Thursday, January 04, 2007

No Thanks! No.........Really!




(Note: My camera takes poor close ups, so sue me!)

Okay, can you make this out? It's a trigger shifter that's ten speed! Aaaacccch! Noooo!

Can this mean the mountain bike group is coming that is ten speed? Where can I sign up for the revolt?






Here's what it looks like from the other side. Nicely done, I must admit. In reality, it's a flat bar road bike Rapid Fire shifter. It's got a XTR-ish finish on it. Much of the construction is forged aluminum, and I'm betting from the buttery smooth action that it's got some stellar bushings, or possibly bearings on the shifter internals.






This is the thing that drives me insane! I can just see it coming. Ten speed mountain bike gruppos. Acch-hissss! It's enough to make me go Gollum-like and crawl into a deeply burrowed cave under a mountain somewhere. Clutching the last known 8 speed thumbshifter, I'll whisper, "My precious!", as I click off it's glorious indexed shift points. Well.............maybe that's a bit far fetched!

But the truth is, road bikes ridden by ordinary folks don't need ten speeds. It just makes people more upset with the cycling industry in the end. Check it out: Customer: You mean I just bought this bike last spring and now you're telling me that my chain, cassette, and middle chainring are worn out after six months? Why you litlle theiving shop rat! I oughta.......

Yeah, and just try to guess how much that repair job will cost consumers. Think I'm joking? It's already happening with 9 speed road components!

No.......no, no, no! Don't even think about making a ten speed mountain gruppo. There will be hell to pay if it it happens, and I might be at the front of that battle line!

Either that or far under a dark mountain..................my preciousssss!!!

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