I remember doing a nose wheelie down a hill when I first started riding fixed and tried to coast. An exciting moment or two for sure.Especially when you put a beginner on one and they get their weight too far forward while muscling the bars
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Attention Luddites: No More Mech Dura-Ace!
- Thread starter Tom K.
- Start date
Thread Starter
TS
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- Dec 20, 2015
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- 8,478
RED -- always the fastest. Far more important than any aero silliness!
What?!
No love for the (plastic) Simplex derailleurs of the 70s?!
I used to love working on those..and you'd try to adjust it and the screw mount would break off the derailleur body and you're like..wtf? And the owner is like Mr. Vintage I Love My 70's POS and you're scrambling to find another derailleur that matches ... PEUGEOT!!!! I'm looking at you!!!!!
This Simplex on the other hand was a phenomenal changer, WAY better than a certain Italian piece of the same era.
This is the Super LJ
That's a Suntour New Winner Ultra 6 freewheel, another fantastic piece from the 80's.
More pix here if interested,
Back when I built up this early Richard Sachs bike (1980) these were very deliberately used not only for their better functionality but also to annoy the Campy faithful
This is the Super LJ
That's a Suntour New Winner Ultra 6 freewheel, another fantastic piece from the 80's.
More pix here if interested,
Back when I built up this early Richard Sachs bike (1980) these were very deliberately used not only for their better functionality but also to annoy the Campy faithful
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6 pages of dithering on mech? Easy answer: One more battery to charge? No fucking thanks!
kinda relevant, buddy is looking for a 25th anniversary dura-ace watch, if anyone is holding??
-Chris
-Chris
Thread Starter
TS
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2015
- Posts
- 8,478
I had a Peugeot UO8 as a kid. Simplex rear mech. Crashed doing crazy kid stuff. Small town bike mechanic (in his basement) had only a metal replacement from some brand called Shimano? An Eagle derailleur IIRC.
I could not believe the improvement! Been a fan of the brand ever since.
Context: This happened around 1970!
I could not believe the improvement! Been a fan of the brand ever since.
Context: This happened around 1970!
I am not opposed to electronic shifting per se. In fact, the few times I test rode it a long time ago, (1 gen Dura Ace DI2) I was amazed by how much shifting effort it removed, even compared to Mechanical Dura Ace.
But…
On the flip side, my daughter just busted 2 rear derailleur on her mtb in a month’s time. One I was able to fix with parts frim an old one I had, but the the other required a new (second hand) $65 derailleur. I dread to think how expensive it would be to ride electronic shifting on the mtb….
But…
- The track record for long term replacement electronic shifting is abysmal. Many bikes that are only a few years old, you can’t get replacements parts for the electronic drivetrain
- The price and weight is always worse
On the flip side, my daughter just busted 2 rear derailleur on her mtb in a month’s time. One I was able to fix with parts frim an old one I had, but the the other required a new (second hand) $65 derailleur. I dread to think how expensive it would be to ride electronic shifting on the mtb….
I mentioned that earlier Slim..Ultegra rear..$160 mechanical, $440 electronic. Ouch...
Thats what replaceable derailleur hangers are for!
I have a bad feeling about that charging through the rear derailleur stuff but who knows, it might work.
Main problem is that if nothing else than Di2 DA and Ultegra is available the prices of the bikes will be jacked higher still and it is not like they are cheap now.
Main problem is that if nothing else than Di2 DA and Ultegra is available the prices of the bikes will be jacked higher still and it is not like they are cheap now.
If thats what breaks, but it's not always the case. The last two broken detailers I saw on the trail were mangled cages.
exactly! Thats what the campagnolo rep told me several years ago when I was bitching to him about a customers super record der that broke.
‘that shouldnt of happened, he must not have a replaceable derailleur hanger’.
Both cases, is was the derailleur itself. One time the forged knuckle broke in half, the other time the cage ripped apart. Second one also required a new hanger, but that was not enough
Replaceable cast delrailer hangers are a double edged sword. They 'might' save you a broken derailer or even save the dropout from being mangled. BUT since the can't be tweaked for perfect derailer alignment shifting issues with already sensitive (read 10, 11, 12 sd) shifting. For Road and GRoad use I'd rather see CNC 6061 alu replaceable hangers.
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2017
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Beautiful bike
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- Nov 24, 2017
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Thanks. Been super happy with Di2, both road and mtn. The only downside on mtn is that the traditional battery storage competes with a dropper.
I also have a Venge, which I set up with a compact crank as a training appliance. I'm in injury recovery mode, so that gets ridden often.
Out of curiosity, did anyone in this thread watch Paris-Roubaix? And count the number of Di2 riders who had to call a team car because their mechs went into recovery mode?
I watched the highlights..couldn't get the whole thing..wouldn't have the time anyway.. However, I'm not surprised. I've read a surprising amount of these types of stories. They actually have YouTube vids on how to reset it on the road....
To me, the bicycle is the peak of mechanical perfection like steam locomotives and Swiss watches.
The idea that you have to charge a bunch of batteries before you ride is odious enough....
But, rebooting your bike on the road, just hilarious...
Just because something can be built doesn't mean it should.
The idea that you have to charge a bunch of batteries before you ride is odious enough....
But, rebooting your bike on the road, just hilarious...
Just because something can be built doesn't mean it should.