Some years ago mountain bikes did to road racing what the grey squirrel has done to the red here in England and much of the rest of the world. They bred so fast and took all the food (read money for bikes) from the red squirrels (road bikes) that the red (road) was nearly extinct. Road bikes almost disappeared as everyone turned to the bikes that made them look 'cooler', the baggy t-shirt and shorts could be worn almost anywhere unlike the tight Lycra that is less forgiving of any bulges. Also you didn't need to push yourself as hard on a mountain bike, some people even took to taking ski lifts up mountains and rolling downhill. Great fun and a real buzz but .... I just think you should ride up the hill as well.
Personally I think this goes back to the Raleigh chopper. A totally unrealistic bike that defied the science that makes the bike the efficient machine it is; working in harmony with the human body. It's wheel was smaller at the front and gear changes were on the cross bar. This led to an unstable bike. I know my brother went over the handle bars and was in a comma for three days. Why then was it one of the biggest selling machines of all time and reputedly saved the Raleigh brand? Because it looked cool. Teenagers rode them in PVC leather look jackets smoking menthol cigarettes imagining they were covering route 66 on a Harley. and so because of this the universe shifted.....
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. By saving the company the world moved from the road bike to the chopper and on to mountain bikes. Now I don't blame Raleigh and I am glad they survived and went on to sponsor a team again but the pay off was in the bike shops. Road bikes have been coming back for a while now thanks to television coverage and super stars like Lance Armstrong and the epic battles between Contodour and Schleck. Add to that the Sportive and road bikes have been saved from extinction. However, they are still under the wrong care. When I went to my bike shops this year they stocked everything from road bikes (in the smallest numbers) to mountain bikes ( the largest numbers) and BMX, kids and commuters. The people that sold the bikes to me where BMX or mountain bike enthusiasts. Happy to help but short on experience and I always left with my bike feeling I had got something wrong. There just wasn't the expertise. It was a quick ride round the car park a couple of questions and do you want it or not? No proper set up. Well try Cheshire cycles just outside of the outlet village or even 69 cycles in Chester, they know what they are talking about and how to fix your bike,
. It's like walking around a Ferrari dealership. Go have a look and see what they can do for you. Remember if you don't support your local dealer they won't last long and like I love the red squirrel and want it to survive I love the road bike shops and want to see them survive to
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