A Favorite Quote!

Here's a quote for ya'll, anyone recognize it? You get a delicious cookie (or a beer) if you correctly guess who said it and when. It's only a cookie (or a beer) 'cause of Google and the hint.

Ready....

"On the Bubble: 29-inch wheels

Unless you learned to operate a Farm-All tractor as a youth, or sped into battle against Mithridates on a Roman chariot, you probably don't know that larger diameter wheels roll over rough terrain more easily than small ones. That was true until the advent of the pneumatic tire and suspension allowed designers to reduce the size and weight of wheels - and the rolling resistance of modern vehicles.

The 29-inch wheel is still popular in rural Asia, across the African Continent, and in isolated pockets within the state of Colorado, where the abundance of spare parts or absence of modern technology has retarded the bicycles evolution.

Big people can ride big-wheeled bikes, but the concept reintroduces evils that the smaller 26-inch format solved, like tall standover heights, laterally flexible wheels, pedal and shoe overlap on short top tube frames, the need for longer chainstays and special forks, and poor tire clearance near the front derailleur and the bottom bracket.

Arguably, big-wheeled mountain bikes roll pretty well over bumpy trails and deliver a comfortable ride when paired with little or no suspension. The concept is cool and simple, but everyone who is cool and simple already owns one by now.

Stick a fork in it. It's almost done. "

And now for your entertainment...be amazed!



Listening to: "20020220: Music from Final Fantasy"

Ed