If you manufacture bikes, bike parts, bike accessories or anything bike, the best way to test the durability of your product is to give it to a bike messenger and let them ride it in the winter time. No one on earth can destroy bike parts like a working messenger in winter weather. Brake pads melt in a few short days, chains are used up, rims don't last long, tires, tires, tires. Every part on the bike is beat much harder in rain, snow and wet conditions. The stop and go, race to the next pick, short sprint work day of a messenger is, in my opinion much harder on a bike than any race could be, aside from cyclocross, but a cross race lasts a few hours, a messenger rides 5 days a week. Commuting in the rain is hard on your bike, but once again most commutes last a couple hours at the most. Riding, even racing a bike in a long straight line for 4 hours isn't very hard on the equipment. It's like comparing highway miles to city miles. But in this case city miles are harsh little sprints up and down hills, almost riding like a taxi driver drives. Hard on the equipment. (But I'd like to think messengers are smoother than cab drivers.)
I'm not joking, give me your product, let me ride it. Let me ride it into the ground and I'll write a review for you to publish if you like what you hear, if you don't like it, I'll publish it here. Why should some wanker from Bicycling who calls himself a journalist get his hands on all the product. He just takes it out for a nice dry spin around the block then writes a happy little paragraph about the wonderful performance of the new technology. Because that's his job, that's what he's paid to do and that's where his money comes from. that cheesy magazine is brought to you by those bike companies and their money. I'm paid to deliver legal documents, but I ride the shit out of bike parts and bikes and all kinds of clothing and accessories. When I find something that works, I stick with it and buy it again. From gloves, to helmet liners, to base layers. From brake pads, to chains, to BMX freewheels, to saddles to tires to grips. and I know a few people like me. Product reviews in glossy magazines are comical and for that reason they're worth reading. However a messenger's review of a Banana Republic merino wool sweater, or a pair of Carhartts would be interesting. I'll gladly write about White Industries freewheels, FSA seatposts, Dura Ace hubs, Brooks saddles and on and on. So all you bike companies take a break from feeding those glossy mag wankers and distribute some product to the messenger community. You may be surprised at what you'll learn about your product.
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