I totally agree. This economy that requires infinite growth, instead of just making what people need with some extra luxuries thrown in, is a disaster.

I wanna go back to times when we could fix things

In 1980, when I was about 22 years old, I had a fully Custom frame built for me. I am 6 feet 4 inches tall. Columbus tubing, built by a local builder here in the Minneapolis MN area. $325,with custom Dupont Imron paint (bright metallic blue). I hung all the parts myself, gradually upgrading one piece at a time, for the first few years. That bike lasted me my entire lifetime. I am too old and in such sad shape that I can no longer ride. But that bike is still in perfect shape. I raced it in criteriums, in road races, in long touring, and on heavy training rides. I did the Ragbrai twice on it, and more Centuries than I can count. I rode it for nearly 40 years. It never broke, never left me stranded, and never once did I have to pay somebody to work on it for me (except for having wheels built). I'm going to sell it soon, for more than I have invested in it. For you young people going into years of debt to buy some electronic shifting, hydraulically braked monstrosity that costs as much as a used Toyota Camry, there is a lesson there, if you can hear it. Equipment snobbery will sap your soul. -ride well and most importantly: HAVE FUN

It is a universal problem. I spent 31 years as an engineer and engineering manager in a "major US aerospace company". I was never not being pressured from above to improve my team's processes and products. Even though I could show metrics that proved that the customer was satisfied with the status quo and that the drive for continuous improvement was actually a drag on employee satisfaction, and sometimes a drag on quality/safety of the finished product.

A lot of Western consumerism can be summed up by the title of the 90's album by 4 Non Blondes. "Bigger, Better, Faster, More!"

It’s simply bike fashion marketing. The clothing “problem” was also solved long ago.

What's really interesting is that the Chinese companies coming out with electronic groupsets just let you use them with 7-12 speeds, because there's no reason they shouldn't be able to shift any number of gears as it's just a motor moving a certain distance when you push a button, but Shimano wants you to rebuy everything every time they add more speeds. There's probably no reason that currently Di2 couldn't shift a 13 speed cassette with a firmware upgrade, but that would mean people don't have to buy so much more stuff.

You nailed it. About 10 years ago I downgraded to 8 speeds with friction shifting. Strangely liberating!

More gears = narrower chains = quicker wear and tear = replace more often = pay more moneys

Wider tire clearance on road bikes is a valuable change that I don’t think has peaked.

I'm happy with 11 speed. I doubt I will be moving past that for a while. I wish they improved their 11 speed groupsets and officially supported more crossover between mtn and gravel components.

I’m a bike guide and I am constantly dealing with clients who show up with the latest and greatest bike they’ve rented. I’m supposed to teach them how to shift the latest sram, shimano, classified or campy gears that I have never seen before; sometimes the gears need micro adjusting - no idea. Internal routed cockpits that cannot be adjusted to fit the rider who rides at an average speed under 25 kms/hr so no aero advantage despite all the frustration. Hookless rims and tubeless tires - with tubes (on road bikes) that no human can remount if hands are cold or wet; even in good conditions I can only remount a few tires a week or my hands start bleeding - I guess there is a tool for that I’ll have to buy. Thanks for making this video Russ.

Working in the industry, I’ve enjoyed plenty of innovations without issue but paying ANY amount (let alone pro-level costs) for something that’s going to be irrelevant in 1-2 years makes me feel insane. Happy with my 2x10 mechanical and fixed gears.

I totally agree with you. For decades I have watched the bicycle industry lead consumers by the nose towards the next shiny object. Wake up people, it's not the bike, it is what you do with it. Go out and ride whatever you have and enjoy the activity. I am intrigued by the Buffalo Bike but that is a bit too basic for me.

What Grant Petersen has been saying since… forever.

Nine-speed was the pinnacle of gears. It has a wide enough range, but narrow enough steps to provide a usable, reliable set-up for almost all riders. I will not be taking any questions on this subject.

3x7 26”er here, still satisfying no app or batteries needed thank heavens. MBSA make bicycles simple again

I bought lots of Campy 10 speed parts for cheap after 11 speed came out. I am still riding them in 2024, metal cable and rim brake.

Still on 2x10s on my road bike and my commuter. I never felt like I needed more gears.

I'm pleased that someone is questioning the hyperconsumer madness being marketed by the industry. For this 72 yr-old retro-grouch, of my 9 bikes, only one bike is now more than 8 speed, and all are being dumbed down to friction shift as their aging index shifters become irreparable. On our latest, just-completed tour thru northern Italy/Austria, other cycle tourists on "modern" equipment seemed amazed that anyone could still tour on a 40-year-old touring machine (my bike parked in Italy is a Cannondale ST-500 from Cannondale's first year of bike production). Just show some love to your old bikes and they'll return a lifetime of joy in the saddle.

So last week I had a bit of trouble with my front derailleur on my bike's triple chain ring. I tried to adjust it. I did not fix it. I began to think that maybe the manufacturers were right about ditching the front derailleur. Then I watched a 3 minute video on how to adjust your front derailleur. I did. It's fine again. I read the comments to your video. Most agree with you. It might be a good idea for some independent bike manufacturer to just sell a bike with the old stuff on it. I bet they would sell a lot of bikes.

Yep. Attended a group ride yesterday where one rider had to immediately turn back from the start because his electronic shifting was dead. It was hard not to laugh out loud.

Russ you are not alone! Many of us are suffering from the GFS Gear Fatigue Syndrom. I am working on an article for the Pschyrembel 😉 because its so frustrating and a thing that we need like a wart in the crack.... and finally we saw a decline of quality in Equipment with lower gears like the old XT and XTR with 9 speeds wich I personally loved the most and wich are harder to find every year.

The best drivetrain I have used for MTB was Shimano XT 1996. 8x3. Worked perfekt. Good shifters etc. The 3x9 and 3x10 XT also works fine. But not as good as the 3x8. The newer stuff seems to be intended for indoor/road use. Then used in the norwegian muck we have around here, the new, more narrow stuff cloggs up resulting in poor shifting performance. Not to mension electric shifting... Yeah, welcome to norwgeian autum... Wet, sub-zero, mud, ice... Another indoor idea. And prices has exploded. Looked at a 12x cassette (not the most expencive one): 120€. Ridiuculs.

Thank you for covering this. Its a real problem for the industry and consumers. Higher cost, less durable, difficult and costly to get spares = more new sales. If we cared about the environment we'd all stop at anything 10 speed or less.

I rode the Paris-Brest-Paris in 1991 successfully on just a six sprocket freewheel. No problem riding up the 'Wall of Brittany'. I'm riding a seven now and it handles nearly all riding situations. We have more than enough gears. I agree more range would be better than more sprockets. Enjoyed the video as always.

Still riding 9 speed Sora on my gravel bike and it shift just fine.

Money, money, money, all is about money😂

Agreed. All this enshitification is also hard on smaller bike shops. Many can't afford keep up with the ever changing parts and tooling required to service everything on the market, further stratifying the industry into haves and have nots.

I've already snapped 2x 12 speed chains since upgrading, something that rarely ever happens in the 30+ years of cycling. I found the perfect setup to be a 3x10 mountain triple with an 11-36 cassette. I get all the range and none of the broken chains.

You totally nailed it. Thank you for being outspoken about this.

100% spot-on! I pressed the like button after the first minute, before I even watched any more. The truth is, very few people need more than a tight 8 speed cassette. Most day to day bike users are not gravel nerds, bikepacking weirdos or the marketing favourites... weekend warriors or "racers". Yet the whole cycling world's marketing strategies are based around the latter group, who typically pay more for extras on their must have audis or bmws than they do on food for their kids. Most regular folk just don't bother with the latest nonsense, we just buy what we want and/need for a reasonable price. Therefore we don't need to be "sold" such nonsense as the AI auto-carbon 15 speed one-by titancockamatic bs. We would ignore it too of we could, but the issues arise when we just want to replace worn out parts from our actually used bikes, only to be told that that ancient auld part is no longer stocked... but how about "upgrading to..."

I'm happy with my 15 years old 3x9. You can basically always shift down with your front derailleur, if you have to. I'm mixing Sram and Shimano components and they work perfectly together. Everything is standardized. Thanks for your opinion!

I am very much with you on this and appreciate your opinion pieces. Most of my bikes are DT friction shifters (bar ends just dont work with my legs) and I want to work on my bikes without having to get out an app. Mechanical shifting is where it's at for me. Unless someone let's me try their electronic shifting setup, I will never get one of those.

This guy is spot on. At this point, for road bikes, 11-speed is probably the peak of bicycle gearing. It has a massive selection of gear options, available in mechanical and electronic, and rim and disc. SRAM 11-speed has cassette options of 11-25 up to 11-32 with three common chainring options for 2x. Shimano offers 11-25 up to 11-34 with the same common chainring options. There were 2-3 additional chainring options if you wanted. And there is 1x too. Everyone should be able to find an optimal gear range with 11-speed. If you need something easier than 34-32 or 34-34 you are probably riding on terrain you shouldn't be on. The only advantage to 12-speed might be a "cleaner" chainline if you know gear ratios.

I totally agree. I still use triple, rim brakes and pannies. 7 speed is enough, even I use 10 speed with downtube friction sifters.

13 speed groupsets are really the biggest bull shit ever! The only reason this is done is to make everything more expensive again.

Get a Rohloff Hub and stop thinking about gears. Perfect for everything except light road bikes.

The industry keeps shooting itself in the foot and wondering why no one's buying bikes anymore.

The opposite of enshitification is regilding . . . Like my regilded Kona 1989 Cinder Cone turned from an old frame into a non-proprietory urban/off-roader/tourer/do-it-all/8 speed/V-brake super bike. A 34 year old delight! Looks like new, rides like old. After all, analogue rules, ok! Keep up the good work and keep the faith, Russ! Us oldies will be over the mountain and on our way with the technos left behind in a welter of broken narrow chains, mismatched parts and dead batteries. And we’ll find ways to adapt the enshitted in our Mad Max future . . . Which is why I’m an 80 year old devoted follower of your channel. Keep up the good work and well done!

I would love to see a video about 9 speed compatibility. In the good old days of 9 speed, could you put an XT rear derailleur and cassette on a 9 speed road bike? Are 9 speed road and mountain shifters interchangeable? Lets keep the old standers alive!

I don't understand why the big companies are not bringing out a belt drive system. A thirteen gear groupset is not needed, more expensive to buy, weaker chain and change for change sake

I agree 100%. Not a racer and still riding old tech.

BRAVO! My go to ride is a 1972 Raleigh 3 Speed Sports. I have 3 more in the shed for parts if the unlikely happens and it wears out! My road bike is an early 80’s Centurion LeMans that I had powder coated. A very supple steel ride with 2x7 down tube friction shifters.

2x7 is my 13-speed killer. :)

I agree, Russ. I currently have 2x9 speed friction, 10 speed XT, 11 speed SRAM and 12 speed SLX. They all work great (the SLX shifts really well, actually), but I am definitely more worried about hanger alignment and durability with the higher number of cogs. 9 speed friction is bombproof, and honestly the best shifting groupset I've ever had is Dura-Ace 7800. No need for more than that. Also, another recent issue with compatibility I had is that the "new" Shimano bottom brackets have a smaller outside diameter for no discernable reason, so I had to purchase a new bottom bracket tool. I guess tool companies need a piece of the action, too.

Went back to 7 speed wheel and cassette on my commuter drop bar converted 90's tange steel mtb, bombroof and affordable. My 90's titanium mtb has always had 7 speed with a Middleburn triple crankset. Just ordered some more NOS 90's parts to keep them running sweetly.

So I bought a handbuilt Dawes Super Galaxy back in 1990, with a couple of my first pay cheques.... now in retirement I keep thinking of getting a new bike, but I can't bring myself to pull the trigger on it as I can't really see much of an advantage except perhaps a Kg or two in weight. The main reason for me to stay with what I got is maintenance on the road - it is simple to maintain and no matter where I am I'm confident I can fix my bike. Most likely I'll go with a Brompton folding bike and the main reason is being able to use any kind of public transport when I'm on my adventures. The new 12 speed versions seem to be just right and come a solid use case over buying another full size bike. So yes there is a lot of sense to what you say, although it probably won't be popular with some.

Bike component manufacturers need to follow the same path as paper towel and tissue paper manufacturers. Just like there is always somebody who needs a tissue or paper towel for something, there will always be people who need a bicycle for something. No need to try to reinvent perfection. As a result, I'm converting my bike to a 1x8. At 48 years old, I've figured out that's all I need to have a great ride.

i am fine with just 8s but i would love to have bigger gear range. i know 11-46t casette is possible with 8s but i would like even more gear range from that casette.

Adding more gears? Back in 1989 we had 21 speed MTBs (3x7) , 35 years later 2024 MTBs have only 12 (1x12)

You are right !all cables work,in the 80s i fixed and mixed of suntour pro vs shimano xt shifter,solid 7speed shifting,can't fix dead electric shifting,I've only just changed to 11/1 on 29in shifting from 9/3 on 26in

For me I’d be concerned about shifting accuracy and chains being more prone to stretching and needing more regular replacement…

I've been doing a lot of thinking and I've come up with the solution to all of my problems in life. 14 gears and 6 chainrings up front, that should do it.

I really hate the motto that many corporations have adopted, which is, “If you’re not thriving; you’re dying.” Which goes against the reason why many people got into bicycles in the first place. Bicycles are supposed to be fun,simple, rideable machines to get around to do every day things.

5 speed Sturmey Archer here, and with a drum break. Doing fine 😊

I agree 100%. I am NOT a luddite, but I DO NOT want Di2, Disk Brakes or BlueTooth upgrades and other planned obsolesce, etc on my road bike. 10 or 11 speed mechanical shifiting is the maximum of what I need. I do like carbon aero frames. I am going to keep my current bike for as long as possible.

Totally agree. Our problem as a consumer is compatibily between components as you rightly said it.

Who needs 13 speed? (Looking at my 27 speed old 26er MTB) 😂

I also agree. Back in 2004, I bought a second-hand Ciant Cadex CFR frame, which I built up as a TT bike by using as adjustable stem. First I had 9 speed, which I upgraded to 10 speed (all I had to do was changing the insert oft the Campagnolo barend-shifter), and finally switched to 11 speed in 2020 (again I only had to modify the barend-shifter by making a groove where the shifting cable runs over, as the shifter itself offers 11 positions). This bike made (and still makes) a lot of fun to ride, even with also oldschool wheels, first a Capagnolo Shamal 12-HPW Titanium wheel set, then an (also used) HED Trispoke front wheel and a HED 3D disc rear wheel, completed with a used Specialized Trispoke rear wheel (150 Euro in 2005) and a Mavic Cosmic Carbone SSC front wheel in 2009, the only new wheels I ever bought were two Carbon front wheels, a DT Swiss ARC Dicut 62 and 80 (2022 and 2020); the 80 I can only ride together with the rear disc wheel, otherwise the ride is like a ride on a cannonball. The problem is many riders think that they will be faster on a new bike, but it is like in the Formula 1: without a sufficient engine, a good chassis is worth nothing. Already last year, I had to switch from a modified 11-23 11 speed to 11-21 ten speed with 11speed spacing by using an also modified 19/21 spiderarm from the 11-30 Ultegra cassette (I filed down the large nose from the inside profile to be able to turn it one position clockwise, so the shifting ramps are again in one line, so I still can use the 21 spocket in combination with the big ring in front) together with a 1.85mm spacer normally required for 10speed cassettes on 11speed freehubs, as whyever the 11speed cassettes were not made compatible with 8-10speed freehubs in combination with a spacer if used on a 11speed freehub, so for upgrading some pepole had to buy new rear wheels, which is now again the case (e.g. with the new Sram cassettes with a 10-teeth spocket as smallest). I will never need 12+x-speed groupsets - I don’t need such large spockets (since I started 32 years ago, I always rode with low cadences, uphill 50-70, on short, step clibs also below 40 with the big ring and the 21 spocket), and the new derailleurs are so ugly, I would not use them even if I got them as a gift.

If you buy vintage and build your own bikes then you can choose to use 7, 8, or 9 speed. The parts are still being produced and they will save you a ton of money. Luckily, almost all good bike parts are still in production right now.

More range in gearing would be nice. I’ll stick to my 1x commuter and gravel bike.

I’m a senior citizen and I like a lot of the new tech. I just bought a bike with carbon frame and rims, hydraulic disks and electronic shifting. And I love that stuff. It’s a 1x12 but I’m pretty sure I’d be happy with 1x10 or even 1x9. 13 just sounds like too much shifting 😀. My town/road bike is now 1x10, and taking off the front mech was the best thing I did. Quieter, smoother, and should last forever.

Beyond chain incompatibility issues is the chain fragility issue. "Back in the day", *no one* worried about breaking a chain on a ride or tour. It basically didn't happen, even if it was last removed for some reason using a nail and a rock. Now, it is a relatively common thing to be concerned about, especially in the 1X-gear trains where the chain is constantly flexed to the max both ways. While it may make sense for racers and those to wish to emulate them, more riders are probably better served with a 2X or 3X gear train with a 8-speed rear that accommodates the stronger 5- to 8-speed chain.

I can't agree more with you, sadly we live in a capitalist world, where companies will grow indefinitely, profit eventually becomes the only metric. Kudos to you for standing out and saying this out loud!

I still don't understand the war on multiple chainrings. We had all the needed gear range already 30 years ago.

I will say that the one aspect of bikes that has improved over the last twenty years, and that could still use more improving going forward, is ergonomics and bike fit. For example, why did it take Shimano so long to figure out that adjustable reach road levers are desirable? They are going backwards even in bike fit, though. My 157cm tall girlfriend is not about to let go of her 26" wheeled mountain bike because nothing new fits her half as well.

Cory Dotorow reference! Love it. Just came back from our club's annual 'vintage lugs' ride on my mid-range, late 80s steel framed road bike with 2x6. The bike is still delightful to ride and on the rolling terrain of SW Ontario, really gives up little to my more modern, carbon Ultegra 2x10 bike for non-competive riding.

9s was peak, change my mind

14 speed here on my Rohloff with a non-dished wheel 🙂

This same arguement has been going on since freewheels were replace by freehubs, x-speed was replaced by X+1-speed, steel was replaced by aluminum, etc.

Absolutely agree. I started mountain biking in the early 90s and by the early 2000s most of the problems had been solved: proper forks with separate air/coil springs and dampers existed, same with rear shocks. Suspension geometry had improved dramatically. Rim brakes had given way to hydraulic disc brakes. Gears worked about as well as they do now, albeit with a couple fewer steps in the cassettes. Everything since then has been very much incremental. Road bikes are simpler and have been perfectly good for longer. Now they just weigh a bit less and are a bit more aerodynamic. I guess moving away from downtube shifters was good, and maybe disc brakes, but really, compared to MTBs, the difference is less critical because rim brakes don’t destroy your wheels as fast on the road.

gear technology peaked at 10 speed

I loved the move to 1x drivetrains but yeah surprised they 'need' more than 12. That's a great drivetrain, it blew me away having used a 3x7 my whole life the amount of range it had with a single front cog. I now have a 10 and 12 - I do top out the 10 regularly, rarely the 12 and that's with a pretty small front cog so there's significant headroom if I wanted to go faster than 40kph on a dual suspension trail bike for some reason. Can't imagine a scenario where you need to go faster without being able to handle a slightly less ludicrous crawler gear.

I sure hope automatic shifting is never permitted in competition.

I am right now in Corsica (Fuzzi1002), 1800km behind me.... And I use a 3x8 Drivetrain A NOW8 BAZO 11-32 8Speed Cassette ( perfekt Shimano XT copy😊), 2Gen. LX Crank 22/32/42 1Gen. XTR Rear derailleur, 1Gen. XT Front derailleur with thumb shifters And what do I miss 😊? Nothing, really nothing at all... I get all the Gears that I want....

To make everything more expensive, more fragile, and less maintainable.

The introduction of electronic shifting was such a great opportunity to increase compatibility, since number of cogs and cog distances are all in software now. There really should be only one derailleur for all electronic drivetrains. But of course, component manufacturers want to sell components, so.....meh

Shimano 12 speed here, Xt rear mech, XT shifter, SLX cassette and Deore chain. It is fine when its working ok, but is a pita to sync properley as the tolerances are so close. When it's worn out, i will go back to 11 or 10 speed.

This was brutal, and I'm here for it. Every word. Glad to be a patreon. So when are you going to do one of the caminos de santiago on bike?

Totally agree, another cycling channel has recently been invited to an all expenses paid trip to test the latest update of a high end bike from an Italian producer. They raise similar questions, and have not been afraid to compare “Cheaper £500 bikes” to mounts costing ten times as much. As an aside was recently caught by a guy on a Pincolgnwiller, I sat on his wheel for next 10 miles until my turn off. He didn’t want to speak to me when I tried to ride alongside, hence my wheel sucking. Maybe the fact I was born in the fifties and I was riding a flat bar 29 inch mtb without suspension and had no power meter, garmin and wasn’t wearing black had something to do with it.

You are what I was called when full sus bikes came out and I thought they were un-needed by anyone other than racers. I was called a "Retro Grouch". This was a name a wore with honor, and still do today! Long live the Retro Grouch! All that said, I totally agree with you!

I already have 14-speeds. Have had this for over 12 years now on my Thorn Nomad MkII (Rohloff-equipped). The gear range is tremendous for loaded camping tours in the mountains, and even now these new fangled 1x bikes with their single ring are only barely able to get the range of the Rohloff, and with a whole lot more chain wear and derailleur system exposure to the elements and risk of damage .

Built a Straggler with a 1x11 Sram Force Mech, I realize I really don't need much more

Nah, the more gears the more fragile the components specially the chain...another innovation nobody needs and asked for

What keeps grinding my gears (no pun intended) is the absolutely ridiculous cassette gearing nowadays. No normal cyclist needs those tiny 11 tooth and 13 tooth cogs (at least with anything but 1x gearing). Even with a small 42 tooth largest chainring in the front I never need those cogs. I could literally swap my 9 speed gearing for 7 speed without losing anything, if they had a 15-34 or 14-34 cassette. They did make at least 13-34 cassettes in the 90s. Nowadays 14-34 gearing for 7 speed does exist, but only is sold as a freewheel.

My street bike is 38 years old and I opted to stick with 2x8speed during my latest upgrade of new cranks/bb that replaced the original ones.

Still running Shimano M8000 11 speed drive train. Only upgraded from 9 to 10 and then to 11 is because the older parts are harfer to find. I don't miss trying to align a front derailleur tho...... If you do the math, a 1X12 and a 3X9 drive train are almost identical.

I agree 100%. I’ve got an upgraded 1983 Fuji Team (steel) and I’m not racing, but on the greenways, I can easily keep up with $6000+ carbon road bikes….. and whats hilarious is the dirty looks I get when they see this old 58 year old on a vintage bike keeping pace with them . I’m not bragging at all, cause I am definitely NOT all that, but only to make the point that my vintage Fuji is still able to get down to business.

I think this problem startet with 90ies MTBs: more gears in the back every 2 years, so many different headsets including proprietary solutions like Klein and Cannondale, so many seatpost diameters, suspension forks that became longer and changed geometry, rear suspension that didnt work, with all the different shock models, impossible to find spare parts vor suspension front/rear after 3 years, different disc brake standarts…the mess startet there…

Where do we go on the Web to get a better look at the paintings in the background of your studio?

I totally agree with everything you've said here. I presently have 3 bikes, an 87 bianchi 2x7, a 2013 kona sutra 3x9 and a 90's mountain bike 3x7 that I've put drop bars with tektro rl 340 brakes. Living in the northern Appalachian mountains in Quebec I do a lot of climbing, (and descending) and can always find the right gear especially when loaded for touring. I have a bike for all types of roads and trails and have still spent way less than a new 1x dedicated "gravel" bike.

The bicycle industry is desperate to give me a reason why I should spend $3k+ to replace my 1965 Raleigh Superbe city bike. I already have something that is close enough to perfection for my needs and prying $3k out of my hands for the latest bike fad is not likely to happen. Best wishes to them but they resemble hamsters running in circular cages, going nowhere.

I want the old 105

Yes, wholly agree. Especially in the wake of lots of bike brands going under. Because they've been milked dry by share holders. Also it has been inane trend how most brands have rolled out a new frame model every year or so, with only tiny changes. The over consumerism is a huge issue in bike industry.

I'm running 1x10 advent X in index but I'm going to change to friction. And mostly I use only 8 cogs out of 10.

The angrier you get, the funnier you get, in part because it’s all true and in part because you come across as such a nice guy that the implication is that it has taken a lot to get you riled. Keep it coming! Grant Peterson’s efforts to get a new derailer made shows how high a barrier to entry there is for components. If he struggles to line up manufacturing partners, what hope is there for anyone else? But there will always be a market for a decent 9sp cassette and derailer because it occupies a sweet spot. Eleven speeds are an embarrassment of riches and twelve are too finicky. Ten is kind of a black hole for some reason. We will all gather our fave analog bits in cycling, watches, cameras, and audio equipment and shout jeremiads into the wind in solidarity.

It was the same with cars, there was a point where you could, if you had the knowledge and tools, fix your own car. Now it’s virtually impossible to fix one without having to go to a garage. Specific and expensive parts are frequently required. Essentially, the basic bike is totally fixable by the owner, but with increasing use of apps and electronic components it’s going to be more difficult to work on your bike at home.

I need drivetrain with only 8 or 9 speeds. Smallest cog 8 or 9 tooth, biggest 50-52 And I need them to find a way to shift between those obviously bigger gaps between gears. I need speeds that are different from each other. Who needs 5 speeds for flat terrain? Same goes for uphill and downhill?

Bicyclists rediscover the problems with capitalism.