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Thursday, October 8, 2009 at 07:55 PM
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Few years ago led by Shimano, several major bicycle manufacturers introduced coaster bikes--featuring automatic shifting and a relaxed riding position. A survey, the folks at Shimano said, indicated that potential bike riders were scared off by shifters and transmissions.
How have coasters faired in the marketplace?
Don't see many of them. Do see some Electra bikes with their upright riding position--which is not always a good thing; saw one college student with a heavy backpack who looked like he was about to tip over backward, a real possibility on an Electra. If you tote a heavy pack you are better off riding with your back forward 45 degrees.
As for auto shifting, my feeling is that it is a solution to a problem that does not exist. First, auto shifting is never perfect, even on new Shimano coaster bikes. Second, a big part of the fun of riding a bike is selecting gears. Sometimes you want to spin fast; sometimes to push a big gear; great to have the choice. And even if you don't like to shift, you don't have to; just leave the bike in a middling gear. |
Comments (2)
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| Re: Solving Non-Existent Problems |
Haven't tried one, but the Lime looks good to me. Only thing I don't like is automatic shifting. If the Lime had a 3-speed hub, manually shifted, and sold for $250, I could go for it.
Which gets into a whole other thing about the power of image and the way that image is King. Roadies cultivate one image; MTBers another. If Shimano and Raleigh and Trek had spent a ton of money remaking the sissified image of coasters into something more hip and mod, coasters could fly. But then, there isn't much profit in selling bikes, and the industry just can't support a bunch of Superbowl TV commercials. |
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Comment by Bobcat on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 04:11 PM
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| Re: Solving Non-Existent Problems |
My LBS said he couldn't sell the Limes he had in stock of he included free hookers and blow with them. :shrug: I say it was all a experiment where it should have worked, but the market went the other way... |
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Comment by lalahsghost on Friday, October 30, 2009 at 11:40 PM
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