I’ve been riding mountain bikes longer than many of these paid reviewers have been on the planet. Forty years. I’ve used and abused the shittiest stuff which at the time was state of the art. State of the art in 1983 was basically cave wall paintings. Mafac cantilever brakes were museum relics when we used them. Five speed freewheels with often bent axles were the thing. 14-28 out back and 28-38-48 up front. No shift ramps at all. Every year it got better. A lot better at first. But improvements came along more slowly and in smaller increments as time past. Indexing was a big jump as were disc brakes. Droppers posts are not exactly revolutionary but they sure are a good thing. Suspension adds to the enjoyment. We’re starting to see specious improvements. Like hidden shocks and cables. How many articles tell us that internal routing is "not that bad". It’s like my mother-in-law and her cheap wine. It’s not that bad she says. Yeah. Wine Spectator reviewed this swill and stated that it wasn’t that bad. For guests that you wish would never visit again. Transmission is a bit different I think. I accept that it is likely more sturdy. I accept that it likely shifts really well. I accept and applaud the ability to replace bits and bobs that you might break. Non of these things are what I would call game changers. Suspension, disc brakes. Those were game changers. I remain sceptical that this transmission stuff is actually game changing.
March 24, 2023, 1:26 p.m. - Andy Eunson
I’ve been riding mountain bikes longer than many of these paid reviewers have been on the planet. Forty years. I’ve used and abused the shittiest stuff which at the time was state of the art. State of the art in 1983 was basically cave wall paintings. Mafac cantilever brakes were museum relics when we used them. Five speed freewheels with often bent axles were the thing. 14-28 out back and 28-38-48 up front. No shift ramps at all. Every year it got better. A lot better at first. But improvements came along more slowly and in smaller increments as time past. Indexing was a big jump as were disc brakes. Droppers posts are not exactly revolutionary but they sure are a good thing. Suspension adds to the enjoyment. We’re starting to see specious improvements. Like hidden shocks and cables. How many articles tell us that internal routing is "not that bad". It’s like my mother-in-law and her cheap wine. It’s not that bad she says. Yeah. Wine Spectator reviewed this swill and stated that it wasn’t that bad. For guests that you wish would never visit again. Transmission is a bit different I think. I accept that it is likely more sturdy. I accept that it likely shifts really well. I accept and applaud the ability to replace bits and bobs that you might break. Non of these things are what I would call game changers. Suspension, disc brakes. Those were game changers. I remain sceptical that this transmission stuff is actually game changing.