Hi Gang,
I Think the Lance and the boys would ride (or ride something badged) anything that someone ponied up the money and outbid Trek (maybe significantly outbid) for the privilege.
For Christ's sake, they used to ride Huffys!
No one would put up major kaching style dollars (it could be millions to break the Trek deal) without a large commercial offering in bikes that are for sale and deliverable that would provide a return on investment. Trek is one of the few companies that could realize these possibilities in today's marketplace. Otherwise you would maybe see the old Armstrong brand revitalized under new owners and management not connected in any way to the fine old British firm (I hope someone gets this; or at least Hetchins followers?).
I think modern manufacturers have been offering steel to low end buyers as it is easier to explain the benefits to aluminum. Cheap aluminum frames are much lighter than cheap steel frames and on the shop floor the most tangible, easily measurable quality of any nice bicycle is weight. Now you must realize that most aluminum frames have two things in common with themselves. One the material to build is generally (not every tubeset, but the bulk of the run of the mill) very inexpensive and the construction is fast and cheap. The bonus for manufacturers is the perceived value (and the retail price) is much higher on many aluminum bikes to the end user.
Lugged steel bikes are very labor intensive but have many tangible advantages that are valued by most people on this list. They can be very, very light in weight even with lugs. Stiffness in acceleration, durability, ride comfort and longevity of steel frames may not be well known but exists on top models. Manufacturers always wish in any industry to produce products with the highest perceived value (and retail cost) and lowest acceptable build cost. Aluminum wins the day (at the present time) with these goals. Titanium and Carbon sell for similar cost at the high end but cost far more to produce in most cases. Steel's biggest benefits are actually long-term and at the retail level, the buyers are not looking past Sunday afternoon it would seem. Aluminum wins the day again. Educated mature reasoned and educated individuals learn about quality workmanship and steel construction and many not only choose it but prefer it.
Racers may not know anymore but engineers never forgot that it is wheel weight, not overall bicycle weight that really makes a performance difference. If you factor rider weight in with the overall bicycle weight most people will find a two pound drop in either will have a very small effect on the total.
I have it on good authority that Lance's favorite ride was a lugged Columbus Max Eddy Merckx oversize tube leviathan. He was a pounder in the old days and it had some comfort in his size frame I was told. He's been sighted on the Blue Ridge parkway moving at mock speed on an unidentifiable bicycle. The wayside restaurant employees know him by name.
Gilbert "10 bicycles all ferrous and counting" Anderson
Gilbert Anderson
The North Road Bicycle Company your bicycle outfitter 519 W. North St. Raleigh, NC 27603 USA ph toll free in USA :800/321-5511 Local ph: 919/828-8999 E-Mail: cyclestore@aol.com
In a message dated 12/2/02 1:48:55 AM, classicrendezvous-request@bikelist.org writes:
<< Message: 10 To: chuckschmidt@earthlink.net Cc: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Date: Sun, 1 Dec 2002 18:28:56 -0500 Subject: Re: [CR]NOW:Different dead horse WAS:this horse is different:was:This horse is dead From: Richard M Sachs <richardsachs@juno.com>
snipped: Chuck Schmidt <chuckschmidt@earthlink.net> writes: Lance is not going to ride a Richard Sachs because it is heavier. Chuck Schmidt
get real, e-CHUCKIE. he won't ride one because he'd have to wait 18 months to get one. insert the smiley face in the dead horse. e-RICHIE Richard Sachs Cycles No.9, North Main Street Chester, CT 06412 USA http://www.richardsachs.com Tel. 860.526.2059 >>