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View Poll Results: Greatest bike upgrade in the last 25 years | |||
Composite or exotic metal bikes | 0 | 0% | |
Clipless pedals | 1 | 14.29% | |
Index shifting on the handle bars | 6 | 85.71% | |
Lightweight helmets | 0 | 0% | |
Voters: 7. You may not vote on this poll |
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11-03-2008, 04:38 AM | #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Rexburg, Idaho
Posts: 2,236
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Greatest bike upgrade in the last 25 years
The other day I'm riding up a hill and I'm thinking how nice it is to not have to reach down to shift and how nice this light bike felt going up hill and how my feet didn't hurt from having them strapped in cages and how if I fell over my head would be protected from this light helmet. For me I'm going to go with index shifting on the handle bars.
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"I always rode to my limit. If I won by three minutes, that's because I couldn't make four." Eddy Merckx |
11-03-2008, 04:49 AM | #2 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: the far corner of my mind
Posts: 8,711
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index shifting is great, but pedals make ti easy to get in or out at anytime, and thye avoid sore knees with float. They are a comfort and safety upgrade.
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11-03-2008, 04:53 AM | #3 | |
Assistant to the Regional Manager
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: The Orgasmatron
Posts: 24,338
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Quote:
The new wireless groupos will be great too, when they are de rigeur.
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11-03-2008, 05:04 PM | #4 |
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 94
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Just limiting the poll to road bikes, huh? Even if you included mountain bike components such as disc brakes, suspension forks, and rear shocks, I'd still probably pick index shifting. Trying to work a friction shift with one hand off the handlebars on technical singletrack would be pretty scary.
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11-03-2008, 05:37 PM | #5 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: the far corner of my mind
Posts: 8,711
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Quote:
Didn't shiamno have friction thumb shifters? I am pretty sure they and Suntour had them. In fact, I think one of the many bikes in my garage has them on the handlebars. Plus, firciton shifting isn't so bad. Once you got to know your bike well, you could almost always hit the gear without messing around much, if at all.
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11-03-2008, 05:48 PM | #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Rexburg, Idaho
Posts: 2,236
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Their was kinda an art to it. I don't think index shifting made a big difference to the better riders but it was a little bit of heaven to the beginning rider.
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"I always rode to my limit. If I won by three minutes, that's because I couldn't make four." Eddy Merckx |
11-03-2008, 06:00 PM | #7 | |
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 94
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Quote:
Come to think of it, there are a lot of climbs where I just stay in one gear from bottom to top, but there are plenty of others where it's nice to have fast, accurate shifts. |
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11-03-2008, 06:42 PM | #8 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: the far corner of my mind
Posts: 8,711
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Quote:
I have ot agree, on mtb click shifting is more important than clipless pedals. RC's point about click shifting being good for beginners is also valid. Even so, being old and stubborn, I do nto change my vote (I know that click shifting is nto really hte same as index shifting, but it is easier to type, which ease is wiped out by this parentethtical comment; I am a mess)
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Sorry for th e tpyos. |
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