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Old 05-09-20, 04:58 PM
  #43  
Chrisp72
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Join Date: Apr 2020
Location: GTA, Ontario
Posts: 127

Bikes: Kuwahara Caravan, Specialized Stumpjumper S Works

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Originally Posted by djb
I get being critical of the hype, biking always has had hype, and I figure touring stuff tends to follow that balance of functionality vs cost/value thing, hence the deore standard of stuff that works great, good price, lasts a long time and can be replaced in any city in the world.

BUT I'm open to new stuff.
my first bike with outboard bottom bracket , hollow tech 2 , has shown me that even with me stripping the used bike I bought for my Latin American trips and reinstalling the bb myself, it has worked flawlessly for three trips, plus other riding, and still spins wonderfully smoothly and with less friction than my other bikes, all square taper. And this bb must have 8000kms on it.
Same with disc brakes, like we've discussed on other threads Chris, I'm fine using rim brakes, but am impressed with mechanical discs and how long pads last for me.

but I'm certainly not buying into 1x stuff, not for touring. Off road maybe but I don't do enough of it seriously.
djb...I see what you're saying and I will agree. Having a new spin on an old system does have it's advantages. I guess I'm disliking the upgrade for the sake of upgrading that seems to drive the industry. Looking back to a lot of suspension ideas I saw that many of the 'new' ideas were from suspension that was tried out at the beginning of the 20th century. There are also new standards that take some time to sort out in the industry before other companies can adopt them...look at mountain biking front hubs over the years. I agree that outboard bearings on cranks is a step up and that they can be better than what was previously good. I remember there being a slew of newer wheels that came out with rethunk spokes and hubs. Mechanics had to learn and relearn all sorts of newer ways to keep up with technology. I'm a retro grouch to an extent and from necessity. A big draw for me now is to connect to people that have been using equipment for decades and have a broader view of where bikes have been in the past. When you see bigger companies competing with the number of cogs on the back of a bike I kind of tune out. Now that I know to look for Gear Inches I can compare things now whereas before it was all hype. Fads come and go and planned obsolescence is the way of doing business for major manufacturers.

The older I get the more I understand Grant Peterson and Rivendell bikes.
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