Originally Posted by
MrPolak
Speed? Chain lubed? Bias? Aw, come on! Does there have to be a conspiracy behind every new contraption that hits the market? Sheesh!
The only bias I perceive at the Touring forum is against new technology.
Disc brakes? Voo-doo!
Aluminium frame? Nope! Can't get it welded in Tibet!
V-brakes? What's THAT?
Brifters? What if an Argentinian donkey kicks my handlebar????
700c wheels? Do they sell them in Nairobi?
10 speed drivetrain? Won't last more than 5 miles!
Campagnolo? What did you call me**********
Moon landing? That was a Hollywood photo shoot!
By the way, the belt is manufactured by Gates. Gates is a well-respected and a long-time manufacturer of automotive belts. They should know their stuff. If my alternator belt is good for 80K miles of driving, it should be good enough to drive my bike, eh?
The touring bike is fairly highly evolved so the things in wide use are proven and work well. Newer and better things do come along, but something is not automatically better just because it is new. The key is to adopt the ones that actually make a real improvement. Recognizing which ones are worth adopting is the key. In this case the additional cost is probably more than I paid for the entire bike that I rode coast to coast. For me the possible benefits don't seem great enough to justify the extra cost.
For the record:
I think it naive to not question a test "by an independent lab" for a new product or any product when the test was almost certainly commissioned by the manufacturer and only very sketchy detail is given on the testing.
Disk brakes, not a fan for a variety of reasons.
Aluminum frames, I love the Cannondale touring frames, but don't currently own one.
Vbrakes. I like them fine, but run cantis because they came on the bike and work fine. If starting from scratch I might use vbrakes.
Brifters, I love STI, best thing since clipless pedals. I wouldn't buy a bike without them.
700c wheels, thats what I run.
10 speed drivetrain, not really needed when using a triple, a bit more prone to wear, and not generally available on a touring bike without going custom so why bother?
Campagnolo, great stuff but why use something that will be hard to find parts for on tour.