all this is in response to my derailleur comparision article, a ways down the page…feisty…
cummon people. Post new articles, comments are fine, but new articles are whats needed!
-James

starmer said…
At some point don’t you think we’ll look back at that carbon mongoloid and think ah I remember the days before laser actuated drive trains those were the days.

It seems like looking at those three versions of the same component might be kind of short sighted. You could just as easily look at them as a grouping of things that were back in the good old days. Meaning the derailleur as a tradition in itself.

That might have sounded a little BSy but I’m just wondering at what point does the contemporary become traditional? This is probably a simple answer since I have only taken one art history class and I slept through it.

Since you’re trying to apply the idea of contemporary and traditional to bikes I’m kind of curious where you think the turning point is. Aluminum? Titanium? Luggless steel frames? And at what point does the newest bike goods make whats currently contemporary traditional.

3:19 PM

Johnson said…
Good Points. How do we get it so these comments arnt hidden? Traditional anything is a vauge and loose idea, and as such maybe doesnt have a strict definition. TRADITION:

n 1: an inherited pattern of thought or action 2: a specific practice of long standing

If we use this definition as a starting point at least, then we can view traditional bike elements as ideas that have been in circulation for an extended period of time. That means things like friction shifting, drop handlebars, clips and straps, and polished aluminum crank arms are traditional, while anodised parts, clipless pedals, and flat handlebars are contemporary ideas. So if we go by this, we can track the egress of technology over tradition part by part, year by year. What year were more riders riding clipless than clips and straps, and so on. So in that regard the “turning point” is a multifaceted idea, and shouldnt be regarded as a hard and fast date or event or product. Does that make sense?

4:26 PM

voice of reason said…
James, you are dumb. Every bit of art that you refer to that is traditional and now timeless was avante garde at some point. Hell the avante garde period is even traditional now! Starmer, you are right, maybe you learned something from your art history class through osmosis( you know falling asleep with your head on the book, and all that knowledge seeping into your skull.)

Oh, and James again, I hate to tell you but anodizing is traditional now by your definition, as is the flat bar. And neither are contemporary as they have been superseded by powder coating and the carbon riser bar. And don’t even get me started on you riding toe clips, cause they are dumb, dangerous, inefficient, and just a point of evolution in the move from a platform to a pedal that actually attaches you to your bike, and the evolution is surely not done yet. Oh, and chucks are the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen someone ride on a bike for more than a quarter mile.

OK, there’s a rant for you. Fortunately for you all and me too, it’s all true. Man, it’s a good thing I got on this blog to straighten you all out!
-Cory, an oft needed voice of reason.

9:42 AM

Johnson said…
By your definition there is no such thing as an avant garde period, as everything was avant garde once.
Avant-Garde: adj.
Of, relating to, or being part of an innovative group, especially one in the arts: avant-garde painters; an avant-garde theater piece. avant garde isnt even really an applicable term here. Unless we are talking about pedals as an art form. Which I suppose you could argue. Anywho- anodizing and flat bars are not traditional by def, as they havent held to the test of time. Only recently have things become hard anodized, and the light ano of the 90s is all but gone. Flat bars came into style in the early 90s and fell out soon there after. they are kinda back, kinda never went away, but no one rides them for anything but xc racing.