Originally Posted by seypat

I think the bike companies are certainly trying to kill the concept/idealism of C & V. C & V for me doesn't mean old as much as it means interchangeable parts from different brands that work together in any configuration you choose. The rider gets to choose what and how he/she rides. The industry is headed back to the days of Henry Ford and the Model T.

"The customer can have a bike painted in any color they want so long as it's black. The customer can have any choice of drivetrain they want as long as it shifts electronically and uses our brand of shifters/derailleurs/cassettes/chainrings. The customer can even choose their braking system as long as it is disc and is the brand we produce. None of our products will be backwards compatible either." And on, and on, and on.