General Cycling Discussion - Rant - Tool Free Mounts

So I've been noticing that many bike accessory manufactures have been going the way of "tool free" attachments and mounts (mounting brackets) of late (think lights, cyclocomputers, etc). Most commonly, this is where they replace the tried-and-true SCREW with some combination screw and tool (that you can usually turn with your fingers) or a glorified rubber band.

Am I the only one that finds it frustrating as all hell I can't find small simple mounts that use an old fashioned screw!?!
I mean these tool free mounts are such a step backwards!

They are usually larger (often taking up real estate that I don't have on my handlebar or seatpost), heavier, and you can't get them as tight as the old screw based mounts (go figure … torque produced by my fingers vs a screwdriver).

I mean how lazy have we gotten as a society!? Is getting/using a screwdriver really that troublesome we need tool free mounts?

The only argument I can see for the tool free mounts is from quick release standpoint (being able to add/remove without tools). But given that the old versions usually had a means to detach the object being mounted (ex headlight or tailight) I don't think this argument has much merit.
I kind of liked leaving the mount on the bike. Then when I needed to attached the actual headlight the mount was already there for me ... attached TIGHTLY where I wanted it.

Ahhh ... progress. :mad:

disposable society. sucks dunnit.

That's a good observation.

It's like nobody knows how to use a screwdriver and a pair of pliers anymore.

Mankind is the only living breathing creature on this earth that uses tools, so it seems like a step backwards on the evolutionary scale.

Along those same lines , I have two other pet peeves:

1)Nobody smokes anymore, so if you need a lighter to make a campfire to stay warm (in an emergency), send smoke signals, or cook, nobody has a cigarette lighter.

2) Ninety percent of the canned food in the supermarket has those "pull-tops".
I think they are dangerous and expose my/your hand to a deadly sharp , metal edge.
Hey, people commit suicide by slicing their wrists, you could slice your own wrists by ACCIDENT just opening a can to feed the cat.
What happened to the can opener? The can opener was (along with the lightbulb and the bicycle) one of the great inventions of the 19th century.


FEMA says you should have should have an emergency kit:


Emergency Kit:
(minimum)

A screwdriver, a wrench, and a pair of pliers

A flashlight and a radio

A lighter and a can opener

- And your damned Ipod doesn't tune to AM radio.

That's a good observation.

It's like nobody knows how to use a screwdriver and a pair of pliers anymore.

Mankind is the only living breathing creature on this earth that uses tools, so it seems like a step backwards on the evolutionary scale.

.
That's not true at all. Have you ever watched an anteater at work? There are many other examples of animals using tools as well. I know what you were trying to say though

That's not true at all. Have you ever watched an anteater at work? There are many other examples of animals using tools as well. I know what you were trying to say though

Yes, I knew some-one was going to bring that up. There are animals that use sticks to poke into ant-hills to get ants out to eat, crows do that too.

Well, okay, you know what I was trying to say.

Yes, I knew some-one was going to bring that up. There are animals that use sticks to poke into ant-hills to get ants out to eat, crows do that too.

Well, okay, you know what I was trying to say.
yeah, I've just always gotta be a smart a** ;) What I didn't say was I have mixed feelings about the tool free mounts. My CatEye headlight has one and it is nice if I need to adjust it while riding. Of course, if it had a better mount I might not have to...

yeah, I've just always gotta be a smart a** ;) What I didn't say was I have mixed feelings about the tool free mounts. My CatEye headlight has one and it is nice if I need to adjust it while riding. Of course, if it had a better mount I might not have to...
Exactly! With a properly tightened screw ... your headlights mount wouldn't move. And at worst, would require a little re-tightening at the end of the season (which is much better than the tool-free version's required pre-ride, mid-ride, and post-ride re-tightening)

I've got one for you...

I'm a person who is basically long on patience and methodical in my ways.

I've worked with blinkies with simplified mounts. It isn't often that I'm successful in mounting the blinkies to the specific places on my bicycle. Thanks to legal blindness and Glaucoma, I can't see well enough to manipulate the screws, nuts and whatever in order to attach the blinkies properly. Thus, I often need to have someone else do it.

As if that weren't enough, the blinkies then wouldn't work. FRUSTRATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been seeing a number of devices using quick release mounts.

Advantage: Easy to get the proper tension, and if the QR cam is enginereed correctly (as SB's website shows), it will stay on.

Disadvantage: Thieves, vandals, and other two-legged vermin will yank mounts off.