On Thu, 23 Feb 2006 06:11:37 GMT, "John L. Lucci"
<
[email protected]> wrote:
>I was wondering what the consensus was on the trend for bicycle and
>component manufacturers to increase the number of gearing combinations on
>today's new bikes. Is it worth it to have a 10 speed cassette on the rear
>and triple chain wheels on the front? How does it stack up in shift
>reliability compared to the classic 2 X 6 of the late 80s bikes?
IMO:
Triple front, if your terrain isn't fairly flat, is a good thing.
It's irrelevant if you don't need climbing gears.
9s or 10s on the rear, unless you're involved in awfully close
competition at a high level of performance, is just gadgetry gone
berserk. 640K, erm, 8s should be enough for anyone.
Newer ders shift better than older ders in most cases, but that's
independent of the number of gears involved; the tech has improved
which allows accurate indexing across 9s and 10s cassettes, and the
ramping, pinning and other sprocket tooth optimization has smoothed
the shifts. Reliability? My old '70s roadie is as reliable as they
come; I check the air, lube the chain once in a while, and ride.
Sure, it's heavy by modern standards, the shifting is slower and
noisier and it has fewer gear ratio choices, but it gets me where I
want to go and didn't cost me the price of a down payment on an SUV.
--
Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
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