moxfyre

Heck ya! Removable stem faceplates are just an all around win. Fortunately they are available on threaded stems as well as threadless, though for some reason a lot of threaded stems are still made with the old style clamp.

Certainly a big advantage for racing, I think. I did my first 3 races with downtube shifters before finding some used Shimano 105 brifters, and I was awfully glad to get them. I enjoy friction bar end shifters though, because they shift smoothly even with moderate amounts of cable stretch, chain wear, and derailers getting bumped against doorways.

Absolutely. I couldn't believe the difference when I put on the Shimano 105 double-pivot brakes.

jur

How about IG vs HG? A while ago I rode an old tri-bike with a 6-speed IG cassette, and the thing that was striking was how well that shifted. Fast crisp shifting, little noise. Just a small clunk and next gear is engaged. Not a single hitch in 2 weeks of riding.

lisitsa

The value these days is really in the low-end roadies. They offer above and beyond of what was offered only 10 years ago, with STI's, very light, good quality, clean shifting, and tons of gears. After that it is more of a log graph. (a lot of money for little extra)

bostontrevor

I'm not saying there aren't good things going on. As you say, indexed shifting (except the really cheap low-end stuff that never seems to properly calibrate), dual pivot brakes (though frankly, I have single pivots on all my bikes and have no problems but I don't see anythnig wrong with DP), poptop stems.

To that, I would add quality clinchers, clipless pedals (though I still ride clips and straps myself), cartridge bearings, freehubs, TIG welded frames (yes way!), and probably several others that escape me at the moment.

But all-in-all, most of those things don't represent any kind of substantial advancement, particularly for the average rider. Further, with the exception of the freehub, the above are all backwards compatible. I'm a big fan of innovations that don't require you to buy a bunch of other new stuff to make it all go.

There's an old adage that racing improves the breed but the bicycle industry is a bit inbred right now.

rmfnla

My $.02:

I've been riding and wrenching for over 30 years and I think most of the new stuff is great!

You want to use friction shifters and quill stems, be my guest; this is America. I love how my 9-speed shifts, I love how easy it is to adjust a threadless headset, I love building sub-20 lb bikes, I love clincher tires, I love my SRAM Power Link, I love cartridge bearing BBs...

In fact, I think I'm going out for a ride right now. Later!