Originally Posted by
Dan Burkhart
Another example of technology advancing because it can with no regard for whether it should. too many engineers with not enough to do otherwise.
If that sounds like retro grouchiness, I guess it's because it is. One of the real attractions for me to bicycle mechanics is that it seems to be the last bastion of low tech.
I agree with everything you have posted but there is also this:
In the early days of index shifting I resisted for a long time because I didn't need it. When I finally bought my first (down tube) index shifting bike I remember thinking during my first ride "What have I been missing." I also resisted STI shifting on the handlebar for years. When I eventually succumbed I had the same kind of feeling on my first ride.
At my age there's a good chance that I'll never own a bike with electronic shifting. I'm certainly not motivated to buy one today. If I ever do acquire one, I wonder if I will have the same reaction.