In recent years weve all had to adjust to the fact that Portlands (the one in Oregon) heyday as a cycling superpower is far behind it, but is Copenhagen meeting the same fate?If so, you can blame young people, who as we all know are ruining everything:This decline may seem modest, but at a population level it represents tens of thousands of fewer regular cycle commuters in a country where conditions are relatively favourable. Think bike lanes across towns and cities, cycling infrastructure on trains and on buses, and political support for cycling as everyday transport rather than a niche recreation.For young people aged 15-19, the decline in cycling to their place of education (at least three days per week) is even more pronounced: from 39% in 2020, to 32.3% in 2025. If this decline continues, the future of Denmark as a cycling nation is looking bleak.Though the writer says its because cars arent expensive enough:And this is perhaps where Danish politicians have dropped the ball in the past decade, as policy changes have made car ownership cheaper.And that cycling must be perceived as the easiest, cheapest, quickest and healthiest form of transport for short distances:If cycling levels are to grow, policies must also tackle everyday realities: time constraints, safety perceptions, workplace facilities, social norms and ingrained car dependence.To succeed, cycling must be perceived as the easiest, cheapest, quickest and healthiest form of transport for short distances.Hmmm. I dont know anything about Denmark, but this is the Internet, so thats not going to stop me from having an opinion. According to roughly half a second of popular search engine jockeying, Denmark is still among the most expensive places in the world to own a car, so I cant imagine thats the reason. And as for the thing about perception, that makes even less sense, since either the bicycle is the easiest, cheapest, quickest and healthiest form of transport for short distances, or its notand obviously it is. So Ill just go ahead and lay this at the feet of these goddamn fickle young people. Also, while Im at it, Ill also allocate some of the blame to Mikael Colville-Andersen, Denmarks preeminent urbanist and bicycle advocate:Here in America, bicycle advocates tend to alienate people because theyre huge dorks, though for decades now Colville-Andersen has proved you can alienate people just as effectively by going Full Douche:Ive always had trouble reconciling the slogan above with his stated mission, which is considerably more benign:Everything I do every project, every photo, every line on paper is driven by one simple mission: to do whatever I can to try and make cities better for the people who live in them.This is like a grocery store dedicated to selling healthy good choosing to go with motto, Eat Shit, Asshole.At this point its time to come to terms with the fact that bicycle advocacy in any form is a complete waste of time. What other conclusion can one possibly draw? Weve tried flattery, guilt, and even harnessed the power of relatable everyman David Byrne:Hey, if this guy cant get people out of their F-150s then nobody will.Weve even built thousands of miles of bike lanes, only for people to completely ditch their bikes in favor of small, high-speed battery-powered motor vehicles. So its time to face facts and embrace the only two segments of the population who are going to sustain cycling going forward. Who are they, you ask?Terminal Freds, gravelistas, and the assorted forces of weeniedom who ride simply because theyre obsessed and suffer from borderline personality disorder;People cycling for causes, because for reasons nobody really understands the bicycle is the preeminent vehicle for fundraising and for raising awareness.With regard to that second group, here is a typical example:And like most people raising money for a cause by riding a bike, theyre doing it in a wildly inefficient and self-indulgent manner:A man from Derbyshire is cycling 425 miles dressed as an orangutan in aid of the species.Peter McEvoy, from South Wingfield, started his ride in Sheaf Square, Sheffield, on Monday, and aims to finish the seven-day journey at the Eiffel Tower in Paris on Sunday.McEvoy is cycling an average of 60 to 75 miles a day (97km to 121km) to raise 1,500 for the Sumatran Orangutan Society (SOS).Riding 425 miles to raise a measly 1,500 British Complacency Units?!? Couldnt he just have a yard sale or something? At the very least I bet he could have raised a hell of a lot more by having an actual orangutan do the ride:Just dont ask any cyclists for money to help save the orangutans, because theyd much rather spend it on plastic wheels:Here are the wheels in question:Yoeleo sent me their brand-new QianKun wheels, which sit at the premium end of the Yoeleo range, and theres some seriously impressive technology here. Most notably, you get carbon spokes rather than conventional steel spokes, a 23mm internal hooked rim, and a claimed weight of just 1,185g.Yoeleo is of course an acronym for You Only Ever Live Ever Once.To save the you the trouble of reading the article, the answer is, Yes, the carbon wheels absolutely transformed the bike. However, at no point does he address the orangutan in the room, which is the tires:He does mention that on the old wheels he was using Maxxis Detonator 28mm. According to Maxxiss website, thats a 27 TPI wire bead tire that weighs 310 grams. However, he seems to go out of his way not to mention what tires hes using with the plastic wheels. Fortunately theres also a video, and we can easily see for ourselves:So thats a Vittoria Corsa Pro, and it appears to be a 30mm. According to Vittorias website, it weights 285 grams and has a 320 TPI cotton casing. This is a massive differenceplus the new rims are wider, too:So do the wheels perform better because the carbon spokesadd so much stiffness (LOL)?Or is it because he made a simple tire swap thats equivalent to the difference between pleasuring yourself while wearing these:And wearing these?Factor in the additional rim width and its no wonder hes in Wanker Heaven:No doubt the lighter weight helps a bit too, but the tire change probably brought him 85% of the way there, and the slightly wider rim was good for another 10%.But sure, if youre looking for a smoother ride, absolutely you should start with a pair of $1,650 wheels, because theyre cheaper than western brands:Chinese brandshave been transforming the prices of wheels and bikes in recent years, and you can now get a set of carbon-spoke wheels for what a fairly standard set of carbon wheels from a western brand used to cost.Thats about what youd pay for seven pairs of Vittoria Corsa Pros.