Originally Posted by stronglight

[INDENT]Shimano in their obsessive "refining" of components from year to year began to be a real pain in the butt. Heaven forbid you should lose perhaps the little sleeve from the return spring from last years model, no way you could find a replacement part, especially one to fit precisely, maybe close... but no cigar. Very frustrating. This era, for all the advances for which I will gladly extend Shimano credit, was the start of a nightmare for consumers and for mechanics. It built a reputation in some circles for dismissing Shimano components as simply un-rebuildable and expensive throw-away components. If something broke, just replace the whole unit. Of course this was VERY bad for retail customer relations with bike shops when the consumer percieved they were just being dismissed or ripped off by the local shop - rather than the real culprit [Shimano: the Evil Empire bent on world domination], who did not even have a supply stream set up for their small unique and indispensible little replacement parts.

From Shimano's view, it was almost perfect. I would equate them with the Borg.

Outrageous really. Imagine going into car dealer or an auto service station for new brake pads because your brakes aren't working quite right, and being told "Sorry sir, there is a tiny bolt on your right disk brake caliper which has broken, there are no replacement parts for it, and they are a size only made by this brake manufacturer... so you'll have to just buy an entire new disk brake caliper set... oh, and yes, they only come in pairs." - The $30 brake pad job is suddenly $500. This would make me never want to buy a Chevy or whatever Marque again. And yet, this was accepted in bike circles, and the big bike manufacturers who could have resisted this trend never balked at the OEM supplier over this insanity.

I can give you a real analogy, Ford Thunderbird SuperCoupe, engine management ECU is fragile and now unobtanium, Ford still lists it as a part # but its been on National backorder for Years, leaves car in "limp home mode" and the car will not pass smog check. Think Ford is sending a message?

Yep, an early rude welcome to the reality of modern technological Hell. _ This still makes many of us relics glaze over with nostalgia at the thought of once EASILY completely rebuildable Campy NR/SR components... and the small parts you could simply pull right from the drawers of your Campy supplied parts cabinet. [Perhaps I'm the only one old enough to remember those] ___ Aah, the golden years...

Gee, no wonder I still love my primitive yet effective old center-pulls brake sets.


The Gran Compe's were the perfect Mafac centerpull, and no screaming when applied.