Originally Posted by
sheddle
You just kinda get that with Grant. Eschewing taste can help you avoid fads- like when his mountain bikes came out of the box with round cranks and no silly early MTB fads like raised stays or chainstay U-brakes- but it also made them decide that putting an awful suspension stem on their high end bike because nobody really needs a suspension fork was a good idea.
I like what you're saying; I just think MAYBE a guy like Grant is so smart he can ferret out which are the truly useful innovations versus the ones that are just plain dorky (like you mention)... I like a lot of what he's doing, just offering some critique. At the end of the day, no one is forcing me to ride one so to each his own. I like the idea of having an internal compass in order to avoid industry pitfalls, I think it's also smart to look at what others are doing and what's working...
I would actually love to have a fireside chat with Grant Peterson and Jeff Jones and talk geo/frame materials/crank lengths/handlebars/politics - you name it!