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I notice there's a clash of handbags over Hope Vs Shimano brakes going down.
We all knew that wasn't going to result in a polite and courteous debate as soon as we saw the thread title, but is it the most contentious topic in the world of bike products?
Santa Cruz pricing?
Planet X/On One QC?
Superstar anything?
Helmets
SSPP (Specialized's Stupid Proprietary Parts) Weird thru axle sizes, Weird shock lengths/mounts etc.
cup and cone vs cartridge bearings.
i'm an engineer, i fix things with spanners and care. Therefor i prefer cup and cone bearings.
fitters 'fix' things in a hurry, so they use hammers. They prefer cartridge bearings.
Campag V Shimano (and now V SRAM)
You'd think it was religion the way people argue it...
ooh! another one:
'low normal' rear derailleurs, they'll bring out the handbags, every time.
Press fit bottom brackets. 😈
I'm going to have a lie down ...
Any new 'industry standard' that is at odds with previous 'standards' that we'd used for years without realising it had some enormous intangible flaw.
Not this engineer. I prefer cartridge bearings, but press them in carefully on the outer race, the way it should be done.fitters 'fix' things in a hurry, so they use hammers. They prefer cartridge bearings
Anyhow, to answer the OP, proper road bike or CX/gravel bike compromise.
i'm an engineer, i fix things with spanners and care. Therefor i prefer cup and cone bearings.
I'm an engineer and I prefer cartridge
Lets get it on 👿 👿 👿
see? c&c vs cartridge, there's contention for you. i'm going to have to fight tthew and ndthornton to the death over this one.
(nothing personal)
but:
Press fit bottom brackets.
we all know they're shit. or at best: 'meh'.
Orange bikes?
SRAM vs Shimano?
see? c&c vs cartridge, there's contention for you.
Point proved.
Not sure anyone defends the corner of press fit BBs though?
Another obvious one - Orange bikes being "outdated" and "agricultural".
Crank Brothers pedals.
Avid
I use contention, heated debate and endless threads about exactly the same tedious topic as a good indicator that there is really sod all difference between x thing and y thing....and therefor I should just pick the cheapest.
Of all the bike parts I have experience of the two that have bothered me the most or been the most disappointing were:
Avid Brakes
Specialized Stout Hubs
Engineers . what the what now?
Crank Brothers pedals.
No I think we all accept that Crank Bros pedals bearings are complete rubbish. Even those of us who like to use them.
"pulling up" on the pedals with SPD vs flat pedals. Fond memories of the letters page on MBUK sizzling with this particularly fascinating argument.
(If I understand you correctly) cup and cone - an antiquated bearing design, like a circular version of how stone age man rolled the massive Stonehenge boulders across the county, and still used by that Neanderthal outfit Shimano.Engineers . what the what now?
Cup and cone. Precision engineering component, universally accepted across high tech industries for accuracy, longevity and value since it was invented by Swiss scientists. 😀
Oh, and I rather like my Avid Elixir brakes too.
Bike industry - 'You need 27.5'
Enve rims
[img] 
[/img]
😯 Fark.
That'll polish out.
This is just me but CX bikes, or to be more accurate, gravel/touring/gnarmac bikes that are branded as CX bikes.
A CX bike has steep geometry, no mounts or eyelets and is designed to hoon around off road for an hour or 2. It is a not a bike with relaxed geometry for touring or one with rack mounts for commuting. Yes, you can ride a gnarmac bike in a CX race, yes you can commute on a CX bike but they are different things.
And breathe.
Mountain biking, and often road cycling, tends to attract competitive/aggressive sorts of men; those who'd never want to be called wrong. If they've spent alot of their hard earned on something , they'll never want to be told they've made the wrong choice, and that they should have bought something else.
Hope/Shimano brakes are probably the best example of this.
Chris King hubs?
Shimano/SRAM in the roadie world
Disc/rim brakes in the roadie world
Enve rims
And Santa Cruz bikes. A couple more good examples.
Evil
anything can break, I could start naming my most trusted parts and someone on here will have a pic of a catastrophic failure of it. Have enough people broken them to make them contentious? (besides don't they have the stupid internal nipple which puts off most people anyway (if the price hasn't already 😉 )Enve rims
Cup and cone is a good one but shimano seem to be on a losing battle with that, besides it's their freehubs I have a problem with not the bearings 🙂
Enve rims
Yeah!
Disc/rim brakes in the roadie world
Hell yeah! More contentious on here than any roadie forum I've seen too.
That's just my favourite picture of an Enve rim but I don't think it's the fragility that makes them contentious, there's a list of things.
Why don't you start your own thread, Enve vs. Flows or something and watch the fireworks.
As for the muppet who loves cup and cone, surely that's a wind up? Leave them in the middle ages.
Have enough people broken them to make them contentious?
I dunno. They just look silly with those massive logos on them, plus they cost more than I earn in a month.
Cup and cone work great for road bike wheels! They roll forever
15mm vs 20mm axles? That and boost, while we're here.
P.s. I liked cup and cone when I was a student, had no money, but a lot of time to keep them running perfectly. Now I have less time but more money, so I favour cartridge and a once very x years job with the hammers and drifts.
'low normal' rear derailleurs, they'll bring out the handbags, every time
Rapid Rise please.
And they rock.
Does anyone have any 9sp RR mechs in good condition they want rid of?
Short stems on road bikes.....
You'd think it was religion the way people argue it...
It's [i]far[/i] more important than that.
A CX bike has steep geometry, no mounts or eyelets and is designed to hoon around off road for an hour or 2. It is a not a bike with relaxed geometry for touring or one with rack mounts for commuting. Yes, you can ride a gnarmac bike in a CX race, yes you can commute on a CX bike but they are different things.
Here here!
But then MTB is everything from xc race weapon, through trail, enduro, to DH bike, and loads in between.
Does anyone have any 9sp RR mechs in good condition they want rid of?
You know what, I might (although I'd need to check with the better half, as technically it's hers)
Oh there have been so many things over the years on here.
29er vs 26er (pre 650b becoming popular of course)
HT vs full sus.
Helmet always vs helmet sometimes.
Knee pads vs nothing.
Road biking vs being gnarcore all the time.
Baggies vs lycra.
1x? vs 2x? or 3x?
Strava
I even remember when V brakes were "fine if you set them up well".
In fact I remember (before STW's time) when Canti's were "fine if you set them up well".
STIs vs thumb shifters.
Suspension forks.
And then all the current stuff (boost, 650b, press fit BB's) all of which I can see some advantages of in some applications, but which is ultimately a bit annoying when you just want to be able to walk into a shop and say "I've broken/worn out X, can I have a new one plz".
"Customer service". Some people think it means "They sold me something they knew was badly designed, for a lot of money, but fixed it when it inevitably broke".
sharkattack - MemberThat's just my favourite picture of an Enve rim but I don't think it's the fragility that makes them contentious, there's a list of things.
To be fair, you know how that picture came about, right? First they broke the wheel, then they kept on riding on it to see what'd happen. It's not like it just popped while riding along.
Short stems on road bikes.....
Yes, and upturned stems on road bikes. Makes my skin crawl
Rapid Rise.
How can something so apparently wrong feel so right?
Yes, and upturned stems on road bikes. Makes my skin crawl
*Quietly steps in front of his winter bike with the really short steerer*