Further to Monday’s post, here’s another person who thinks Campagnolo should be playing to its strengths (or at least what used to be its strengths):
Though I could do without the patronizing tone:
Sorry, but I find the gratuitous addition of the “(yes, really!)” to be deeply offensive. Like it’s SOOO CRAZY they should keep making rim brakes. And why should a rim brake option be “limited?” What, they shouldn’t commit to it? I suppose for a limited time only they should give them away in Happy Meals.
This is even more offensive:
I am making assumptions, but I expect many riders who stick with rim brakes – either through bloody-mindedness or personal preference – are precisely the sort of people who gravitate to Campagnolo for its heritage, or for the simple fact it isn’t Shimano or SRAM.
Basically, what he’s saying here is that the only reasons to use rim brakes are “bloody-mindedness” and “personal preference,” and while this may sound innocent enough, let’s break it down completely. “Bloody-mindedness” is a Britishism for being stubborn, which is just another way of calling you an asshole. As for “personal preference,” that’s a self-deprecating way of saying you have strange tastes with no practical basis in order to pre-empt the inevitable questions about your bizarre behavior. “What, this clown nose I’m wearing? No, it’s just personal preference.” So by framing rim brakes as a “personal preference” instead of a legitimate choice, it implies they’re merely a harmless albeit eyebrow-raising quirk, like enjoying it when someone sticks a finger up your ass in bed.
With all due respect to people who enjoy a little digital insertion now and again, I’m here to say I don’t use rim brakes because they’re a “personal preference.” I use them for two objective reasons: because they’re SIMPLE and because they WORK. If you say you drink water instead of the latest sports drink for hydration nobody puts that down to “bloody-mindedness,” and certainly nobody who asks for a glass of water when they’re thirsty would feel compelled to explain their choice as a “personal preference.” They don’t have to! Drinking water is the most natural thing in the world! And rim brakes are the water of, uh, bicycle retardation.
And in case you’re wondering, the answer is yes, of course I put “rim brakes are the water of bicycle retardation” into the AI to see what it would come up with:
Now that’s what I call bicycle retardation.
The article is right about one thing, though: I’m definitely an asshole.
The above notwithstanding, I do also use disc brakes sometimes, and my ride on the Jones yesterday reminded me that mechanical disc brakes are also great:
The Jones is a big bike, I’ve ridden it in all sorts of conditions and on all types of terrain, and the Tektro-whatever brakes it came with have never left me wanting for anything, all while being virtually fuss-free. This raises a question for me, and it is this: When did cyclists become such absolute simpering weenies about brakes? Forget rim brakes: to hear people talk about mechanical discs you’d think they work only marginally better than putting your foot on the tire. Somehow if you need more than a single finger to lock the wheel, or there’s the slightest hint of any kind of feeling whatsoever in the lever, the brake is garbage. Maybe, begrudgingly, they’ll accept Paul mechanical disc brakes, even though they’re really no different than the Tektros. (Yes, I know on fancier mechanicals both pads move instead of just the one. which matters about as much as the fancy anodized colors do.)
And yes, I get it, hydraulics work consistently despite complicated cable routing that requires all sorts of bends like you’ll find on suspension bikes, but two wrongs don’t make a right.
All I’m saying is that the same people who once upon a time would have called you a “woosie” for using any type of brake at all now won’t even look at a bike you can’t stop with only your left pinky, go figure.
Meanwhile, worlds are colliding:
First all the bicycle companies started putting motors on their bikes, and now Ducati’s making bicycles:
I suppose this is fitting, since the bicycle industry exists to sell stuff nobody asked for, and absolutely nobody who rides either a bicycle or a motorcycle was waiting for yet another line of bicycles from anybody, let alone Ducati:
This project is born in collaboration with Diamant S.r.l., a company within Gruppo Zecchetto, an Italian organization that brings together leading brands in cycling footwear (DMT), technical apparel (Alè Cycling), and carbon and composite component manufacturing (Diamant Compositi).
The new high-performance bicycle range, which will include road bikes, gravel bikes, and pedal-assist mountain bikes, will be unveiled starting March 2026, offering a wider selection of models inspired by Ducati’s principles of style, sophistication, and performance. The project also includes a line of accessories and technical apparel dedicated to each specialty, specifically designed for the new Ducati bicycles.
The development of the range leverages the experience and expertise of Italian cycling champions such as Elia Viviani, Vincenzo Nibali, and Lorenzo Suding.
But I did look up Gruppo Zecchetto, and apparently they’re the people who make Cipollini bikes, so perhaps they wanted a brand that was a little less…gropey. And by the way, Cipollini does offer a gravel bike:
Wondering what sets this apart from the eleventy bazillion other gravel bikes already out there? Well, here you go:
What the hell does this mean? Is it a gravel bike or a medication to treat erectile dysfunction?
Speaking of stuff that doesn’t make sense, I’m really starting to worry about Lucas Brunelle:
What is he even talking about? This is like when we were kids pretending to be ninjas and we thought if we wore ankle weights for awhile then took them off we’d be able to jump over a house.
I hope he’s using some powerful brakes.