pelopidas

"Ripsaw"? Interesting name.

@scott-townes: what's a little slavery and child abuse if we're reducing our need for barrels of oil by a whopp'n 100,000 (100,000/100,000,000 = 0.001%) per day?

A lot of emotion in these comments. The riders are free to ask for money, or more money, and the financial promoter is free, if perceived to be in their interests, to say no. Maybe the sport survives, maybe it doesn't. It's the way the world works. No body is being oppressed here. I wish the riders well, and hope they get to pursue their aspirations. But there is no villain here, as some make it out to be.

No. Not needed.

I regard front fenders as essential year round, and it's dry here in the summer, other than stream crossings, for which fenders are indispensable. And I get to wash off the the cow §#!‡ from under my fender that would otherwise too often find its way into my nose and mouth all spring and summer. My fenders have also saved many a chipped tooth, too. They catch rocks all the time. Why take them off? — ever? Are they ever in the way?

@Three6ty: Add that those are market prices. But when one buys a whole bike, the cost of the build drops by 35%. So the uncharge on the frame is even greater.

@Three6ty: I think you can quite a bit better than this even on a build. E.g., the OEM seat spect could be had for $50-$60. Grips $15, Carbon bar + stem $170, etc. Carbon wheels are easy to find, as you say, for $1200.

If you're too health compromised, or too weak to pedal a real bike, you probably ought not be racing. Let the downvotes from the weaklings pour in... hahaha.

@FaahkEet: anything spicy, of course.

Great stuff! My wife, a former World Cup racer has taught many women to ride over the years, and it's always fun and exciting to watch them gain confidence, seasoning sections. When women learn from other women, the fear factor is less an obstacle, and then after a while, they're sending it with the dudes. It's great to see. There should be more of these. And dudes should be ready and willing to help, with women doing the demonstrations and leading into sections, with guys being there for support. In the end, I say that women and men should ride together, but these camps can help make that more common.