ー英会話講師の英語日記ー　札幌英会話スクールSTEP UP（札幌駅、大通駅徒歩５分）

Bicycle evolution

2018年6月6日 (水)

Being a bicycle enthusiast, I find it interesting to watch how bicycles change from year to year. When I was a kid, there was no such thing as suspension. Ten years ago, it seemed like every mountain bike came standard with a front fork (shock absorber). And just like dirt bikes, disc brakes replaced rim brakes.  Then full-suspension bikes became the norm. Even cheap, entry level bikes boasted full squish (slang for full suspension) and disc brakes. The same was true for gears. Back in the day the logic was: the more gears the better. Nowadays it seems bike makers have calmed down and have decided that 8 or 12 gears is enough. They also realize that most people don’t need expensive disc brakes.

Fixed gear bikes, fat tire bikes, there’s no end of different designs and ways to configure a bicycle. Super strong lightweight materials like carbon fiber are becoming cheaper to manufacture. Top-end racing bikes are so light you can lift them with a single finger! In my humble opinion, bicycles are one of humanity’s greatest inventions. They’re (relatively) simple machines that are fun (and healthy) to use and cause far less pollution than cars.

If you don’t have a bicycle, go out tomorrow and get one! Regardless of your age, riding bicycles never grows old.