I’m with you, though I’ll admit maybe I am just not totally understanding the ‘argument’. I don’t buy new bikes because I need a new standard. I buy a new bike because of a killer feature(s). Incidentally there may be some new standards that are part and parcel of the components, but I would have been happy with whatever was attached in addition to to the aforementioned feature(s) that drove my selection.
I tend to wonder how much geometry updates are the biggest driver of purchases. For instance, I just moved from a 2018 Slash to a ‘21 Slash. Key feature? Longer geo. It \*happens\* to have a much better shock, in-frame storage, and a bigger SP diam, but that’s not related to standards. Prior to that I had a Remedy 29. I moved to the Slash for more aggressive geo as well. Prior to that, SB66. I was the last in my riding circle to roll on 26” hoops. It too was a longer bike than the one before it - a Diamondback Mission which was \*really\* short. And so on.
What if we flip it around: which legacy standards would one PREFER over what we have today? I can’t think of any. Adios, quill stems, square taper BBs, 135 spacing, 26” wheels, and friction shifting!
Aug. 30, 2021, 3:46 p.m. - Dan
I’m with you, though I’ll admit maybe I am just not totally understanding the ‘argument’. I don’t buy new bikes because I need a new standard. I buy a new bike because of a killer feature(s). Incidentally there may be some new standards that are part and parcel of the components, but I would have been happy with whatever was attached in addition to to the aforementioned feature(s) that drove my selection. I tend to wonder how much geometry updates are the biggest driver of purchases. For instance, I just moved from a 2018 Slash to a ‘21 Slash. Key feature? Longer geo. It \*happens\* to have a much better shock, in-frame storage, and a bigger SP diam, but that’s not related to standards. Prior to that I had a Remedy 29. I moved to the Slash for more aggressive geo as well. Prior to that, SB66. I was the last in my riding circle to roll on 26” hoops. It too was a longer bike than the one before it - a Diamondback Mission which was \*really\* short. And so on. What if we flip it around: which legacy standards would one PREFER over what we have today? I can’t think of any. Adios, quill stems, square taper BBs, 135 spacing, 26” wheels, and friction shifting!