Tuesday, 11 August 2009

Repackaged but just the same.

I saw it happen with wild camping-backpacking-tarps-etc...etc......

Find something that people have been doing quietly and skillfully for years and then repackage it (with in some cases a different name) and then relaunch it as if it is something that is a brilliant new idea - something that is not only new but 'cool' and exciting. Before you know it there is almost a sub-culture built up around it - you have only to check out the various outdoors sites and blogs to see what I mean.

It now seems that this is happening in the world of cycling. We have had the 'Fixie' craze - that is the craze for the fixed wheel bike that is so popular with City based couriers. Well it now seems that someone has decided that 'light touring' or 'fast touring' as a term is too old fashioned. They have repackaged it with an acronym and it is now reborn as 'S24O' or 'S48O'. These stand for 'sub 24 hour overnight' touring or 'sub 48 hour overnight'touring. It is no longer deemed 'cool' to have a weekend fast cycle touring-next time some one asks what you are up to on your days off you can tell them that you are going on a 'S24O'-just think how impressed they will be..!!

1 comment:

  1. So a 19 day pennine way trip would be a "S4800"!!! To**ssers

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