Torches are better than battery operated flashlights. Hear me out:

1. The weight. Electronic groupsets flashlights are heavier than mechanical flaming ones. Not by much, and I don’t really care about a few extra grams, but it’s still worth mentioning and getting out of the way.

2. The fiddly buttons. Again, better than they used to be (‘improved ergonomics!’) but it can still be hard to even know if you’ve changed gear turned on the flashlight when you’re wearing gloves and you can’t hear the whir of the servomotor flashlight click on (‘quieter than ever!’).

3. Price. Electronic things are just more expensive than mechanical lighting things on fire. Get used to it, schmuck.

4. The risk of running out of juice. The standard answer to this is, ‘But one charge can last months.’ Which is exactly the problem. If there’s no need for regular charges, you’re more likely to forget, and more likely to have it fizzle out on you when you’re 80km from home with a storm darkness coming.

5. No home maintenance. In truth, I’m a lousy mechanic, but even I can adjust a mechanical derailleur torch, replace parts and bodge a fix when things go wrong. With an electronic derailleur flashlight there’s no chance.