Thread: randonneur
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Old June 7th 18, 03:14 AM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
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Default randonneur

On Monday, June 4, 2018 at 9:12:36 AM UTC-5, jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, June 3, 2018 at 12:06:32 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Sunday, June 3, 2018 at 11:06:52 AM UTC-5, Emanuel Berg wrote:
sms wrote:

True. It would be odd for them to be the tire
it shipped with. I recall that during the
touring bike heyday of the 1980's

OK, what was it about the 80s and
randonneuring? Good bikes and roads but still
not insane traffic like today?

--
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573


Stop using the word randonneuring incorrectly. You are talking about touring. Not randonneuring.

The early 1980s were a very few years after 1976. 1976 was when Adventure Cycling (they were called something else at first) organized the first cross country USA bike ride. It was not th e first time anyone had ever ridden across the USA. But it was the first nationally publicized cross country ride with a "big" organization sponsoring, organizing, it. They organized groups of riders and had ride leaders for each group. So bike companies were merely trying to capitalize on this new market for touring bikes. Riding a touring bike across the country was a new thing. And you needed a new bike to do this. A touring bike. Thus companies made the bikes people wanted to buy. Its called capitalism. Companies sell what people want to buy.


It was called Bikecentennial with its offices in Missoula Montana, which meant that all their routes went through Missoula, which is a little dopey if you look at the map of the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bikecentennial But if you did the route, you could stop by the office and sign a book -- which is probably collecting dust somewhere.

-- Jay Beattie.


Adventure Cycling, the name after Bikecentennial, is still very active and "big" now. They have lots of routes all over the USA. And sell lots of other gear too. Still in Missoula. Signing the book or getting your picture is still very active. Every issue of the Adventure Cycling monthly magazine has a picture of a bike tourist who stopped at the Missoula office. At the very end of the magazine. They write up a short story about the person..
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