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Sweet Old Pedals From Specialized
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the really nice old Specialized "flag icon" triple cranks that were available in the 1980s. I've heard from a lot of people who liked those as much as I did. In...
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What's In The Bag?
I was reading a memoir post on the blog Mid-Life Cycling about a beloved old messenger bag. The blogger, Justine, wrote about her days as a bike messenger in New York, and her "Original Globe Canvas"...
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Good Reads: The Horton Collection's Shoulder To Shoulder
I just got the chance to read the latest book from the Horton Collection, Shoulder to Shoulder: Bicycle Racing in the Age of Anquetil (VeloPress, 2015). The book is a fantastic collection of photos...
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Amazing Futuristic Bike Concepts
I spotted this article on Interestical (which for some reason keeps appearing to my eyes as InterTestical) about 10 Amazing Futuristic Bicycle Concepts. Man, I love stuff like this. Actually, I love to...
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I Was Cat 6'ed By A Fool
Are we all familiar with the concept of Cat 6 racing? It's essentially a joke term for cyclists who turn every ride into a competition -- racing other cyclists on the road, whether those other riders...
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Getting Zwifty
I'm starting to hear a lot about something called Zwift - which is supposed to take indoor training to an exciting new level by combining elements of computerized video training programs, video games,...
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Mechanical Doping - Now Reality
By now, I'm sure most readers have heard that the specter of "mechanical doping" has become a reality in professional racing. I mentioned it in an article about the 2015 Tour de France because the race...
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Why Are Drivers Such A-holes?
If you're a cyclist who spends any time riding on the road, whether it's a lot or a little, you've probably had some pretty negative encounters with drivers. Any ride on the road can quickly involve...
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Can You Find The Bike Hidden In This Photo?
We had a major blizzard hit us in Northeast Ohio last night, which meant school closings all over the area today. Since yesterday was Presidents Day, that means our 3-day weekend got extended to a...
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3D Printed Bicycle
Sorry that there hasn't been much on The Retrogrouch this week. And BikeSnobNYC is off for the week, so things are dry all over. MidLife Cycling is still full of new material, so hopefully people have...
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The Passing of Brian Baylis
"I make a bike that pleases my eye and satisfies my soul. Even though my extra effort is not always rewarded monetarily, my 'payment' for this is self-satisfaction. When the finished product makes the...
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Is There a 39er in Your Future?
Ever get to thinking we need more tire/wheel sizes? I mean, between 700c/29er, 650b/27.5, and 26-in., not to mention plus-size and fatties, it seems that there just aren't enough choices. What's a...
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ENVE Carbon Fork Recall
If you're a regular Retrogrouch reader, it's unlikely that this would apply to you, but there is another carbon fork recall in the works. Recently, ENVE and the CPSC announced a voluntary recall of the...
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Excel & Elgin - American Derailleurs from Beatrice Foods
It's probably not widely known that the U.S. had a bicycle derailleur and component industry in the years shortly after the Great American Bike Boom -- long before the CNC'd boutique parts craze that...
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Quiz: Do You Know Your Mountain Bikes?
I just took a quiz on BikeRadar - How Well Do You Know Your Mountain Bikes? The quiz is set up with pictures of 10 current mountain bikes shown only in silhouette so that no logos or colors are...
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Quiz: Do You Know Your Lugs?
After failing (miserably) the BikeRadar quiz on "Do You Know Your Mountain Bikes" (believe me, I'll get over it) I decided to create my own quiz on classic road bike bits. Identifying current mountain...
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Another Electronic Shift System Drops
In case anyone had any doubts, electronic shifting is here to stay, if the latest Taipei Cycle Show is any indication. Shimano, Campagnolo, and SRAM all have their own electronic shifting systems --...
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I Love Light Metal - MANAIA
I just saw this the other day from Kickstarter: "I Love Light Metal" -- the MANAIA from a group calling itself T°Red Bikes.What exactly is "Light Metal" -- is it like Iron Maiden meets Yanni?You know...
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The 36er is Real
Last month, I wrote about the Ridiculous Bikes' 39er, a monstrous but fictional XC mountain bike. After I ended that by saying "Right now, somewhere in America, a bike shop sales manager is trying to...
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Disc Brakes: Nothing New Under The Sun
I was flipping through an old bike magazine from 1973 (Bicycle Spokesman -- don't see that one often) and came across this full-page ad for the "all-new" Shimano disc brake:"A disc brake from Shimano!...
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