Everything in this piece speaks to me - thanks Mike.
Everything except the lament towards in-frame storage. There are certainly better and worse examples here, but I've never experienced a storage door failure of any kind on my bikes for the last +5 years (Specialized). It's one of those things you never want to be without after you've had one for a while. Not wearing a pack of any kind is the best ride enhancing thing I've done in a long time. I do wish they were a bit more waterproof.....
It bugs me how difficult it's getting finding a properly spec'd bike WITHOUT any batteries on it. I'm so tired of the claims of superior performance, when it's these electronic systems that are breaking down on the trail at an alarming rate - far more frequently than any other system on the bike. I see more electronic derailleur related failures than flat tires these days. Don't get me started on how ridiculously big and heavy the Transmission derailleurs are. It's like we're surprised that failures arise when hanging a massive electromechanical device off a spindly little bit of aluminum in an incredibly abusive environment. Weird!
June 27, 2024, 4:07 p.m. - Ryan Walters
Everything in this piece speaks to me - thanks Mike. Everything except the lament towards in-frame storage. There are certainly better and worse examples here, but I've never experienced a storage door failure of any kind on my bikes for the last +5 years (Specialized). It's one of those things you never want to be without after you've had one for a while. Not wearing a pack of any kind is the best ride enhancing thing I've done in a long time. I do wish they were a bit more waterproof..... It bugs me how difficult it's getting finding a properly spec'd bike WITHOUT any batteries on it. I'm so tired of the claims of superior performance, when it's these electronic systems that are breaking down on the trail at an alarming rate - far more frequently than any other system on the bike. I see more electronic derailleur related failures than flat tires these days. Don't get me started on how ridiculously big and heavy the Transmission derailleurs are. It's like we're surprised that failures arise when hanging a massive electromechanical device off a spindly little bit of aluminum in an incredibly abusive environment. Weird!