cafzali

The NADA puts the share of mountain bikes at about 25 percent of the overall market (as of 2013), so it's not huge. One of the things that's going to keep the proliferation of discs from being an industry-wide phenomenon is the fact that the bike industry itself is very fragmented. Couple that with the fact that different fragments want different things.

This is why I think the more valuable consumers (i.e. those with higher demographics who buy higher-end road bikes) will have the ultimate say in the road market. They're the customer the manufacturers want most because they represent the highest margins. If they were screaming for discs, it would be a done deal, but they're not.

Stucky

[sigh] Why must it always be you?

Simply read the Kindle EULA.

And here are a few items to show that they really do it:
https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/te...azon.html?_r=0

Why Amazon is within its rights to remove access to your Kindle books | ZDNet

You do not own the "books" you download for Kindle. You do not ultimately own your Kindle- Amazon does; and they can completely control access and content.

If ignorance were blessed, you'd be a saint.

UnfilteredDregs

So, in your esteemed opinion Amazon protecting publishing rights = Censorship & editing. Keep smoking dat crack.

Jax Rhapsody

No, he's right, we've been discussing that on Literotica for about two years now.

UnfilteredDregs

No it's not right, Amazon isn't censoring or editing anything.

They grant a perpetual license for unlimited use of published material upon purchase.

Jax Rhapsody

It mostly depends on the genre- they have a thing against erotica, though, I may be confusing them with B&N.

Stucky

So then, if you purchased a regualr hard-copy book, and there was a legal issue at some time between it's author/publisher/seller/whatever, instead of them settling it in court, you of course wouldn't mind if they just barged into your home and removed the book?

Or if you lent a book to a friend, of course you wouldn't mind if the publisher came and took away your reading glasses so that you couldn't read anymore books?

And it's not just erotica (Actually, that never even occurred to me)- They've been known to delete or change politically-incorrect/controversial content; facts in reference works; etc. They track what you own; what you read... And they can arbitrarily shut you down if they just THINK you've violated the terms and conditions.....

UnfilteredDregs

Tin foil futures are up, I'm in!

hueyhoolihan

ran across this today...

this is what i was envisioning. and someone, not surprisingly has already done it. someday we'll change our ideas about effort vs. speed vs. enjoyment and realize they are all variables that we can control regardless of terrain once we divorce the source of the power from it's application. when that happens something like this may be the result.

bt

you guys are still doing this?

hueyhoolihan

^^^

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...vi4YtUTxo#t=58

bt

Cntcasey

Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best disc road bikes for 2015

My question is this. Are disc brake road bikes with through axles and shimano flat mounts the future of road bikes?

Shimano offers streamlined disc brake mounting for road bikes | Bicycle Retailer and Industry News

kamalx

i remember what it was like to want a new bike. exciting...

prathmann

At least this appears to place the front calipers significantly above the axle instead of directly behind it. With the brake pads directly behind the front axle application of the brake results in the reaction force on the rotor tending to push the wheel downward and out of the dropout. No problem IF the quick release is securely fastened and the dropout has so-called 'lawyer lips' but I prefer that something so critical not depend on the user never making a mistake - especially if a simple engineering change could make it safer. The above design looks like such a change.

Cntcasey

How do disc brakes change the design of road bike wheels? | CyclingTips

Cntcasey

"I just started riding last year pretty seriously to lose weight. I ride a Giant Escape 2 but I'm thinking of buying another bike and I want to get a road bike so I can put in longer miles. I've been looking at different bikes and I want my next bike to be a decent bike. I've told myself my budget is around $1500-$2000 or more if it the bike is worth the extra "bells and whistles." I know I want to have Shimano 105 set on the bike. I haven't decided if carbon fiber is a must or not. The other thing I'm wondering is if disc brakes are going to be the future on the bikes? I've been looking at Giant, Cannondale, Trek, and Specialized road bikes and the upper tier of my budget they have the disc brakes. Will we see less of the wheel brakes going forward and more disc brakes? I know if I get a bike with wheel brakes it's not recommended to upgrade it later to disc brakes. Any thoughts on this? I know the bottom line is to go with a bike that I'm comfortable with. I'm just looking for a bike that has the "bang for a buck." It must be my Dutch heritage in me. Thanks for your input in advance."

I am right there with you HawkeyeBike. I started biking for the same reasons as you to lose weight. I ride a Specialized Secture sport disc. It has SORA 9 speed. I want my next bike to have 11 speed 105 or higher. I have never ridden a road bike that does not have disc brakes and it appears the industry is going to disc brakes. It also appears there is a debate as to whether road disc brakes bikes should have through axles or not. I am 90% sure I want a Giant as my next bike. I really like the DEFY but I am very frustrated GIANT did not design their 2015 defy with through axles and the Shimano flat mount standard.

Shimano offers streamlined disc brake mounting for road bikes | Bicycle Retailer and Industry News

Feature: Disc brakes on road bikes - a catalyst for further innovation?

How do disc brakes change the design of road bike wheels? | CyclingTips

Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best disc road bikes for 2015

Feature: Disc brakes on road bikes - a catalyst for further innovation?

Dave Mayer

Just great. A new frame brake mounting 'standard'. And road bike stay spacing has to widen to accept the disks. Message to the bike industry: I spend way too much money on bikes and associated bling. But I will never:

1. Buy a road bike with 135mm or larger stay spacing
2. Or a bike that requires proprietary brake mounts or brake hardware
3. Or any brake system that is heavier than the Record skeleton brakes that I already have and work just fine.

sam_cyclist

I still wish mtb's came with thumb shifters. They were lighter, extremely reliable and durable and worked incredibly well.

They're objectively better in the sense also that you can avoid the exact same repetitive motions since the lever movement is a little different each time.

I supposed under bar trigger shifters are marginally more secure in the sense that your hand has to be gripped all the way around the bar to shift, but this seems like a relatively minor advantage given the numerous advantages of thumb shifters.

-

Also, the problems eliminated by a single chainring on a mtb seem to be minor to non-existent: you can avoid chainline problems very easily: what is the point of a high/low chainring/cassette combination anyway? Very few people do that unless they deliberately do so.

What difference does it make to eliminate 3 or 4 oz. of weight by eliminating 2 chainrings on a 33 lbs. full suspension bike?

These are solutions to problems which don't really exist.

-

I don't have enough experience using discs on road bikes to compare, but certain publications, such as bicycling magazine, unequivocally support discs--a strong sign of where the industry is headed, or at least of the direction where manufacturers would like us all to head in.

It seems component manuf. want to offer duplicate technology on both road and mtb's: single chainring + disk brakes.

This is why we will see 12 and then 13 speed cassettes in the near future: to accommodate single chainrings.

Disc brakes are being pushed very hard, in a less than subtle manner by the entire industry. This will push road bike prices even higher, making the sport less accessible to middle and lower income individuals and families.

Sport bicycling is a sport of the well to do already and will become increasingly so in the future.

Get dem checks!

Dave Mayer

Agree on the thumbshifters - highly functional. This is why 20 year old 7-speed XT units sell on Ebay for incredible prices.

As far as the trade publications, they are just shills for the industry. They exist to spawn and move new product. Use appropriate skepticism. Find an old copy of these rags from 1990 and be educated on how road biking is utterly dead, and how everyone needs a full suspension bike to ride around the 'hood, and why road racers need suspension forks and how titanium bolt kits will change your life etc. etc.

12 speed drivetrains. Ha ha. Sure why not... Not possible with the current stay spacing on road bikes, so this means that stays on road bikes will have to widen. Which spawns chainline and shifting issues, and decreases pedaling efficiency. But it does render wholesale previous generations of frames and wheelsets 'obsolete' so: mission accomplished!

Cntcasey

Road - KTM BIKE INDUSTRIES

Anyone have this bike or ride this bike?

I like that this bike has through axles, and the new Shimano flat mounts.

There are zero KTM dealers in Colorado where I live.

I wish Giant offered a bike like this with through axles and shimano flat mounts!

https://road.cc/content/news/123520-w...ext-2015-range