Originally Posted by
SurferRosa
Here's a question. Doesn't the special shifter just prevent releasing all the cable so it stays on the smallest cog, not the chain holder? I would assume a regular shifter could do the same in the hands of an observant rider. (I very rarely shift all the way down to my biggest gear.)
Yes, but "just" isn't the word I'd use. Observant riders can swear that they'd never shift into big-big, so they'd be safe riding with a too-short chain and a Super Record rear derailleur, say, and yet it happens. A momentary distraction, and as you stand on the pedals to sprint, having slammed the shifter all the way forward, the chain obligingly runs onto the portacena ramp. Like running up stairs in the dark and---oops.