As a former semi-professional blogger and present leisure bike blogger, I do know a factor or two in regards to the biking media, and I can let you know that it’s in bother. Massive bother. For instance, there usually are not practically sufficient articles in regards to the new Specialised Diverge:
Solely fourteen!?! Oh, certain, I do know what you’re pondering: “There is no topic in existence that warrants having fourteen articles written about it”–and naturally you’re proper. Nevertheless it’s not on daily basis that Specialised introduces a brand new gravel bike. (I believe it’s extra like each three days.) Additionally, I picked one of many tales at random, and it was very informative certainly:
From it, I realized that the Diverge is certainly one of “essentially the most succesful and versatile off-the-shelf journey bikes the world has ever seen:”
Within the fourth iteration of Specialised Bicycles’ flagship gravel bike, the beloved endurance platform receives revamped geometry, clearance for large tires, and ample downtube storage, permitting you to hold every little thing you want whereas tackling large days within the saddle. Combining all these modifications into one platform, Specialised Bicycles has created one of the vital succesful and versatile off-the-shelf journey bikes the world has ever seen.
That is presumably one of the vital absurd cycling-related claims the world has ever seen. I imply certain, the Diverge extremely adventure-worthy, simply so long as you don’t expose it to mud, sand, or rocks.
The Diverge 4 can now comfortably match all the largest, baddest, and most supple trendy gravel tires as much as 50mm, but it surely doesn’t finish there. Relying on tread sample and rim width, the Diverge can accommodate as much as 2.2” MTB tires with about 4mm of clearance, for individuals who are actually seeking to maximize journey.
Take into account that Body and fork injury from mud/sand/rock build-up isn’t coated below the Specialised guarantee—one thing I’ve needed to clarify to prospects many occasions whereas working in bike outlets.
And simply as there aren’t practically sufficient opinions of the brand new Diverge, there additionally aren’t sufficient variations of the brand new Diverge:
I’m certain that is the place individuals inform me corporations like Specialised want to supply a lot of completely different bikes at a lot of completely different costs for many completely different makes use of –oh, sorry, I imply completely different worth POINTS for various use CASES.
Look, I get it. If we don’t hold placing an increasing number of content material on the market then the entire thing falls aside. It’s worthwhile to promote a billion bikes. So that you want 1,000,000 individuals to put in writing in regards to the new Diverge, and also you want 1,000,000 individuals to put in writing in regards to the new Grizl.
[Canyon’s Gravel Product Manager wishing his Grizl offered the riding position of a Rivendell.]
That’s two million articles proper there. Then you definitely get one other couple of million tales when all of the “Diverge vs. Grizl” opinions come out…although truly I suppose AI can simply learn the a million Diverge tales and the a million Grizl tales and try this by itself:
Bullshit goes in, bullshit comes out:
If I had been an precise bike reviewer I’d fear that I’m in bother, however thankfully being a cynical contrarian bike blogger is in no rapid hazard.
Good attempt, AI.
So long as it retains taking issues actually and I stay bitter and resentful I believe I’ll be secure.
Talking of security, let’s speak about pace bumps:
This explicit pace bump is in Wompatuk State Park in Hingam, which essentially the most Massachusetts-sounding place identify I’ve ever heard.
Lyons and others mentioned three yellow pace bumps had been put in throughout Union Road this summer season. They are saying the second is essentially the most harmful to bikers.
He added, “For those who didn’t know what you had been doing and also you had been coming down the road on them, you’d most likely get harm on it.”
The second pace bump is on the intersection of Union Road and South Nice Road.
“One man shattered his knee or one thing,” mentioned Leif Thornton Tuesday at Wompatuck State Park. “One other lady, I suppose, acquired scrapes on her face and elbows.”
I admit that I used to be skeptical at first. In any case, how onerous is it to experience over a pace bump? I wager even Lucas Brunelle may handle to try this! However then I noticed the factor:
Holy crap. That’s not a pace bump, that’s a booby entice!
After all, conventional pace bumps don’t actually work to gradual cyclists. (Assuming they’re not optical illusions like this one.) Hit one at 20mph in your Hyundai and also you’re in for a shock, but with a well-timed bunny hop you’ll be able to experience over one in your bike at 30mph, simple. In the meantime, in Portland you don’t even have to try this, as a result of they’ve these little slots so bikes don’t must gradual in any respect, which even I believe is obnoxious:
Like if drivers must decelerate shouldn’t cyclists must decelerate too? Additionally, in a automobile, can’t you simply drive in the course of the road and place your wheels within the channels?
I noticed an identical phenomenon in my very own neighborhood. We dwell adjoining to an space through which the streets are privately maintained by a property proprietor’s affiliation, to allow them to do stuff unbiased of the DOT. Some years again, they put pace bumps in any respect the cease indicators, which I believed was good as a result of it meant drivers must come to an entire cease as a substitute of merely slowing down a bit of after which rolling by means of them like they normally do. Nonetheless, what truly occurred was that everybody simply began driving across the pace bumps with out slowing in any respect, which was even worse:
I suppose generally these prolonged site visitors research are justified in any case. In terms of street design, you’ll be able to solely depend on one factor, which is that persons are assholes.
Lastly, whereas we’re on the themes of each security and advertising, I used to be studying the feedback on that rim brake article from the opposite day, and I used to be each amused and astounded to learn this:
So a rim brake can cease a 23mm tire however not a 32mm tire? And someway, given the identical brake, it’s more durable to gradual a motorcycle with tires that provide higher traction than it’s to gradual a motorcycle with tires that provide poorer traction?
Clearly he wasn’t capable of course of the brake advertising and the tire advertising concurrently and it broke his mind.
