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#21
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Shrewd maketing by Shimano -- too bad for cyclists.
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#22
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Shrewd maketing by Shimano -- too bad for cyclists.
Shimano seems to have conned the world. There's a saying that Shimano is the Microsoft of bikes. I don't think it's intended as a compliment to either company. Jeremy Parker |
#23
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Shrewd maketing by Shimano -- too bad for cyclists.
Shimano seems to have conned the world. Of course the new shifting
mechanisms are nice and more precise than those that I have on my bikes, but the improvement is not earth shattering. What shocked me, however, was the fact that, to add these to one of my bikes, in addition to the crankset and freewheel, I would have to replace the bottom bracket, rebuild the rear wheel, and probably replace the deraillers. Moreover, nothing was compatible. I agree, it all feels like a scam to me too. Last week the rear wheel on my mountain bike became unusable -- too much abuse over the years, probably a problem with the bearings. It was already bent out of shape, so I decided to buy a new wheel. Should be pretty easy right? Maybe a $50 problem, quick job? I went to the bike store and bought a cheap new wheel for about $50. Brought it home and discovered that the cassette from my previous wheel could not be installed on this new wheel (whole new cassette type)! Took it back to the store hoping they could swap the new wheel I bought for one that is compatible with the older style freewheel (older meaning like 2 years ago). At this point, I'm pretty sure the store -- Olympia Cycle and Ski, on Pembina in Winnipeg -- decided they could screw me out of some more cash. They never directly answered my question, "do you have a wheel in stock that I can use with my existing cassette?" Instead I ended up buying one of the newer style cassettes to use on the new wheel. Another $30. Then I install the new freewheel, it works fine... BUT of course my old chain and the rear cogs were a match, with slight stretching over time. The teeth didn't mesh properly, requiring a new chain -- another $20. This I definitely did not buy from the same store, they can go to hell. So a simple wheel change should have cost $50, but due to arbitrary changes of common mountain bike parts within a 2 year time frame cost me over $100 US with taxes as well as plenty of time, as I do the installations myself to save money. It's a scam. -- Jem Berkes http://www.sysdesign.ca/ |
#24
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Shrewd maketing by Shimano -- too bad for cyclists.
Thu, 29 Jul 2004 23:36:50 GMT,
, Jem Berkes wrote: The teeth didn't mesh properly, requiring a new chain -- another $20. This I definitely did not buy from the same store, they can go to hell. The chain on my bike gets replaced about twice in a year. A cassette lasts about three chains. That stuff wears out with use. They didn't screw you. You might be able to get cheaper (~$12 CDN) chain elsewhere though. -- zk |
#25
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Shrewd maketing by Shimano -- too bad for cyclists.
The teeth didn't mesh properly, requiring a new chain -- another $20.
This I definitely did not buy from the same store, they can go to hell. The chain on my bike gets replaced about twice in a year. A cassette lasts about three chains. That stuff wears out with use. They didn't screw you. You might be able to get cheaper (~$12 CDN) chain elsewhere though. Well but the store could have sold me a wheel which fit my existing cassette, which means I definitely would not have needed a new cassette or chain, and saved me $50 of extra hassle. -- Jem Berkes http://www.sysdesign.ca/ |
#26
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Shrewd maketing by Shimano -- too bad for cyclists.
On Wed, 28 Jul 2004 12:14:31 -0400, Bob Wheeler wrote:
That should have been 1980, not 1970 -- I'm not quite that old. I don't think the comparison with 8-track is fair. I have tried the new stuff. It's better in some ways, but not in all. I have a Paramount that weighs 21 lb.. I doubt that changing a few components will shave much off that. I have a touring bike with a low gear of 23 inches, and a nice set of even shifts up to a top gear of 92 inches. The shifting on the new stuff is crisp, but as I said not earth shattering. It hardly justifies a complete remake. I have no idea about the amount of tinkering that is required to keep these things running. It would be nice if they were maintenance free, but I suspect not. So if you want to keep that Paramount running in comparable-to-original condition, you need to lay hands on a supply of 5 or 6-speed freewheels, as appropriate. Sheldon Brown (Harris Cycles - http://sheldonbrown.com/harris) stocks them. You can basically buy everything else the bike might need as a replacement part. Chains, cables, brake blocks, tires, bearings -- current production stuff is available for all of that. You have a classic, enjoy it in its original condition. |
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