A lot of good point- no bad ones that I can see. In the U.S., most of us buy bikes for fun. The manufacturers are just giving us what we want- or what we think we want. I'll vote for more durable components and accept the weight penalty. Often the weight differential between two competing piece is about equal to a pair of sunglasses or a few Power bars.
Technology has improved. My personal opinion is 3 x 8 is good for mountain and touring, 2 x 8,9 or 10 for road. Love V-brakes. Have my first set of discs on my rigid MTB. Like the set-and-forget factor.
The three bikes I ride most are a Nashbar framed rigid MTB, a 30 year old Univega touring bike, and a 47 year old Schwinn Varsity converted to a 26" rimmed single speed coaster braked cruiser. I'm in the position that if I wanted to, I could get any bike I want, included a custom framed bike with the highest end components that are only available to astronauts.
It would be stupid to fork out the bucks. Love my three riders.
My buddy isgoing through hard times. He sold his higher-end road bike, had his FS MTB stolen. We found a GT Outpost from the 80's by the trash. Swapped out the busted 6 speed rear rim for a dumpster-sourced 7 speed item. A front shifter from one of my old bikes and two used tires from my pile completed the project. Total outlay: $8.00. It's a fun bike to ride. A lot more fun than than pouring over magazines looking at bikes we can't afford.
Last edited by Flying Merkel; 11-01-11 at 07:13 PM.