Continuing my critically-unknown series on the bikes of Des Moines sporting 26" wheels (the One True Size), an anecdote:
Went out for an evening ride last week, hoping to convince Spring that yes, it's time to arrive. I wend my way through downtown Des Moines, headed east, and find myself stopped at a light. I think I can sense another rider behind me, but I'm giving car-based traffic the stink-eye, so I don't want to look back (and I haven't rocked a mirror in years -- there are even limits to MY nerdliness).
Rider behind me announces himself with the following compliment: "Nice bar-ends!"
Huh? For a minute, I think he's jerking my chain (metaphorically speaking), since my default mode is sarcasm. But I say "thanks" as the light changes and ride on.
Within the next block, he puts the drop on my laughably slow and corpulent self, and I see the reason for the compliment: He's on a 90s-era Trek mountain bike, rocking (of course) 26" wheels, converted to drop bars, shifted with some gloriously old-school Suntour retrofriction bar-ends. Even had a vintage suspension fork and what appeared to be original 747 SPDs. This was clearly one of my people!
I didn't get a chance to chat or grab a photo, but clearly, 559 is a THING in the 515. You saw it here first.
this leaves me wondering if 559's attract each other. Would this explain why my bike shod with 559's seems to want to go west??
ReplyDeleteNever had a mountain bike myself, but with the clearance for big tires and fenders, and built robustly, it's easy to see why they are attractive for commuting.
Steve in Peoria