Originally Posted by
Schwinnrider
This product is an awfully complicated and heavy solution to a problem that drop bars already solve quite nicely. A drop bar set at seat height or higher offers more positions for less weight. Another poster said some people are "intimidated" by drop bars. Huh? Drop bars are scary?
The first time this mechanism fails(and law of averages says it will fail on someone) and a rider ends up doing a faceplant it's going to cost you a lot of money. Having people monkeying around with their bar height while moving is a recipe for disaster.
Drop bars aren't scary, but they are less than ideal. Can you brake or shift from the tops or the curves behind the brake hoods? How much does it cost to convert to drop bars? New handlebars, new stem, new brake/shift levers. That gets pretty expensive, too, considering Nashbar charges $232 for 105 STI levers, their cheapest Shimano kit. Plus they don't work with most cable-operated disc brakes and definitely no hydraulics. I haven't heard of any serious failures of Softride or Girvin stems or the RockShox Reverb hydraulic seatpost. I suspect redundancy is part of the reason he uses two air springs. If one fails, the stem may bounce a bit more, but it won't drop to its lowest position.