S
Simon Brooke
Guest
in message <[email protected]>, Dave Kahn
('[email protected]') wrote:
> "MSeries" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>> Dave Kahn wrote:
>>
>> > Modern gear changing systems are so much easier to use that they
>> > have made the downtube lever obsolete. However, there is nothing
>> > intrinsically wrong with downtube levers. They are light, reliable,
>> > mechanically simple, and perfectly safe.
>> >
>>
>> Not sure I agree with you about the reason why dt levers are used
>> less.
>
> So what is the reason? It takes skill and practice to use d/t levers
> effectively. Modern systems are much easier to use and give precise
> effortless shifting.
<guy>
Up to a point, Lord Copper.
</guy>
I _like_ friction shifters because they don't go out of adjustment and
you can trim them. Yes, the learning curve is a bit steeper. I also
like ergos; I have ergos on my fast bike just now, and I'll probably
stick with them. But ergos do allow you to trim the front to some
degree. Do road STIs yet? I know mountain bike STIs don't, which is why
my Cannondale will shortly be changing from Shimano XTR to SRAM 9.0 -
primarily to get front trim (although also because I prefer gripshift
to trigger type shifters).
> D/t levers have become rare because they've been
> usurped by something that manufacturers prefer to supply and consumers
> prefer to buy in spite of the added weight and complexity. That sounds
> like obsolescence to me.
I don't think you can describe it as obsolescence, precisely, when they
are still the preferred option for some very good riders in some
situations. I think you could reasonably describe it as moving out of
the mainstream, becoming niche, being deskilled...
--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; not so much a refugee from reality, more a bogus
;; asylum seeker
('[email protected]') wrote:
> "MSeries" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>> Dave Kahn wrote:
>>
>> > Modern gear changing systems are so much easier to use that they
>> > have made the downtube lever obsolete. However, there is nothing
>> > intrinsically wrong with downtube levers. They are light, reliable,
>> > mechanically simple, and perfectly safe.
>> >
>>
>> Not sure I agree with you about the reason why dt levers are used
>> less.
>
> So what is the reason? It takes skill and practice to use d/t levers
> effectively. Modern systems are much easier to use and give precise
> effortless shifting.
<guy>
Up to a point, Lord Copper.
</guy>
I _like_ friction shifters because they don't go out of adjustment and
you can trim them. Yes, the learning curve is a bit steeper. I also
like ergos; I have ergos on my fast bike just now, and I'll probably
stick with them. But ergos do allow you to trim the front to some
degree. Do road STIs yet? I know mountain bike STIs don't, which is why
my Cannondale will shortly be changing from Shimano XTR to SRAM 9.0 -
primarily to get front trim (although also because I prefer gripshift
to trigger type shifters).
> D/t levers have become rare because they've been
> usurped by something that manufacturers prefer to supply and consumers
> prefer to buy in spite of the added weight and complexity. That sounds
> like obsolescence to me.
I don't think you can describe it as obsolescence, precisely, when they
are still the preferred option for some very good riders in some
situations. I think you could reasonably describe it as moving out of
the mainstream, becoming niche, being deskilled...
--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; not so much a refugee from reality, more a bogus
;; asylum seeker