Gary - Dallas, Texas

Well Gary, I’d say that switching from one component group to the next is probably the least of the concerns for the modern pro, regarding equipment. The stuff is so good and it seems to just get more and more intuitive and ergonomically correct as time goes on. Yeah, I screwed up a few shifts when I got on the Campagnolo Ergo Power stuff after spending a year on Shimano’s STI but I got used to it pretty quickly. I think the same can be said for the guys who have moved to SRAM. In fact I heard from some folks who don’t even work for SRAM but rather that big Pro Tour team that they got part-way through the season, that after only a few minutes of testing, the guys wearing the Lycra® were sold.



I’d say the same goes for frames as well. In my era, about the biggest frame difference was whether you rode something that was lugged steel or one of the Vitus aluminum frames, which were absolutely nothing like a modern aluminum frame. Now, with all the different materials and shapes and sizes and everything … riders have to adapt to a greater range of frame choices, but I think most of them are used to it, and do it reasonably seamlessly.

I would say that the biggest equipment challenge I ever faced was the advent of the clipless pedal. The first ones I ever rode were Mavic but they were Look pedals, basically. No one thought to take into account that the things were further (up) from the pedal spindle, and effectively lowered the saddle by shortening the distance between pedal and the top of the saddle. They also didn’t allow for the foot to move in any way, shape or form, which resulted in a lot of riders developing knee problems. I’ve had so many cortisone injections in the actual tendons around my knee that if the wind blows too hard, my right knee starts to sound like a pan flute. Once we figured a few things out, and the shoes started to become a bit sturdier, everything was fine.

Did you know that the way we used to sort out our cleat position on the shoes (before clipless, of course) was to ride around without cleats for a few hours? Yes, the leather soles would develop a wear mark pretty quickly, so the slotted cleat would just be lined up with the wear mark  …  voila!

But the biggest change … the biggest problem a rider faces is that princess-and-the-pea-esque 1 to 2mm change in saddle height that he’ll be able to feel – generally when he has not found top form yet – on a day to day basis. All riders get it at some point or another. In fact, the great Eddy Merckx, close to the end of his career was so fidgety with his saddle height on a hour to hour basis that all tools were hidden from him and team mechanics were not allowed to help him change his position.

1mm is huge. A whole new bike … nothing. Go figure.

Speaking of the Cannibal, check this out. Yes, it's in Flemish, but there are some neat pieces of memorabilia to look at. I'll try and translate it sometime soon, because it is fairly poignant.