I get a lot of inspiration from the auto industry. Cars, especially performance and race cars, have so much more behind them than bicycles. More money, more marketing. Not more history, but better documentation and more nostalgia in the form or rolling relics.
Waiting to see Rogue 1 today, we ducked into the one remaining book store. They have a huge magazine section. I miss bookstores, and getting lost in them. The internet seems more like a rabbit hole. The glossy covers of magazine are seductive, especially the automobile editions.
Road & Track had a great right up on Team Penske – the most successful US-based race team ever. Excellence covered three Porsche prototypes that never made it to market. VW Ultra’s collection of rusty and running busses was awing. Automobile made a case for big American power with a Continental.
Cycling, at least the circles I ride with, seems all about the black, new, naked carbon. Light weight over customization.
Yoshizo Shimano pointed out a long time ago that humans make weak engines. That weakness no doubt diminishes the appeal of old, heavy bikes.
As expensive as running a Tour de France contending team might be, it’s nothing compared to Formula 1… or NASCAR for that matter.
Perhaps it’s knowing that auto racing is beyond my means, maybe it’s the countess layers of automobile competition one must climb to reach the top, it could be the insane sounds of speed gas powered engines blare… whatever it is, it makes we want to clean my bike and train hard for the racing I can enjoy, the bar-to-bar precision required to corner safely and swiftly, the power to pound a hill just a little further than the next guy, the spice to design a striking kit, the drive to develop new products.
