Originally Posted by v1nce
Oh nooooo, the retrogrouch camps appears to be weakened!
Sheldon says:
"Friction shifting
Shifting operated by a lever that moves smoothly through its range. With friction shifting, the rider must learn exactly how far to move the lever to get from one gear to another. If the rider moves the lever too far, or not far enough, the chain will not line up properly with the sprocket, causing noise and roughness. See index shifting
If your bike has friction shifters, consider upgrading to a modern indexed system. This is a major, very worthwhile upgrade."
"Rear Derailers
Older rear derailers are generally much inferior to modern ones, even quite expensive older rear derailers don't work as well as the cheapest newer designs."
I am confused, I guess Sheldon loves all bikes (including Rivendell) but i still wonder why he would recommend the modern bits.
'Cause they work so much better! Nothing confusing about it.
It is a mistake to think of me as a "retrogrouch." I'm actually much more of an early adopter (would a retrogrouch be doing podcasts?)
It's true that I have a fondness for the ride and beauty of many older frames, but I have no great
nostalgia for old parts. I also own 3 aluminum frames, two of which I ride very frequently. The only reason I don't have any titanium frames is 'cause I'm too cheap, and already have enough bikes.
I even own a Greenspeed recumbent trike.
See:
http://sheldonbrown.org/bicycles
I'm also a photographer, and own classic Leica, Contax and Rolleiflex cameras...but I haven't bought any film in this millenium, and my enlargers have been dark for years (though I still can't bring myself to part with them.) Instead, I use one of 4 Nikon digital cameras.
I'm never without my top-of-the-line Sony Clié PDA, and almost never buy paper-based books anymore...I much prefer to do my reading on the bright digital screen.
I'm also never without my 60GB iPod...does that sound like a retrogrouch? ;-)
However, I don't "love all bikes" quite...I still detest wheelie bikes and lowriders. I like bikes that are designed to be actually ridden, not bikes designed as toys.
Sheldon "Not A GROUCH, DAMMIT!" Brown
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