rekmeyata

I never said all new technology is bad...DID I? I guess the education in today's youth has overlooked reading comprehension.

Chandne

Yeah, I think I'll get that Rockshox Reverb AXS XPLOR or whatever it is. It comes in 27.2.

Rolla

I saw that, but I'll wait until I pull the trigger on a full AXS group. Maybe next year...

PeteHski

It was more the negative vibe than the detail. To be honest your post was a bit TLDR so I didn't study it fully.

tomato coupe

Yeah, you can stop reading as soon as you come to a sentence like this:

Back in my day, all we did was occasionally rotate the sundial on its base.

livedarklions

Of all the things in the world to wax nostalgic on, My memory of analog clocks is mostly what a pain it was to take like a minute each to reset them every time DST started or ended. That could take a while, because there were a lot of clocks. Also, you had to call the number on the phone to get the correct time.

bruce19

I will use what works and makes a significant difference from what I have. For instance, I have nothing against disc brakes or electronic shifting per se. But, do I need either? Not really. If a bike I like comes with either/both I'd take it. OTOH, I just bought a 2016 GURU Photon that has Dura Ace 11sp mechanical and rim brakes and I absolutely love it.

Rolla

Yeah, I've had very few "dealbreaker" requirements or limitations. A few years ago I bought a tubed, rim brake gravel bike that continues to deliver tons of enjoyment. A more recent purchase has hydro discs, a dropper post, and tubeless tires, and I love it. Got my first thru-axle bike last summer, and I totally see the advantages. Two of my other bikes are rim brake singlespeeds; one of them even has 26" wheels.

All of my bikes are steel. All of them work well, and all of them are fun.

But going forward, I can only see buying contemporary components, as long as they are reasonably well-proven and not extravagantly expensive. Thru-axles, tubeless tires, hydraulic disc brakes, and dropper posts fit this description. It looks like they are all becoming standard issue anyway; I welcome the benefits and look forward to future refinements.

Camilo

And you know they never use the capability, ever, how? It must be nice to know what every other person needs in a vehicle and it is exactly what you need.

Camilo

And you know that nobody needs or wants these featues, how? You are convinced that because you don't want or need something that nobody does? Unfortunately for you (and me, I'm closer to your attitude than you think), the market is offering a bunch of features that people want that you and I do not. In manufacturing and product design, the market drives the features, and we "simpler-is-better" folks just don't command the market share to justfiy making stuff for us.

Fortunately, for example, most things with complicated features can also be operated at the most basic simple level. OTOH, it really is a shame if high quality rim brake bikes fade away. I've used hydraulic discs and they don't do enough for me to justify the hassle. But I still use them.

Camilo

Anyone remember when you had to get some sort of "atomic clock" little program on your desktop computer to update the time accurately?

jackb

I just reviewed my post and did not see anything in it that suggested that I believed that "nobody needs or wants these features." Nor did I see anything that would lead to you to state: "You are convinced that because you don't want or need something that nobody does."

ofajen

Or WWV and WWVH. 😊

Otto

sjanzeir

Yeah, but Bike Forums wouldn't be Bike Forum if we didn't argue, persuade, or ridicule.. And the website wouldn't even need to exist at all if we respected each other's preferences, now, would it?

Anyway, to answer your question.. This is what I see in front of me when I'm out driving:



I used to own a Peugeot 505 along with this 504 and that, with its electronic ignition and power steering and pushbutton-actuated climate control - not to mention the vast expanses of plastic everywhere - was just too modern for me, and that's why I never really took a liking to it and, when I eventually had to choose which one to keep, I kept the 504: ignition points, unassisted steering, and hang-on air conditioner (who remembers those?) And it used to run its factory four-speed manual transmission before I had it "upgraded," swapping in one of those new-fangled, ultramodern, bleeding-edge five-speeds that today's kids swear by (what's that all about, anyway? And have you heard about this new kind of transmission that can shift all by itself?) 😳

Thing is, I've always been a late adopter. Way back in the age of innocence in 2012, I found myself fighting tooth and nail for an excuse to not get me my first smartphone. 4G? 5G? GPS? Who needs those? I'm still using a Dell Latitude from 2011 that runs 1st-gen i7 with 512Mb nVidia graphics and a "fancy" back-lit keyboard.

When it comes to bike technology, I've only just taken delivery of my first Hollowtech II crankset and bottom bracket, and I ordered a cheap one off of Aliexpress as an exercise in toe dipping - and haven't even found the enthusiasm to install it yet!

With that said, I am all for innovation and cutting-edge technology that works. When I bought my Dahon Hemingway - my first and only bike with disk brakes - I did so not because I needed a new bike, but because it was being heavily discounted at the local sporting goods store and I saw that as an opportunity to dip my toes into this whole disk brake thing. I was so disappointed with the BB5, single-piston mechanicals that I actually briefly put the bike up for sale. Then I decided to go down the upgrade route and dip my toe (see a pattern yet?) in hydraulic disk brakes. A couple of hundred bucks and two Shimano four-piston calipers later, I'm perfectly happy. Twelve-speed is all the rage nowadays and there's some buzz about 13-speed becoming the new norm at the higher end in the foreseeable future, but I've only just started experimenting with 11-speed.

Rolla

I don't know sh¡t about cars.

sjanzeir

Easy - imagine a pair of bikes welded together side by side. Now imagine that somewhere in there there's a motor (not unlike that of a motorcycle - that's a bicycle with a motor) that goes buzzzzzzzz and the whole contraption - on all four wheels - starts moving along on its own, just nice.

Rolla

Derp derpy derp derp

sjanzeir

No, that would be a flying pod out of Futurama.

Going back to your pre-edit copy, though... It would've been easier to teach you 30 or 40 years ago, when most automakers didn't belong to some "group" and each automobile had its own, distinct appearance, character, personality. Now, though, with CAFE and NHTSA rules and "synergy"... Every street, every road, every highway is a river of sameness where even I, who used to be a dyed-in-the-wool car enthusiast and a once full-time auto mechanic, not only could no longer tell them apart, but lost interest altogether. All hope is lost for you, I'm afraid, my friend... 😟

livedarklions

I'm still trying to find the dashboard clock on my bike.

I always find it funny and frustrating how many bf threads get diverted into extended car discussions.

tkamd73 

A lot of bike people have some interesting cars.
Tim

elcruxio

There's actually quite a significant benefit in a sloping top tube on road bikes. The frame tubes are shorter = stiffer and more durable. Also there's more seatpost exposed = more suspension effect. Add a flexy seatpost and you'll increase the comfort of a bike compared to a non sloping quite massively. And add traction to the rear tire when cornering.

livedarklions

As far as I'm concerned, "interesting car" is an oxymoron. It's a bike forum, not forum about stuff lots of bike people have.

sjanzeir

And more clearance for your balls.

rydabent

You should learn the basics, because if you dont you are going to get over charged at car repair stores.

tomato coupe

How does a sloping top tube change the traction of a rear wheel?