LBS doesn't carry bikes I might want

Tom Sherman wrote:
Frank Drackman wrote:

Last fall I broke the frame on my 15 year old Novara Randonee. It took me a
little while to find the correct person at REI, but in the end the happily
gave me a new frame. They also told me that if the new one ever breaks,
they will be happy to replace it for free.

Well, REI does stand for "Replace Every Item".

I've always heard it as "Return Every Item".

--
Dane Buson -
It is by Perl alone I set my mind in motion. It is by the regex of Larry
that the code acquires flexibility, the flexibility enables obscurity, the
obscurity generates a warning. It is by Perl alone I set my mind in motion.
--Calle Dybedahl, in the Scary Devil Monastery

Peter Cole wrote:
Pat wrote:

So, if someone disagrees with you, they're just being "silly"? People have
good reasons for choosing steel, and others have good reasons for choosing
aluminum. But, that doesn't make them "silly."

I said the idea was silly, not the people who hold the idea.

The idea is silly.

It presumes that frame failures are common enough to worry about.

Well, I seem to break a frame once every two years on average (not
counting automotive interference - that would bring it closer to once a
year). This is why I keep an eye out for used frames in my size [1].
I'd like to have at least one spare handy.

It presumes that other component failures (wheels, shifters, etc.) are not.

My record is even worse with those.

It presumes that most frame failures are repairable at all.

Thankfully most of mine have been under warranty. The one that wasn't
wasn't worth repairing (old French bike).

It presumes that the equipment and expertise to perform frame repair are
available in a locale where timely shipment of replacement parts isn't.

True.

[1] Thankfully the much more common 58cm size.

--
Dane Buson -
There is nothing wrong with abstinence, in moderation.

Dane Buson wrote:

I am fond of the Campy Ergos on my Nishiki (much nicer than the
STI IMO).

How so?

wrote:
Dane Buson wrote:

I am fond of the Campy Ergos on my Nishiki (much nicer than the
STI IMO).

How so?

I'm fond of the non-indexed left shifting. I like that it's two
separate controls for up and down shifting, and the shape fits my hand a
little better than STI. Plus aesthetically, the cables all run under
the tape, which I prefer.

--
Dane Buson -
"It's good for young people to be angry about something."
-Former President Bill Clinton, after he was egged in Poland

Dane Buson wrote:

I am fond of the Campy Ergos on my Nishiki (much nicer than the
STI IMO).

How so?

I'm fond of the non-indexed left shifting. I like that it's two
separate controls for up and down shifting, and the shape fits my hand a
little better than STI. Plus aesthetically, the cables all run under
the tape, which I prefer.

Ahh!

I didn't know that the campy Ergo's
could be used with friction shifting!

wrote:
Dane Buson wrote:

I'm fond of the non-indexed left shifting. I like that it's two
separate controls for up and down shifting, and the shape fits my hand a
little better than STI. Plus aesthetically, the cables all run under
the tape, which I prefer.

Ahh!

I didn't know that the campy Ergo's
could be used with friction shifting!

Well, it's only for the left (front) shifter, and it would be more
accurate to call it micro-indexed or ratcheting or some such. i.e., you
have a bunch of clicks instead of two. In effect though it lets you
trim and use non-Campy front derailleurs. I'm shifting a double with a
Suntour front derailleur with the Ergo shifter.

--
Dane Buson -
"We all know Linux is great...it does infinite loops in 5 seconds."
(Linus Torvalds about the superiority of Linux on the Amterdam
Linux Symposium)

Dane Buson wrote:
wrote:
Dane Buson wrote:

I'm fond of the non-indexed left shifting. I like that it's two
separate controls for up and down shifting, and the shape fits my hand a
little better than STI. Plus aesthetically, the cables all run under
the tape, which I prefer.
Ahh!

I didn't know that the campy Ergo's
could be used with friction shifting!

Well, it's only for the left (front) shifter, and it would be more
accurate to call it micro-indexed or ratcheting or some such. i.e., you
have a bunch of clicks instead of two. In effect though it lets you
trim and use non-Campy front derailleurs. I'm shifting a double with a
Suntour front derailleur with the Ergo shifter.

The SRAM Grip-Shift (at least my older 5.0 and 7.0) has this feature,
with the front shifter having about 9 positions. I have always been able
to trim out chain rub, even with 62/52/39T chainrings.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
“Mary had a little lamb / And when she saw it sicken /
She shipped it off to Packingtown / And now it’s labeled chicken.”

Peter Cole wrote:
Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

Realistically, the biggest reason for aluminum is that most of
the
marketplace would see a move to steel as being backward.

I agree that it's about tradition & image. The high-end road bike
market never did totally accept aluminum (especially touring), the
BMX market remains split, but the MTB market pretty much is all
aluminum and the low-end consumer market (cruiser, hybrid, etc.)
seems to demand it.

Would it be called "steel", or would it get a considerably fancier
monicker, like "Alloy 2020"?

Trek has marketing people, you know.



--
Mike Kruger
"We have a lot of kids who don't know what work means. They think
work
is a four-letter word." --Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)

ZBicyclist aka Mike Kruger wrote:
Peter Cole wrote:
Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

Realistically, the biggest reason for aluminum is that most of
the
marketplace would see a move to steel as being backward.
I agree that it's about tradition & image. The high-end road bike
market never did totally accept aluminum (especially touring), the
BMX market remains split, but the MTB market pretty much is all
aluminum and the low-end consumer market (cruiser, hybrid, etc.)
seems to demand it.

Would it be called "steel", or would it get a considerably fancier
monicker, like "Alloy 2020"?...

Ron Hardin could be riding a "AISI 1018 Alloy" Huffy.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
“Mary had a little lamb / And when she saw it sicken /
She shipped it off to Packingtown / And now it’s labeled chicken.”

On Aug 24, 3:58 pm, Tom Sherman
wrote:
ZBicyclist aka Mike Kruger wrote:

Peter Cole wrote:
Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

Realistically, the biggest reason for aluminum is that most of
the
marketplace would see a move to steel as being backward.
I agree that it's about tradition & image. The high-end road bike
market never did totally accept aluminum (especially touring), the
BMX market remains split, but the MTB market pretty much is all
aluminum and the low-end consumer market (cruiser, hybrid, etc.)
seems to demand it.

Would it be called "steel", or would it get a considerably fancier
monicker, like "Alloy 2020"?...

Ron Hardin could be riding a "AISI 1018 Alloy" Huffy.


But what's the alloy of his salad tongs?