General Cycling Discussion - It's not the Auto-bike

But it's got an automatic transmission.

SHimano wants to make your riding much more simpler by making the bike much more complex.

Check it...

http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,45788,00.html

I read about tha P.O.S bike in my Popular Science mag. Man, what the heck is ShimaNO's problem!!!:mad:

I think its a great bike, or atleast a good idea! I personly would not want one, but my grandma would ride this bike! I have quite a few more comments about this bike, I'll have to post about this later, running out the door :)

I don't want to automate my bike in any way. I trust my legs totally, and I don't want them to feel neglected.

Chris

Gee, it costs, what, an extra $1000 or so, and adds 1 lb to the bike?Sonds like a REAL winner, there! :rolleyes:
I'm sure all us roadies will be breaking down the doors at the local Shimano store to get one!!!:D

Yeah, but, Joe, would your grandma spend $1200 for a bike? That was my point. It is definitely an interesting techno whizbang, but the people who could benefit from simpler riding through technology are unlikely to spend that much on ANY bicycle. It just seems like a product with a questionable market.
:confused:

<RANT>

I love this quote from the Sh!tmano guy
"It's electronic, and it's very swift," said Geraci. "Usually when you shift gears with your thumb you either over- or under- shift, which is not so accurate. This is very seamless."

So, in other words, all of the BS Sh!tmano has been feeding us about how great, smooth, and efficient their index systems are is really a lie? Seems like that is what they are admitting.

The lastest issue (#88) of Dirtrag magazine has an interview w/ some Sh!tmano folks and you should hear some of the nonsense coming out of their mouths.

One day, I'll have a 100% Sh!tmano free bike, mark my words.:thumbup:

</RANT>

Yeah, my grandma would :) She's a nut case... loves to ride her 3speed bike, right from the 50's...

I also think this bike will be marketed to the everyday cyclist in Europe, where people think of bikes as everyday transportation, not toy's.

All new technology costs a lot when it comes out, wait for a few more years when this bike is in the $600 - $750 range. Im sure it will bring a lot of new people to bike riding, just as electric bikes are doing now.

Just my two cents :)

Joe, when are you going to get 1000 posts?

My fingers get tired from shifting my bike, so i cant post as much as i want too... maybe its time to get an autobike ;)

Im working on it! Im posting a few times a day, my guess is in a month. Or any time i want to go into the admin CP and alter my post count :) hah

P.S. This is #800 :)

Ah, Shimano and designed obsolescence.......

Originally posted by Joe Gardner
Or any time i want to go into the admin CP and alter my post count :) hah

P.S. This is #800 :)


You wouldn't dare!!!!

Originally posted by Paige
Ah, Shimano and designed obsolescence.......
According to the Dirt Rag interview they deny this and say it is a conspiracy theory (they seriously say that).

Everybody denies the truth. I may start using Gripshifters just to spite Shimano. They are really ticking me off. I think I'm gonna start a components compnay when I grow up. And we're going to kick the pants off Shimano.

fubar - if you do not get Dirt Rag magazine, I highly recommend you do. Not just to read the Shimano interview, but because it is truly the only MTB magazine with soul. Well worth every penny.

Well, I was going to subscribe but I left a free issue sitting around and my dad read it. He was unimpressed, my dad isn't a cyclist, so the Dirt Rag guys came off as arrogant.

Well, I've never heard any one accuse the DR guys of being arrogant. In fact, of all the bike mags I've read, MTB or otherwise, I find them to be the least arrogant. That said, it is a very open forum, they encourage all readers to submit material for publishing, so you can get many different points of view and writing styles. Which is one of the primary reasons I like it. I'm sure your dad, being a military guy, is very supportive of the freedoms of this country (free speech being one of them) and would obviously go so far as to fight for those freedoms. So, if it's necessary to get his permission for this, ask him to reconsider. With all due respect for your dad, If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to read it! :D

Disclaimer: This is supposed to be both serious and humerous, but not intended to be offensive.

I didn't think Dirt Rag was that bad myself. But my dad makes the rules so I follow them, there is no point in trying to bend them. I wouldn't even want a subscription to a mag I didn't think my dad approved of.

Good enough!

Maybe I'll send you my copy in a plain brown wrapper when I'm done with it! ;)

Originally posted by riderx
Good enough!

Maybe I'll send you my copy in a plain brown wrapper when I'm done with it! ;)

No objections here, its not a "subscription" after all.:D

One of the things I like about bikes is that they are stickly mechanical. The Shimano stuff sounds interesting but I am not really so keen to have an electronic/computer enable bike. NExt I will need to reboot my bike when it crashes, install softwre patches and worry about viruses. I works well enough as it is. I can deal with index shifting.