[CR]What makes a bike fast?

(Example: Bike Shops:R.E.W. Reynolds)

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Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 15:17:50 -0500
From: "Grant McLean" <Grant.McLean@SportingLife.ca>
Subject: [CR]What makes a bike fast?
To: "Classic Rendezvous Mail List (E-mail)" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>


Tom,

You're nuts.

Buy a cycle computer, and go for a ride.

Grant McLean Toronto.Ca

O \O/ _< \_ _< _ (_)>(_) (_)>(_)

Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 14:00:52 -0500 From: "Tom Sanders" <tsan7759142@comcast.net> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Subject: [CR]What makes a bike fast? Message-ID: <005c01c3f71a$b29167f0$aebe0b18@C1921978A> Content-Type: text/plain;charset="iso-8859-1" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Precedence: list Reply-To: Tom Sanders <tsan7759142@comcast.net> Message: 2

Marcus Helman commented on his Tom Ritchey bike that he never felt fast = on it. I have had about twenty nice bikes in the last few years, but = three were much faster than the others, or so it felt to me. Some bikes = just lunge forward like they are being yanked by a rope tied onto them = when you mash down, others do not. This is not to say that the others = are not great bikes, they just do not feel as fast or responsive to a = good mash on the pedal. Originally I thought that it was a smaller = chainring, but the fastest bike I ever rode, a Masi 3v, had a 42 tooth = inner ring and a 53 tooth outer...actually somewhat higher geared than I = had thought. Folks have suggested to me that it might be an artifact of = a stiffer bottom bracket (whatever that means) or geometry. I rather = suspect the latter. Perhaps some interaction of all of the above. = Tires? Dunno. Surely some of you out there have noted that some bikes = you own are a lot faster than others. Cost does not seem to be it. I = had a relatively expensive Battaglin that seemed to amaze many who rode = at how fast it was. I realize that some will just think I'm nuts and that it's all in my = imagination...perhaps it is. I have heard others remark about how fast = some bikes they rode were...especially 3 Renshos. If anyone has a good = idea on it, I'd sure love to hear it.
Tom Sanders
Lansing, Mi