Let's Retire the Term "Gravel Grinder"
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https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/produ...T-R8170-R.html
https://www.sram.com/en/sram/road/se...force-etap-axs
Campagnolo wrote like 4000 words on their 12sp groupset (gruppo?) here and I don't see the word "brifter" used once: https://www.campagnolo.com/US/en/Cam...rake_groupsets
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Brifter persists because this sport is dominated by grey haired men who's cycling coming-of-age was during the Lance Armstrong era when a combo brake/shifter seemed like revolutionary new technology that required a snappy new marketing term. I don't know anyone under the age of 50 that says "brifter".
https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/produ...T-R8170-R.html
https://www.sram.com/en/sram/road/se...force-etap-axs
Campagnolo wrote like 4000 words on their 12sp groupset (gruppo?) here and I don't see the word "brifter" used once: https://www.campagnolo.com/US/en/Cam...rake_groupsets
https://www.sram.com/en/sram/road/se...force-etap-axs
Campagnolo wrote like 4000 words on their 12sp groupset (gruppo?) here and I don't see the word "brifter" used once: https://www.campagnolo.com/US/en/Cam...rake_groupsets
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BTW, all words are “made up” words. That is how language works.
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If I told someone that I crashed and broke the shifter on my gravel bike, there would be zero confusion about which part I was referring to. Is there really a need to specify that my shifter also functions as a brake lever, or vice versa?
If I told someone that I crashed (while riding in the gruppeto) and broke my Campy gruppo's downtube shifter on my vintage gravel grinder whip, there would still be zero confusion about which part I was referring to.
It's time to retire "brifter", which has always been an awful term.
If I told someone that I crashed (while riding in the gruppeto) and broke my Campy gruppo's downtube shifter on my vintage gravel grinder whip, there would still be zero confusion about which part I was referring to.
It's time to retire "brifter", which has always been an awful term.
If I told someone I broke the caliper on my MTB, you would correctly assume it was a disc brake.
By your logic, it is time to retire the term “disc brake”.
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That said, there are still loads of bikes sold with rim brakes, (which until 15-20 years ago were just called "brakes"). I'd say there's still a need to specify which type of brake system.
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I linked product pages for Sram, Campagnolo and Shimano above - all of them call these parts "shifters", and then use marketing terms like "dual control levers" or "double tap", etc. to describe how they operate. None of them use the term "brifter".
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The problem I have with with brifters is the implication that they are used for brifting, as in: "I was zooming down the hill, when I had to suddenly brift."
AFAIK, that's not a thing.
AFAIK, that's not a thing.
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To be frank, I kinda enjoy the term "brifter." A seven letter portmanteau to describe a distinct type of bicycle component that controls the brakes and shifts gears, all without being tied to a particular brand or model. A masterpiece of elegant simplicity.
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By that I meant, why does anyone take it so seriously?
To be frank, I kinda enjoy the term "brifter." A seven letter portmanteau to describe a distinct type of bicycle component that controls the brakes and shifts gears, all without being tied to a particular brand or model. A masterpiece of elegant simplicity.
To be frank, I kinda enjoy the term "brifter." A seven letter portmanteau to describe a distinct type of bicycle component that controls the brakes and shifts gears, all without being tied to a particular brand or model. A masterpiece of elegant simplicity.
I also which we could retire the term "podcast", much like we've generally retired the term "blogger" (or even more specific "vlogger"... which we just call YouTubers now I think, or maybe "Influencers").
OK, I'm done now.
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As you might guess, I'm one of those who thinks "brifter" is a good generic term. Say "brifter" and you don't need to specify Shimano, Campagnolo, SRAM, Microshift or whomever else makes "one of those," and you don't need to worry about what your manufacturer of choice calls the darn thing.
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There is little to no actual gravel where I live and it's mostly either dirt fire roads or single track. I would think a term like "all-road" might be better suited for "gravel" bikes.
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In the context of drop bar bikes, the word is "shifter".
I linked product pages for Sram, Campagnolo and Shimano above - all of them call these parts "shifters", and then use marketing terms like "dual control levers" or "double tap", etc. to describe how they operate. None of them use the term "brifter".
I linked product pages for Sram, Campagnolo and Shimano above - all of them call these parts "shifters", and then use marketing terms like "dual control levers" or "double tap", etc. to describe how they operate. None of them use the term "brifter".
I was not aware that SRAM, Campy, and Shimano's marketing copy got to decide how we use the English language. Am I allowed to call something a bidon even though the manufacturer calls it a water bottle? Or vice versa? Is "dork disc" a no-go? Can I call something a "bash ring" when the manufacturer calls it a "bash guard"? Can I use the term "flat bar" if the manufacture calls the specific model a riser? Can I use the term "oval" for a ring that the manufacturer calls "elliptical" and vice versa?
Dual Control Lever = Brifter. One is a lot quicker to say and write. And if the term "brifter" serves no purpose (as some are indicating), why does the term "dual control lever" exist (which means the same thing, just longer)?
Last edited by Kapusta; 05-11-22 at 11:18 AM.
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Kinda like sharting.... except less messy and not real.
Last edited by Kapusta; 05-11-22 at 10:49 AM.
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No one really specifies "disc brakes" when talking about a car's brake system, do they? This used to be common when cars were sold with drum brakes still, but that hasn't been a thing for several decades. So yes, I assume at some point we will stop specifying "disc brakes" on bikes, and just start referring to them as "brakes". The same thing has happened with "radial" tires and "unleaded" gasoline.
That said, there are still loads of bikes sold with rim brakes, (which until 15-20 years ago were just called "brakes"). I'd say there's still a need to specify which type of brake system.
That said, there are still loads of bikes sold with rim brakes, (which until 15-20 years ago were just called "brakes"). I'd say there's still a need to specify which type of brake system.
But sometimes you DO have to specify the type of brake, thus there are different names for them..... and sometimes you DO have to specify the type of shifter, thus there are different names for them.
That's the thing about language. It is often contextual. If one is an a context where it might not be clear what sort of shifters you have, "brifters" clears that up.
New words are added to vocabulary when they have a use such as streamlining communication or adding clarity. Folks can accept that or they can yell at the clouds.
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Since the advent of tubeless tires, I've wanted a term for a tire with a tube in it.
Tubeful? Tubire?
Tubeful? Tubire?
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- If anyone from Iowa ever said 'bidon', I would stare thru them in disgust with the heat of a million suns.
- If someone with a British accent asked me to pass them their bidon, I would view it as novel and happily pass it. Later, I would try to impress them with my British accent, which is really just an offensive mix of Cockney, Scottish, Aussie, and sometimes Mexican because I am terrible with accents. They would then leave with a terrible and accurate impression of Iowa and Americans in general.
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Finally, I get to use "po-faced"! As in, po-faced campaigns to eliminate usages and practices that trigger some and elicit bemused puzzlement in others - e.g., referring to brake/shifter combinations as brifters, indicating right turns on a bike with the right hand, etc.
The late Sheldon Brown pushed relentlessly for years to replace the inoffensive term "derailleur" with the much more obscure (and, to me, well-nigh appalling) spelling "derailer." But, given that English is now the lingua franca worldwide, we Anglophones can surely tolerate a few French spellings.
The late Sheldon Brown pushed relentlessly for years to replace the inoffensive term "derailleur" with the much more obscure (and, to me, well-nigh appalling) spelling "derailer." But, given that English is now the lingua franca worldwide, we Anglophones can surely tolerate a few French spellings.
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