On Sun, Aug 29, 2010 at 1:13 PM, Seth Vidal <skvi...@gmail.com> wrote: > I have a burley tandem with a threadless headset/stem and having to > move it around to get the bars up was a giant pain in the ass. > > I had a bianchi castro valley, same thing, In general, I've found that > since getting a rivendell that headset adjustment and maintenance, > including raising and lowering the bars, give me much less heartburn. > > I'm not pulling the idea of not like threadless from a place of zero > experience with them. I'm coming from my own personal experience and > watching what happens with normal use of a bike for me. > > I have no doubt that you have vastly more experience from the > perspective of a bike shop owner and mechanic. Furthermore, I have no > doubt that threadless is easier for a bike shop to deal with. HOWEVER, > I do not buy a bike for the bike mechanic at the bike shop. I do not > buy anything b/c it is easier for the mechanics to work on it. I buy > it b/c it is easier for ME to use. > > Remember, the mechanics can love whatever technology they will love, > but if it just continues to annoy customers then that's not good at > all. > > I speak to that from well over a decade in computing - a field where > ignoring what is actually USEFUL to the customer in exchange for what > is easier for the developer has been promoted to HIGH ART.
The software analogy is flawed, because the vast majority of software users don't maintain and modify their own apps, but they certainly can work on their own bikes. Threadless systems eliminate one required specialized tool, and are far easier for a lay person to adjust correctly than most threaded headsets. I resisted threadless 9/8 steerers for a long time, but i've come around as a fan. If you're a new rider, or riding a new style of bike for you, the steerer should be left uncut until the fit is dialed in. I don't think that most cyclists are going to dramatically change their bar height over their lifetime with a bike, and tweaking things by a cm either way once the steerer is cut is really not a big deal. Swapping out stems for a change in reach is far easier on 9/8, assuming you're using open-faced stems. The only thing for me that's superior about 1" threaded is aesthetics; I like the look of skinnier frame tubes, and that could be reason enough to use that size on certain types of bikes. The downsides though, are many: more limited bar choices, a real hassle to change bars or stem, and most importantly a significantly more flexible front-end. Steel stems greatly help with this, but there are few options in steel quill stems nowadays (being unable to afford a Bruce Gorden chicken neck stem). The stem on my 9/8 Crosscheck is a 1/2-lugged Nitto, and the most beautiful stem i own, so it's certainly possible to match styles. My next frame (whatever it is) will definitely be 9/8 threadless, and once the fit is dialed in, it'll get a really nice stem too. -- Bill Connell St. Paul, MN -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
