Originally Posted by
noglider
I've never heard that before, and it's valuable advice. In a way, Shimano has made breaking a chain far easier than before, all so we can shift easily. Perhaps they've gone too far. Breaking a chain is more inconvenient than hard shifting is. It could lead to injury!
And yes, I'm often the straight man, but most people don't pick up on it. When I'm in class, I ask the "stupid questions" because I know what others want to ask but don't want to appear dumb. Or I ask the stupid questions because I sense when something is unclear to others.
When I teach technical classes I start by reminding students that the only stupid questions are the unasked ones. The heroes are the ones willing to say "I don't get it, please explain"
Anyway, it really isn't such a Faustian trade off. Without gated shifting, narrow 9s and 10s systems would probably not exist, and broken chains aren't an automatic consequence. New riders still have to learn to shift, just for a different reason. Having had old Regina chains and freewheels fail to engage when I needed it most before index, I'm kind of happy for the better response, I just don't abuse the benefit.