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Post by lurker on Nov 12, 2018 7:12:14 GMT -7
most of this is probably old hat to you guys, but for me it was informative. i'd been out of bicycles pretty much since the 90s, and had noticed (sometimes with confusion thrown in) that brakes, hubs, shifters and derailleurs, materials, even the geometry of bikes had changed, and sometimes not in subtle ways. like the author, i'm still not convinced that all of it is improvement, especially when it's priced so as to be inaccessible, but there it is, nonetheless.
so without further ado, i present the article my browser offered up this morning. enjoy!
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Post by desertbikes on Nov 12, 2018 10:24:16 GMT -7
Interesting, although limited. He's obviously not a bike guy so the uniformed, yet subtly arrogant tone, is what makes it somewhat interesting. His offhanded remarks about freewheels would lead you to believe you'll break an axle twice on the way to Circle K. But breaking the frame??? Maybe he was 350 lbs in college...It's guys like this that give bikes that, us poor commoners ride, a bad name. Do like the points about tubeless, which I will never try again.
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Post by desertbikes on Nov 12, 2018 10:43:36 GMT -7
Hmmm...on a second read, maybe that response was a little harsh. Naw..
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Post by lurker on Nov 12, 2018 15:12:10 GMT -7
Hmmm...on a second read, maybe that response was a little harsh. Naw.. oh, no, i agree with you. his treatment of the subject was shallow, arguably amateurish. but it's the first explicit statement i've seen of what i've come to suspect over the last couple of years, that there's been significant change in several areas in the tech over the last few decades.
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Post by desertbikes on Nov 12, 2018 18:28:50 GMT -7
Yeah. It's like he bought a trendy new carbon bike at the Specialized or Trek shop, listened to some sales hype, got on Wikipedia to see what the hell the dude was talking about, then tried to write a filler piece in an authoritative tone. Like he waited until sunday night to do his homework. And, BTW, the "low end" Treks & Specialized bikes still use 7 speed freewheels.
Things have changed a lot. A lot. Especially is manufacturing methods. Mountain bikes are the tech & innovation leaders right now. You can actually learn a lot watching Park Tools videos & just browsing real parts house websites like Universal, Blue Sky, Jensen or Nashbar.
Some of its just glitz because the masses always want the latest thing, even if the old thing was adequate or even better. Steel frames & bike tires come to mind. Or, rename something for the next model year - like your favorite Merrell shoe has been discontinued but the same shoe emerges under a different name & color. Bikes & accessories are a multi-billion dollar industry in the US alone. Even bigger overseas. Like everything else, the driving force is consumption ego. Still, it's nice that tech from the competitive side of our hobby/sport does trickle down to some extent. Unfortunately we also have the Chinese to thank for making it affordable to the masses.
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