this post was submitted on 23 Aug 2023
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And the most fashionable style where I'm from is the fixie, whose fans specifically value the mechanical simplicity (no derailleur!).
Granted, there's a big untapped market of people who have absolutely no interest in maintaining or understanding their mode of transport, and have a consumerist/maximalist philosophy. There are also lots of people who treat bikes as disposable, as evidenced by the huge number of abandoned and rusted bikes you can see in any college town. So I see why someone might think that's a path to success.
For me personally, I do not want a computer in my bike. I want every bit of technology — electronic or mechanical — to earn its place. Because complexity comes at a cost. It means more time, energy, and money spent maintaining it. My derailleurs easily add enough value (for me personally) to justify the added complexity. Disc brakes, honestly, don't. A built-in computer? Helllllll no.
I personally like slack 1x trail hardtails. It's such a cool mix of versatility.
I prefer disk brakes though. Throwing away entire wheels is so idiotically wasteful and if you don't like hydraulic brakes then there's also cable disc brakes for that.
If I rode hard trails I'm sure I'd see more value in disc brakes. I've never worn out a rim in my life. I'm currently running low-end mechanical disc brakes and I find them to be much more trouble than they're worth compared to my old bargain-basement rim brakes.
I'm curious about hydraulic brakes but I fear the maintenance cost (in time and hassle as well as money) will be too high. Kind of a nonissue for me at the moment, since I won't likely buy a new bike for many more years.
I guess it also depends on your environment. For me even my entire city is super hilly. A fixie and rim brakes sound like hell for that, unless you have literal Hercules legs.
Servicing hydraulic brakes isn't actually as bad as it might seem at first glance, but of course there's a little more to it than a simple cable pull.
Yeah, I've watched some YouTube videos (shoutout to Syd Fixes Bikes!) and it seems like bleeding isn't overly difficult if you know what you're doing. I still worry about on-the-road maintenance, though.
Park Tools also has easily one of the best and most extensive bike maintenance playlists on Youtube.