Clark W. Griswold
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 13,465
Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26
Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
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One of my former co-workers did some neutral service with Shimango at races and got to ride in their tricked out Volvo Station Wagon screaming down American roads hitting speed bumps at speed. He had a blast and luckily he had enough experience to be a bit more neutral but yeah they struggled a bit with the new eTap (was new at the time at least) but they figured it out quickly. They got some nice bikes on top of the car, Moots with DI2.
Yeah Neutral Service should be neutral but alas it is all about sponsorships. Some rando who isn't in bike components probably isn't going to sponsor a race and the big manufacturers aren't coming together to sponsor a collaborative effort that would need to be a stretch limo to fit all the different bikes with different drive trains. At least with 11 speed cassettes didn't matter as much so a wheel was a wheel (minus of course thru axles and such)