Retro MTB

[Bill Talbot]

To me..ski industry is totally lame-street. Bikes man...CRAZY innovation. I can't count the number of different suspensions I've seen...Horst link...MacPherson strut, leader, trailer, coil tube...4-bar..single beam..y-frame... Crazy. Even brifters...think of how HUGE an innovation brifters were. Can anyone even IMAGINE using downtube shifters in anger again??? I raced with downtube shifters..thank god it's flatter than piss on a plate here....

I hate brifters...

I use DT and barend shifters on 96% of my rides. Some friction and some indexed. Much preferred. I don't race or for that matter am not in any particular hurry when I'm out riding... Brifters are heavy, complex, expensive, you can't really properly trim the FD to my liking. They also are no more convenient if you use many hand positions on your bars. And don't even talk about 'One by' gearing!

 

[Philpug]

And don't even talk about 'One by' gearing!

But I thought you liked....

lighter, rugged, simple

"One by" is all of that.

 

[Bill Talbot]

But I thought you liked....

"One by" is all of that.

Actually no.
Acute chainlines are a bad thing. And front shifting has worked well for at least 50 years now. Ridiculously huge pie plate cogs are hideous. Oh, how long till we arrive a 15 cog cassettes?
Please make it stop...

Marketing strikes yet again!

 

[Philpug]

Ridiculously huge pie plate cogs are hideous.

Yeah, this is muuuch better looking....

 

[scott43]

The other great innovations, besides brifters/index shifting, were cassette hubs...and cartridge bottom brackets. Those two things enabled MTB in a lot of ways to become what it has.

1x is interesting..no more dropped chains..but it can have other side effects that people may not want.

 

[Tom K.]

Actually no.
Acute chainlines are a bad thing. And front shifting has worked well for at least 50 years now. Ridiculously huge pie plate cogs are hideous. Oh, how long till we arrive a 15 cog cassettes?
Please make it stop...

Marketing strikes yet again!

I was a slow convert to 1x drivetrains. Make that "forced".

But they work really well, although the 42 - 50 gap between gears 1 and 2 drives me a little bit bonkers. Now the gap is 42 - 52 to keep up with Shimano, so I have three 50t cassettes in reserve. Shimano does so much better with gear spacing.

More than anything, I love the silence of a well-sorted 1x system. No chain rattling around in the FD cage.

As far as chainlines go, chain design has progressed along with 1x to the point that there is less to worry about w/r/t cross-chaining than there was with 2x. As an experiment, take an old 8-speed chain and hold it sideways -- very little droop. Do the same with a modern 12-speed chain, and you'll be surprised.

 

[scott43]

I remember when we got one of these in the shop and we (all car and motorcycle guys..) looked at it and went..well that sucks...

 

[Jersey Skier]

I hate brifters...

I use DT and barend shifters on 96% of my rides. Some friction and some indexed. Much preferred. I don't race or for that matter am not in any particular hurry when I'm out riding... Brifters are heavy, complex, expensive, you can't really properly trim the FD to my liking. They also are no more convenient if you use many hand positions on your bars. And don't even talk about 'One by' gearing!

So no Di2 or Etap? You don't know what you're missing. BTW, Di2 will trim the FD for you so you don't have to.

 

[scott43]

Here's a cool vid on hyperglide and brifters..they missed an important bit (it was actually a bit earlier), the cassette system enabled the repositioning of the outboard bearing on the freewheel side which made the rear hub much stronger. Great stuff from the champs, Shimano.

 

[Philpug]

So no Di2 or Etap? You don't know what you're missing. BTW, Di2 will trim the FD for you so you don't have to.

When at The Big Gear Show, Sram put on a seminar talking about bike service. The one guy mentioned that his bike at no less than 6 batteries on it...and it wasn't even an eBike.

 

[scott43]

I'm not going to electronic shifting anytime soon. It's great and all..but...the price becomes stupefying... If you got the coin though, like carbon frames and full suspension, just do it!

 

[scott43]

I'm also beginning to see the idea of a gravel bike for all round riding. Got stuck on some gravel by chance recently and my 970mm wheelbase, 25c tire road bike is a bit..tricky. I don't think the "losses" of a gravel bike exceed the utility of the design. I can't do anything larger than 25c tires and to at least have the option of a 35 or 38c tire would be great.

 

[Bill Talbot]

So no Di2 or Etap? You don't know what you're missing. BTW, Di2 will trim the FD for you so you don't have to.

If I live to cycle into my 90's I will NEVER ride an electrically shifted bicycle.
KISS is what bikes should be about.

 

[Bill Talbot]

Here's a cool vid on hyperglide and brifters..they missed an important bit (it was actually a bit earlier), the cassette system enabled the repositioning of the outboard bearing on the freewheel side which made the rear hub much stronger. Great stuff from the champs, Shimano.

I love freehubs and cassettes (just not 10-11-12-13... cog versions) Give me a strong dishless rear wheel and 9 cogs and I'll be a happy man. I do run OC rear rims on a number of bikes to help this issue.
Oh, and now we also get dished front wheels with discs...swell

 

[Bill Talbot]

I remember when we got one of these in the shop and we (all car and motorcycle guys..) looked at it and went..well that sucks...
View attachment 139406

You were all RIGHT!

 

[Bill Talbot]

Back to the business at hand...

 

[Bill Talbot]

Some of you must remember this combo.

 

[Philpug]

Back to the business at hand...

View attachment 139415

Gripshift and hydrolic brakes? So fancy. I did notice a huge difference in braking when Shimano came out with the parallel-push V-brakes. Even if I went and built up an old hardtail...I'd put on modern wider handle bars.

 

[Jersey Skier]

If I live to cycle into my 90's I will NEVER ride an electrically shifted bicycle.
KISS is what bikes should be about.

Di2 with hydro brakes is as simple as it gets for my customers. Their shifting and braking is always perfect and they don't even worry about true wheels anymore with discs. All they need to do is charge a battery every few months.

 

[Jersey Skier]

When at The Big Gear Show, Sram put on a seminar talking about bike service. The one guy mentioned that his bike at no less than 6 batteries on it...and it wasn't even an eBike.

Is this any worse than skiing? I plug in my boot bag, charge my boot heaters, Turbo fan goggles, bluetooth helmet and my phone. Thankfully my Omega winds itself.