Originally Posted by
rpenmanparker
Funny thing is I agree with you, not OP. I was just pointing out how valuable it is to have folks fooling around (AKA experimenting). We see so much of the same old, same old here, the change is refreshing. And the discussion on this has been very illuminating.
Invention occurs yes...and playing with the status quo...out of the box is so passe
...is how its achieved for sure. If you look back on the bike industry pretty much the whole bike has evolved...and many would say for the better...I do. In the mtb industry...the 29er in particular is an outgrowth...partly driven by the hybrid of cross bikes with mtb...and where 1 X 9 became popular on...starting with long cage derailleurs and pie plate cassettes...again popular in the mtb industry. Also the mtb industry has morphed toward 2 X 10 for racers and away from 3 X 9 which was popular for years. The 29er trend was a loooong slow slog and very slowly embraced because of the greater inertia of bigger wheels...big rubber on 700c hoops don't spool up like a 26" wheel does. Further...26" wheels are inherently stronger because of bigger spoke brace angle and shorter spokes...mtb's themselves evolved from 26" cruisers.
So yes the evolution will continue...electric shifting...and will likely go well beyond shift sensors in seats.