Your Unpopular (Biking) Opinions

[waterlogged]

I wear a mirror on my glasses while mountain biking....my wife and friends won't admit they know me.

[GearDaddy]

8-speed was Peak Gears.

Every added gear beyond 8 was just a marketing gimmick to make people buy new stuff.

"9" was the first point of diminishing returns... it added nothing substantial to 8 speeds, but I guess was a necessary step between 8 speeds (the pinnacle) and dumbly unnecessary "upgrades" yet to be foisted upon us.

By the time 11 speed rolled around, ridiculous "innovations" like delicate, overpriced chains that require stupidly expensive chain tools became the norm.

Ha ha, I think Mr_Grumpy saying you don't need an 11 or 12 to go fast was referring to the cogs on the rear cassette, not the total drivetrain gears.

And I actually thought 9-speed was the "sweet spot" and 10-speed and beyond is somewhat diminishing returns. 9-speed chain is thinner and lighter, and it was one of the few times where you could practically interchange wheels with Campy and Shimano 9-speed hubs. Plus, 9-speed was around longer and you could more easily find parts, whereas 8-speed was a bit of a bastard child where it could be difficult to find parts.

My other unpopular (biking) opinions:
- Toe clips and straps truly suck. Man was I pleased when clipless pedals came along, especially for mountain biking!
- Downtube shifters suck too. I rode bikes with them for years, and man does it work so much better with integrated shift levers. Do. Not. Want. To. Go. Back!
- I actually like "Richie" pedals.

[pedalbiker]

Ha ha, I think Mr_Grumpy saying you don't need an 11 or 12 to go fast was referring to the cogs on the rear cassette, not the total drivetrain gears.

And I actually thought 9-speed was the "sweet spot" and 10-speed and beyond is somewhat diminishing returns. 9-speed chain is thinner and lighter, and it was one of the few times where you could practically interchange wheels with Campy and Shimano 9-speed hubs. Plus, 9-speed was around longer and you could more easily find parts, whereas 8-speed was a bit of a bastard child where it could be difficult to find parts.

My other unpopular (biking) opinions:
- Toe clips and straps truly suck. Man was I pleased when clipless pedals came along, especially for mountain biking!
- Downtube shifters suck too. I rode bikes with them for years, and man does it work so much better with integrated shift levers. Do. Not. Want. To. Go. Back!
- I actually like "Richie" pedals.

10 speed chain is thinner than 9 speed. The gears are closer together. In fact, when it was first introduced, there were a slew of pros breaking chains in big races. Had some reworking to do.

11 speed wheels are interchangeable between Campy and Shimano. You can run a Campy cassette with Shimano and vice versa.

[GearDaddy]

10 speed chain is thinner than 9 speed. The gears are closer together. In fact, when it was first introduced, there were a slew of pros breaking chains in big races. Had some reworking to do.

11 speed wheels are interchangeable between Campy and Shimano. You can run a Campy cassette with Shimano and vice versa.

I already knew all of this. I'm just saying that 9-speed IMO was a real improvement from 7/8 speed, and it generally worked well. 10/11 speed seems like more marginal gains, and some things became harder to deal with (i.e. chains).

[SPlKE]

I use sram 9 chains with my chorus 8 rd, record 8 cassette, and record 9 fd and chainrings.

Silent, smooth, speedy shifting. Like butter.

[Fredrico]

I use sram 9 chains with my chorus 8 rd, record 8 cassette, and record 9 fd and chainrings.

Silent, smooth, speedy shifting. Like butter.

Dig it. Wider chains give that crisp shifting. Not loosey goosey like these narrow 10 speeds.

Yep, by the time they got to 9 speeds, everything was covered in the fast gears, 12-17. The only thing gained with 10, 11 speeds, were climbing gears, useful under 10 mph, that once a rider gets fit on his 16 pound bike, 2/3rds of which he'll never use. Two or three tooth jumps are no big deal under 10 mph.

[Fredrico]

"flat"? like these?

Best pedals ever made. And only $22.00 to replace. That's cheaper than a tire!

Add a clip, strap, cleated shoe, and you've got the ultimate contact with pedals. Anyone see the latest issue of Bicycling? Keirin racers still use clips and straps on those pedals, on steel frames and 32 spoked wheels. For them, nothing is more responsive to their game.

[Fredrico]

What? No friction shifters? You've succumbed to the indexed shifting fad?

Thanks for catching me on that! .

Friction of course! Full control at all times.

[SPlKE]

Dig it. Wider chains give that crisp shifting. Not loosey goosey like these narrow 10 speeds.

Yep, by the time they got to 9 speeds, everything was covered in the fast gears, 12-17. The only thing gained with 10, 11 speeds, were climbing gears, useful under 10 mph, that once a rider gets fit on his 16 pound bike, 2/3rds of which he'll never use. Two or three tooth jumps are no big deal under 10 mph.

I can count all the times I thought "Gee, I wish I had one or two more cogs on my 8-speed 12-23" on zero (0) hands.

I've never wanted for another cog. Most of my riding, except for extreme climbs and descents, I maintain a steady RPM around 85, and change gears only to keep that RPM. I use gears the way a propeller airplane with a constant speed prop uses propeller pitch, to maintain "best" power output and speed across a range of terrain.

[.je]

Clif bars taste like particle board and jam.

Oily chain lube does not attract dust. It can't. It accumulates dust, it accrues dust, it picks up dust, but there's no electrostatic or gravitational or any attraction.

So there.

[duriel]

I don't ride with republicans, because... well.... you know!

[SwiftSolo]

i always position the skewer lever on the drive side of the front wheel. i like to see it. with vintage campy, it's so pretty. why hide it? £¥¢€ the non drive-side! it's not good enough for both skewer levers. but please don't put the rear lever on the drive-side. eww. that's just gross.

With disc brakes both skewers should be on the drive side. Fred's and Huffy riders will disagree!

[SwiftSolo]

I don't ride with republicans, because... well.... you know!

They must be heart broken!

[MR_GRUMPY]

Shimano downtube shifters are available in 10 speed...…..Check Ebay.

[MR_GRUMPY]

I can count all the times I thought "Gee, I wish I had one or two more cogs on my 8-speed 12-23" on zero (0) hands.

I've never wanted for another cog. Most of my riding, except for extreme climbs and descents, I maintain a steady RPM around 85, and change gears only to keep that RPM. I use gears the way a propeller airplane with a constant speed prop uses propeller pitch, to maintain "best" power output and speed across a range of terrain.

I love my 12-23 10 speed cassette. You get the 16 AND the 18.....Same for my 13-25.

[Fredrico]

I love my 12-23 10 speed cassette. You get the 16 AND the 18.....Same for my 13-25.

Dig it!

Riders are much better off getting the 16 and 18, gears they'll use, instead of 26, 28, 30, etc. Unless they live in Pittsburgh, PA, or San Francisco, that is. With 42 t. chain ring, 24, or 25, or 26 is a sweet climbing gear. On 39 t. ring and a 16# bike? Piece of cake.

Another stunning reminder I had watching the TDF: Riders are going 28-32 mph steady tempo. So they're actually using those 11, 12, 13 t. cogs at sprightly cadences like its easy. At typical recreational speeds, 20-25 mph under power is about it for the lesser trained. So they don't need gears that are normal cadences, 75-90 rpm, only at 28+ mph!

I haven't used the 13 cog in years. My last TT average 20 years ago was 21.5 mph! Can't imagine what a 12 or 11 would feel like. Never go fast enough. The last cog I've ever used outside of a pace line in a race, was a 42-14 on an old Regina 14-28 freewheel. Perfect. Used the 16 and 18 cogs supplied all the time.

Descending, going into a full tuck squeezes another 2 mph out of it. No gears necessary. Just a solid frame and nice set of wheels. Pedaling actually catches the wind and slows rider down.

Cool that 10 speed shifters are available in down tube versions, for those embarrassed at riding 6 or 7 speed freewheels. Not me, man. I just show off a little leg work.

[cxwrench]

I feel that calling it 'biking' sounds stupid...it's cycling. Get with it OP.

[old_fuji]

I feel that calling it 'biking' sounds stupid...it's cycling. Get with it OP.

Oh yeah? 'Brifter' is a clever portmanteau, entwined with a tasty hint of jargon...in other words, you gotta know just a little more about cycling than the average ranger to understand the complexities and wonderment of the word.

[ogre]

I can count all the times I thought "Gee, I wish I had one or two more cogs on my 8-speed 12-23" on zero (0) hands.

I've never wanted for another cog.

I wish Shimano made a 18 speed cassette. Then I could have a 11-28 straight block.

[factory feel]

I feel that calling it 'biking' sounds stupid...it's cycling. Get with it OP.

yep we're not "bikers"

[blackfrancois]

Best pedals ever made. And only $22.00 to replace.

i sold some recently for $75 on craigs. from a '71 lygie. zero rash on the cages. pretty rare.

i love how you can get a wrench on the cone. might make it the easiest component on the bike to adjust. the japanese copy, kkt pro ace, was the same way.

but, for me, i prefer the kkt top run. not nearly as blinging as campy, but more comfy ... and a lot closer to $22.

[Bremerradkurier]

I wish Shimano made a 18 speed cassette. Then I could have a 11-28 straight block.

I had a 8 speed Sachs Maillard freewheel in 12-19 for riding in flat Northern Germany spun onto a Superbe Pro hub.

[D&MsDad]

Ooh, I've got a couple:

1. Any person complaining about an uncomfortable saddle is riding on an ill fitted bike.

I agree this is probably true for the vast majority of people. I've ridden long rides (> 3 hr) on at least 6 different saddles from at least 5 different manufacturers, the only one that bothered me was not adjusted correctly (too high on a new bike - my mistake). I have a favorite, but the others work fine.

I'm willing to believe that there may be a few people with extra sensitive butts.

[BCSaltchucker]

I feel that calling it 'biking' sounds stupid...it's cycling. Get with it OP.

yeah, we're actually 'cyclers'

that's what Joe Rogan calls us.

[SPlKE]

I had a 8 speed Sachs Maillard freewheel in 12-19 for riding in flat Northern Germany spun onto a Superbe Pro hub.

That sounds great. I have a 12-23 Record 8 speed, but I so rarely use the 23 or even the one next to it, which is probably a 21 or 20, they look a lot newer than the others.