Steve, your assertion (sadly accurate as it may be) that "everybody's moving to 10 speed or higher" only strengthens my resolve to never give in to this madness, and not only will they be prying my dead fingers off my 7-speed freewheel when they bury me, I'd like my tombstone to read "MY 10-speed is a 2x5"...
I have to laugh at myself, because my 29er mountain bike has a carbon 9-speed derailleur, hydraulic brakes and tubeless rims (although it IS steel with a steel fork, thank you), so therefore I don't qualify as a true "luddite"... But when it comes to derailleured drivetrains, the move to 10-speed and beyond will only create weaker components and lessen index shifting tolerances. This is simply moving us in the wrong direction... It's NOT going to make the riding experience better... I'm all for gearing choices, but not at the expense of making a weaker drivetrain. Gee, I was in such a good mood... the mere mention of 10 speed cassettes always brings me down... I need a good ride on my thick-chained 5 speed... On Oct 19, 3:29 pm, doug peterson <[email protected]> wrote: > Beth: > > Thank you for sharing your info from within the bike biz. It has the > cold ring of reality. Since my now 7+ year old Atlantis is my only 8 > speed bike, and everything else around here is 7, I'm stocking up on > chains. I've been collecting 7 & 8 speed cassettes off the close out > table for quite a while but a few more won't hurt. > > dougP > > On Oct 19, 12:04 pm, Beth H <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Here's a little more reality for you: > > > I spoke with a very knowledgable wholsale rep yesterday who told me > > that we should expect to see all things 8-speed fade away in perhaps > > two to three years. This is because of Mountain 10 drivetrains (10 x 2 > > or 10 x 3), which use basically the same components that road 10-speed > > systems do and are therefore easier to mass-produce for big companies > > like SRAM and Shimano. He had spoken with folks at both Shimano and > > SRAM during the Interbike show and apparently they hinted at this > > reality coming down the line. Said rep was told that continued support > > for 8-speed drivetrains was not as profitable because it required > > companies to produce two different kinds of chaincs and cassette cogs. > > Basing both road and mountain drivetrains on a 10-speed system, with > > its narrower chains and thinner cassette cogs, would simplify > > production quicky. (It would also mean more sales, since these parts > > wear out sooner; though the SRAM technician refused to comment on that > > and guy from Shimano would only hint at it in the vaguest language.) > > > Based on discussions I had two years ago when Shimano stopped making 5- > > speed freewheels and the only remaining choices were Sunrace (ick) and > > IRD (decent, but expensive), I would say that this estimate bears more > > than a shred of truth. > > > If you like 8-speed, this would be a good time to look for sales. > > Don't forget that you'll want to stock up on 8-speed compatible > > chains, too, since these will eventually fade like cassettes (though > > not quite as quickly). > > > As for me, I've got a sizable stash of refurbished five- and six-speed > > freewheels that will fit on my Phil hubs... > > Beth "I'm not paranoid, just pragmatic" Hamon- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
