Originally Posted by
modelmartin
..... My opinion is that using DT shifters is anachronistic. If you like that, then that is fine. Many people love activities that relive the past...... etc. STI beats the crap out of DT and bar-con any day of the week for ease of use, safety, efficiency by shifting more often and safely, and making riding more pleasurable.
I had to look up the word:
anachronistic
And for the most part you're correct. Down tube shifters are as out-dated as are classic, vintage, old steel bicycles. Nether has a place in competitive cycling. And maybe most of us that enjoy DT and/or friction shifters are re-living an earlier era when we ride the old steel.
So is that what hipsters are doing? Are fixie riders re-living the era BEFORE the freewheel hub? Or
are some people really just selecting from a menu of available cycling options? I don't know of a single fixie rider that was a cyclist before the invention of the freewheel (or even the coaster brake).
I mostly ride modern bicycles. But I do love a long ride on a great vintage bike too. There is a simpler kind of fun on a smooth riding old steel bike. And since most cycling is recreational...
shouldn't fun be what cycling is all about.