The New and Improved Problem. This episode is about how a company can make a perfect thing, sell loads of them, get you well and truly hooked on them, and then for no reason we can figure out either decide to change them for the worse OR just get rid of them altogether.
Music pick of the week
Robot – PJ Harvey – Rid of Me
Stevil – Boss Hog – Drinkin’, Lechin’, & Lyin’
Podcast (revolting): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:57 — 87.8MB)
No new bikes with rim brakes you say? I think the manufacturers at Crust, Rivendell, Soma and Surly would beg to differ.
Raymond, those are facts, and yet those bikes represent a vanishingly small number of the bikes available. Are they even statistically signficant?
Maybe
Stevil, you sound like a cranky, old guy, like me. Thanks for discussing the irksome planned or incidental obsolescence.
John, the bikes that you and I like probably aren’t statistically significant if one considers bicycles world wide. However that’s enough Zen pontificating for the moment.
Regarding complaining about the lack of rim brake bikes this seems similar to being disappointed that most newer motorcycles are no longer equipped with drum brakes. Sure there are some still available and drum brakes work okay, but disc brakes in both arenas are superior. That said, I began using hydraulic disc brakes on my mountain bikes in ’99 and have never missed V’s or cantis for even a split second.
I would like to include Black Mountain Cycles’s Monstercross into the rim brake conversation. Sure, no one here cares but it’s a great bike that I believe comes stock w Paul Minomotos.
https://blackmtncycles.com/monstercross-frames/