>> The new frame will work with any pipe-style crank from Campy, SRAM,
>> Shimano,
>> TruVativ, FSA and a couple others I forget. The bearings used for all of
>> those cranks are so similar it was not an issue for Trek to design very
>> simple kits that include a shaped washer to allow each to fit.
>>
>> What will *not* work are any Octalink, ISIS, or square taper cranks. So
>> anything that's not current isn't going to work. Very wide compatibility
>> with current product, but it's not a frame you're going to use your
>> favorite
>> old cranks on.
>>
>
> So, if these "pipe-style" cranks fade out, the frame will
> be .....er....useless?
I wouldn't try to pretend that a current frame is going to be something
easily maintainable (as a bike) 15 years down the road.Without question we
have entered an era where "standards" mean something entirely different than
in the past, whether we're talking about bikes, cars, A/V gear, whatever.
This creates concern both real and illusory; the computer world is full of
stories about people who are scared to trust their photos to DVDs and hard
drives, not because they're worried either will suffer from deterioration
and fail, but because they think the day will come when they'll have no
means to read what's on the device.
If/when that day comes, whether for a bicycle frame or a DVD, it will not
happen without warning. Opportunities will exist to buy spares before
technologies go away. Inconvenient at times, to be sure, but if you're
buying something with an eye towards utility over 15+ years, that's a very
rare and unusual purchase.
I do still own a couple 30+ year old bicycles. A 1973 Cinelli road bike, and
a 1974 or thereabouts Benotto track bike. Yes, it's possible to still get
parts to keep each on the road, but, at least in the case of the Cinelli,
modern eqiupment far surpasses what that bike has to offer. Track bikes
haven't changed much over the years, nor likely will they much in the
future. But even so, I doubt many people buy track bikes thinking that it's
a once-in-a-lifetime investment. The Cinelli I keep around only for the
memories. I call it "The Iron Pig", an apt description of its abilities vs
modern machines.
--Mike--
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com