I love new stuff. Addressing some real or imagined problem gives me the warm fuzzies. It's almost as much fun to mull the possibilities as it is to ride. It helps that the new gear is almost always better. Occasionally more challenging to wrench, but even that can be entertaining. Still, the old gear persists. If I hanker for a 26er with a 120mm stem and an elastomer fork, I can have one for peanuts. That's it's so cheap relative to what came later isn't a product of mass delusion.
Most innovations are market-driven. "I want a light spindle and bearings that won't bite the dust at water crossings!" DUB it is. "I want short stays and stiff 29er wheels with giant cassettes!" That's Boost. The engineering isn't always up to snuff the first try (I'm looking at you, a dozen press-fit variants), but eventually they get it right. Faulting the failures is faulting them for trying.
Nov. 2, 2018, 3:56 p.m. - Alex D
I love new stuff. Addressing some real or imagined problem gives me the warm fuzzies. It's almost as much fun to mull the possibilities as it is to ride. It helps that the new gear is almost always better. Occasionally more challenging to wrench, but even that can be entertaining. Still, the old gear persists. If I hanker for a 26er with a 120mm stem and an elastomer fork, I can have one for peanuts. That's it's so cheap relative to what came later isn't a product of mass delusion. Most innovations are market-driven. "I want a light spindle and bearings that won't bite the dust at water crossings!" DUB it is. "I want short stays and stiff 29er wheels with giant cassettes!" That's Boost. The engineering isn't always up to snuff the first try (I'm looking at you, a dozen press-fit variants), but eventually they get it right. Faulting the failures is faulting them for trying.