Raphafication of Cycling

When I first started racing, I used to get the highest end parts available. Then I realized that if I was racing I'd break stuff crashing and wear out the rest. Now I just use what's reliable and available. I've been annoyed lately by the Raphafication of cycling. Everything is fancier than it really needs to be. Prices go up, and a pair of bibs that were expensive and $100 are now the cheapest pair you can get. 

And then I found this blog post, which quantifies the Raphafication. When I started racing, a $3,000 bike was super-expensive. Now it seems cheap next to a $10,000 bike. The difference in performance between the bikes? Probably immeasurably small. 

If costs of entry into the sport continue to rise, cycling really will be the new golf. Nobody will be able to afford it except for the wealthy and privileged class. There is a less expansive talent pool than the general population and we won't produce as many world class athletes. The sport then goes down the tubes, the only bikes that people ride in America are from toy stores, everyone drives cars and we really do spiral into Mad Max infrastructure.

OK. That last part may have been extreme. But cycling should stay accessible. I started on a $100 used bike with down tube shifters and $40 shorts. Even in 2011 dollars, good luck trying to do that.