Yesterday I put the ‘Nonerini up for public sale:
And I’m happy to announce it seems like we’ve obtained a winner!
I can solely think about how a lot cash we’d have raised had I auctioned off one thing extra unique, just like the Normcore Bike:
Nevertheless that gained’t be taking place very quickly, as this bike is a priceless piece of velocipedal historical past.
Talking of which, like several bike dork I’ve at all times obtained one eye open for fascinating bikes after I’m strolling across the metropolis, and just lately this setup caught my eye:
Within the post-integrated shifting period folks with outdated bikes will usually go to nice lengths to get their gear controls within the neighborhood of their brake levers with out making a pricey funding in STI or its numerous equivalents, and the above is an efficient instance. Whereas I recognize all types of different shifter, I admit I favor mine within the extra canonical areas, and as such I’ve by no means been taken with choices like these from Gevenalle:
I get it, I applaud it, it’s an excellent different to pricey and proprietary built-in levers, however I admit I merely can’t get previous the aesthetics, and when you understand it seems like some form of unhappy robot-insect trying up at you plaintively you merely can’t unsee it.
I really feel the identical method in regards to the IRD Energy Ratchet:
Once more, it’s a incredible different to one thing that locks you right into a devoted drivetrain and I’m all in favor of it, however I’m additionally a shallow and self-conscious particular person and lack the boldness to equip my bike with a brake lever that appears prefer it has a windshield wiper.
I used to be interested by all this as I contemplated this specific shifter in addition to the stent that ran below its raggedy bar tape, and I questioned why in the event that they needed extra handy shifting they didn’t simply use bar finish shifters as a substitute:
They’re clean-looking, they’re straightforward to achieve, they usually don’t require operating cable all the way in which up the bar. So why use these items as a substitute?
Then I figured it out:
Positive, they might not take bar-end shifters, however an underappreciated benefit of the Scott Drop-In bar is that whenever you yoke your bike to a pole by the stem it’s that a lot more durable to take away the bar to steal the bike:
Until after all the thief merely removes the quill stem, wherein case the bike is theirs in a matter of seconds. However at this time’s thieves in all probability don’t even know what a quill stem is, and actually I’m moderately sure that nowadays they’re solely taken with e-bikes anyway.
Additionally, it’s no worse than locking your bike to the leg of a mailbox, which is how my very own bike obtained stolen again after I labored as a motorbike messenger:
Both the field wasn’t bolted to the bottom, or else someone unbolted it whereas I used to be inside, however both method after I got here out my Cannondale was gone. Regardless, as a proud member of the Bonded Trek Siblinghood, I hoped this bicycle didn’t meet with the identical destiny:
Plus, the bike sported not solely the mighty Altus rear derailleur, but additionally my favourite chainstay protector of all time:
See?
There isn’t a design higher than perform particular design.
