Originally Posted by 3alarmer

...you don't want to steer this into a discussion about repairability or product life cycle. Because the conversation quickly turns political. I'm having trouble picturing a bike with proprietary parts (regardless of frame material) from 2024, still being ridden and enjoyed as a bicycle in 40 years. Or even 30 years. I realize that today's CFRP frames "will last forever", but usability as a bicycle is one of my own criteria for success in this realm.

I understand that PeteHski doesn't care about this, he just goes on to the next replacement bike. I would just find that to be a difficult thing to do, personally. And it has nothing to do with available discretionary income...I'm lucky in that respect. It's just the way I was raised by Depression era parents. If someone could make a convincing case that proprietary headsets, seat masts... just about anything on a standard high end bicycle...was a great leap forward in technology, I might be inclined to listen. So far, all I'm hearing is that they are evidence of a vast number of engineers, hired by the industry, to come up with answers to problems that nobody thought were problems.

The idea that the past 20 years has seen some sort of moon shot project in advancing bicycles is entertaining, but I remain unconvinced. Which is fine by me. I never thought the bicycle industry needed to cure cancer anyway.