wolfchild

They can't keep up because they're out of shape,...not because they're riding an older bike.

wolfchild

I'll keep resisting carbon, electronic shifting, tubeless tires, clipless pedals as long as I live.

livedarklions

For a lot of people, it's simply the line between not having enough room at home to do it vs. a garage or whatever. Almost nothing to do with technological developments of the bike. They're still pretty serviceable.

The change in cars was so great that a lot of the independent garages went out of business because the owners couldn't swing the costs of the electronics and really had never trained on them.

Lots of bike shops have gone out of business, but I don't think it's for reasons anything like that.

livedarklions

Sez you--the guy who wrote the post obviously believed otherwise since they could keep up after they switched bikes.

livedarklions

I don't want any of that stuff either, but I hardly feel like I need to "resist" them. Nobody is trying to force them on me.

WhyFi

Come on, man - just take one hit of spin with these deep dish, dimpled rims to see what it's like. I bet you'll have a good time.

wolfchild

The bike industry is heading that way and it's only a matter of time before everybody will be forced to purchase whatever is manufactured by the bike industry...Just look at the axle spacing standards. 135 mmm rear axle spacing is almost non existent and thru axels have pretty much replaced simple and reliable quick release axles...Bikes with nutted axles are non existent unless you do the conversion yourself. Majority of gravel bikes come with carbon forks...Eventually you will have no choice but to purchase what the bike industry dictates..

livedarklions

This might be the best example of Poe's Law I've ever seen on BF. Next you'll be predicting "reeducation" camps.

livedarklions

From my cold, dead feet!

Kapusta

When has it NOT been the case that the bike industry determines what is available to buy?

For years rim brakes and qr was the standard. Soon disc and through axle may be. How is the latter different from the former?

cyclezen

resistance, as a matter of policy, will assure a much smaller window on life, reducing the expanse of experience and chance for joy.
it's really easy to appreciate 'new' as well as current, traditional or vintage/old. None of which needs to be denied when using the other.
certainly choosing something over another is done by applying one's parameters after 'trying' and 'evaluating'. Resistance assumes complete blocking without even attempting...
I tried '29r', give it a good shot, then found "27.5" works best for me.
Living life in contrary seems a significantly less joyful experience. Given we all face challenges, thrust upon us; we certainly don;t need more challenges by creating them ourselves (even though we all do overly challenge ourselves).
Is there 'joy' in 'resisting'... or are you just missin out?
...just sayin...
Ride On
Yuri

Kapusta

I don’t know…. I can think of a few temptations in life I am glad i resisted, and a few I regret not resisting.

mschwett 

nobody is forced to purchase anything. just like you can’t force the manufacturers to manufacture something. you absolutely have the choice of not buying a new bike.

the actual outcome is likely to be that there’s a small but vocal minority of customers who prefer something different that it does not make economic sense for mainstream manufacturers to make. if the niche is large enough and profitable enough, niche manufacturers will emerge to fill that niche, or continue doing so. you can still buy steel, titanium, and aluminum frames alongside carbon ones. mechanical shifting is still very easy to find in 1x and 2x, rims and tires for tubes, bikes without power meters, even rim brakes can still be found. no more friction shifters… because the number of people who want them enough to pay whatever it would cost to make them must be very small.

i refuse to drive a car with an automatic transmission of any sort unless it’s fully electric. so far, that niche is still filled. Although choices are shrinking, nobody is FORCING me to buy a car with a slushbox.

cyclezen

Since the end of WW II, the cycling universe has gone thru it's own 'Big Bang'. Slowly at first, since in the world of humans, 'tech' has shown a slow start with increasing development with time.
I always wonder 'How Long', it took for the wheel to become a thing...
The Bike industry has mostly, vastly dictated 'the bike' for as long as I can remember, and that's only been since the early/mid 60's. And then there have always been those who have broadened the bike 'window', like Phil Wood, Fisher,Ritchey, Breeze and others. There's been both broadening and suppression, most of it because of and due to consumer whims.
But for the longest time there was non 'CNC', and bringing ideas to some form has always been difficult.
But WE, the riders, have a way broader universe of choice, selection and options than ever before. And things do change, old things go out of existence. transplanted by newer.
BUT the Bike Universe is one of those places where OLD holds a distinguished place and is greatly supported, often beyond reason, other than it's still good to use and enjoy.
I still have my Grandfather's 1939 Fiets, and I can still get good parts for it, in a quite small town in Germany, where it;s spent all of it's existence.
Your statements have absolutely no basis in reality. Nutted axle bikes by the tens of thousands, What is a 'gravel bike is purely up to interpretation, well beyond what might be here on BF.
A window built into a house of contrary always give a warped view.
Ride On
Yuri

Sy Reene

As pictured, I think the Gatorskins probably didn't help the steel bike in this respect either.

DMC707

thinking of Pacino in Heat


”cause she got a “GREAT AZZZZ!!!!!”



either way it’s right or wrong

JohnMorgan

Oh, we already have those where I am - they’re called ‘cycling clubs’ :- )

Have to say, I’m enjoying the thread!

timtak

Hear, hear.

Put brifters, clinchers, and perhaps some dual caliper brakes (or at least new pads) on your 1978 bike and you'll be set.

livedarklions

21st century chain gangs.
Orange jerseys are the new orange jumpsuits.

GamblerGORD53

Go look at the STUCK thru axle thread. ME >> LOL hahahahahahahaha GARBAGE technology strikes again.
My Rohloff14 now with 18,200 miles still gets BETTER every day.
My SA XL-FDD dyno drum brake has NO equal either. 28,000 miles with a bearing change. Looks like new on it's third bike now.

WhyFi

A thru axle is a bolt. Bolts are "garbage technology"?

GamblerGORD53

That "bolt" is as long as most quill stems. It needs to fit to say .0002" to go thru the whatever tunnel. It needs to be 99.9% clean.
How they don't rattle is a mystery to me. Every time you undo a screw it wears some and ought to be cleaned greased EVERY time. Alu is a POOR metal for any kind of bolt. I've had alu quills and bare seat posts that look like HELL is short order from corrosion.
I have spent months making 3 nickel plated steel stems. Some attempts turned out too tight, too loose and too crooked. But now they are super strong and good for 50 years.

ofajen

Actually there are still many friction shifter options, including multiple different types of mounts that work with the same shifters. Dia-Compe, RivBike, SA/Sunrace, just to name a few.

Otto

GamblerGORD53

I'm in the process of taking apart 2 nice old Suntour friction shifters, to make a downtube bottle holder. LOL.
There are still builders who think pretty city bikes don't go far enough to need bottle mounts.

ofajen

So after you take off the shifter bits, how do you make the bottle holder? I’m running a cheap Schwinn frame that lacks bottle mounts, so I’m using the zip-tie method.

Otto