Clyde1820

Like you, I appreciate the simpler setups when it comes time for maintenance and problems that arise while on a ride.

I do appreciate the utility gains that have been made, with various parts and accessories. So long as it remains durable, straightforward to operate, simple to repair, etc. (Raised in an age when a $250 bike was an expensive one, compared to today's $5-10K+ alternatives.)

Actually had a single-speed step-thru bike a dozen years ago, with a coaster brake and fenders. Made for a perfect, no-nonsense cheapie commuter for the days when I didn't want to worry about theft. Easy to use, simple to maintain, nothing much to go wrong or needing adjustment.

PeteHski

So you were born approx 1915 then?

Atlas Shrugged

Great question. At present my wife’s and my gravel bike, my adventure bike and my road bike are all cross compatible so to bring a outlier in the mix would be the challenge. Something to ponder on today’s ride!

tomato coupe

Why would it be a challenge?

PeteHski

Do you ever cross them? I currently have one road bike on 11-speed Shimano and another on 12-speed SRAM. It doesn't matter to me that they are not cross compatible.

tomato coupe

Same here. One 12-speed bike exists happily with four 11-speed bikes despite the fact that they are not 100% cross-compatible.

Atlas Shrugged

Your not helping!

mstateglfr 

I really like the look of that bike, but none of it even whispers, much less screams, 'modern retro styled'.

PeteHski

I suppose it depends on your reference. But this article linked below explains how the design came about. I’m surprised you cannot see any hint of “classic” influence in the lines of the frame.

“Gerard Vroomen took his design influences for the MIN.D. not from a wind-tunnel but from the welding torch of Dario Pegoretti”


https://www.cyclefit.co.uk/journal/open-min-d-review

Chr0m0ly 

I love riding a good 12 speed!

mstateglfr 

The frame looks nice...a lot nicer than many modern carbon frames.
But a sloping top tube carbon frame and tapered carbon fork with 1x drivetrain, a seatmast, and hydraulic brakes just doesn't remind me of anything classic.
About the only thing 'classic' on that frame is the seststays that join next to the top tube.

Ice read that article you linked and chuckled when I read it again since the Peg bike they feature has seriously beefy stays, compared to the pencil seatstays of this Open.

Again, I really like the look of the Open and in that manner, it's similar to an Aethos in profile. But it doesn't at all remind me of a classic road bike in shape, design, or spec.

PeteHski

Yeah similar to the Aethos frame, but with smaller diameter tubes. Both are slightly retro looking to my eye and that was clearly the intention of the OPEN’s designer. The understated midnight blue paint is also in keeping. Obviously the 1x drivetrain, disc brakes and carbon layup etc are all thoroughly modern counterpoints. The shallow non-aero lightweight wheels on this build also add a little to the retro look.

You obviously don’t see the “classic” retro look that they were going for here, but to me it’s pretty obvious. It is a bit like how say a modern Porsche 911 vaguely resembles a classic 911 even though it is a completely different design.

bharrisonb

I love a bike that I can keep in good working order and repair easily on the road or at home. Clinchers with tubes, rim brakes, cable actuated derailleurs. Simple tools that fit nicely in my seat mounted leather toolkit bag (on my Raleigh Sports) or my rear rack bag. My three bikes (the Raleigh (1971) my Specialized Sequoia (2008) , and Trek Verve 2 (2016)) all are in this category.


No bleeding hydraulic brake lines or running out of battery charge on a Di2 wireless electronic shifting derailleur for me.


BUT --- I'm not a gear snob ... I never critic another rider's choice or selection of riding gear. To each, his or her own!

PeteHski

I think it’s a bit of a myth that modern bikes are harder to maintain. In some ways I find they are actually easier. There are a few swings and roundabouts. Just my personal experience of owning and maintaining bikes of all eras since the early 80s. I don’t even need a saddlebag to carry my road tools.

terrymorse 

It's also a myth that many of the recent bike tech "improvements" are truly valuable improvements.

In my opinion.

Eric F 

It would largely depend on what factors one uses to determine value, and those factors may vary from person to person.

terrymorse 

Fair enough. But as the marketing pukes would say, your product's "value proposition" needs to alleviate an existing "pain point" (Gad, I hate marketing speak).

But by this measure, I'n not seeing any recent tech that alleviates a pain point.

Eric F 

Recent tech alleviates the pain of having too much money in one's bank account. Duh.

PeteHski

I’m not going to waste my time there, but my modern bikes are still very easy to maintain with minimal tools.