is that battery and electric motor worth Thousands of Dollars? (HELL NO!)
Sure, they are convenient, easy to ride, but when that battery dies, OH BOY! You won't be liking those heavy bicycles AT ALL! (Sorry for all the caps, the intentions of this entire blog is to make you THINK!) Anyway, if you read my other blog post, you'll soon get the idea that many bicycle styles are purely niche, they aren't for the average day rider, and they aren't really for the urban jungle!
Already it has been argued that Carbon parts offer little advantage over aluminum, but the premium cost associated with it completely destroys the value of bicycling, and when you go to replace (Can't fix carbon) the parts, your wallet will hate you late for it! If you just stick with "What works", instead of going for "The Best", you'll probably have enough money left over for 1 to 3 other bicycles, and so I'd advice my fellow cyclist to "Be Smart" with your money and don't buy the hype!
(E.g. Carbon anything!)
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